Message Forums

The towball weight limit on the car is 75 kgs. and having checked the noseweight on the caravan hitch with a noseweight gauge recently it is registering at 45 kgs. I know that the noseweight should be around 7% of the weight of the caravan but is it best to try and achieve a slightly more noseweight or best to keep it around the 50 kgs. mark? My old caravan had the spare wheel located in the front locker which apparently took the noseweight to the maximum of 75 - 80 kgs. but not quite sure what to do now with my new caravan as the spare is underneath making the noseweight lighter.

I am somewhat amazed that you are having difficulties getting down to the correct  noseweight most people have the opposite problem!  As others have said I would try and get as near to the 75kgs as possible as that will give you the most stable tow.

David

The closer you can get to the maximum noseweight the better for stability. Do you have any heavy items on the floor over the axel?, if so you could move them forward a bit.

Not as yet but we am going out in the van for the first time in a couple of weeks. I suppose I could lie the awning and poles on the floor slightly forward of the axle and then just nudge it forward till I achieve the maximum noseweight.

Don't check the noseweight on grass as that will give you a light reading. Check it on a hard surface.

Phil

I have 2 Calor lite gas cylinders in the front locker which are both near enough full and the noseweight has been checked with a proper cylinder gauge on a hard standing at the caravan storage. I bought the gauge second hand recently off Ebay and I'm wondering if the noseweight gauge is faulty and needs calibrating at all (that's if it can be calibrated).

Chrissie:  Mine is identical to the one on the left but the second is how you actually use one to check the caravan noseweight.

http://www.busyoutdoors.com/noseweight-gauges/c23

i use that one and have found it unreliable,paid same price too.it works at first yes and you read off the gauge.mine is around 90 kgs in use on the gauge.what i found was after this is reading you could lift the hitch up or down and make it read whatever you wanted it to around that range and it stopped there.the caravan must be level before you drop the hitch onto it.ie if the van is leaning back it will give a light nose weight because it is pulling back.if the van is leaning forward then to much weight is pushing forward.

Try the Milenco noseweight guage. Only one to a British Standard. Having said that it is a tradition on here for posts to be added challenging that BS and its credability, if any. So this is what lies behind it....

The BS number is BS7961 which is defined as the "approved specification and technical criteria for a device for measuring the static vertical mass (noseweight) at the coupling point of a towed vehicle in order to determine its compatibility to the towing vehicle."

This standard was recommended to the BSA by the UK National Measurement Institute (not the guage manufacturer) following a recommendation from the Measurement and Control Weighing and Force Measurement Panel for weighing instruments.  This Panel was established in1990 with a  remit to consider and promote standards, codes of practices, and general understanding in all areas of industrial process weighing. The National Measurement Institute is (apparently regarded as) a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate measurement standards. So it may be said that BS 7961 has some pedigree behind it.

The Milenco guage is about £25.

Phil