Nose Weights

[Ian_5084692]

Dear All,

When changing vehicles I find it extremely difficult to track down the nose weights of certain cars. Is their an internet bible?

For instance my latest look was at a Mercedes V220CDI Ambiente-can anyone tell me the noseweight?

Regards

Ian

 

[Lutz]

There cannot be a database for noseweights of towcars because the max. limit depends as much on the design of the towbar as on the car. However, all the towbars that I've seen for the V-Class Mercs have a 75kg limit.

 

[Colinn]

Hi Ian,

I have had trouble in the past getting my head around noseweights, but i have joined the Caravan Club and downloaded lots of first class information from their help sheets on all aspects of caravanning. The Choice of Towcar section lists nearly all the noseweights of popular cars and does indeed put the Merc V class at 75 kgs. Hope your van is light at the front because my 4x4's limit is also 75 and I'm having a hell of a job getting the balance right!

Colin

 

[RogerL]

Ian, get hold of the sales brochure / specification for the vehicles you're interested in. Kerbweights, towing limits and noseweight limits are usually there.

The old-fashioned way is to get brochures from your local franchised dealer but most manufacturers publish their brochures in pdf form on their websites.

 

[Lutz]

Kerbweights and max. towloads can usually be found in the brochures but rarely do they give any information on noseweights. If they do, they can only refer to the noseweight limit of the car together with a factory fitted towbar.

This is understandable because the limit that applies to a towbar offered by another source may be lower than what the car manufacturer allows. In that case, the the lower of the two figures would apply.

 

[RogerL]

Most towbar manufacturers design, build, test and certify their towbars with the same noseweight limit as the car.

To provide a towbar with a lower limit than the car's noseweight limit just doesn't make much commercial sense!

But you do have to check both limits, car and towbar, and use the lower of the two.

 

[Lutz]

In most cases you're right, Roger, but there are exceptions. Sometimes, detachable towbars have a lower limit than fixed ones or the towbar manufacturer selects a lower limit in order to be able to make use of standard components from another range, i.e. to reduce cost. Normally, such exceptions will only be found on 4x4's with relatively high permissible noseweights anyway. I don't know of any where the common 75kg is reduced in any way due to the towbar design.