Hi all, please excuse my ignorance, can i check my nose weight with my caravan on a slope?.....or does the van have to be level?
Thank you for any advice Andrew.
Thank you for any advice Andrew.
Nose weight
- Thread starter Andrewbutcher
- Start date
Hi
Depends on how big a slope!! I personally would check it on level ground. As it will be safer and you would get a more acurate reading.
Dougie...
Depends on how big a slope!! I personally would check it on level ground. As it will be safer and you would get a more acurate reading.
Dougie...
Noseweight is best checked with the hitch at the same height as it would be when connected to the car so that the van sits at the same angle it will when being towed. This may be tricky to achieve if you're on a serious slope.
Trailers are supposed to have some nose load and to achieve this with a caravan the caravans centre of mass (Centre of Gravity) will be above and slightly forward of the main axle, if the caravan tilts, the nose load actually changes. for that reason the simplest and most accurate way of measuring nose load is to use flat horizontal ground - no slopes.
The hitch must be at the same height as when it is attached to the car and ready to roll (i.e. all passengers and luggage so the cars suspension has settled to its level for the journey) Note this may mean the caravan may be anywhere between nose up and nose down
This process must be followed very carefully with twin axle caravans as the change in nose load with height can be quite dramatic.
Some general notes, The EU regulations require a trailer to have minimum nose load of 4% of MTPLM or 25Kg which ever is greater. both the tow bar and caravan manufacture will specify a maximum nose load figure. If there is a difference between them the lower of the two figures must be observed.
The EU regulation also require the centre of the LOADED tow ball to have a vertical height between 350 and 420mm from the ground.
The hitch must be at the same height as when it is attached to the car and ready to roll (i.e. all passengers and luggage so the cars suspension has settled to its level for the journey) Note this may mean the caravan may be anywhere between nose up and nose down
This process must be followed very carefully with twin axle caravans as the change in nose load with height can be quite dramatic.
Some general notes, The EU regulations require a trailer to have minimum nose load of 4% of MTPLM or 25Kg which ever is greater. both the tow bar and caravan manufacture will specify a maximum nose load figure. If there is a difference between them the lower of the two figures must be observed.
The EU regulation also require the centre of the LOADED tow ball to have a vertical height between 350 and 420mm from the ground.
Surely if the van is sitting at the same angle as it does while towing then the slope is irrellivant. I have checked mine on my driveway slope with the guage sitting on blocks to achieve the required level and compared it to level ground - no difference. Obviously an extreme slope presents safety issues, but the theory still holds that the important part is the angle of the caravan to the horizontal.
Only if it's a single axle. A slope would affect the balance between front and rear wheels of a twin axle, though.MikeG said:
Hello Mike,
As you say provided the caravan is at the same angle to the horizontal, then the vertical nose load will be the same. However if you have loaded you caravan on the slope, then you won't know what the towing height is, because that changes depending on the nose load AND the load within the car,
Whilst I am sure there are ways of calculating the nose load on any un-horizontal surface, I'm not prepared to do the work, as I sure it far easier to find a stretch of horizontal road or car park.
As you say provided the caravan is at the same angle to the horizontal, then the vertical nose load will be the same. However if you have loaded you caravan on the slope, then you won't know what the towing height is, because that changes depending on the nose load AND the load within the car,
Whilst I am sure there are ways of calculating the nose load on any un-horizontal surface, I'm not prepared to do the work, as I sure it far easier to find a stretch of horizontal road or car park.
Hello Mike,
As you say provided the caravan is at the same angle to the horizontal, then the vertical nose load will be the same. However if you have loaded you caravan on the slope, then you won't know what the towing height is, because that changes depending on the nose load AND the load within the car,
Whilst I am sure there are ways of calculating the nose load on any un-horizontal surface, I'm not prepared to do the work, as I sure it far easier to find a stretch of horizontal road or car park.
As you say provided the caravan is at the same angle to the horizontal, then the vertical nose load will be the same. However if you have loaded you caravan on the slope, then you won't know what the towing height is, because that changes depending on the nose load AND the load within the car,
Whilst I am sure there are ways of calculating the nose load on any un-horizontal surface, I'm not prepared to do the work, as I sure it far easier to find a stretch of horizontal road or car park.
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