Find out how much your caravan weighs with our mobile caravan weighing service. Caravan weighing near me - Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River.
At SW Weigh we are serious about Safety First, so we have created this section to arm you with knowledge and information regarding WA's road laws, towing laws, facts as well as definitions to all those weight acronyms!
We hope you enjoy our site and take a moment to drop us a line.
There are specific road rules that apply to motorists towing caravans, camper trailers, horse floats, boats and more:
You must not drive a vehicle that is carrying a load:
Learn more about WA towing Laws IB - 107 - Safe Towing (transport.wa.gov.au)
Don't guess your weights, weigh your rig to be safe, sure and legal. Protect yourself, protect your family and protect those around you.
Enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.
* Thanks to 'IB-107B Vehicle Safety and Standards Information Bulletin by DoT WA'
Towing and Driver Fatigue
How much can you Safely Tow?
Safety tips for drivers
The following procedures will help reduce risks and improve towing safety:
Dealing with Trucks
Encounters with road trains and other large trucks are inevitable for anyone driving in the country. To ensure these encounters are as safe as possible you should:
Learn more about WA towing Laws IB - 107 - Safe Towing (transport.wa.gov.au)
Don't guess your weights, weigh your rig to be safe, sure and legal. Protect yourself, protect your family and protect those around you. Call SW Weigh now and we will help you out.
Enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.
Education is vital for Safety First!
Please reach us at Admin@SWWeigh.com.au if you cannot find an answer to your question.
TARE mass is the manufactured weight of a vehicle or a caravan.
For a vehicle it includes oils and fluids and usually 10L of Fuel.
If you add any extras to your Vehicle such as a roof rack, tow ball kit, Bull bar, this will come out of your Payload.
For a Caravan it does not include items such as extras such as water, gas, linen.
If you add any extras post manufacture to your Caravan such as an additional battery, Solar panels, Tool Box, this will come out of your available Payload.
ATM is your Aggregate Trailer Mass
ATM is the maximum permissible weight of your caravan when loaded and without being hitched to your towing vehicle. This includes your payload and TBM.
The ATM is specified by the Trailer Manufacturer and cannot be exceeded.
Actual GTM + TBM = Actual ATM
GTM is your Gross Trailer Mass
GTM is the maximum permissible weight of your caravan, when loaded, whilst hitched to your towing vehicle.
GVM is your Gross Vehicle Mass
GVM is the maximum permissible weight of your towing vehicle when loaded.
This is specified by your Vehicles manufacturer. This includes the weight of your caravan on the Tow Ball when the vehicle is hitched to the caravan.
GCM is your Gross Combination Mass
GCM is the total weight of your Tow Vehicle and Caravan when hitched and fully loaded.
The GCM is the rating provided by the manufacturer of the tow vehicle. It cannot be exceeded.
Actual GVM + GTM = Actual GCM
TBM is your Tow Ball Mass (or Tow Ball Weight)
TBM is the actual weight imposed on the tow vehicle by the Caravan.
Your Compliance plate on the Caravan may have a Tow Ball Mass TARE. This is the tow ball weight unladen from the factory.
Payload is the amount of weight you can put in a vehicle and / or caravan in Kg's.
Your Caravan will have a payload and your vehicle will have a payload.
Vehicle Payload = GVM - TARE Weight
Caravan Payload = ATM - TARE Weight
GAWR is your Gross Axle Weight Rating or GAW Gross Axle Weight.
This is the maximum load that your vehicle's front and rear axles can carry as specified by the manufacturer. You will usually find these figures in the owner's manual.
Your front and rear axles will usually have different ratings and its important not to each axle's weight rating. This is where we can assist with weighing your vehicle and help distribute weight.
When you book a weigh with us, we provide you with information and definition sheets so that you can easily interpret your weights. We strongly believe in arming you and your family with knowledge so that you can continue to make the right decisions and continue to travel safely, well into the future.
We also suggest several articles and have placed the links here:
Getting Your Caravan's Weight Distribution Right | RAC WA
Vehicle weights explained | tare, kerb, GVM, payload and trailer figures | CarsGuide
Calculating Your Car and Caravan Towing Limits | RAC WA
(48) Caravan Sway Crash - YouTube
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