Hi everyone, I've been lurking for a while with my old Challenger 5T/A but have just come back to a single axle van, having had a twin for the last 5 years - so nose weight was never an easy task!
Now I have a Zafira 1.9 cdti and a Sprite Sportstyle S6 (other wise known as a Major S6 dealer edition!)
Nose weight max for the car is 75kg.
Currently fully loaded the van is 1280kg and giving a nose weight of 63kg. This was achieved with gas bottle, the awning, both water containers, a barbeque and some other bits and bobs in the front locker!!!!!
There is nothing on the floor of the van, everything packed in cupboards or bed boxes forward of the axle...... So, no more weight to put over the wheels....
Can this be right? It seems too easy, too clear , to tidy and I'm used to all manner of junk being all over the floor to get the old t/a to tow sensibly!
Someone reassure me, suggest something, say their bit, please????
I realise going from a 1988 to a 2008 van will make adifference to what is stored as oppose to what has to be thrown on the floor (tables, spare wheel etc) But am I right to fill the locker up to achieve some nose, or should I load it in the van to give more weight on the axle??
Sorry about the long post, but I needed to explain myself
Thanks
Jim
It sounds about right to me, my starting point with a fresh caravan is always to lad it how I want it and hope, so far over twenty years my hopes have always been fulfilled and I have never had a TA van.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
Hmmmph......
Thanks for the link. It says the usual things about internal loading but don't load the front locker heavy because it will increase the nose weight...... I've loaded the front locker and the nose weight is slightly lower than the car can take but i have NOTHING more to put in the van!!!!!
Lightweight chairs in front seating, plates cups cutlery condiments all in a box across the axle, spare wheel under the chassis, tables in their own locker by the axle, couple of sleeping bags in the wardrobe. Awning lamp on top of the wheel arch, hoover next to wheelarch, colouring / toys in cupboard around wheelarch. Bedding will go in the car.
The front locker contains the gas bottle, the porch awning, the bbq, the aquaroll the waste tank and the nose weight is still 63kg on a car that can handle 75kg.
The only thing left to move is the Mains lead, from the rear bed box to the middle - there's no more!
Having read everything i can on the subject, I've loaded what is in the van in the right place, and the nose weight is okay so i should be laughing!
I'm just concerned that i seem to have very little weight across the axle, but quite a lot on the nose...... Can this be right?
Help please - its my new baby and i don't want to get it wrong first outing lol
gas bottle, the awning, both water containers, a barbeque and some other bits and bobs in the front locker!!!!!
I would do another check, that seams to be a lot of stuff in a front locker? an awning itself must be about 20Kg, a gas bottle 10kg, plus you have everything loaded to the front of the axle, so unless the front of your caravan lifts off the ground as soon as you wind up the back legs I would check again.
I'm sure you're right....... We have similar sized vans don't we. I wondered if it was the weight of the rear static bunks and long overhang perhaps weren't helping the nose??
I'll have a shuffle around and re weight it when we take it for its maiden run on Saturday
My van has a rear wash room, with a cupboard, I dont put anything in it while towing, and I also watch what I put in my overhead lockers, very tempting just to load it up so you have nothing to do except plug in the electric when you get to site.
In my front locker I have 1 gas bottle, 25m hook up cable, toilet chemicals, a clothes dryer and water hose connections, I am having a real struggle to keep my noise weight below 75kg, I have clothes in bags on the floor of the caravan over the axle, along with aqua roll and waste container. Under the front seats is 3 pillows, 2 sleeping bags, and a quilt cover so not a lot of weight. The awning and beer are in the boot of the car. I dont like putting stuff too far back or the caravan will start see sawing, which isnt good.
Thanks again Iain and everyone.
The awning is only a baby by the way - our full size one is nearly 50kg alone, so a car job!
Recon I'll try getting everything except the gas and water tanks over the axle and give it a run.
First try this weekend, all of 10 miles (handy if something breaks!) and I'll go the main road route so i can get a feel for her.
T/A's are far less fussy !!! (but i love being able to move this one on my own, by hand
Quote: Originally posted by iain.morrison3 on 15/10/2012
Jim
My van has a rear wash room, with a cupboard, I dont put anything in it while towing, and I also watch what I put in my overhead lockers, very tempting just to load it up so you have nothing to do except plug in the electric when you get to site.
