| RV FEATURE
WHAT NOW ?
In your endeavour to calculate your van ’ s payload capacity , and to not exceed it , the best advice hasn ’ t really changed over the years …
1 . If your prospective van is second-hand , always get a weigh bridge certificate prior to purchasing .
2 . If you ’ re about to buy a new van , request a copy of the manufacturer ’ s weigh bridge ticket for that particular van , and if in doubt , weigh the van yourself and cross-check your findings with those of the manufacturer .
3 . Load your van within the known payload allowance , the weight difference between ATM and Tare . If you need to create more payload capacity , strip out / off unnecessary items . Do you really need two 9kg gas cylinders ?
4 . Investigate light-weight solutions , such as silicone cookware . If you have a spare few thousand in your back pocket (!), replace your lead acid battery with a lithium battery .
Remember , as the driver of the vehicle towing the trailer , you are responsible for ensuring you ’ ve loaded the van within spec , and that you haven ’ t exceeded the towing capacity , including the Gross Combined Mass , of the tow vehicle .
CASE STUDY
I own a Goldstream Wing 3 wind-up camper . For curiosity ’ s sake , I weighed all of its contents to calculate my legality when towing … with interesting results !
FACEBOOK FEEDBACK
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We threw it open to vanners on Facebook . Is 300-400kg of payload capacity enough on a modern caravan ?
“ The best advice in any article about payload is to ask the manufacturer to plate the van to its max theoretical ATM . This will solve any issues about payload and it costs nothing . You can then load to whatever your lowest applicable rating is and will never have anything to complain about .”
“ Most RVs ’ and caravans ’ allowances are ridiculous . I know someone who just had a new van weighed at a Qld Transport inspection day and had gas , water , etc ., but no food or clothes in it and had 4kg left to use . What a joke .”
“ Caravan manufacturers should provide Tare weights after water and gas tanks are full .”
“ We have a payload of 970kg and we have three water tanks plus grey water . Early days with this van so we will see soon enough ,”
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