Tow bar ball pressure
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The nose weight is the force or weight that the bicycle carrier, trailer, caravan, boat or horse trailer exerts on the tow bar of the car.
The nose weight must never be too high or too low and must remain within a certain margin. This margin varies per car and is usually between 45 and 75 kg.
Maximum nose weight
The maximum permitted nose weight is determined by the vehicle manufacturer and is stated on the tow bar identification plate and in the vehicle documents.
If the maximum nose weight on the type plate differs from that on the vehicle documents of the towing vehicle, the data in the vehicle documents shall prevail.
Nose weight of a bicycle carrier
These are the risks when exceeding the maximum nose weight with a loaded bicycle carrier:
- Excessive load on the rear suspension and tow bar of the car
- High risk due to uninsured driving
- Traffic violation resulting in a fine
- Swinging of the bicycles on the tow bar
- Decreasing pressure on the front wheels, result: unpredictable road holding and risk of skidding
