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Caravan nose weight and tongue weight: compare it with the hitch limit

RV Level has one field for the rated hitch load and one for the weight you measured. If the measured figure is higher, it shows how many kilos you are over.

2 min read · Updated 2026-10-07

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Nose weight, tongue weight and hitch load are the same thing: the downward force the coupling puts on the tow car. The app calls it hitch load.

Measure it first

The app does not measure anything on the coupling. Use a nose weight gauge or a hitch scale at the coupling, with the caravan loaded as for the trip and level, and read the number in kg.

Type it in

  1. Open Vehicle and tap the caravan profile.
  2. In Axle load & hitch load set Rated hitch load from the caravan or coupling plate.
  3. Tap Calculate payload & axle load.
  4. Under Measured values type the figure in Hitch load.
  5. Over the limit, the app shows a red line with the kilos over the allowed value.

A new profile uses 100 kg as a placeholder. It is a sample value and not yours.

Example

Hitch load against the rated limit
Rated (kg)Measured (kg)Result
10011212 kg over
10090within limit

One limit is not the whole story

Your tow car's handbook sets its own maximum for the tow-ball load, and the caravan plate sets another. The app has one field per profile, so type the lower of the two.

For repeatable checks, load the same way each time you measure, because moving gas bottles or the water tank changes the number. When you load differently, measure again.

What happens when the number is off

Too little nose weight and the caravan can feel light and wander at speed; too much and the tow car's rear axle is overloaded and its front gets light. The app only flags the second case, since it compares against a maximum. It has no minimum and does not know the right percentage for your outfit, so check the minimum in the caravan handbook yourself.

If you tow with more than one car, make a second profile with that car's limit instead of changing numbers back and forth. Add vehicle creates it and the circle on the left makes it the active one.

Keep the result

The same screen has Share as PDF. It prints the hitch line as load over limit and OK or kilos over, together with the payload lines, which is handy to file with the caravan papers.

Questions and answers

What counts as the limit?
Use the lower of the figures on the coupling plate and the tow car's handbook.
Does the app measure the nose weight?
No, it only compares the figure you type with the limit.
Do the payload and hitch checks share one screen?
Yes. Calculate payload & axle load holds the payload rows, and Measured values with the hitch line sits on the same screen.

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