Nosey Lesson

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 If only we had a forum like others where you're able to edit a previous post we were quoting from, after an 'upgrade' we ended up with all or nothing.

Indeed luck has played a big part over the years and it’s not a strategy I’m proud of nor would I condone. I used to only look at towing capacity of the vehicle and caravan MTPLM with no problems at all. I also wonder like Lornalou1 how many other seasoned caravaners there are out there not knowing they are exceeding car manufacturers design criteria?

When I started towing nearly 40 years ago it was, for me, a question of running tyres at setting for full passenger load, hefting the caravan weight at the hitch to check it felt OK and looking at suspension travel. I used to have one other check which was to wiggle the steering wheel before leaving estate roads, to cause the caravan to sway slightly and check that it came straight back in line. I only started checking actual noseweights - rather than by feel - around 15 years ago with heavier caravans and weaker back

Personally I wouldn't have thought a 10 kilo difference would have made such a dramatic handling issue.

We all load our caravans pretty much the same every trip , so that in itself is a good thing I check the nose weight occasionally but seeing how the caravan is loaded similarly every trip it shouldn't vary a deal.

Changes in the contents of the front locker will effect nose weight & stability yes  , but my main concern is the correct tyre pressure on both car & loaded caravan.

The recommended caravan tyre pressures are a must & should be adhered too , but having a change in car tyre types in my opinion needs the rear car pressures adjusting for best stability & ride comfort.

The tow car tyre pressures are vitally important , especially the rear.

The recommended caravan tyre pressures are a must & should be adhered too , but having a change in car tyre types in my opinion needs the rear car pressures adjusting for best stability & ride comfort.

probably agree, however, a mobile svc mechanic i used many years ago always said to reduce caravan tyre pressures by 10 psi from handbook spec, said this would reduce vibration/bounce.

My Sorento says 33 psi whatever the conditions and that is what i use.

As i have said before, not technical, but i always thought the max nose weight of the caravan was that specified by for e.g. the Alko chasis specification?, i appreciate you can lower or raise this by how you load the caravan. Always used reasonably big tow cars and on the Coachmans they always came with ATC fitted as standard, so never had much problem with the "tail wagging the dog"

I would think 10kgs over the car manufacturers design criteria would absolutely have an impact on stability otherwise why have engineering, design and safety specifications? 

I am extremely careful with tyre pressures, tread depth and types of tyres on both towing vehicle and caravan. 

The primary lesson from this which I simply wanted to share with others was my lack of awareness of the maximum load permitted on the tow ball and assumption that a 3.0L, 4WD would be more than capable given its towing capacity.....never too old to learn I guess.

Nose weight limits have absolutely nothing to do with engine size and drive train - it has everything to do with the structural integrity of the cars platform, or chassis to most people. If 10kg weight difference over the rear of a car had such an impact on the handling then how do you load up the boot? Do you weigh your rear seat passengers before every journey? Some car and caravan combos just do not work, others do. Maybe you are unlucky but my guess is the problem lies somewhere other than the low nose weight.

You always use the lowest weight limit of your car/van combo. My Jeep has a max tow ball weight of 147kg but the van has a 100kg limit so the 100 is what I have to use, if the van had a 200kg limit I would have to stick to the 147 limit of the jeep. It's not rocket science is it.

Personally I wouldn't have thought a 10 kilo difference would have made such a dramatic handling issue.

I suppose that depends on the starting point. Previous caravan when unloaded was just under 65kg on the nose. It felt a little skittish when towed like that and before towing 'empty' to Alde - a 3 hour drive I added weight to the front to take it to 80kg. It might well have been 'OK' at 75kg? Definitely better at 80kg than at 65kg though,