Nose weight/Towcar query (newbie)

[Kessam]

We have just bought a Bailey Ranger 550/6 (2008). The plan was to get the caravan first, then get an appopriate tow car for it but now I'm confused!!
Looking on the net, it looks like the confirmed (unladen) MRO Nose weight for the current Ranger 550/6 is 92kg. Does this mean that it can only be pulled by a vehicle with a towball limit that is greater than 92kg or can the van be loaded behind the axle to bring the noseweight down?
If the former is true then that seems a bit odd as it rules out loads of vehicles that are easily able to pull the MPTLM at 85% (which is1298kg) but have a towball limit of 75kg.
If the latter is true then I'm looking at a Passat Estate 2.0 TDi (2007) and would welcome any thoughts on this setup.

Any help is greatly appreciated. We want to be legal and safe and buying the wrong vehicle for our van would be a disaster.

Many thanks in advance

Simo

 

[GeorgeandAde]

Hi Kessam.
I think you will find that the nose weight quoted for the your Ranger is "as it left the factory".
Obviously,once you begin to add items such as gas bottles,battery,personal items etc..,this figure will alter.
I am no expert and I hope someone will be able to help you further,but what i do is load the caravan with all the items we wish to put into the caravan,then measure the noseweight of the caravan, either by using a specific noseweight gauge,or bathroom scales.
If I find the noseweight needs adjusting,I move items within the caravan accordingly (obviously heavy items as close to the axle and on the floor as possible) to achieve the required noseweight.
Obviously you must not exceed the car makers towball limit,or the caravans limit.
As i said,the above is just a rough guide and im sure someone else may be able to help you in more detail.
Adrian.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Kessam,
George and Ades reply is about right. All caravans need to be trimmed to produce an acceptable nose load, and the only way to do that is to position items either in front or behind the axle as appropriate. Please note that Gas bottles must be carried in the properly defined gas bottle locker.
Nose load is important, and in other recent threads the reasons and ways for correct measurement are made. See http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/equipment-accessories/nose-weight-gauge-0
The EU regulations stipulate that the nose load must be at least 4% of MTPLM or 25Kg which ever is greater, but the general consensus suggests that its better to aim for a higher value provided it does not exceed either the car or the caravans towing nose load limit.

 

[Kessam]

Thank you all for your helpful advice and comments. We got in touch with Bailey and found that the noseweight "as it left the factory" is actually 62kg, which is much lower than we had first thought and not a problem for most of the vehicles we are looking at.

Thanks again for the help, it is much appreciated.

Simo

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi again Kessam,
The exworks nose load has no practical relevance, because as soon as you add any items to the caravan (unless they directly over the main axle) the nose load will change. This is quite normal, and the reason why it is important that you have the means to correctly check the real nose load of your outfit.

 

[Mel]

Hi Kessam. You may already know this but it is the MPTLM of the van, the kerbweight of the car and the towing capacity of the car that are more important when choosing a tow car provided that the towball does not have some ridiculously low nose weight capacity. Practical caravan do a beginners guide. Someone cleverer than me with the internet could give you the link.
mel

 

[Steve L]

Hi Simo.
From what I can gleen fron the what tow car website, Your car/caravan combo is at 96% of kerbweight. However it is acceptable to tow. You would be best advised to follow the PC mag loading guide. I would not advise putting any substancial load right at the back of the caravan to adjust the nose weight, however putting heavy items just behind the axle should be ok.

I would aim to have a nose weight of 75Kgs which I've found gives me a good tow experience. Again you have to use the lower figure of nose weight as your top limit. IE Car has 75Kg hitch load limit & caravan has 92Kgs nose weight, therfore you use 75Kgs as the max caravan nose weight. Don't get tempted to load the car boot too full, as that will adversely affect the drivetrain as your car is front wheel drive. Also I'd advise that you have good quality tyres on the front. I made the mistake of putting budget tyres on the front of a Renault 25. I got wheelspin even pulling off on the flat in the rain.

As you say your new to towing, I would suggest you drive steady for a few trips to gain confidence in the way the caravan affects your car's performance.

 

[Parksy]

There is a guide to matching cars and caravans Here
The guide will give advice on towing weights and contains an email address and telephone number if you need further advice. It's vital that you get the purchase of your towing vehicle right so get as much information as possible before spending your money. Practical Caravan magazine has a section on weights for beginners and advice on towcars.
There is a guide to loading your caravan safely Here
This guide will explain the weights that you need to use in order to find out what maximum weight you will tow.

 

[Steve L]

Hi Parkesy.

Just clicked on Here number 1. Got the PC blurb on finding a suitable tow car. Thats fine blurb but to a person just starting out into the towing world they might well get lost in there for a week trying to make sense of it.

What is needed is clear info on tow limit of the car in question and hitch weight & clear info on the caravan weight carrying capacity and nose weight. Now most caravans have informative weight plates. but cars are a nightmare.

So using the handy Find a tow car I thought I'd checkout my Rover 75, but no Rover info available or even the Brand offered on the drop down.

So I thought I'd checkout my Abbey, but got the same answers.

While if you are talking brand new car and caravan you might be ok, but we're talking about a 2007 VW Passat and a 2008 Bailey caravan. Both second hand.

The loading guide is very good by the way.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but the majority of caravanners have vans that are no longer made as the manufacturer folded in the recession and tow cars that are no longer made. Newbie's will undoubtedly buy secondhand van and car to tryout first before taking the plunge on new kit. I've never in 28 years of caravanning had the luxury of buying a new van or a new car

But I'm happy with my Third hand Rover 75 diesel and my second hand Abbey freestyle 540 SE.

 

[Kessam]

Thanks to all for the help and advice. We have opted for a Hyundai Sanfa Fe which I've checked out and it should be the job. Even fully loaded the van would be 72% of the kerbweight and it has a towball limit of 80kg which means we can load and check the noseweight.
Thanks again!