Frequently Asked Questions - mobile caravan weighing

We come to you across the South West region of WA. We don't charge extra for travel.

Tow Vehicle and Double Axle Caravan $240

Tow Vehicle and Single Axle Caravan or Camper trailer $220

Tow Vehicle and Boat Trailer $240

Tow Vehicle and Horse Float $240

Campervan, Motorhome, 4WD, Troopy, Commercial Car $150

Tiny House $150

Boat, Float or Trailer (no Tow Vehicle) $150

You can pay with cash on the day, Bank Transfer prior to the weigh or EFTPOS on the day. There is a surcharge of 1.4% to pay via EFTPOS.

Why? Just because a car has 3.5 tonne towing capacity, doesn’t mean it can tow 3.5tonne. For example  a 300 series Landcruiser VX 2022 has a TARE Weight of 2630 kg and a GVM of 3280 kg. So that’s only a payload of  650 kg.  TARE (in Australia) usually means the vehicles weight including radiator fluid, oil and 10l fuel. (normal tank not extra) 

 So let’s do some quick calculations on a Landcruiser VX 300 Series. 

Driver 90

Passenger 70

Tow Bar 40

Light Bull bar 45

Food 35

Rear Drawers 70

Fridge 35

Beer 15

Recovery gear, tools, shovel, and other stuff 60

So that’s 460 kg of weight added already – and that doesn’t include items such as a 2nd battery, tools, chocks, fire pit, wood, shovels, kids, bikes an additional long range fuel tank, and the other associated stuff we take in our vehicle.

So that's not too bad - we still have 190 kg left right? WRONG!   

We haven’t added the tow ball weight to the vehicle – that’s the weight that’s imposed on the vehicle from the caravan and included in the Vehicles GVM in combination.

Now people generally buy Landcruisers to tow big caravans.

And big caravans are heavy (I know, we have one!).

So let’s use the example of a Caravan with an ATM of 3200 kg – fully loaded to 3150

The tow ball would be around 300 kg – leaving the caravan with a GTM of 2850 and we add the towball weight to the vehicle. So now our payload is  760 kg being 110 kg MORE than our allowable payload. 

But I haven't even put the Tinny on the roof yet?!

Now imagine (like a lot of cruisers) it also has driving lights, a winch, roof racks and a canoe (or two).

Can you see why the answer to this question isn't as simple as you first thought? 

A $130K vehicle sold to tow 3.5 tonnes  is now overloaded if towing 3.2 tonnes. This is why it's best to get SW Weigh to weigh your rig so you are informed and again, most importantly, safe.

We service Bunbury to Augusta as we are local and live in the SW. Contact Us now to make a booking and we will come to you. We don't charge extra for travel either! 

Absolutely! The TARE is the weight of the Van or Trailer at the time of manufacturing. Have you chosen a Van with heaps of extras? Has it got extra batteries, solar panels or inverters to name a few? Where are these placed? How much extra does this weigh? What is the payload? What is your Vehicles GCM? Are you going to exceed this? We can complete a pre purchase weigh to help you make the decision  - is this van right for your tow vehicle or do you need to buy another car?!

Weighing bridges are accurate +/- 20 kg and don't give you accurate axle and wheel weights. Our state of the art wireless load cells are accurate to 1 kg, calibrated annually and NATA Certified. They provide accurate axle weights and towball weights. We can weigh 8 tonne at a time.

After loading up our vehicle, caravan and roof top tinny for an adventure up North several years ago (pre covid!), we had no idea if we were within legal limits, loaded and balanced correctly, legal, and more importantly - were we safe?

We utilised a local grain weighbridge for a rough weigh outcome. This was a helpful guide however weighbridges are calibrated for 20 -100 tonne trucks so are not very accurate for a 3 tonne car or  caravan. They also don't provide axle weight or towball weight so we still didn’t understand if we were loaded safely and balanced correctly.

On weigh day its best to have your set up packed as much as close as possible to your travelling weights.

We need your vehicle, van, roof top tinny (if you travel with one) bikes, and a fully packed car and van, driver and passengers, tank full of fuel (if possible) and if you use them, then water tanks full as well (if possible).  This way we can help you redistribute weight and then re-weigh, helping you know how to travel safely and be compliant.

Yes, we suggest that your water tanks and fuel tanks are full to help understand your maximum weight. We can empty your tanks and then re-weigh if required on the day.

So that we can provide you with really accurate GCM, axle weights and give you an understanding if you are loaded / packed correctly, we recommend weighing packed as if you were heading off on holiday.

Our load cells are accurate to 1 kg and calibrated annually certified by NATA . We have spared no expense to ensure we provide a world class service to keep WA safe.

Our tow ball weigher is accurate to 1/2 kg and calibrated annually certified by NATA . We have spared no expense in our equipment to help keep WA safe. 

No, unfortunately SW Weigh  are not insured to Drive your vehicle, so you will need to be present for the Weigh. We also need to take into consideration your weight and your passenger's weights to ensure we are providing you with an accurate service. We also take you through different loading options during your Weigh and answer all your questions, and you can't do that whilst shopping!

Yes please.  Every Caravan Manufacturer places the Compliance plate in a different spot, and as much as we love the game 'hunt for the compliance plate' it does make it easier on Weigh day if you know where this is. We can then easily compare your actual weights against your compliance plate.