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We have just bought a new caravan and tested the noseweight today with our newly bought (and hopefully accurate!) Reich noseweight gauge. To our horror it was 120kg! We managed to get it down to 95kg by removing everything that was in the front locker until it was completely empty.

Our options are limited as the model we bought has a fixed double bed at the front. Obviously this has loads of storage underneath (which was completely empty) and most of the roof lockers are also over the bed. The battery and charger are also at the front but are in their own locker so I don't think moving them is very feasible.

The spare wheel is under the bed and we are considering moving it to the back of the caravan, under the bunks. It has a special holding bracket which we will also move to keep it still and stable when towing. I am concerned about stability and the see saw effect but I don't really think we have much choice. The boot will be full of awning and the contents of the gas locker.

Another idea is to move the thick and therefore extremely heavy mattress off the bed and somehow secure it upright over the axle when towing. I'm not sure how that would work though and I guess it would adversely effect stability if it could move from side to side.

How have others improved their noseweight when faced with furniture and fitting constraints like ourselves? I'd be grateful if anyone could give us some pointers on how we could go about solving this problem. Thanks!

What matters is what the noseweight is when you have loaded the van with your gear. Difference between the vans MIRO and MTPLM is what you can legally carry in the van. Try putting that weight of gear in, correctly loaded, and then measure the noseweight. If its still too heavey move the gear about (mainly over the axel) until you get the right noseweight.

Phil

http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan/Trade/3FFBEA0CB9F02E89802576610048FF9F/

1500 MTPLM is a heavy van and even at 7% the noseweight comes out at 105 kgs.think your dealer should have done all these figures for you before you bought the caravan.the spare wheel should weigh about 25 kgs so placing this over the axle will help matters.adding to the rear weight is not a good thing to do.

Our car has a limit of 90kg. I thought that the Alko hitch is only rated to 100kg? I have 100kg on the plate on the A frame and presumed that this referred to noseweight? The other figure is 1500kg - the MTPLM of the van.

Ours is a UK spec van so will have a heavier MIRO and noseweight. It has thicker mattresses and seating. And a battery and charger etc.

Our old van weighed 1450kg and was very stable with a noseweight of 80 - 90kg. We presume this new one will be the same once we get the noseweight down to 90kg.

Don't be tempted to put the spare wheel at the back. You need to correct this by just moving things near the axle. If it needs more than that, maybe the van is just too heavy, and can't run at 90Kg.

Jim

 I thought that the Alko hitch is only rated to 100kg? I have 100kg on the plate on the A frame and presumed that this referred to noseweight? The other figure is 1500kg - the MTPLM of the van.

stand corrected but believe all alko hitches are or have a limit of 100 kgs including the new ones.i have read of some new bailey caravans being over this.

The way I understand it is that an Alko towball is rated 150kg.  The rating of the towbar may be different.  The rating of the tow ball should be equal or greater than the rating of the towbar itself.  This is called the 'S' rating.  I'll have to check about the hitch itself.  Here is a quote from some research I did last year.

"If you have an Alko hitch then you need a Class A50-X towball with a 'D' and 'S' Value greater than or equal to that of the towbar.  A Class A50-X towball is an 'Alko-type' tow ball, but does not necessarily need to be manufactured by Alko.  Alko only produce a Class A50-Xtowball with a rating of D = 17KN and S = 150kg.  For most cars this should be sufficient

Possibly because the towball takes all of the weight in one place but the tow bar can bear it over the length of the towbar thus reducing the downward pressure on the bar. I read somewhere that a towball has to take up to twice its max weight rating due to bouncing up and down and movement of gear in the van. As such, my towball max weight is 75Kg but I assume a weight of 150Kg on the rear axel when I am loading the car just to keep on the right side of the cars max carriage weight. The stuff you have to worry about.

Phil 

Quote: Originally posted by michael on 15/5/2011

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http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan/Trade/3FFBEA0CB9F02E89802576610048FF9F/

1500 MTPLM is a heavy van and even at 7% the noseweight comes out at 105 kgs.think your dealer should have done all these figures for you before you bought the caravan.the spare wheel should weigh about 25 kgs so placing this over the axle will help matters.adding to the rear weight is not a good thing to do.

Post last edited on 15/05/2011 23:16:10

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So if placing the spare wheel behind the wheels is not a good idea why do Alko put it in a carrier underneath behind the  wheels?

If you have a look at the stampings on a new Alko hitch (AKS3004) you will see a mark stating S150 denoting a max weight of 150kg.

Ideally as already said you need pack your van first, then move things around if needed. Ive always wondered about front end beds being heavy on the front. All that underbed storage and it cant be used with most cars. Cant see why people bother.

clearly states on here 100 kgs

http://shop.al-ko.co.uk/edit/files/brochures/AKS3004%20STABILISER.pdf

So if placing the spare wheel behind the wheels is not a good idea why do Alko put it in a carrier underneath behind the  wheels?

maybe something to do with a lower centre of gravity.all caravan documentation says do not load weight at the rear end because of the pendulum affect.strange quote if its an end kitchen though with a full size oven.

Quote: Originally posted by michael on 16/5/2011

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clearly states on here 100 kgs

http://shop.al-ko.co.uk/edit/files/brochures/AKS3004%20STABILISER.pdf

So if placing the spare wheel behind the wheels is not a good idea why do Alko put it in a carrier underneath behind the  wheels?

maybe something to do with a lower centre of gravity.all caravan documentation says do not load weight at the rear end because of the pendulum affect.strange quote if its an end kitchen though with a full size oven.

Post last edited on 16/05/2011 16:17:57

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That PDF is 6 years old! My ALKO hitch is an S150 rated which most if not all of new Bailey Caravans are.

Youre right about rear end kitchens though.

it may be marked S150 but from todays shop information at al-ko,i cannot see any change in the max loading of 100 kgs.use part no.1286785.interesting.

http://shop.al-ko.co.uk/products/aks-3004-stabiliser.html

http://shop.al-ko.co.uk/edit/files/brochures/NEWAKS3004.pdf

Interesting points here. Our hitch is definitely marked at 100kg. It has the longer A frame, don't know if that makes a difference! We have had a mobile caravan engineer out today who has confirmed that it is rated at 100kg.

He suggested moving the spare wheel back or putting it underneath on a carrier. We would rather have it inside for easy access so are going to try that first. We just need to play around with our weights a bit. I'm sure that we can get it down to the required 90kg.