Towing Capacity / Nose Weight / Caravan Weight

[Paul_374551962]

I have a 1992 Sprite Super Musketeer 2 berth which a max loaded weight of 1060kg and max nose weight of 65kg. My car is a tow car is Toyota Corolla T Sport 1.8 which has a max towing weight of 1065 and max tow ball loading of 65kg. Now for the silly questions:

If I hitch the caravan to the car and the caravan nose weight is 65kg (car and caravans limit) can I still put items in the car boot or will the extra weight effect the cars handling?

All advise is much appreciated.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Paul,

Lets answer the simple one first, Any additional weight you add to the rear of a car will affect its handling, that applies with or without a trailer.

The slightly more complicated part is does the nose load detract from the carrying capacity of the boot, In general no it doesn't, but you have to check the with the manufactures instructions as some cars do specify lower load limits for the car when towing.

Sorry but you do not give enough information for us to offer any more specific advice.

 

[Lutz]

I'm afraid I must correct John's statement that the noseweight does not detract from the carrying capacity of the boot. It does. Say, for example, that you have the boot loaded up fully so that the car is at its maximum permissible gross vehicle weight. If you then hitch the caravan up to the car, you would be overloading the car by the amount of the noseweight. Therefore, the noseweight reduces the maximum carrying capacity of the boot by the same amount and you need to allow for this when you load the car up.