Car transporter trailer

[Paul JA]

How many of you that trailer cars check the nose weight ?

If you do how do you measure it ? Bathroom scales or a caravan nose weight gauge?

Advice please as I'm a trailer novice who has just loaded a car onto a new trailer and I'm measuring
Nose weights that are exceeding the cars 100kgs unless the car is at the backend of the trailer and thats without
tyres on the front tyre rack

Car is a Clio 3, trailer is 14ft twin axle

Seems to me the axles need to move forward (the holes appear to be there 6" further forward)

Thanks

[dustydog]

When I had a caravan I bought a nose weight gauge not expensive to buy most accurate hocks on to tow ball and lowered on to scales via jockey wheel to measure

[LOUIE]

What's a Clio weigh and what you towing with

[Neil Fletcher]

Funny Louie I was thinking the same thing, a Clio is rather a small car for towing a twin axle plus a rally/race/track day car. I'd be concerned about your towing capacity as I'm guessing a Clio would be somewhere between 1000 and 1200 Kg. A twin axle transporter will be somewhere between 400 and 600 Kg to start with and a saloon like a Mk1 or Mk2 could be another 600 to 700 plus which could well be over the Clios's limit. Especially if you have a couple of spare tyres and extra fuel etc.

As for nose weight you could check with a set of bathroom scales and a bit of wood, brush shaft or some such cut to length. I reckon this would be every bit as accurate as most of the cheapie gauges.

I've been towing all sorts of things for 40 plus years and one thing I have found is that it's much better to tow with a vehicle that has loads of spare capacity as far as towing weight and power etc are concerned. I tow a twin axle trailer and Mk1 Escort, total about 1200 Kg with a 4X4 that is rated at 2000 Kg and it's just comfortable, once or twice I've had small 4X4s on my trailer with a total weight much nearer the limit and you really do know you have a big load on the back.

Hope this helps, Neil.

[LOUIE]

Funny Louie I was thinking the same thing, a Clio is rather a small car for towing a twin axle plus a rally/race/track day car. I'd be concerned about your towing capacity as I'm guessing a Clio would be somewhere between 1000 and 1200 Kg. A twin axle transporter will be somewhere between 400 and 600 Kg to start with and a saloon like a Mk1 or Mk2 could be another 600 to 700 plus which could well be over the Clios's limit. Especially if you have a couple of spare tyres and extra fuel etc.

As for nose weight you could check with a set of bathroom scales and a bit of wood, brush shaft or some such cut to length. I reckon this would be every bit as accurate as most of the cheapie gauges.

I've been towing all sorts of things for 40 plus years and one thing I have found is that it's much better to tow with a vehicle that has loads of spare capacity as far as towing weight and power etc are concerned. I tow a twin axle trailer and Mk1 Escort, total about 1200 Kg with a 4X4 that is rated at 2000 Kg and it's just comfortable, once or twice I've had small 4X4s on my trailer with a total weight much nearer the limit and you really do know you have a big load on the back.

Hope this helps, Neil.

Couldn't agree more, I always over tow, transit van or the discovery with a escort or Kombi behind.. Neither way much and plenty of weight/ power if anything went wrong

[tony-mac]

Think he's towing a Clio, not towing with a Clio

[LOUIE]

Think he's towing a Clio, not towing with a Clio

You'd never know on here tony

[Paul JA]

Think he's towing a Clio, not towing with a Clio

You are correct, maybe badly worded

Tow car is a Ford Kuga max towing capacity 2100kgs gross train weight 4350kgs

The car on the trailer is a Clio at say 1200kgs and the trailer at 500kgs

Max nose weight 100kgs

[LOUIE]

I always check the vehicle by eye first, if it looks level and balanced then it's usually pretty much bob on when mobile..
No doubt there's a few broken bathroom scales out there though

[Paul JA]

Sorted

Axles moved forward - holes already there

Tyre rack fitted with holes drilled for option of 2 positions

Car loaded (no ballast required in boot)

100kg Nose weight now achievable with 4 wheels / tyres on the rack

A morning well spent

[mk2mania]

trailer

hi paul, as a good rule of thumb, out weigh the car n trailer combined weight with your car/van by atleast 20% and your good to go , and always better with RWD or 4x4

ie trailer 500kgs , car 1000kgs , then tow with somethin that weighs 1800 kgs or more ,

as for nose weight, sit the car/van your towing with down on the back and inch or 2 and that will do it

get it wrong and the shit will hit

[LOUIE]

hi paul, as a good rule of thumb, out weigh the car n trailer combined weight with your car/van by atleast 20% and your good to go , and always better with RWD or 4x4

ie trailer 500kgs , car 1000kgs , then tow with somethin that weighs 1800 kgs or more ,

as for nose weight, sit the car/van your towing with down on the back and inch or 2 and that will do it

get it wrong and the shit will hit

That escalated quickly