i have a car with a towball weight of 150kgs the caravan i tow has a mtplm of 1600kgs with a noseweight of 100kgs taking the 7% rule in to account can somebody please tell me what the noseweight of the caravan should be so that it can be towed safely many thanks alan
noseweight
- Thread starter alan_374323386
- Start date
Whilst the car may have a nose weight limit of 150kg , you will probably find that that the caravan chassis and A frame has a maximum limit of 100kg . So you should not exceed 100kg. We have a similar situation van weighs 1700kg car plated to 240kg nose weight, I normally aim for 95 - 98 kg and with the van properly loaded we have a very stable outfit
- Mar 14, 2005
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Hello Alan
First of all 7% is not a rule it is only a guideline, and as it was suggested many years ago, it no longer adequately represents the current state play for today's outfits.
The law does set limits, and it is defined as the lower of either the cars tow ball limit or the caravan hitch limit. It should be noted that most normal saloon cars are limited to about 75kg. You should always check the figures that are specified for you car/caravan with your supplier or dealer.
The general advice is to arrange your nose load to be a high as possible (within the limits for your outfit), In your case it is 100Kg as set by the caravan manufacturer. but there have been some unsubstantiated reports that some caravans with a 100Kg limit have experienced some problems when braking. The suggestion is that the over run brake system is not as free as it should be because of the high nose load causing some binding on the actuator slide.
As other caravaners may have used the same model of caravan with cars with a lesser nose load limit (75Kg) without difficulties, I venture to suggest that provided the nose load is around 75Kg, then you are unlikely to experience any major problems.
If you do have stability problems whilst towing then by all means up the nose laod, but also check your tyre pressures and load distribution in the caravan.
DEL,
I am intrigued to know what vehicle you have that has a permitted tow ball load of 240Kg?
First of all 7% is not a rule it is only a guideline, and as it was suggested many years ago, it no longer adequately represents the current state play for today's outfits.
The law does set limits, and it is defined as the lower of either the cars tow ball limit or the caravan hitch limit. It should be noted that most normal saloon cars are limited to about 75kg. You should always check the figures that are specified for you car/caravan with your supplier or dealer.
The general advice is to arrange your nose load to be a high as possible (within the limits for your outfit), In your case it is 100Kg as set by the caravan manufacturer. but there have been some unsubstantiated reports that some caravans with a 100Kg limit have experienced some problems when braking. The suggestion is that the over run brake system is not as free as it should be because of the high nose load causing some binding on the actuator slide.
As other caravaners may have used the same model of caravan with cars with a lesser nose load limit (75Kg) without difficulties, I venture to suggest that provided the nose load is around 75Kg, then you are unlikely to experience any major problems.
If you do have stability problems whilst towing then by all means up the nose laod, but also check your tyre pressures and load distribution in the caravan.
DEL,
I am intrigued to know what vehicle you have that has a permitted tow ball load of 240Kg?
Hi John
I have the current Grand Cherokee and I was surprised when I looked at the plate showing a nose weight of 240kg.
I have the current Grand Cherokee and I was surprised when I looked at the plate showing a nose weight of 240kg.
Got me wondering now as I have just checked on the web and the Commander has a nose weight of 140kg so I would imagine that the GC should be the same, I am wondering if the fitter put the wrong plate on ( he put the indicator sounder in the wrong place) . Anyways wouldnt load it beyond 100kg as thats the vans limit.
im new to all this so please excuse silly questions!!
I have a fleetwood with max weight 1250kg car has towball weight of 75kg as im still awaiting the noseweight tester thingy, what could I roughly put in the front locker to near the max, im going away for the 1st time this weekend.
Athe moment I have a 7kg butane a couple of folding chairs, caravan jack, and wooden blocks ?
Thanks in advance
I have a fleetwood with max weight 1250kg car has towball weight of 75kg as im still awaiting the noseweight tester thingy, what could I roughly put in the front locker to near the max, im going away for the 1st time this weekend.
Athe moment I have a 7kg butane a couple of folding chairs, caravan jack, and wooden blocks ?
Thanks in advance
- Mar 14, 2005
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Every model has its own inherent noseweight when the caravan is empty so there is no way of telling what you need to get the right noseweight. Maybe you even need to weight out of the front. If you haven't got bathroom scales the only way to get a rough idea is to lift the coupling by hand. The best way is to straddle it and lift with both arms. If you can just hold it comfortably for a few seconds with the caravan standing level, you should have the noseweight somewhere around 75kg (unless you're either particularly weak or a well-trained weightlifter). As I said, this is only very rough - a sort of quick 'get-you-home' fix, but you need to measure it properly at the earliest opportunity, even if it's using bathroom scales.
- Sep 21, 2007
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Hi Mike
If you take a length of wood roughly the same as the height of your tow ball and put one end up inside your caravan tow hitch then the other end on to some bathroom scales flat on the ground with the van level you can then raise the jockey wheel and legs and read of the nose weight on the scales. You'll find this much more accurate.
You want to be as close as possible to 75kg but don't go over.
Hope this helps
Mike (as well)
it is important to have adequate nosewight and do not over compensate by having heavy items behind the axle.
I've only been caravanning this year so noseweight was something I made sure I got right before my first outing.
My car is rated at 150kg and the van at 100kg.
I got a guage and also used the bathroom scales as well. I initially got the noseweight to about 90kgs , primarily by having the awaning at the front.
Started of on my first journey and the van was acting in a push-me-pull-me fashion.
I imediately pulled over and moved the awning over the axle which sorted the problem.
When I got home I checked the noseweight and it was showing about 70-75kgs so I've left it at that as it seems to be OK.
Looking at the outfit from afar it seems to stack up almost level (slightly nose down).
I'd certainly recommend you check it before you travel and plan to adjust if you need to.
Good luck
My car is rated at 150kg and the van at 100kg.
I got a guage and also used the bathroom scales as well. I initially got the noseweight to about 90kgs , primarily by having the awaning at the front.
Started of on my first journey and the van was acting in a push-me-pull-me fashion.
I imediately pulled over and moved the awning over the axle which sorted the problem.
When I got home I checked the noseweight and it was showing about 70-75kgs so I've left it at that as it seems to be OK.
Looking at the outfit from afar it seems to stack up almost level (slightly nose down).
I'd certainly recommend you check it before you travel and plan to adjust if you need to.
Good luck
Hi, If it is a type approved towbar it will have the max. nose weight on the attatched label, if it doesn't, it isn't type approved.
David G
David G
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