Measuring Caravan Nose Weight

In this video, I discuss nose weight, what it is, how to measure it and how to adjust it.
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Milenco Nose weight Guage :
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Milenco Cargo Bars :
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ALKO nose weight Jockey wheel :
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[@malchall1029]

As a Novice caravaner (collecting our first ever caravan tomorrow!!) this is the clearest, best info-video I've seen yet. Thank you, keep tthem coming.

[@davidcranny4839]

Thanks for this guidance, as a first timer I'm researching all tips and your videos are very good.

[@rubberplantsandwich]

5 years on and I'm still watching this channel, keep up the good work old friend

[@outwrite11]

Nice vid Dan. This subject had never crossed my mind, since I don't have a caravan yet, but it's good to know how important it is to how your car might feel on the road.

[@markfegan7858]

Thank you these videos are amazing@!!! Giving us newbies real clear understanding.

[@MakeWayWithTheMorleys]

Thanks for posting Dan, something which we neglected the first couple of times we used our 'van. We now have a Milenco gauge which does give wide variations based on how level the ground is. However on reflection I think a good set of scales on a block of wood is the most accurate way. It's only ever going to be as accurate as the weakest link. Andy

[@vince_martyn]

We collected our new caravan today (new to us, it's a 2011 model) and the journey back was interesting with the caravan shaking the car about. Once home I found out why when trying to get the jockey wheel into a good place for settling down. The nose weight (with an empty caravan, just the battery on board) was so light that I picked up the hitch and the van almost kept going up on it's own. Just shows how important nose weight is to a good journey.

[@benevans3733]

Another brilliant video and hope you are staying safe and well

[@HitchUpAndTow]

Great video Dan. Cargo bars are very good at stopping stuff move about. Made my own using some old awning poles with the easy locking clip ( not sure what its called ) and some rubber pads. Works for me and quick to fit.

[@lensmanonline]

Great Vid Dan, didn't know about the cargo bars though. On a funny note you mention thing moving around whilst towing, our fridge door fell off and was rolling around inside the van. Cheers Jon

[@williamdavies6958]

My wife and I love your channel, had so much advice from you thanks.This one will come in handy in a few weeks. We have just bought our first caravan after many happy years of using trailer tent. Thanks again...

[@TheTrudgians]

Thank you William, Glad to be of service. Take care Dan

[@victorkent768]

hi William . we had trailer tent for 13yrs.. last yr we got our 1st caravan. it's a whole new ball game and loving it.. Dan has some great vlogs.. I did my nose weight with the bathroom scales. cheaper and do we need to keep buying STUFF to fill up the garage.

[@williamdavies6958]

Thanks Victor, great idea we have old bath scales. I hope we don't have to buy too much (no garage to store things).

[@RailAdventUK]

Very enjoyable and informative video here dan!

[@l.rpearce7401]

Great Video Dan another Brilliant tip and it will come in handy with my new caravan ( even though we have be caravaning for 5 years ) oh well Nice to know there are other people with the same Problem as us! Anyway Thanks For The Video and Really looking forward to your next one !

[@TheTrudgians]

Thanks Luke, Appreciate your support. Take care Dan

[@l.rpearce7401]

Anytime Dan

[@bjmullan36]

Are you reading my mind Dan? I was researching this subject, just last night. And considering the usefulness of cargo bars as well. We collect our new caravan at the beginning of May so, as newbies, your videos are very helpful. I'm looking forward to your forthcoming video on loading the caravan. I'm also researching what type of leisure battery I'll need as the new van will have a mover fitted - is that likely to be a topic you'll cover in the future? Can I compliment you on the professionalism of your videos. Technically their quality is 1st class - video & audio is broadcast quality, the graphics are imaginative, you have great presentation skills - it's as if a good mate was explaining something to you, and then you have Angela to add an occasional dash of glam. Thanks for these videos Dan.

