Tow Ball Capacity

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Jazzy B

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This maybe a pointless question but I'm curious!

Bear with me....

Current tow car is a defender the tow bar is bolted onto the chassis of the car. Hence tow ball weight is as much as the defender can tow.? .. Boyfriend needs to use defender as well so was looking at a more lightweight tow vehicle/drive to work car and have been looking at a Kia sorento. However, on looking at the spec the tow ball capacity is only 100..... I know this car is capable of towing a max of 2500 but surely if the tow ball capacity is only 100 is this not a little risky for towing livestock that can move around? Or am I over thinking this?
 
A lot of tow bars/balls have a maximum weight of only around 100kgs.

Remember the trailer is being pulled, not carried. If correctly set up then there's not that much weight pressing down on the tow ball as the weight will be balanced over the wheels on the trailer.
 
There could be a situation though when a trailer becomes nose heavy though... Although rare? Like over an arch bridge or if livestock moves around? Surely livestock cannot be guaranteed as being properly set up at all times?
 
Jazzy B said:
This maybe a pointless question but I'm curious!

Bear with me....

Current tow car is a defender the tow bar is bolted onto the chassis of the car. Hence tow ball weight is as much as the defender can tow.? .. Boyfriend needs to use defender as well so was looking at a more lightweight tow vehicle/drive to work car and have been looking at a Kia sorento. However, on looking at the spec the tow ball capacity is only 100..... I know this car is capable of towing a max of 2500 but surely if the tow ball capacity is only 100 is this not a little risky for towing livestock that can move around? Or am I over thinking this?
Click to expand...

That is the maximum nose weight of the trailer not the actual gross weight it can pull the nose weight is the weight exerted vertically on to the ball that is prety much average for that vehicle I suspect the defender would be about 125kg nose weight
It should also have the maximum towing capacity marked on there. That is why it is important to have the ball height as near as possible to the point where the trailer is carrying its weight equally on both wheels so minimising the nose weight of the trailer
 
Jazzy B said:
There could be a situation though when a trailer becomes nose heavy though... Although rare? Like over an arch bridge or if livestock moves around? Surely livestock cannot be guaranteed as being properly set up at all times?
Click to expand...

Trailer 101 is to have your load secured over the wheels. This, in a live stock trailer, would be achieved by loading them into the middle partition and trying to keep them still (which is why there is not a lot of room when stock is in trailers, so they DONT move) for horses, the breast bar does this.
 
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