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Subject Topic: Stupid nose weights! Aargh!
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10/7/2014 at 11:10pm
 Location: Teesside
 Outfit: Challenger Sport 524 + Volvo V90 D5
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Off tomorrow for our first weekend in our new and very first ever caravan.

Being a newbie I'm keeping very much within guidelines - the laden 'van is 84% of the car unladen & I got a shiny Milenco nose weight gauge to make sure the hitch was 75Kg on the button.

Loaded everything ever so carefully - awning on the floor over the axle, only the lightest stuff in overhead lockers - nose weight 100Kg!

No probs I thought, just bung the awning poles in the end bathroom; then found out that's a really bad place to put a heavy weight, so back to the drawing board.

Finally did it but what a palaver! Amazed that moving things literally a few inches or a foot can make such a difference on the hitch.

I suppose now I've cracked it it'll be easier next time, but does anyone else have this trouble - or do people even bother?

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Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.



11/7/2014 at 6:35am
 Location: west country
 Outfit: None Entered
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Never checked it. Always been sensible about what I put where and if it tows ok all well & good.

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Steve




11/7/2014 at 9:18am
 Location: south staffordshire
 Outfit: Sterling Eccles Amethyst + santa fe
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Worth doing it right IMO but once done you will get it within a few kilo's each time without using the gauge. I still check mine before each trip and it is always the same weight!


11/7/2014 at 9:29am
 Location: S E Hampshire
 Outfit: Knaus Starclass 565
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Yup, I agree with James, always check. It makes for more comfortable and safer towing, as you say, small position change in 'van makes (what I thought to be) a disproportionate change to nose weight!

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Adrian


11/7/2014 at 11:35am
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Swift charisma Skoda Scout 4x4
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75KG being the max, you can go to anything under, why put the tow ball under the max strain.
We tow with 55 KG 75 being the max, vans a stable as a rock.
Just put the middle of the awning and polls bags over the axle, these can be slid forward or back as required, then your gas and anything else in the front locker our side one, depending on where it goes on your van then clothing and food and any other paraphernalia, then weigh it and if its under your max 75 KG, make a mental note of where you have put things for next time, remember to put your cooker hood down and lock the fridge, top tip don't put any tins in a locker above the cooker as they could fall out and smash the cooker hood.
What van have you got and the layout??


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11/7/2014 at 4:34pm
 Location: Keswick
 Outfit: Bailey
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Always check out noseweight before every journey. never seen anyone else do it on a site yet. Never seen anyone torque their wheel nuts before they set off either. Some check lights but many don't bother. It's only a huge chunk of metal and plastic pivoted on a tennis ball anyway.

Get it right o nthe outward journey and it can still be different coming home. Gas cylindar empties and you put a new full one in there and that gives you some extra weight right at the front. All the food eaten and the van is lighter. Just little things can affect the weight, as you say, so its worth doing it by the book in my view.

Spotted a van coming into Brid the other week and the Jockey wheel touched the floor when the van hit a bump/hole in the road as the front was so low. We wondered if the driver kept saying "Can you hear that?" "Wonder what it is"

Phil



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If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe    


11/7/2014 at 10:31pm
 Location: Midlands
 Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram
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Mine tows better with the noseweight over 70kg. When its too light it wiggles a bit more.

I get as closet o 70kg as i can. I moved upto a 7kg gas bottle and put the spare in the front locker also.

Think of a seesaw, The further away you are from the pivot the more affect you have.



13/7/2014 at 7:41pm
 Location: Teesside
 Outfit: Challenger Sport 524 + Volvo V90 D5
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Thanks for these tips. Consensus (plus handbook)seems to be the nearer to the max towball limit you go, the better the stability of both vehicles, which is why I tried hard to get it close.

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Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.



13/7/2014 at 10:46pm
 Location: Southport
 Outfit: Adria Adora Premium Yeti 4x4 run about
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I always put awning and frame on roof rack. youll be suprised how much easier the tow vehicle tows van up hills . After loading and hitching up I stand about 6/8ft away from van and look at angle of van in relation to car if any then I look at gap between tyres and front and back wings of car if  gap looks uniform I know I have loaded it correctly. I wish I had a pound for every time I have seen a unit with the car bonnet looking sky wards and the A frame of the van pointing nose down. or car level and back end of van down. this some times could be due to wrong tow ball height but very rarely as the manufactors do their home work before making frame to fit different cars. most car manufacturers now fit captivated nuts in car frame for least strain on framework and no drilling involved, you even get standard towballs with bigger gaps between ball and bolt flange for certain cars and different curved swan necks for same reason. PS if the gap over front tyre looks slight larger than the back, dont forget you have to get in to drive and will balance up.


14/7/2014 at 3:56pm
 Location: East Midlands
 Outfit: Coachman VIP 575.Santa Fe
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Always check at least till you feel you have a regular pattern in loading.i had been towing for more than 30 years when I bought a brand new Caravan. I loaded it as usual on my sloping drive. When we stopped on a services car park the Landcruiser was right down at the back.i bought a gauge and it showed 136 kg.the van chassis was 100 max. Tihe dealer weighed other vans of same model and they were just over 100 ex works! Bailey said they were 86 kg ex works. Trust no one where safety is concerned.

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Mister G


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14/7/2014 at 9:39pm
 Location: Bedford
 Outfit: Lunar Quasar 544
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Yes I really stuggle to get the nose weight down on my new Luna Quaser. I think it's because of the new combi boiler and heater that's fitted in the front locker. To help get the weight down I only carry only one light weight gas bottle in the front locker and I drain the water from the heater by flipping up the little yellow tap under the front locker. I'm still over 75kg, but I wouldn't put anything at the rear of the caravan to compensate. I also stow a few heavy items just behind the axle where they won't have a tendancy to cause too much of a swing.

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Tony B


16/7/2014 at 12:46am
 Location: None Entered
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I have the same problem with my Alpine 2. All the heavy items are in front of the axle. Empty the noseweight is 75kg add a battery, 2 x calor lites and its almost 90kg. The only heavy items behind the axle are the cooker, spare wheel & carrier (all just behind) and the full width washroom. I have to move the front chest to get to my cars 60kg noseweight and put stuff in the bathroom. Thankfully the van is very stable when towed.


16/7/2014 at 10:19am
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Adria Sportline UP
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Towed our new Adria asap to check it out without checking nose weight,surprised to find nose weight was 130kg!!but it handled ok.Car max noseweight is same as Alko recommended at 100kg so I had to put spare wheel under bed reduce gas to 1 bottle in locker and put awning in car got noseweight down to 95kg and handles ok at that,we have a motor mover and heavy duty leisure battery which adds around 60kg.


16/7/2014 at 10:36pm
 Location: East Midlands
 Outfit: Coachman VIP 575.Santa Fe
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I moved motor mover to back of axle-makes about 6-7kg lower.

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Mister G


31/7/2014 at 9:39pm
 Location: Thornton Cleveleys
 Outfit: Swift Charisma 550 - 2004
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My Jaguar x- type has 60kg noseweight limit. My wife weighs 60kgs. I check van noseweight by picking her up an then lifting the front of the van, it usually feels about the same. Simples!!!


30/7/2015 at 5:21pm
 Location: Swindon
 Outfit: Lunar Clubman SB
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Just brought a new Lunar Clubman and loaded it like my old bailey to tow it to storage and it towed horribly ! Checked the nose weight this morning and it was 70kg ! car max is 105 on the kuga .Spent the morning moving stuff about .
Now got wastes and aquas up the front and got it to 90kg hopefully sorted the issue ..bloody hope so towing to norfolk this saturday :)



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