Do you want to check the weight on the nose of the trailer? You can use a special meter for this. These are available from our dealers. Do you not have such a meter? You can also measure the weight using a regular personal scale.
Ball pressure of the coupling
knowledge base
Ball pressure of the coupling is the force that a trailer exerts vertically on the tow bar of a car. Too high or too low weight affects your safety and driving comfort. Let’s see how it works exactly.
How do you know you have the right ball pressure of the coupling?
Ball pressure or jockey weight is the force that a trailer exerts vertically on the tow bar of a car or on the jockey wheel. Incorrect ball pressure or weight has consequences for your safety and driving comfort. We advise a minimum weight of 4% of the total weight of the loaded trailer for our trailers. On the model plate of the towbar or in your car’s instruction book, you will find which pressure/weight (usually the maximum) is prescribed. You can also find the maximum ball pressure in the table below.
Maximum ball pressure/jockey weight
| 0 - 750 kg | 50 kg |
| 751 - 1500 kg | 75 kg |
| 1501 - 3000 kg | 100 kg |
| 3001 - 3500 kg | 150 kg |
Measure trailer ball pressure
Measure trailer ball pressure
Do you want to check the weight on the nose of the trailer? You can use a special meter for this. These are available from our dealers. Do you not have such a meter? You can also measure the weight using a regular personal scale.
What steps should you take to measure nose weight?
- Make sure that the trailer with load is horizontal (you can measure this with a spirit level on the drawbar)
- Place a plank on the scale so that the weight is evenly distributed
- Place a bar between the scale and the coupling to measure the ball pressure
Have you distributed the weight of your load properly? Then the ball pressure is probably fine. Is the pressure too high or too low. Check below what you can do about it.
Ball pressure too low?
Is the ball pressure too low? Then there may be too little connection between the trailer and the car. This makes the combination less stable. The trailer can start to sway due to crosswinds or passing trucks. You can increase the ball pressure by placing the weight more forward in the box.
Ball pressure too high?
Is the ball pressure too high? Then the tow bar and the suspension of the car are overloaded. The back of your car sinks and therefore the grip with your front wheels is reduced. Too high ball pressure is often caused by the weight of the load being placed too far forward. You can adjust this by shifting (the weight of) the load to the rear.
Ball pressure too low?
Is the ball pressure too low? Then there may be too little connection between the trailer and the car. This makes the combination less stable. The trailer can start to sway due to crosswinds or passing trucks. You can increase the ball pressure by placing the weight more forward in the box.
Ball pressure too high?
Is the ball pressure too high? Then the tow bar and the suspension of the car are overloaded. The back of your car sinks and therefore the grip with your front wheels is reduced. Too high ball pressure is often caused by the weight of the load being placed too far forward. You can adjust this by shifting (the weight of) the load to the rear.
Do a check before leaving
Always check the ball pressure/jockey weight before you hit the road with a trailer. Do you have any questions about this after reading this article? Or do you have any other doubts about the ball pressure of your attached trailer? Do not hesitate to contact us or visit a SARIS dealer near you.
Contact us or a dealer in your neighbourhood
We are always there to help with any question.
Our dealers are professionals with years of knowledge of our products. They are close by and give you personal advice.
