How much nose weight do you tow with?!

Jonny2488 · 13 March 2012, 22:12

Do correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I'm aware, generally, the ideal nose weight is ballpark 50kg ish?? But I always wonder how many wary drivers towing trailers actually pay attention to nose weight. I often see cars with their rear wheels so far up into their arches you can barely see the top half of the wheel!!

How much nose weight do you like to tow with? And apart from the loading on the car's rear axle, what effects how much nose weight you should have?

mick · 13 March 2012, 22:22

About 150 kg for me.

Jonny2488 · 13 March 2012, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by discomick

About 150 kg for me.

Towing vehicle??

mick · 13 March 2012, 22:44

Defender or Disco 4

Chris Caton · 13 March 2012, 22:45

depends what your towing and what your towing with, but always better with nose weight, once saw a trailer unhooked on a beech that needed both crew to keep the jockey wheel on the sand

Erin · 13 March 2012, 22:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonny2488

Towing vehicle??

It's in his name

I adjusted my axles to get about 75kg. My Jeep manual says up to 100kg and the Bradley hitch has something like 120kg stamped on it IIRC. I bought the boat without an engine and my first trip was 200+ miles down the motorway with probably 200kg or so which nearly made the back of my A3 scrape the ground

kubcat · 13 March 2012, 22:49

I tow quite a few largish trailers for work and from what I have learnt over the years, the weight on the tow bar should be 5%-10%. 5% is what we use on the bigger trailers say 3500kg and closer to 10% on the very light trailers.

I am pretty sure these figures come from the Australian registration authorities but can't find a link right now. Either way, In my opinion they tow much better in this range.

mick · 13 March 2012, 22:52

I have never checked it with either the tintent or the rib but they sit well and tow well so must be something like.

jyasaki · 14 March 2012, 02:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by kubcat

the weight on the tow bar should be 5%-10%. 5% is what we use on the bigger trailers say 3500kg and closer to 10% on the very light trailers.

I am pretty sure these figures come from the Australian registration authorities but can't find a link right now.

Pretty standard rule of thumb worldwide I think.

Too little tongue weight may cause trailer sway (fishtailing of the trailer - disconcerting at best, dangerous at worst.)

Too much tongue weight causes excessive squat on the tow vehicle, and may lighten up the front wheels enough to affect steering.

jky

Leapy · 14 March 2012, 06:12

.....

Leapy · 14 March 2012, 06:20

.....

mick · 14 March 2012, 08:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by discomick

I have never checked it with either the tintent or the rib but they sit well and tow well so must be something like.

I'd better mention before someone jumps down my throat 150 kg is what I can go up to with the motors but never get up to the max

Leapy · 14 March 2012, 08:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by discomick

I'd better mention before someone jumps down my throat 150 kg is what I can go up to with the motors but never get up to the max

Oh good. Hence my ..... & .....

I was confused by your two posts, couldn't find the right words at 5am, so gave up

clydeoutboards · 14 March 2012, 08:32

10-15% of the trailer weight so for everything we tow we can just about lift it on. Not sure I would tow with much more than that just in case anything went wrong and we have seen to many bent jockey wheels on clients trailers to rely on them.

Dave

Poly · 14 March 2012, 09:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by clydeoutboards

10-15% of the trailer weight so for everything we tow we can just about lift it on. Not sure I would tow with much more than that just in case anything went wrong and we have seen to many bent jockey wheels on clients trailers to rely on them.

Dave

Do you mean trailer weight including load? So 350-525kg for 3500kg trailer?

Leapy · 14 March 2012, 09:31

I think there's some care needed here...within the vehicle handbook will be a recommended nose weight figure. Typically, this is between 50 and 75kg. Some vehicles - like LR's - will take more with the LR tow bar, but this is not the norm.

Towbars themselves will be individually rated. This should be stamped or labelled on the tow bar or identified in the tow bar handbook or should be available from the manufacturer.

Ditto trailers. The trailer manufacturer or the hitch manufacturer will usually specify a maximum nose weight figure.

Some towing websites offer advice. The NTTA says "at least 50kg"...Caravan Wise says 7% of the loaded weight of your trailer...for me, both of these are potentially misleading.

I do not believe there to be a one-size-fits-all rule. Each set up needs to be a function of the vehicle, the tow bar and trailer/load to be carried and you should use information from the manufacturer of all these bits to work out what's what. Personally, using a RRS or D4 to tow a approx 1.5tonne RIB & trailer I always aim for around 70kg. You can crudely check this with the bathroom scales under the jockey wheel: it's not precise, but it gives an indication. If you want to be more accurate than that then you'll be down the local weighbridge.

Tino · 14 March 2012, 13:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leapy

I think there's some care needed here...within the vehicle handbook will be a recommended nose weight figure. Typically, this is between 50 and 75kg. Some vehicles - like LR's - will take more with the LR tow bar, but this is not the norm.

Towbars themselves will be individually rated. This should be stamped or labelled on the tow bar or identified in the tow bar handbook or should be available from the manufacturer.

Ditto trailers. The trailer manufacturer or the hitch manufacturer will usually specify a maximum nose weight figure.

Some towing websites offer advice. The NTTA says "at least 50kg"...Caravan Wise says 7% of the loaded weight of your trailer...for me, both of these are potentially misleading.

I do not believe there to be a one-size-fits-all rule. Each set up needs to be a function of the vehicle, the tow bar and trailer/load to be carried and you should use information from the manufacturer of all these bits to work out what's what. Personally, using a RRS or D4 to tow a approx 1.5tonne RIB & trailer I always aim for around 70kg. You can crudely check this with the bathroom scales under the jockey wheel: it's not precise, but it gives an indication. If you want to be more accurate than that then you'll be down the local weighbridge.

x 2...

I am still really surprised when is see some clowns with road rollers and mini diggers at the front of trailers so they have 350 - 500kgs on the Ball hitch!

It just shows just how strong some towing brackets actually are!

9D280 · 14 March 2012, 13:41

Wot Leapy said....

At the other end of the scale my old Laser was something like 8Kg on the hich. On a rig like that the aero drag is way more significant than mass - the whole thing including boat weighed about 130Kg with a CoG about 18" off the road.

I've towed a dinghy trailer where they sit upside down on bars above a box. Above 40MPH, if the boat isn't dead inline with the trailer drawbar, the boat falls in line astern & the trailer crabs along sideways underneath it...... Drop below about 40, boat goes squint, trailer drops back inline.

2 tons of machinery on the other hand.....

Jonny2488 · 15 March 2012, 13:11

So what difference is 50kg of nose weight compared to 150kg of nose weight going to make to how well and safely the trailer tows?? If one was to reduce the nose weight a bit, is snaking likely to occur while you've still got positive nose weight?

jezza2011 · 15 March 2012, 13:21

in my experience the less nose weight will cause snaking.
some kind person put 4 dive cylinders at the back of a boat I was towing. could not go above 45 with out it snaking violently.
removed said cylinders and towed at motorway speeds without issues.

You but if you go too far the back end of the car is hitting the ground and ya front wheels are in the air. :-)