Hi, first time loading the van - when doing my research I can go no heavier than 75kg (both tow bar and car weight limit) on the nose of the caravan, however, an online website suggested around about 63kg for the nose weight for my setup.
So, packing the heavy stuff over the axle, front container is empty except for gas, spare wheel, and couple tools like spanner and rubber mallet, I get a nose weight of about 75kg. I swapped a bit stuff about and was able to reduce it a bit, but then there was nothing left to swap about and the only thing I could think to do was to move the awning (~30kg) and our chairs (~14kg) towards the back of the van, so the heavy items are now sited somewhere between the very back and the axle. This got it down to 65kg.
We've still got a bit food to put in, and also all our bedding - thinking food for back, bedding front and they should balance each other out hopefully.
However, my question is, I suppose, is this normal? I know the heavy stuff should go straight over the axle but I'm struggling to get my nose weight down when I do that.
Any suggestions, or is the way I've packed it okay?
You need to get the noseweight right to what the vehicle's towbar recommendation is otherwise you're going to have stability problems. If the noseweight recommendation is 65 kgs. then that's exactly what you need to aim for. The noseweight needs to be correct because the drawbar compresses and retracts when you brake which in turn operates the caravan brakes so if the noseweight is too light the caravan will begin to snake, especially going down hill.
If you state what the towing vehicle is then I can check and confirm what the towball weight is for that vehicle.
I've already had a look in the manual and it says max of 75kg, same as tow bar itself. Just this website (tow car info I think) suggests 63kg nose weight. Max weight of van is 1095kg if that is needed too (I've read something about 4-7% of max weight.
The 4-7% noseweight of the caravan's gross weight is only a guide line really but after checking your vehicles towball weight recommendation it is 75 kgs. which is the same as my Volvo. About 4-7% of the weight of my caravan is around 84 kgs. so I also have to shift stuff around but only having a short 2 berth caravan I can tend put stuff towards the back but I find that filling the toilet flush tank helps to achieve the correct noseweight. However, the toilet flush tank has to be either empty or full otherwise if it's only partly filled, the water it is likely to cause a bow wave which can also lead to instability so is only recommended for experienced caravanners really. A spare wheel is quite heavy which won't help being stored in the front locker but you just have to try and aim for the correct noseweight and move the spare wheel as a last resort if everything else fails.
The noseweight target of 75kgs. is okay but don't go over or under as too light will cause instability problems and too heavy will apply too much pressure on the vehicle's rear suspension.
I wouldn't rely on these figures you get on the internet as I used to use 'Whattowcar.com' till I found out that the figures were not identical when matching two independent vehicles so I don't bother with them anymore. I always adhere to what the manual says as it's guaranteed that the research and development has been implemented and printed respectively which is far more accurate so personally I would totally dismiss the inforfmation retrieved from tow car info. For instance, if I want to conduct a match then I take the vehicle's kerbweight, the caravan's gross weight (MTPLM) and then use an online percentage calculator so I ignore info on the websites and do my own homework which I know is correct.
So if I aim for 70kg do you think that'll be okay? I know the max is 75 but is it wise to load right on the max or should I give myself a bit of leeway?
Generally for stability just go to max noseweight your car will allow provided you do not exceed caravan hitch limit usually 100kg but can be higher on large caravans. It is not an exact science you will never find the exact noseweight. With caravan level provided weight is 70-75kg then that will be fine.
Car matching sites are a waste of time. The figure you got will have been some computer generated calculation not real life.
As above
Load the van so the noseweight is at the max for your car
It will tow a lot better with a higher nosewieght
I tow a coachman which are renound for high noseweight with my mondeo which has a max of 75kgs. I load it with light things at the front with one gas bottle and awning poles / heavy things over the axle and awning canvas and groundsheet under the ffixed bed with table and chairs on top of the fixed bed.
Keep all weight as low to the floor as possible and empty overhead cupboards ... you'll find it tows fine
My car also has a noseweight of 75KG even though it can tow 1600KG.
I have found it makes a noticable difference on stability how the van is loaded. we recently did a 300 mile tow and the van was the best its ever been. I loaded the stuff around and over the axle until I got 75KG on the noseweight gauge. Now this may sound daft but i took a pic on my phone to show what was where and will use the pic for future reference.
The other think worth doing is checking if you are getting an accurate measure of the nose weight.
If you have a gauge, try the bathroom scales method with a length of wood to see if you get the same reading.
I would not be surprised to see a 10kg difference.
I would also go for a higher noseweight, 70 kgs sounds right for your combination.
However, consider the poor car if you do max out the noseweight and don't load that up too much as well aft of the rear axle or you will find your headlights illuminating the sky and very light steering.
We often see advise on loading the caravan, that should also apply to loading the car. I try to get my heavier items right up behind the seats so that the maximum load is between the front and rear axles.
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Topic: Nose Weight