In my front locker I have 1 gas bottle, 25m hook up cable, toilet chemicals, a clothes dryer and water hose connections, I am having a real struggle to keep my noise weight below 75kg, I have clothes in bags on the floor of the caravan over the axle, along with aqua roll and waste container. Under the front seats is 3 pillows, 2 sleeping bags, and a quilt cover so not a lot of weight. The awning and beer are in the boot of the car. I dont like putting stuff too far back or the caravan will start see sawing, which isnt good.
Just load the van as if you have set up on site and then you can leave it that way, if you take the full awning just put it on the floor between the wheels, just make sure the lockers and cupboards are closed properly
You dont have to get the nose weight up to the max anything below that is fine
i like the nose weight as heavy as it can cope with as you have more control and it tows more stable.too lighter nose weight can be as bad as too much.if mine was a nose weight of 75 kgs i would try to get it to 70 kgs min.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
My problem is getting the nose weight down. It might be my gauge is not any good, but when I was on a level pitch, I checked it and it was 90kg, can't check it at home because my van is on a very steep slope.
Bob, do you think it would be ok to load the cupboard up with clothes, given it is right at the back of the caravan, my last van had the cupboard over the axle which was ideal. In my last van I knew exactly where to put everything, to get the nose weight right.
Quote: Originally posted by iain.morrison3 on 16/10/2012
My problem is getting the nose weight down. It might be my gauge is not any good, but when I was on a level pitch, I checked it and it was 90kg, can't check it at home because my van is on a very steep slope.
Bob, do you think it would be ok to load the cupboard up with clothes, given it is right at the back of the caravan, my last van had the cupboard over the axle which was ideal. In my last van I knew exactly where to put everything, to get the nose weight right.
Finding it a struggle with this one.
Yes you can do that, we loaded our van with everything we needed even TV, then checked the nose weight with bathroom scales and broom handle, then just move heavy items around until everything was fine, we store loads of stuff under the bunks and just use pillows and sleeping bags to stop things moving, we never carry much in the boot of the car, car skoda superb, van bailey ranger 540/6
Now when we pack up we know where everything goes, but its better to have an under nose weight to allow for those holiday extra items that you did not need after all lol.
Quote: Originally posted by iain.morrison3 on 16/10/2012My problem is getting the nose weight down. It might be my gauge is not any good, but when I was on a level pitch, I checked it and it was 90kg, can't check it at home because my van is on a very steep slope.
Bob, do you think it would be ok to load the cupboard up with clothes, given it is right at the back of the caravan, my last van had the cupboard over the axle which was ideal. In my last van I knew exactly where to put everything, to get the nose weight right.
Finding it a struggle with this one.
My caravan is a standard two berth end bathroom we load everything we require into the places that are dedicated to them so clothes go into the wardrobe and large cupboard that is inthe bathroom, plus it also has a nice vegetable rack in the bottom of the wardrobe cupboard so that is also filled. The fridge and other food cupboards are in the centre of the van and we load bedding and the like in the front bed lockers. We have books and videos in one locker and one of the lockers over the front chest has all sorts of useful bits and bobs in it, the chest at the front has a similar set of contents. The other overhead lockers are only minimally filled with relatively light items. The front locker has two gaslight cylinders ( it used to have a 13kg propane and a 7kg propane ) a spare wheel two EHU leads, an aerial and aerial extension lead plus levelling blocks and 4 pieces of 7" square 2" deep wooden blocks for under the steadies. The hot water tank is right up at the front of the caravan and I rarely empty it unless it is likely to freeze, there is an inboard water tank that holds 50litres and that is always left with about 15 litres of water in and that is in just behind the hot water tank. With the heavier gas bottles in the noseweight was 70kg which was what I wanted. I have not rechecked it since replacing the gas cylinders as it must be less. Does the caravan tow well, yes. Is there ever any sway from it, no not even when large waggons go past. All in all the van is superbly stable.
So My comment would be to load the van as you want it to be with everything in its dedicated place and the floors clear. then check the noseweight, if it is within the limits then try towing it and see if it is stable, in all probability it will be if it is not that is the time to start looking at where everything goes and considering weight that is carried at the rear of the van.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
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Topic: Loading a single axle van.