[@TheTrudgians]

Thats great news Brendan, glad this video helped. and yes the actual loading video will fill in a few more knowledge gaps for others too. What caravan are you getting in May ? it sounds like you are going to be all set for a fantastic summer of adventures and chilling out. Well done !! And thank you, thats incredibly kind of you. We do try to make them as interesting as possible - not always easy and not always achieved, so you support is genuinely approached. Thank you Take care Dan

[@bjmullan36]

A Lunar Clubman SR. We did quite a bit of reading and research before viewing all the models over 2 days at the NEC last Oct. On the day and in the flesh the Clubman SR topped our list and with just a bit of bargaining it fell within range of our budget. We're really looking forward to collecting it in May, shortly after I retire from work, and having a chilled out summer. Immediately after collecting it we head for the Lake District. We can't wait!

[@andrewbyrne2837]

@@TheTrudgianshi, I know this is an old video but we are new to the caravan lifestyle after tenting for years. We are just after buying a brand new weinsberg 400LK (German caravan). 1000kg MIRO 1200KG MTPLM lightweight 4 berth caravan My tow car is a Ford focus 1.6tdi with a max of 1260kg towing capacity. Kerb weight of car is 1460kg giving me a 82% set up.. Our caravan would probably be only 1100kg really fully laden. Ford owners handbook says 75kg max on the nose. We are after getting a nose weight gauge. Should be be aiming for the max on the 75kg or slightly lower 70kg or something. Love watching your videos.. Andrew from Ireland 🇮🇪. Thanks.

[@dazzacar]

Hi Dan, another great video.. another comment to add/ for people to consider. If you have two gas bottles at the front of your van in the storage locker, then that can seriously adjust the weight. We are currently running with one full and one empty. If I were to fill the empty one, it would add 7kg to the front of my van (we use calor lite). The other thing that people forget about is the hot water tank..we always travel with ours empty (I believe you should). But that can also affect nose weight if full.

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Daren, Absolutely - really good points. we run with all tanks empty (like you said - you should). in fact its a valid point regarding the front locker. many people seem to keep a lot in there. I might do a show and tell to share what I keep in my locker.. Thanks Daren, I really value your input. Take care Dan

[@qedelec]

Good advise for newbies and veterans alike. We are not yet organised as to where everything goes to give the best balance, but with all the time we have booked this year, I'm sure we'll get better.It might be useful to include where to find the weight limits in a future vlog it took us a while to find out.

[@TheTrudgians]

Morning Andy, Spot on - yes I'm going to do a more in depth video discussing the various weights, what they mean and what this means for loading & payload etc. Thanks for popping by Dan

[@spivealive1984]

Brilliant video thank you

[@DesmondsDonders]

Great video with some good advice. I often wonder why we have not gone the same way as the USA with weight transfer bars etc. It would probably show up our towbars!

[@JimWorldLeader]

Desmond's Donders They were used several decades ago with some caravans in Britain and Europe. I'd love to know why it never caught on there.

[@allanjeffrey8363]

A very good video for myself as a fist timer . Thank You 😊

[@therandomtester9561]

Thanks so much for yet another very informativ video. Great job! :)

[@TheTrudgians]

Thank you ! Glad to be of some help Dan

[@EverydayTeslaLife]

Hi there! Do you know when you will publish a video on how to Place and pack the caravan, and the cargo bars in use? :D

[@yellowglider]

In the US the recommendations are to have on the nose between 10% and 15% of the total caravan weight. That very easily bring the weight to 300 kg and more...

[@johnmillard9725]

Hi Dan Great video, what was the noseweight of your Bailey 640 when you picked it up from the dealers when you purchased it? Cheers John

[@TheTony70504]

Once again Dan thanks for your great video tips..We have a Lunar Ariva 2 birth, with measurements on the jockey wheel.We wind it down close to 80 as possible..Our Mondeo 2 and a half litre v6 is our towing car..You don't know your towing..What car Dan would you recommend to pull our Lunar?...You and your family have a great weekend.

[@TheTrudgians]

Well, to be honest you seem to have the perfect car there really. car choice is a really personal choice but I've always had a soft spot for volvos, and our next car will be a Volvo of some type. Take care Dan

[@chrisnewbold9876]

What's not mentioned is that to use this gauge correctly, measurement should be done with the caravan at its towhitch height when connected to the car. With this height recorded, measurement is done as shown, and the height checked. If necessary pack the scale with wood. If the NW is out, then the van loading is adjusted, the height re checked and re packed as required. Once this trial and error has been done, the same wood shim can be used every time.

