I am looking to buy a nose weight gauge there are so many on the market could anyone recomend one dont no which one to buy .My car has a low tow ball limit so i need to keep an eye on it and make sure i get it right .
Nose weight gauge
- Thread starter Hazzar
- Start date
Hi Hazzar
I use the Milenco gauge which seems to be recommended by magazines and forums. Here's a link for it.
http://www.milenco.com/noseweight-gauge.html
Regards
Mike
I use the Milenco gauge which seems to be recommended by magazines and forums. Here's a link for it.
http://www.milenco.com/noseweight-gauge.html
Regards
Mike
dont bother there is much debate about these i use bath room scales and a stump of the right hight hand brake off this is as good as any ive used 3 types at the same time one afteer the other and all said diffrent .There will be mutch upraw but i found all my vans that run onideal weight drove verey poor i find it better if its slite heavy my own take on this watch out for flack,,,,,,,run forest run.
You would have to think the type which sits between the towball and caravan hitch would be the best, I think you get them in towsure for about £25. The thing to do would be to measure it with a known weight to get an idea of accuracy. I've never used one myself. I've never actually measured noseweight so no doubt I'll come in for some criticism too. I'll go hide out with Forest. You ever been on a real shrimp boat?
Thanks forest ,i have been touring for years and never used one i have always done it with trial and error but my car has a really low nose weight 60kg so i just want to keep an eye on it .We dont have any bathroom scales my wife says they made her depressed lol.
I don't trust any of the commercially sold gauges.
Of the ones I have seen
· The graduations are rather coarse
· Their accuracy cannot be easily checked (even though the milenco claims to be calibrated – that does not last forever, and how do you prove it,
· The length or height of the gauge is not adjustable.
The towing regulations require the ‘imposed’ nose load on the tow vehicle to be measured. This may sound simple, but when you appreciate that for any given loaded caravan the nose load actually changes depending on the height of the hitch above the horizontal then you realise that the actual nose depends on how much the suspension allows the hitch to fall when the caravan is attached.
For single axle caravans the nose load decreases as the hitch is raised and increases when it is lowered. Twin axles are more complex, which makes the correct measurement even more important.
So to accurately measure the true nose load, you have need to have the car and caravan on level (Horizontal) ground. Both the car and caravan need to be fully loaded with all people and hitched together, so the suspension is settles to its driving height. The height of the hitch needs to be measured. Then the caravan should be uncoupled and the gauge fitted to the caravan hitch, and set the exactly the same height as when the caravan was hitched up. None of the commercial gauges I have seen are not adjustable so it will only be luck it it’s the right height!
So the method that uses bathroom scales and a cut length of wood is a better method, though care must be used to prevent it from slipping out or off the scales
The accuracy of bathroom scales can be relatively easily checked, by weighing an empty aqua roll, then filling with a specific number of litres of water, as water weigh exactly 1Kg per litre.
Of the ones I have seen
· The graduations are rather coarse
· Their accuracy cannot be easily checked (even though the milenco claims to be calibrated – that does not last forever, and how do you prove it,
· The length or height of the gauge is not adjustable.
The towing regulations require the ‘imposed’ nose load on the tow vehicle to be measured. This may sound simple, but when you appreciate that for any given loaded caravan the nose load actually changes depending on the height of the hitch above the horizontal then you realise that the actual nose depends on how much the suspension allows the hitch to fall when the caravan is attached.
For single axle caravans the nose load decreases as the hitch is raised and increases when it is lowered. Twin axles are more complex, which makes the correct measurement even more important.
So to accurately measure the true nose load, you have need to have the car and caravan on level (Horizontal) ground. Both the car and caravan need to be fully loaded with all people and hitched together, so the suspension is settles to its driving height. The height of the hitch needs to be measured. Then the caravan should be uncoupled and the gauge fitted to the caravan hitch, and set the exactly the same height as when the caravan was hitched up. None of the commercial gauges I have seen are not adjustable so it will only be luck it it’s the right height!
