Nov
Accessories, Caravan
Important Factors About Your Caravan
What can your tow vehicle tow?
The first place to look for an understanding of the caravan weights is in your towing vehicle to see what your car is rated to tow. This information can be found in your car manual (on the internet nowadays as well). This will give you all the information you need to make sure you are able to tow a specific caravan.
The next step is figuring out the various weight measurements of the caravan. All caravans post-1985 have a VIN plate. On the VIN plate, all the caravan weights and dimensions are specified.
Tare weight
The TARE weight is what the caravan weighs as supplied by the dealer. This is the total weight but not fully loaded. This is with no water in the tanks, no gas in the in the cylinders or any personal things. It also does not include the added accessories like the awning, air-conditioning and is an important measurement to know to figure out how many extras you are actually allowed!
If you add the accessories weight as well as two water tanks and gas tanks it can quickly add up. It pays to know how much-added weight you are carrying on top of the tare weight. Once you have added your accessories it can already amount to 100s of kgs, so this is one you need to be aware of when buying a caravan.
Vin Plate Found On Caravan
ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass)
The next important weight you need to know is the ATM (aggregate trailer mass). The aggregate trailer mass is also sometimes called the GVM (depends which expert you are talking to)
To have a safe and comfortable journey, the ATM is one of the most important. It’s a simple one to measure as its the absolute total weight your caravan can weigh. It includes absolutely everything inside and out as it sits in your driveway before you head off. The ATM is one of the most important to check before you head off on your holiday.
Towball Weight
The tow ball weight or ball weight as its sometimes called is the downward pressure that the caravan hitch places on the tow ball of the car.
This greatly affects how the caravan fits behind the car and whether it will sway etc so it’s vital that this is taken into account.
The tow ball weight is an important one to know
This should be on the caravan VIN plate but if it is not stated there you can find it by subtracting the GTM (gross trailer mass) from the ATM.
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