The preferred nose weight for many is approximately 5-7% of the MTPLM of the caravan and in most cases not exceeding 100kg.
Thanks guys
I have taken back the Caravan with some other issues and they are looking into this problem and checking the nose weight gauge etc, also I forgot to say is that when I've loaded the caravan to 80kg and with all legs raised, if I walk towards the rear of the caravan it tilts up in the air!!
Not had THIS problem before, The new 2020 caravans ( as I understand it )have dampers fitted COULD this be problem?
thanks again
I have taken back the Caravan with some other issues and they are looking into this problem and checking the nose weight gauge etc, also I forgot to say is that when I've loaded the caravan to 80kg and with all legs raised, if I walk towards the rear of the caravan it tilts up in the air!!
Not had THIS problem before, The new 2020 caravans ( as I understand it )have dampers fitted COULD this be problem?
thanks again
Not surprising that it tilts up in the air as this will happen with most single axle caravans. Front weighs 80 kg and you probably weigh the same or similar so when you go to the back we have the Law of Physics kicking in.
Going by your reasoning based on the 4%, the difference in kerbweight between the manual and the automatic would have to be 500kg, which is more than unlikely.
Your"practical experience" is hardly going to cover all eventualities. The manufacturer's limit is based on extended tests, both on the rig and on the road, taking into account adverse conditions which you may never have encountered. It is therefore wise to stick to the manufacturer's limit, bearing in mind that warranty coverage would be lost if the limit is exceeded.
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Definitely! Producing caravans intended to be towed at speeds of up to 60mph without dampers being fitted is, to my mind, verging on the irresponsible on the part of the manufacturer.
So long as the noseweight is set correctly, the fact that the rear end is up in the air is neither here nor there.
I guess shock absorbers could always be fitted and the wheels balanced. Improved safety plus caravan not shaking to bits.
Not the difference in kerbweight - it's the difference in towing weights between manual and automatic Hyundai Santa Fe's of that era - the auto is 2000 kg while the manual is 2500kg - Hyundai's policy at that time was to use the EU minimum of 4% for noseweight limit, giving 80 and 100 kg respectively.
A 2011 Hyundai will no longer be under original warranty.
Thanks again guys as I said from the start the sintra is back with the place of purchase, When I get it back I will test the nose weight to see if it is the same as the scales etc. and will let you all know the out come of what they have found,
I do realize that when i walk back in the caravan the weight will transfer and tilt by my Verona didn't !! as for the dampers they are fitted as standard I was just concerned that they are an added thing that might be wrong! talk to you all next week
Kind regards
I do realize that when i walk back in the caravan the weight will transfer and tilt by my Verona didn't !! as for the dampers they are fitted as standard I was just concerned that they are an added thing that might be wrong! talk to you all next week
Kind regards
Have you thought of getting the wheels balanced as that can make a difference to the actual towing?
Without knowing how heavy you are, that might indicate a low noseweight - if it's actually 80kg you'd need to be about 100 kg to balance that right at the rear of the caravan as the A-frame gives extra leverage to the noseweight.
There is still something wrong if an outfit is so sensitive that it requires a noseweight outside the manufacturer's limits in order to handle well even under adverse conditions such as strong crosswinds, etc. I have towed my 1800kg single axle caravan under normal conditions with as little as 50kg noseweight. Although the difference is noticeable compared with it at the 80kg max. allowed, I would not consider it particularly unacceptably nervous under such circumstances.
The Hyundai is a good tow car and the caravan looks to be a decent match so if it is towing badly the reason should be elsewhere. The 80 kg nose weight looks acceptable and should work and I would think it is unlikely to be seriously lower than this, although seriously if too high it could cause problems. My guess would be tyre pressures or loading, but I think some experimentation may be needed to get it right.
Thanks again Guys much appreciated when I get the caravan back first thing I'm going to do is check the nose weight on the jockey wheel either by ( and I might buy a nose weight from the shop ) and the bathroom scales etc.
Then reload the caravan with light weight under the bed and put the heavy in the car and on the axle so will let you know the outcome
Then reload the caravan with light weight under the bed and put the heavy in the car and on the axle so will let you know the outcome
Have you towed with the Sante Fe before? I would check the shock absorbers on the car, might be OK solo but not when towing. Also as I mentioned before beware of heavily used HGV roads, I had a bad 20 miles of dual carriage way last week. Caravan in and out of the HGV ruts..
Do not use he jockey wheel to check the nose weight as it will give you a false reading as it is not as far from the axle as the hitch.. The weight is taken at the hitch. You need a length of wood cut to the length needed to measure at the tow hitch level in the hitch to get the correct reading.
ALKO do make a jockey wheel that will weigh the nose weight, but you need to take measurements before using it and then use a chart to correct the figure on the jockey wheel. Depending on the measurements the figure at the jockey wheel can be seriously out.
ALKO do make a jockey wheel that will weigh the nose weight, but you need to take measurements before using it and then use a chart to correct the figure on the jockey wheel. Depending on the measurements the figure at the jockey wheel can be seriously out.
I believe that AlKo should have made an appropriate allowance in the jockey wheels load gauge to compensate for the different lever lengths, But what we don't know is how accurate the built in gauge is, and that is what needs to be checked before any other adjustments are are made.
However some other good points have been raised and should be considered. It is very important that both the tow vehicle and the trailer are in good mechanical condition. Anything that is wrong with springs or dampers should be corrected. Tyre pressures are also important.
I cannot recall any situation where having dampers fitted or having the road wheels balanced has been a bad thing.
But get the nose load measured to establish if the jockey wheel is telling lies!
However some other good points have been raised and should be considered. It is very important that both the tow vehicle and the trailer are in good mechanical condition. Anything that is wrong with springs or dampers should be corrected. Tyre pressures are also important.
I cannot recall any situation where having dampers fitted or having the road wheels balanced has been a bad thing.
But get the nose load measured to establish if the jockey wheel is telling lies!
Exactly. If a couple of kilos makes the difference between an outfit handling well and one handling badly then I would suggest that other factors play a much more important role. As I mentioned earlier, I need about 30kg difference with my outfit to detect a really significant change.
The gauge was tested by either the magazines or one of the clubs some time ago. The problem is that the accuracy at the jockey wheel depends on the distance from the axle and to the hitch. The weights needed quite a bit of recalculation with a longer caravan, so on that basis I would not use the jockey wheel as it can be more than a couple of kilos out. The difference should not be enough to affect the handling in most cases but it might leave you with an illegal outfit.
Actually, as the distance from the coupling to the jockey wheel is more or less constant regardless of the length of the caravan, any inaccuracy of a jockey wheel noseweight gauge will be proportionately less for a long caravan than for a short one.
Besides, exceeding the noseweight limit is not an offence as such. It only a matter of product liability. It would only be an offence if it also leads to the rear axle load of the towing vehicle being exceeded, as well.
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We use a calibrated Milenco nose weight gauge that can read up to 400kg as our nose weight is around 140kg.
I would guess that the offence that would be used by a police force would be related to a "dangerous load" etc
We are talking here about a possible inaccuracy of a jockey wheel noseweight gauge of a couple of kilos. Nobody can claim that such a small variation would suddenly turn a safe load into a dangerous one.
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