Van - 1994 320GT, stated noseweight 75kg.

Just checked ours at 95kg and the van is "empty" - I can't find the bag of cement under the gas box, so why? what can I do about this?

I "could" put the awning in the bed box at the rear but then we are building a pendulum ....

The car side is just OK - towball limit is 100kg

Advice please

Thanks

Dave

Hello Colin,

thanks for your reply.

Yep Kgms for sure. The reason I checked was that I could not lift it - hmm this is heavy methinks! I guess I could lift over 50Kg but not 95.!

Now there are a few bits-n-pieces loaded at the front which I shall remove and then check the effect - but probably no more than 7 or 8 kg. There is also 1 large size gas bottle in the gas box, and, as in my previous post there is nothing loaded in the back.

From what I can read it seems I should be aiming for about 65 -75Kg.

Dave

Edit: PS the van towed extremely well from Bristol to Fife (empty) a couple of weeks ago.

It seems to me that, starting from an empty van, it is reasonably starightforward to increase the noseweight, but how the dickens do you reduce it??

The problem I have is that in terms of the weight at the towball - the car manual says max 100Kg, whereas the plate on the van says 75Kg - I need to get to the lower of these two values - i.e. lose 20kg. Which bit of the van can I saw off?

I shall remove everything I can find and re-check, then update this post.

Dave

Zitat

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gauge on the jockey wheel

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good point. I put bathroom scales under the jockey wheel but then used some maths to extrapolate the weight on the hitch. There is a suprising difference. I use a piece of wood under the hitch method now :)

Quote: Steve and Debbie wrote in post #7

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Zitat

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gauge on the jockey wheel

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I use a piece of wood under the hitch method now :)

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OK, you got me interested now! How does that work?

Bathroom scales on solid floor under the hitch. Something flat on them to protect them if you like. A length of 2x2 wood or similar resting vertically on the scales. Position the vertical wood under the van hitch and lower the van onto it by winding the kockey wheel down until the wood supports the full weight.

Quote: Steve and Debbie wrote in post #9

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Bathroom scales on solid floor under the hitch. Something flat on them to protect them if you like. A length of 2x2 wood or similar resting vertically on the scales. Position the vertical wood under the van hitch and lower the van

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Quote: Randa france wrote in post #11

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I bought one of these

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Randa - thanks a good find.

Colin - usual method, bathroom scales with length of timber - did my best to get the van level. Ground is lock-bloc so pretty flat however the drive does slope if that is relevant. When the weather warms up and these pesky showers stop I will put the van on a level piece of ground, empty it as much as I can and then check the noseweight.

I am aware that the important thing is to check the noseweight when the van is loaded - but really I must at least get the noseweight down to a sesible value first (~75Kg) - hoping it is my measuring technique that is wanting ?

Thanks for all the suggestions, but the puzzle continues ...

Dave

" the drive does slope if that is relevant"

As long as the van is level it doesn't matter. I suppose the scales should be level as well. This is mathematically speaking, I don't know how much difference it will practically make.

Bathroom scales are known to lie. In winter - esp round Xmas but also around Easter - they always show that you are over-weight!!!
You wouldn't try to inflate a van tyre with a bicycle pump so why mess with bits of wood, bathrooms scales and some dodgy arithmetic for what is quite an important road safety calculation.
A proper Milenco calibrated noseweight gauge will cost you just £35 on Amazon.