What happens when you get your caravan weighed?
Many caravan owners never know what their caravan actually weighs. Remember when it was not common to know what a caravan weighed? You just load the caravan in a way to make it appear level. If the tow vehicle, usually a family car or station wagon, (this is way back in the early decades!), was down at the back a bit much, it was customary to just add more air to the tyres!!!
Times are different, 50 years or more onwards from my early experiences as a child in a caravan family, and there are many reasons why it makes perfect sense to weigh your caravan. In those old days, caravans usually were very small and very light. Overloading was overlooked by police and insurers. Brakes were bad, but so were the roads. Speeds were slower in general, and there were far fewer vehicles on the roads. Traffic was slower, but that usually meant the trip towing the caravan to the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast was slow and crawling. That meant the risk of an accident while overloaded was way less than today. A round Australia trip was rare.
Driving on the roads now is faster paced. Distances travelled on our roads towing caravans is far greater than before. Many more caravanners are towing greater weights with more onboard technology including larger refrigerators and even washer dryers. Older caravans did not have a toilet or a shower. Air conditioning was not available in Australia. So now with all the new features in a caravan, weight limitations are imperative to safely towing a caravan.
“My own caravan weighing experience began knowing I would be under weight. I chose to have my caravan weighed empty. I wanted to see if the tare weights of both my caravan and SUV were similar to that shown in the specifications from the manufacturers. I usually travel for just a few days with not much more than some food for the BBQ, a couple of chairs, and essential clothes and towels.
I first had the caravan weighed by itself. This means the caravan was detached from the towing vehicle. I was surprised to see the weight was only 25kgs above the declared tare. The tow ball weight, TBM (Tow Ball Mass) was very light. It surprised me how low the weight on the draw bar registered, but my caravan is a tandem axle model with the kitchen at the back. The refrigerator is over the axles, so the tow ball weight was well below the average 10% of the ATM or aggregate trailer mass.
When I had the SUV weighed, it was also surprising to see how close it is to the published kerb weight. The SUV was also empty. When both are hitched and weighed firstly on the SUV and then the caravan, the weights were very similar. The only change being the extra 80kgs on the tow ball of the SUV.
I have not yet had the vehicles weighed when loaded, so I am keen to book another caravan weighing session to see what it is like when we travel away on our next trip. Thankfully we received a printout (from Gold Coast Mobile Weigh) as a record of our empty caravan weigh-in, now for the comparison with the fully loaded weigh.”
Thanks for sharing your experience T.J. of Southport. We look forward to your next appointment.
Gold Coast Mobile Weigh are located right in the centre of the Gold Coast in Queensland and can visit you to weigh your caravan and tow vehicle in many Gold Coast locations including Tallebudgera, Currumbin, Main Beach, Labrador, Southport, Molendinar, Ashmore, and many other Gold Coast suburbs. If you are taking your caravan through the Gold Coast, or visiting the Gold Coast on holidays, we will be happy to meet you at a suitable location to help you with your caravan weighing.
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