noseweights

[loftyboy]

Hello all.

Cn anybody help with advice on noseweights? Our van fully laden weight is 1200k, and I recently mmeasured the noseweight which was 78k, this was encluding gas bottles and spare wheeel in the front locker. The problem is my new tow car has a max noseweight of 60k. Is this a realistic target 78 down to 60. I would be greatful if any body could share similar issues they have had with low noseweights and if possible how to resolve it? Also can anybody clarify if it is illegal to tow with a higher noseweight than is stipulated by the car maker. (Oh yes my car is a 307 sw hdi90, any one towed with one feedback would be welcome, good or bad) Thanks Tony.

 

[Jim.M_5040716]

Hi Tony

The nose weight is a crucial part of the overall balance of your unit, the average N/W 75kgs except where a car has a lower limit on the tow ball the you must use the lower limit it is a safty factor, to adjust the weight move any heavey objects twowards the rear of van untill you reach the target weight, a good guide is that on levle ground the outfit should be level, the 307 is an excelent towcar, keep the balance right.

Have fun and happy towing

Jim

 

[Graham_5040477]

Hi Tony,Sorry to dissapiont,but the nose weight given by the car manufacturer is the maximum weight allowed on the chassis at the rear of the car before it will become unstable,hence a possible flip.Its a catch 22 situation,because to balance it out you would have to spread the load along your Caravan and you could end up with weight towards the back which again is another hazard.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tony, It is illegal to load the tow hitch above the manufactures maximum limit. You need to try to reduce the load. Essentially the gas bottle must be carried in its prepared bracket. This keeps it upright and secured. Consider only taking 1 gas bottle, and moving the spare wheel to an underfloor carrier behind the axle. Do not put unnecessary clutter in the bottle locker.

 

[Lutz]

Yes, it is illegal to tow with a higher noseweight than specified by the car manufacturer. You therefore have no other option than to redistribute the load inside the caravan in order to achieve the 60kg. It is unfortunate that some vehicles have such a low figure but, probably based on test results of structural durability, that's the limit that the car manufacturer feels confident with in accepting product liability.

 

[Zbungle]

You could consider changing your Calor gas bottles for Camping Gas. The bottles are smaller and lighter. I know it is more expensive but what's

 

[loftyboy]

Thanks all for your replies, what roughly will a rear mounted wheel carrier reduce the nose weight by? and can the gas bottles be stored over the axel in the wash room... Do you think I will be able to achieve the 60k with these alterations... problem is the van is in storage so cannot test it out until march.. Or do I have to buy a new car,, hope not this one is only four months old... The 307 estate with the same engine has a nose weight of 72k, its the same car but I cannot get find out why the sw version has the lwer nose weight,,, any suggestions????

 

[Lutz]

If the noseweight of your caravan is currently around 78kg and the spare wheel is in the front locker, then moving it to the rear should just about be enough to bring the noseweight down to 60 kg. If that's not enough, then make sure that anything you take along with you inside the caravan is stored as far back as possible. For safety's sake, don't move the gas bottles out of their secure anchorage in the locker, though. The reason why the SW has a lower permissible noseweight is probably the underbody sheet metal structure. In order to maximize load volume capacity of an estate car, the manufacturer may have had to make compromises in the available cross-section and load path of structural components. This has forced a reduction in the maximum safe working noseload.