So the method that uses bathroom scales and a cut length of wood is a better method, though care must be used to prevent it from slipping out or off the scales
The accuracy of bathroom scales can be relatively easily checked, by weighing an empty aqua roll, then filling with a specific number of litres of water, as water weigh exactly 1Kg per litre.
I bought one, supposed to be 'computer calibrated' it went off the scale at first use. (no load in van) compared it with bathroom scales, which you would think was the crude method of doing it, but it read about 10kg less than the 'accurate' gauge. I checked the bathroom scale with a known weight and they were pretty accurate.
Don't bother with my 'proper' gauge now.
Bill.D
Don't bother with my 'proper' gauge now.
Bill.D
IMO, you can't beat the bathroom scales with a 3/4" plywood board on the foot pad and zero'd when your on tarmac. I wind down the front legs of the van, wind up the jocky wheel and slide the scales under, then take the weight on the jocky wheel with the front legs wound up. You can adjust the hitch height to simulate being hooked up.
When on site, I use the guage that inserts into the hitch head and onto the tow ball. There is a height discrepancey of about 80mm from the road ready hitched height, but any descrepancey of reading is minimal. To elieveate this I have weighed the van on the bathroom scales and then used the portable hitch scale. I then marked with a sharpie pen (very permanent marker) the actual load point on the scale shaft. That way i can load anywhere to the desired weight predetermined with bathroom scales.
I do that because, I had a very lucky escape when a pogo stick weight guage slipped off the hitch and hit me in the lower jaw ending up putting my lwer lip through my teeth. the last thing I can remember is looking at the guage measuring 100Kgs and then Pow! a 100 Kg upper cut. Fortunately for my my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law who were trained ambulance man and nurse were on hand to render 1st aid. I had 5 stitches (without anesthetic) to repair the hole in my lip. I was lucky that time, as if I'd been hit between the eyes, I might well of not been here to recall the event. Needless to say the pogo stick guage got dismantled and thrown away.
When on site, I use the guage that inserts into the hitch head and onto the tow ball. There is a height discrepancey of about 80mm from the road ready hitched height, but any descrepancey of reading is minimal. To elieveate this I have weighed the van on the bathroom scales and then used the portable hitch scale. I then marked with a sharpie pen (very permanent marker) the actual load point on the scale shaft. That way i can load anywhere to the desired weight predetermined with bathroom scales.
I do that because, I had a very lucky escape when a pogo stick weight guage slipped off the hitch and hit me in the lower jaw ending up putting my lwer lip through my teeth. the last thing I can remember is looking at the guage measuring 100Kgs and then Pow! a 100 Kg upper cut. Fortunately for my my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law who were trained ambulance man and nurse were on hand to render 1st aid. I had 5 stitches (without anesthetic) to repair the hole in my lip. I was lucky that time, as if I'd been hit between the eyes, I might well of not been here to recall the event. Needless to say the pogo stick guage got dismantled and thrown away.
Just a point, hitch head weight should be measured from the hitch and not the jockey wheel, as in most cases the jockey wheel is set back from the hitch and will give a false reading.
Good job you weren't bending over Steve.steveinleo said:
I seem to remember Watson John G or was it Sprocket posting an excellent photo of their welded piece of kit that sat firmly on the bathroom scales and had a proper tow ball for insertion into the hitch. I can't find it via the search as usual.