[@retro423]

Excellent video Dan, just to add that the nose weight should be measured on level ground and at roughly the same height as your tow ball

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Roy, yes very valid points. Thank you Dan

[@markkeeble4648]

Hi Dan. Your blogs are great for us, brand new to the caravan world. Our caravan is a coachman vip 460 2berth. I tow it with my vauxhall vivaro campervan at mo. My van tow bat has a max of 85kg, so am I right in saying I must not go over this, know matter how much the caravan will take.

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi, thats correct. usually your nose weight would be between 5 and 7% of your actual laden mass, and not exceeding the max weight on tow ball or hitch. Have a look for our video "Understanding car and caravan weights" for a deeper dive into this subject.

[@markkeeble4648]

@@TheTrudgians I've seen it Dan. Totally blow my mind buddy

[@novaworld1297]

Good solid info ty again

[@TheTrudgians]

Thank you !! Dan

[@stevenrichards6432]

Hi Dan, another informative video. Thanks. How is this affected with what you load in the boot of the car, or does this not matter. We have a Land Rover with a max nose weight for towing of 100KG. However i noticed when we went to Cirencester a few weeks ago the back of the car was hanging down much further than usual. The only difference being we have just inherited my parents Dog and she weighs 35KG. The caravan was loaded in the same way as we have for the last five years and never had this issue.

[@TheTrudgians]

Morning Steven, So what you load in your car will not have an affect on the nose weight of the caravan or the weight limit of the tow bar, but it will have an affect on your overall weight of the outfit. Im not sure why the Landy would be hanging down at the rear, they are pretty resilient to weight on the back, check the nose weight and I would expect that like us you would have to have a test day where you hook everything up, move things around, take things out etc to create your best loading plan etc. Not much of an answer, but I hope that helps Dan

[@retro423]

Check the maximum payload of your Land Rover, if your nose weight is 100kg then this has to be added to the payload of the car

[@hollyjohnsonMUA]

What are you lowering the caravan to? Is it lowering so the caravan is level or lowering to the height of your tow bar?

[@davedevries5866]

I live in Australia and just picking up a caravan. I have been doing research etc for towing/loading. Is it just me but are the majority of vans in the UK single axle?

[@lauraharding635]

How far down do you lower the caravan please?

[@matty6848]

Hello mate, im a caravan virgin and watched a few of your youtube posts and i have to say they are very informative. some other youtube post by others of course just seem to be boasts about where they've been on holiday etc however yours are very educational. one question do you think it would be ok to carry two young childs bikes in my caravan? i know nothing is gospel and everybody has their own opinions but wondered your thoughts on this or do you think its worth investing in some bikes racks? thanks Grant.

[@CaravanningwiththeCoxs]

Gold Seeker Kids bikes. In a caravan are fine a bike rack which goes on the a-frame are quite good but as long as the bikes go over the axle they should be fine

[@rozeeboy74]

I'm after some advice and assurance. I weighed the noseweight of my new (second hand) van for the first time with what I considered to be the "Heavy" stuff over the axle. I'm glad I weighed it as the nose weight was over 100kg. With some shuffling of the load I got it down to 70kg to 75kg nose weight which is the sweet spot for my outfit (a lightweight 2 berth Lunar, single axle and a VW Golf diesel pulling it). However, I have absolutely NO possessions that are not above the axle and it seems the entire nose weight is made up of my spare wheel and gas bottle. Is this normal? The van is just over 1000kg empty so wondered why the nose weight was so high. As you have a Lunar, I wondered if you have heard if heavy nose weight is Lunar thing? I have just watched your other vid and the layout of packing is nothing like yours, there is nothing forward of the axle, just a bare floor.

[@David-ve9zm]

Hi Dan, very informative video. I'm new to all this - just one question, when you went back into the van to put more weight over the front, did you have to temporarily lower the steadies again?

