There has been lots of discussions online about towing vehicles & caravan weights. When shopping for a new caravan, one of the first things you will need to consider is the weight of the caravan and how that compares to the specified towing capacity of your vehicle.
VEHICLE TOWING CAPACITY
Firstly, identify the braked towing capacity of the vehicle. This can be found in your user guide or via the Redbook website.
For example, the Towing Capacity (braked) of many towing vehicles is 3500kg. This is the maximum recommended towing weight of the van when filled with luggage, water and possessions.
PAYLOAD
Payload refers to the available weight that can be loaded into an empty caravan and includes all your possessions like clothes, food, water and equipment.
Aggregate trailer mass (atm)
Once you have identified the towing capacity of your vehicle, check the Aggregate Trailer Mass or ‘ATM’ of the caravan.
The ATM is specified by the manufacturer and can be found on the compliance plate of the caravan. It’s the total weight of the caravan when carrying the maximum possible load. This is usually determined by the type of suspension, wheels and hitch. *Note, in some cases you may not be able to utilise the entire ATM due to the ‘GCM’ set by the tow vehicle manufacturer (see below).
TARE WEIGHT
The Tare Weight is the weight of an empty caravan including all fitted options when it leaves the factory (excluding water and gas).
Vehicle Gross Combined Mass (GCM)
Gross Combined Mass (GCM) is set by the tow vehicle manufacturer and refers to the maximum combined mass of your loaded vehicle and your loaded caravan hitched together. Legally, you must not exceed the specified GCM capacity of your vehicle.
Example – A popular 4WD Dual Cab Ute:
Towing capacity: 3500kg
GCM: 6000kg
Kerb weight: 2050kg (empty with a full tank of fuel)
Additional weight: 240kg (4 people) + 100kg (Cargo) + 160kg (Car modifications) = 500kg
Weight when fully loaded: 2550kg
Based on the above assumptions, the maximum weight of a fully loaded caravan that this vehicle could legally tow is 3450kg. If this caravan had a tare weight of 2700kg, then 750kg would be the available payload without going over the legal weight restriction.
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