Comparing Different Noseweights & Cargo Bars - Expert Analysis

Not all noseweight gauges are built to the same standard, and the difference matters more than it might seem when you're relying on the reading to keep your outfit safely loaded.

Milenco Precision Calibrated Noseweight Gauge

This gauge is approved and calibrated to British Standard BS7961, reading up to 130kg with ±2kg accuracy. Milenco says it's built from hard-wearing materials designed to hold that calibration even after 1000 uses, and its working height matches a caravan A-frame directly, so there's no need to prop it up on blocks before taking a reading.

Generic, uncalibrated gauges

According to Milenco, generic noseweight gauges — the kind without a recognised calibration standard behind them — can drift by as much as 30kg over time. On a gauge with no BS7961 approval, there's no independent benchmark confirming the reading is accurate in the first place, so any drift can go unnoticed until it causes a genuinely unsafe or non-compliant noseweight.

What this means for you

A 30kg error is large enough to take a legally loaded outfit outside safe limits without the driver ever knowing. If you tow regularly, a calibrated, standards-approved gauge like this one removes that uncertainty, and the correct A-frame working height means it's quick enough to use before every loaded trip rather than something that gets skipped.