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi David, yes when ever I entered the van, the steadies were lowered. especially on this van as the door was behind the axle, so entering it would have caused the van to tip. Just remember that before anyone enters the caravan, make sure the steadies are lowered. Hope that helps. Dan

[@David-ve9zm]

The Trudgians Absolutely helps. Steep learning curve fir a newbie! Your videos are legendary! 👍

[@CononBarrett]

What size are your cargo bars 👍

[@alfaman679]

Great video, Im just a bit puzzled i get the measuring side but when you lift the steady's and lower the nose what stops the nose from keeping going down? or is it like a hydraulic ram and come to rest at the given weight? Also is there a video showing how to do it with bathroom scales? thanks Darren....

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Darren, the gauge is a calibrated spring that works just like a pair of scales - as for using a pair of scales, here is a great video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqTKeY2pf7yLmtk

[@alfaman679]

The Trudgians Hi thanks for the reply I was wondering if you could help me please I’m trying to work out the weight ratio for the car and caravan but just keep going round in circles my car is a seat Exceo 2L 143 brake gross weight 1990kk Min kerbweight 1430kg max towing braked I think is 1600kg the caravan is a Bailey pursuit 550-4. 2017. The MTPLM =1450 mass in running order is 1236 I’ve got one theory of the net saying weight ratio is 82%. Would you be able to tell me please many thanks Darren keep the vids coming 😀

[@dudel74]

Couple of questions. If the ground wasn’t level and the jockey was higher surly the weight due to the length of the pole wouldn’t be correct. And how would you manage if you had an underweight van with not enough weight onboard ? I’d not want to add more.

[@geoffclarke9157]

Hi, Dan, need sme help regarding nose weight. Tow hitch rated at 125kg, car says max 75kg. One gas bottle in locker,other in car. Water containers over axle pot pansetc in low middle cupboard. Nose weight 90kg. milenco gauge. Clothes,food in car. Helium balloons ??

[@sydneywicks3747]

Does the bottom of the scale need to make the height of you towball?? Can you not lift the towball to increase the nose weight???

[@Gixer750pilot]

Take a shot of Gin every time Dan says “as well” 🍸 🥴

[@jadd6810]

Forgive me for I am American with silly questions. You really can't add much weight to these caravans can you? When we traded up to a newer one, I weighed everything we took out of the old one. Clothes, food left in the pantry, tools, etc... It was 500lbs / 227kg from what I have read on a few websites, that would have overloaded some of these caravans correct? So what do you do with all your stuff??

[@stevechurchman1824]

Good video, Dan. A couple of points I'd like to mention. The Milenco nose weight gauge is, as far as I'm aware, the only one of that type that is calibrated. Other cheaper gauges are rubbish. The nose weight gauge in the jockey wheel is good too but it requires mathematics to use properly. You have to measure the van and manually adjust its readings manually. It seems to be accurate but not as easy to use as you would expect. Cheers, Steve.

[@TheTrudgians]

Morning Steve, Excellent points, and thank you for sharing. Ive not played with the jockey wheel gauge, so this is useful to know. Take care Dan

[@verticalvue2988]

Rubbish eh, bit of a wild statement, you tried them all???

[@69blueline]

On an Boggie trailer You have to consider the height of the hitch ball , otherwise the weight not been properly measured . Because : if you measure too low , the weight is not properly measured because some of the measured weight lays on the front axle , if you exeed this you will come to a point where the hitch not weigh anything at all , it will freely hangin in the air... If You measure with the scale to high , some of the weight lays on the rear axle and exeed this you will have several hundred of kg on your scale ... You have to make the measuring at the point where the trailer hitch is nearly exact in the same height as the car hitch ball will be when coupled , So : couple the trailer to the car measure the cm from ground to ball , uncouple and measure the weight at the same point of height . This is the only proper way on an boggietrailer.

[@catherinejeanhills3888]

7% of our little van's weight is 82kg, 5% is 59kg. We weighed ours and it was OVER the 100kg mark on the noseweight scale thingy! I put all our clothing in the rear wardrobe along with all the bags with jumpers, coats, shoes etc, we also took out of the front storage compartment, the big elec cable wheel and even the small size gas bottle. We reweighed it and it's still on about 87 - 88kg (as you can see). We have nothing in the overhead cupboards in the front of the van and nothing under the seats in the front of the van...so how can we get our nose weight less than it is? Also, I'm concerned that there's too much weight past the wheel axle line of the van...which we have had to put there to lower the nose weight. I'm more confused than ever now! Can anyone help please?

