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Author Topic: Noseweight !!  (Read 2752 times)

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martin12760460

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Noseweight !!
« on: 19 November 2007, 08:23:52 »
Finaly i have a omega !!
I do have a minor technical problem though  :( the tow bar noseweight limit set by vauxall is 75 kilo my caravan has a nose weight of just over 100kilo i know that it is technicly illigal but i dont want to change my lovely car or van . i just fitted a witter with alko ball ,has anyone any thoughts or advise please.
thanks
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Marks DTM Calib

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #1 on: 19 November 2007, 08:32:56 »
Its 75Kg (which is actualy above average for a tow setup).

Just adjust the distribution of weight in the van to alter it.....

Are you sure your nose weight is 100Kg.....can you lift the nose of the hitch...?
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martin12760460

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #2 on: 19 November 2007, 12:27:18 »
I have a abby gts418 2007 nose weight is stated as 103 kilos i did ask the caravan dealer is the car suitable and he did a tow match  he said the outfit was a good match < only when i had the witter towbar fitted did i find out the bar was onlly 75kilos ,Does my omega have self leveling ?2000 w reg 2.5cdx
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Martin_1962

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #3 on: 19 November 2007, 12:59:03 »
nose weight is a maximum - choose the lowest

so load it to 75kg

If you get a vehicle with 150kg nose weight load it to 100kg
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davlad22

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #4 on: 19 November 2007, 15:21:16 »
Congrats on the purchase  :y

Can't confirm for certain on the self levelling, is your car a facelift? Estate? Your dealer was right though when he stated the omega was one of the best tow cars! Can you take the gas can out of the front to reduce weight?
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damon80

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #5 on: 19 November 2007, 15:59:17 »
If I remember rightly, the ideal recommended noseweight for a caravan is 7% of it's MTPLM (Maximum Permissable Laden Mass - or it's max weight in English!)

When we had a caravan, it's MTPLM was 1340kg (sad how I remember all these details...  :-[ )
So, divide it by 100 gives us 13.4, and times it by 7 (to give us the percentage) = 93.8kg

The hitch on the van was stamped as having a 100kg max, and our 4x4 we used to tow with had a max noseweight of 150kg.  So, we were ok to go with a noseweight of up to 100kg.

If you go below this "ideal" 7% noseweight, it will obviously affect stability to a certain degree, so you just need to be a bit more careful when towing.  I found this out when I was taking our caravan in for servicing - we had to empty the caravan 1st, and when towing it on the motorway to the servicing place, it seemed a lot more affected by passing wagons.  As a matter of interest, I checked it's noseweight when I got to the servicing place, and it was just below 70kg.
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martin12760460

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #6 on: 19 November 2007, 16:02:49 »
the van has 2 bottles in fron so yes i can im sure i can reduce it a fair bit and i suppose icould load the van with the weight distributed just aft of the axle ,i will just have to keep with trial and error .
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Markjay

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #7 on: 19 November 2007, 16:15:54 »
Sorry, but I know nothing about towing caravans, and have no idea if self-levelling suspension has anything to do with nose weight...... but for the record self-levelling rear suspension was standard only on the Omega Elite, and optional on all other models.  Look under the boot of your CDX, if you have self-levelling suspension then you should see the hose coming from the air pump into the top part of the shock absorber.

« Last Edit: 19 November 2007, 17:19:10 by markjay »
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martin12760460

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #8 on: 19 November 2007, 16:22:47 »
Not elite and no pump  :( in that case it hasnt thanks,
looks like i wil have to save for another disco :-/  or change the van  :'(
i thought at last i had the best outfit but i cant tow illigaly i drive for a living problem is i love them both anyone any solutions ? apart from second car ! :-X
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Marks DTM Calib

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #9 on: 19 November 2007, 17:07:54 »
Quote
Not elite and no pump  :( in that case it hasnt thanks,
looks like i wil have to save for another disco :-/  or change the van  :'(
i thought at last i had the best outfit but i cant tow illigaly i drive for a living problem is i love them both anyone any solutions ? apart from second car ! :-X


What?

Set it to a nose weight of 75Kg (any more and you wont be able to handle the tow hitch anyway!) and drive happily....
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Kevin Wood

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #10 on: 19 November 2007, 17:22:15 »
Just need to get a spring balance (or bathroom scales under the jockey wheel).

Get as much weight as you can over the axle of the trailer rather than at the extremities and if the nose weight is too low (I'd keep it between 50 and 75kg personally) shift stuff forwards. The combination will handle much better when balanced than with a load of nose weight anyway.

Certainly preferable to get the weight distribution right than to put up with a Disco :-X

What is the total weight of the trailer?

Kevin
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martin12760460

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #11 on: 19 November 2007, 17:46:57 »
caravan weight is 1480 kilos mtplm with afects
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martin12760460

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #12 on: 19 November 2007, 17:49:32 »
weight ok makes 92% max but tow hitch accorrding to swift group is 103 kilos
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Marks DTM Calib

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #13 on: 19 November 2007, 17:52:17 »
Quote
weight ok makes 92% max but tow hitch accorrding to swift group is 103 kilos


Yes but, that is the obsolute maximum weight the nose of the caravan hitch can tolerate without damage....not the weight you have to operate it at...
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Entwood

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Re: Noseweight !!
« Reply #14 on: 19 November 2007, 17:58:03 »
Where do you get a nose weight of 103 Kgs from ??

There are no limits stated on the Swift website and the limit in the handbook is the MAXIMUM for the A-frame, not the actual noseweight.

The car/towbar limit is more important as you will damage the towbar/attachment points if you exceed this .. Omega limit is 75 Kgs.

So adjust the noseweight to around 70 kgs .. I find this to be about the best ... Abbey 416 here  :)

HTH
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