Noseweight (again)

Agree in part. However if seriously light on the nose it is not a good scenario.

Just my own (unqualified) thoughts.

I do feel that a caravans unladen ‘natural’ weighting plays a part, when it comes to stability. My previous Senator had a high unladen noseweight, around 110 kg’s. My current Challenger has a much more reasonable (imo) natural noseweight, around 65 kg’s. Even though the Challenger is around 100 kg’s heavier and slightly longer, it feels much more stable. Since I had my ‘snaking’ incident, maybe 25 years ago, I’ve always been very wary when it comes to speed and conditions. Overtaking on a downhill section is something I try to avoid, but so far the Challenger has behaved itself.

If you wish to tow at 100km/h in Germany, one of the conditions is that the noseweight MUST be set at the maximum level that is technically permitted. Otherwise you are limited to 80km/h.

Instantaneous peak dynamic loads on the towball will probably be in the order of 8 to10 times the maximum allowable static load.

I am a newbie to caravaning and want to ensure I get the right nose weight (I am happy that I understand the correct figure)

I am looking at purchasing a guage but am torn between the Milneco or Maypole. The Maypole seems to be good value but am wary of buying 'cheap & cheerful' that cannotn be relied upon to give me an accurate reading.

Any thoughts or recommendations please ?

Bathroom scales and a suitably sized block of wood - cheap as chips.

How do you measure nose weight with a twin axle caravan?

We bought the Milenco calibrated gauge.  Brilliant piece of equipment and accurate.  No faffing around carrying scales and pieces of wood with you

Can anyone help? How do you measure the nose weight on a twin axle caravan?

Exactly the same as with a single axle.

No need to take any measuring equipment with you. Once you have loaded the van and checked the nose weight at home there is no need to keep rechecking. In fact, when you get used to your van you can tell if the nose weight is about right by manually lifting. If you can’t raise the hitch manually it’s too heavy!