If you apply weight behind the axle, it'll remove weight from the front axle If you weigh the rear axle as you hitch your caravan, you might notice that the weight increase is more than the weight of the hitch itself. As more weight pushes down on the back, it lifts the front, like a seesaw. RELATED: Calculating your car and caravan towing limits »īy adding weight behind the rear axle, we’re creating a lever where the pivot point is the back wheels. Adding weight behind the rear axle is one of those scenarios, and that’s precisely what we do when we hitch up a trailer, especially heavy ones like caravans, boats and camper trailers. But there are limits, and there are scenarios that exacerbate poor weight balance more than others. To a certain extent, the engineers who dreamt up your car accounted for it – a ute with a few hundred kilos of tools in the tray usually rides better than one with gym bags and kids’ scooters. The ideal is to spread it all evenly so that no one point is significantly more loaded than another.įrom the factory, your car or four-wheel drive will have an ideal balance, which might be that 45 per cent of the vehicle’s mass is over the front wheels and the other 55 per cent is over the rear.Īdding weight anywhere on the vehicle changes its dynamics. Weight distribution is simply how the total mass of a vehicle (including passengers, luggage, accessories and appendages like trailers) is spread across its contact points with the road – the tyres and axles.

Get it wrong, and they’ll still be unforgettable, but not for the same reasons. Get it right, and the trips will be unforgettable. But, there’s more to consider than where you’ll be lighting your first campfire.Ībsolutely key to getting there safely is how well the weight of your new caravan and all your gear is distributed across the car. If we are to believe the hype surrounding modern vehicle marketing, towing your dream caravan or trailer is as simple as buying the latest SUV and hooking up.

Calculate axle weight distribution