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Topic: Weights. Power of the sticker
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13/4/2008 at 10:21am
Location: None Entered Outfit: http: www.arcsystems.biz
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A few thoughts, first the van needs to be level because the van has height as well as length, nose down and the centre of gravity moves forward increasing the nose weight, nose up and C&G moves back decreasing it. Also remember, the set nose weight is at rest, once the outfits on the move it changes constantly.
From your earlier posts it's got an overrated axle, being a Geist I'd assume it's got shock absorbers fitted, if not get them fitted. Shockers as far as vans are concerned act as 'load compensator's' and will control that 200kg excess in your axle that the weight of the van cannot control. I've got a 1700kg axle on a 1300kg van, shockers have transformed the outfits handling, dramatically in my case!!
Tyre pressures are important, both van and car, you need to be sure the vans tyres are inflated to suit the actual weight of the van and not the maximum stated on the tyre. Tyres are part of the suspension and if to hard cause the van to bounce about the same as your over-rated axle.
The car though is just as important, under inflated and the bounce caused by the van on the towball will cause the front wheels to lift, this might have something to do with your problem. I've also found budget tyres have soft side walls again having an adverse effect while towing, even when apparently inflated to the correct pressure.
On the same theme, the cars rear suspension will if too soft have the same effect as soft tyres
I
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13/4/2008 at 11:19pm
Location: None Entered Outfit: http: www.arcsystems.biz
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As long as the vans level it does not matter about the slope of the drive. Check your tyre pressures here but depending on type of tyre 60psi sounds right for a single axle 1450kg van on 8ply tyres but nearer 40psi would be correct on 'Reinforced' tyres
Don't forget your cars rear tyres though, equally important to get these pressures right
Thing is there's to much talk about noseweight being critical, yes it's important but it's not the be all and end all, there are other things to consider such as I outlined earlier.
I'm not impressed with 7% either, this might suit if it was obtainable but the actual weight required is more relevant to the distance from tow hitch to axle. Again I don't know about Geist but many European vans have much longer 'A' frames and far lower nose weights. If you measure a big Hobby with a measly 40-50kg nose weight at the same distance a British hitch would be from the axle, you would be back to 80-100kg's.
Neither did it help when Alko had to put a limit 100kg on their hitch as a maximum and some caravan manufactures adopted it as a recommended nose weight, it's not that at all!!!
The extra length apart from lowering the required nose weight, also serves to increase the percentage difference between hitch/axle and what's left at the back. British vans tend to be around 60/40 while many European are closer to 65/35, this makes for a much more stable outfit and far less affected by side wind or bow waves.
No surprise then twin axle vans handle better, yes some of it is how two close coupled axles act together but a lot more to do with leaving less of the vans body beyond the vans rear axle.
Post last edited on 14/04/2008 10:03:50
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14/4/2008 at 11:50pm
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You are correct but on the chart I link you to, the next division up gives a ratio of 42kg per 1psi making yours ideally 55psi at 1449kg, pedantic I know but it's still another 42kg of bounce absorption!
What I really want to ask though is we have talked about weighing the van level, but, when hitched up is it level?
If it's nose up then that's a big problem and just to repeat, don't forget the cars tyres
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