[@StanislavMarkov-mi2oj]

Hi gays. I have a question!? Do you need a proper driving category for driving caravan or you drive with your B category? My caravan is about 1200 kilos heavy. Thank you in advance.

[@leewells6593]

Should the jockey wheel be completely off the floor when measuring the noseweight or just at the same height as your tow hitch? Not that clear in the video

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Lee, great question. As long as the jockey wheel is clear of the floor, the entire weight of the caravan is on the hitch / nose weight gauge, that will be fine. In reality my jockey wheel is just a couple of centimetres off the floor when measuring the nose weight. Hope that helps. Dan

[@richardmiles6826]

Hi Dan, I'll be collecting our caravan up at the end of May and taking it straight to a club site. What can I do about nose weight as I won't have much on board as we wouldn't have used it, I may not even have a gas bottle to help with the weight?

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Richard, if it is fairly empty, you should be fine, however, you could take a tool box (or something else of some weight) and place that in the van. I do recommend that you purchase the nose weight gauge as an initial purchase, so you can check and know exactly what you need to do. Hope that helps Dan

[@richardmiles6826]

Cheers Dan, good advice as always. 👍🏻

[@BAZA1965]

my nose weight is 75kg,sometimes it only measures at 50kg as we dont always have a lot of stuff with us,is it just as dangerous to have it under weight as over weight..

[@peterrussell9473]

So, when I go and collect a new caravan, I need to take something heavy with me to adjust the nose weight with?

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Peter, thats a good idea. Have something that you can put in the van, that can be positioned over the axle or further forward, and if you have one - something to go in the front locker. Hope that helps.

[@runtr8389]

so you said ,min 50 kg and max 800 kg , ??

[@JamesAllen300]

What is the magical sweet spot figure?

[@simonbaxter8001]

In the UK, they always recommend 5% to 7% of the caravan weight, but obviously not exceeding the limit of the cars towball (which is usually around 90Kg depending on the car/towball)

[@jasonmorgan1677]

Hi Dan I'm new to towin a caravan how can I find the nose weight for my van.

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Jason, usually you can google it and find the details that way. If your Caravan is based on a ALKO chassis, its highly possible that it will be 50Kg - 100Kg. If you are still unsure what it is, you can use the 7% rule as a very rough guide. The Nose weight should never exceed 7% of your mass. I hope that helps. Dan

[@jasonmorgan1677]

Really helped. thank you very much

[@davecook1989]

I got a report done from Towsafe, and it quoted that the combination of car and caravan has a nose weight issue ie my combination is 5.5% and it should ideally be 7% In English does that mean I need more weight at the front of the caravan ?

[@TheTrudgians]

The short answer is yes, but, you have to ensure you don't exceed the max weight on the tow bar or exceed the nose weight of the 'van. If it could be done, I'm sure the report would suggest this to you. Have a look at towcar.info and put your specifics of your outfit on there see what it suggests. the 7% is only a recommendation, so try not to read too much into it. I would like to think that the outfit would be okay, but only you can really answer that when out on the road. Sorry i cannot be more help than that. Dan

[@davecook1989]

Many thanks, Do you have an email ? I could forward on the report from Towsafe, Sorry for sounding too thick, but I'm new to all of this 😔

[@TheTrudgians]

pop over to our Facebook page and send me a private message there. Will be more than happy to help. Dan

[@davecook1989]

Many thanks 👍🏻😉 I've messaged you on Facebook Thanks again

[@brianthompson1747]

Can't get my head round nose weight . It's saying in this video 85kg is the ideal nose weight I can't get my Bailey Pegasus Rimini GT65 under 130kg

[@TheTrudgians]

Hi Brian, if you are struggling to get under 130Kg, i would suggest you remove, the majority of your possessions form the caravan, and weigh and reload. If you are getting 130Kg as a nose weight i would think you are massively overloaded, your caravan at best only has 155Kg as user payload, which if loaded centrally in the caravan would give you a better noseweight value. For your caravan, your ideal noseweight will be between 5% and 7% of the MTPLM which is printed on the side of the caravan. work out your lowest and maximum value, and also take into consideration the max value that your tow car can support. I hope that gives you some help