Trailer nose weight
The nose weight of your trailer
Nose weight is the force with which the trailer rests on the towbar of the car through the coupling. The pressure on the towbar depends on how the trailer is loaded. Too much weight towards the drawbar can result in nose weight that is too high. Too much load at the rear of the load bed can cause nose weight that is too low. There may even be negative nose weight if an upward force acts on the towbar.
In all these situations, incorrect trailer loading is the cause, resulting in a higher risk of skidding and swaying.
Nose weight is therefore one of the most important factors for the road handling of trailers and the driving behaviour of the towing vehicle. When developing a trailer, Hapert Trailers always takes optimal nose weight into account, for example through the distance between the axles and the centre of the wheels.
Calculating the best nose weight
The ideal nose weight is close to the maximum permitted pressure. Please note: the nose weight of the trailer must not exceed the maximum value permitted for the car and/or the towbar. You can find this information in the specifications of the towbar or the vehicle. The maximum value for your Hapert trailer can be found on the type plate of your model.
Maximum load of your trailer
Before you measure the nose weight, it is important to know how much load your trailer is allowed to transport. The type plate of every Hapert trailer always shows the gross vehicle weight.
This is the maximum weight of the trailer and load combined. To determine how much load your Hapert model may carry, subtract the unladen weight of the trailer from the gross vehicle weight.