we have been towing for more years than i care to remember.and have never had a problem with noseweight as we have always had 4 x4 s,but now we have changed to a car(supercharged jaguar s type)(noseweight limit 75kg). our old bailey wyoming no problem 75kg at the ball and level .so what a shock i had when i checked our new avante 626 with the front box empty i can`t get it below 95kg and it sits nose down on the car
can anybody help or is it a matter of spending more money and reverting back to a 4x4.
thanks tony
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Hi DARKLORD,Had a pair of the spring assistors some 15 years ago,and were really good, van sat level and towed very well,and you cant go wrong at that price £17, they do'nt seem to have risen to much in price,got mine back then at £8. £17 against a few grand got to be worth a try, good luck,do'nt think you will be disapointed.
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i had thought of spring assistors but it¬s the noseweight problem i cant get my head round,the only way to affect an empty caravan is to pack the awning and poles at the back of the van but i would consider this dangerous or perhaps im wrong
tony
------------- If You Open Your Mind Too Much Your Brain Will Fall Out
Would it not be a simple matter of redistributing the position of items in the van in order to bring down the noseweight?? I can't see that spring assisters would bring down the noseweight? Am I right in thinking that some of the new Pegasus vans come with a 'higher than desireable' noseweight - you have to be careful where you put your personal items in the van in order to get the noseweight down?
Just a legal view, but I would not recommend using the coil spring assistors for the purpose of towing at 95Kg where the Tow Ball weight should be no more than 75Kg. A vehicle’s Ball Load specification is determined by a range of factors such as the design of the vehicle, the design of the tow bar, the vehicle’s rear axle load, the load capacity of its tyres and the effect the trailer will have on the attitude and stability of the vehicle. So its not just the suspension springs. There are other factors to consider if you are to raise the Tow Ball weight
Coil spring assistors, and similar products are not promoted for the purpose of increasing noseweight, but for avoiding the springs from bottoming when towing. i.e. support or protection for the springs. In the same way, correct tyre pressure supports the springs, rear axel, etc; we don’t pump up the tyres for the purpose of increasing noseweight.
If you look at the CC booklet on towing it indicates that “To alleviate this ‘nose up’ attitude, it may be feasible to change or augment the car’s rear suspension stiffness, though this will not increase the maximum load allowable on the rear axle. This suspension alteration may be
achievable by fitting a product available from the car manufacturer or a reputable aftermarket suspension/towing specialist.”
When on the road we have to ensure that the rig is compliant with the Construction and Use Regs and no where in there, when setting the parameters for tow ball weight, does it qualify the figure set out in the car’s handbook with such words as “unless you have coil spring assistors in place in which case you can load up to xKg”.
Then there is the insurance issue. I suspect that they may not agree to maintain cover if you are towing at 95Kg even with spring assistors.
As regards getting that weight down, could the manufacturer assist?
Phil
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hi dark lord. first when i mentioned spring coil asisstors this wont altar the nose weight. it will only give the car an harder ride, so the back end is not to soft. putting stuff farther back in the caravan i think is asking for trouble. second, is the car auto? if it is, i recon i will need a oil cooler.I think you already know this.when i was towing with a saloon car, which was a rover p8, a merc 320 td. they were both soft on the back end. spring asisstors worked for me, i found michilin tyres where dreadfull, they are to soft on the walls, my 4x4 the tyre pressures is 32psi i put 38psi in when i towed.
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Trial and error I think.......load the van with what you usually carry, putting it in front of the axle, then gradually move it back to achieve the desired weight.
We have to spread our kit all along the floor - it's a pain, but it works. I'm very wary of the potential for a pendulum effect, but by having weight evenly distributed along the floor it seems to be ok so far (touch wood)!
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Hi Darklord, the jaguar is well known for its saggy rear end possibly due to the long rear overhang.this can be made better with spring assisters,but only carefull loading of the van can help with the nose weight.
can I suggest that you check the tow hitch is at the right height & the van is on level ground when you check the nose weight. I had simler problems intil I made up a length of broom stick which when sat on the scales was the same height as my laden car,& then i was able to adjust the van load untill I got the N/W down to 75KG
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Topic: noseweight
