Knowing the weight of your caravan is highly important, for legal reasons and also for your safety and other drivers. Having a caravan that is overweight can pose serious dangers.
However, calculating the weight of your caravan can be hard. You could go to a weigh station, but these are hard to find. The next best option is using a personal caravan scales or weight guage. There are a several different styles available online.
We have checked out the best caravan scales and provided our findings below.
What to look for when buying Caravan Weight Scales
Caravan weight scales are essential tools when you are traveling with heavy luggage. They enable you to measure the amount of load you are carrying and help you prevent accidents, and pay heavy fines. Caravan weight scales and tow ball weight scales are important accessories. If you are a frequent traveler and carry a heavy load, you must have these items in your tool kit. Let us know what some of the types of weight scales essential for traveling are.
Types of Caravan Weight Scales
Caravan weight control scales
These scales help you determine the weight of your cargo. This is essential because, in case of overloading, it may cause tripping over the vehicle and serious consequences. Overloading can also cause you to pay heavy fines.
Weight control scales have a certain weight-bearing capacity. Most of them can bear 1000 to 1500 kg weight. With the help of this tool, you can conveniently divide the total weight of your cargo amongst your vehicles if you are using more than one. Even on one vehicle, it helps you adjust the cargo weight according to limits set by the authorities. Most of them are battery-operated, and you do not need to worry about the electric supply or cords for their use. They can be used for dual axles, single axles and motor house vehicles.
Noseweight gauges
A nose weight gauge is an important tool. It enables you to measure the amount of load your vehicle can hitch. Measuring the nose weight of your caravan is essential because you don’t want to overload it. The nose weight should not be too much or too little, and it should be balanced. To ensure you are not towing a too heavy or too light object, you would have to determine the vehicle’s nose weight. This will ensure that you are not overloading your caravan.
Noseweight gauges are made up of metal and can determine weight between 100 to 400 kgs. They can show the readings in LBs as well. They are light in weight and are easy to carry. Travelers who tow caravans with cargo should always carry a nose weight gauge with them. The nose weight gauge should be calibrated well so that it shows less deviation.
Towball weight scales
The tow ball weight is the vehicle’s weight that the trailer exerts on the tow hitch. A tow ball weight scale measures this specific amount of weight. As a general rule, a minimum of 10% of the total towing weight should be on the tow ball. Like all the other weight measures, tow ball weight is also crucial to prevent overloading and unnecessary swaying.
A tow ball weight scale makes sure that the weight being carried is distributed equally across the rig. A good scale is made up of metal and can show the weight up to 350 kgs. These scales should be calibrated, and the head of the tow ball should be soft so as not to hurt the coupling.
So do you really need to weigh your van?
Short answer, YES!
The weight control scales for a caravan are effective tools for regularly dealing with heavy cargo items. They check and balance the caravan, nose, and tow ball weight and prevent the rider from experiencing serious accidents or injuries.
Maintaining certain caravan weights is essential to driving on a highway with set speed and weight limits. Non-adherence to the rules may cause heavy fines and bans from traveling. Therefore, we advise our readers to get their hands on some of the best weight scales. They are handy and easy to carry.
Our blog covers some of the highly rated and reviewed products. They are made up of unique materials and calibrated to deliver accuracy. We hope our review will help you in selecting the best weight scales.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can I measure the nose weight of vehicles?
There are several nose weight gauges in the market, but we recommend that our readers use one with British standards. They are most authenticated and calibrated to show the least deviation. They also have easy-to-read markings with a break of every 10 kg.
However, if you do not have a proper nose weight gauge, you can improvise with your regular bathroom scale. You just need to lower the front steady about halfway and place the scale beneath the towhead. Make sure to place a small wooden piece in between the two to prevent breakage.
What should be the ideal tow ball weight
An ideal tow ball weight is approximately 10 to 15% of the total loaded weight. The reason why you should maintain this percentage is obvious. It is to ensure that the rear wheels of the towing vehicle do not lift while driving on a steep road and to ensure the vehicle will not sway unnecessarily.
How can I estimate the nose weight of my vehicle?
You can calculate the nose weight easily by yourself. For that, you will need the accurate weight of the caravan. Divide this figure with 100 and then multiply it with 7. For example, if your caravan’s weight is 200 kg, the nose weight will be 14 kg. This will provide you with only a rough estimation. You may check the handbook of your vehicle to know the exact figure.
What is the best way to load your caravan to prevent tipping?
While loading your caravan, a few of the important points should be kept in mind. The heaviest load should be placed just above the axle on the floor. This may include any furniture item, heavy electric cables, awnings etc. Care should be taken to place these items correctly to offset the center of gravity and cause rear tipping. This will maintain a balance and prevent the tipping of the rear side.
The medium-weight items should be distributed evenly across the entire caravan. Do not replace the heavy items as they should be near to the axle at all times.
Lightweight objects such as clothing etc., can be placed inside the roof lockers while you tow.
Which tow ball weight scales are most accurate?
In our review, we have mentioned two ball weight scales from renowned brands. However, according to customer experience and ratings, the TOWSAFE tow ball weight scales are perfect and calibrated. They give accurate readings both in KGs and LBs. It is formulated according to safety standards and should be carried by regular travelers at all times.