Hi Prof John L and you all. Yes, the issue of Towball/Hitch-head gauge in relation to the recording of the downward height/weight is not as Black & White as it is often made out to be. I use spacer pads below the gauge to get the hitch-head to my known ball-ride height at static mode when 75kgs is applied & balance the scales to achieve the 75kgs required on the caravan. The affects of Yaw on the move on the tow-vehicle/caravan relationship is immense. That creates a constant shift of the Static Weight recorded on the Nose Weight Gauge. Combine that with the natural side to side movement of the caravan/tow-vehicle and there is a recipe for a whole new meaning to "Ball Game". It is hardly surprising that a worn tow-ball ends up looking very oval when worn to the degree that the caravan is at risk of involuntary detachment. Periodic checks with a Digital Vernier Gauge are well advised,and in particular if you have taken delivery of a "New to You" ready equipped tow-vehicle. A new tow-ball is a minor cost when compared with the potential of The Wake of Disaster.
I am sure that there are enough out there who will Argue the Toss,but from my own personal experience Sports or Stiffened Suspension goes a long way to eradicate this effect.My Volvo T5 Auto has Sports Tuned Suspension because of the nature of what it is. I have as previously stated fitted Grayson Inserts on the Volvo. The centre of the tow-ball with 75kgs on the ball is in the centre of the min/max requirements. The car was transformed even from the stiffer ride of the factory fitted suspension.I am sure that Self Levelling Suspension also plays a great part in reducing Yaw. I am yet to tow with the Ford Scorpio Ultima 2.3 Auto Estate,it has self levelling suspension fitted and the tow-ball is at the upper end of the min/max height when standing idle. When I stand on the ball 68kgs+ ballast in goes down to 425/430mm.
I am sure that there are enough out there who will Argue the Toss,but from my own personal experience Sports or Stiffened Suspension goes a long way to eradicate this effect.My Volvo T5 Auto has Sports Tuned Suspension because of the nature of what it is. I have as previously stated fitted Grayson Inserts on the Volvo. The centre of the tow-ball with 75kgs on the ball is in the centre of the min/max requirements. The car was transformed even from the stiffer ride of the factory fitted suspension.I am sure that Self Levelling Suspension also plays a great part in reducing Yaw. I am yet to tow with the Ford Scorpio Ultima 2.3 Auto Estate,it has self levelling suspension fitted and the tow-ball is at the upper end of the min/max height when standing idle. When I stand on the ball 68kgs+ ballast in goes down to 425/430mm.
Hello Rooster,
In principal you are right. The static nose load in all directions is very different to what forces are actually imposed when the outfit is moving. The dynamic loads can alternate between much greater and much less than the static loads. Vehicle designers are aware of this and will include a load safety factor in the designs to encompass a range of values.
Of course tow balls and hitches will wear with use, but they normally have quite a long life expectancy with normal usage. Greater wear will arise if the ALKO and similar tow ball stabilisers are used, as they rely on increased friction in the joint to provide resistance to movement, but a traditional greased tow-ball should last many years before losing too much diameter.
Just a note - you refer ‘yaw’ and I think you meant ‘pitch’ Yaw is the rotation around a vertical axis, the equivalent of swinging the hitch from side to side.
The load that will be affected by the hitch height is the “pitch” which is the equivalent of the caravan nodding.
Because the nose load is resultant force rather than the result of actual mass at the hitch, the dynamic effects are not as predictable.
In principal you are right. The static nose load in all directions is very different to what forces are actually imposed when the outfit is moving. The dynamic loads can alternate between much greater and much less than the static loads. Vehicle designers are aware of this and will include a load safety factor in the designs to encompass a range of values.
Of course tow balls and hitches will wear with use, but they normally have quite a long life expectancy with normal usage. Greater wear will arise if the ALKO and similar tow ball stabilisers are used, as they rely on increased friction in the joint to provide resistance to movement, but a traditional greased tow-ball should last many years before losing too much diameter.
Just a note - you refer ‘yaw’ and I think you meant ‘pitch’ Yaw is the rotation around a vertical axis, the equivalent of swinging the hitch from side to side.
The load that will be affected by the hitch height is the “pitch” which is the equivalent of the caravan nodding.
Because the nose load is resultant force rather than the result of actual mass at the hitch, the dynamic effects are not as predictable.
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