Vehicle weight and towing capabilities

WATCH YOUR WEIGHT

By Ric McDonald, VanWeigh

There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to vehicle weights and towing capacities. Just because your vehicle is rated to tow 3.5 tonnes, can you? Ric McDonald from VanWeigh attempts to clear up the confusion.

Alot of the work we do at VanWeigh is giving new caravanners peace of mind that their chosen van and tow vehicle are within the specified legal limits. Information coming from the east coast has revealed that approximately 63% of vehicles pulled over and checked are overloaded. Locally, we have found that 38% of all our clients are overloaded in one or more areas. For some, they have fallen for marketing hype and sales tactics that may not be giving them the complete story before they make a purchase. The following is an example: Recently, a couple, who had just retired came to us after making a purchase of a new caravan and tow vehicle. With plans to travel for between one and two years, they wanted to ensure that they were as comfortable as possible while on the road. Space was a factor, as was the need to be able to travel along rough roads. They decided upon a 21-foot, full off-road van that had an ATM (maximum weight) of 3500kg. They next went in search of a suitable tow vehicle, finally settling on a popular twin cab ute. To ensure that they had the ultimate flexibility when travelling, they opted for a canopy to allow them to leave the van behind and explore areas not suitable for towing. They also opted to increase the fuel capacity of the vehicle, and as a result, chose to also upgrade the suspension. The suspension upgrade increased the vehicle's GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) by 300kg, which they believed also increased their GCM (Gross Combination Mass). This is due to some suspension brands using marketing tactics that give the buyer the belief that a *GCM upgrade is possible. It is my understanding that a suspension upgrade can only legally increase the GVM of the vehicle and has no impact on GCM or towing capacity of the vehicle. Some states in Australia do allow for a GCM increase but not Western Australia. When weighing a vehicle, we refer to the owner’s manual and the compliance plate. We ask our clients to ensure that the vehicle is fully fuelled and water tanks are full. So, what was the outcome when we weighed this couple’s touring setup? The car was overloaded by 150kg, with the rear axle 230kg over what it should be. The front axle was underloaded by about the same amount. We recommended a weight distribution hitch to resolve this issue.

Their towball weight was 80kg underweight. The caravan still had approximately 230kg of payload available, which meant that some of the extra weight in the vehicle could be moved into the van. The problems started to emerge when we calculated the GCM (Gross Combination Mass) of the vehicle and van. In this instance, they were 650kg overweight. Looking at their payload, we deduced that we could drop about 200kg from the van but removing anything further was not practicable. In this instance our client is, at best 450kg and at worst 650kg over the legal weight limit. There are only two options to resolve this situation. Either buy a vehicle with a greater GCM or downsize the van. Both are going to be costly exercises. For many caravanners, the availability of Americanstyle trucks have been the saving grace when towing large vans. The downside to these vehicles is that you need to have a light truck licence to get the greatest benefit (that is a GCM greater that 7500kg) and there is a zero-alcohol limit when driving them. The Caravan Industry Association suggests that you should aim for a van that is only about 75% of your maximum towable weight. They also suggest that the van be no more than 85% of the weight of the tow vehicle. Keep these figures in mind when shopping for a van and tow vehicle.

*Note: GCM upgrades are not recognised on light vehicles in Western Australia.

Have you or someone you know purchased a van and tow vehicle only to discover that you are over your legal weight limits?

We would love to hear from you to understand where the confusion is coming from. Scan the QR code or send us an email to admin@western4wdriver.com.au

Many vans on the road today are overloaded. Is yours? How can you tell?

We compare your weights with compliance and print an easy to read report. It’s a small price to pay for your family’s safety. Get weighed to be sure!

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