[prydey]

kind of camping related, but mostly related to those who tow campers and vans of some description....

out of curiosity and wishing to be a law abiding citizen, i put my van over a weighbridge on the way to Naracoorte.

Long story short, i actually discovered i was 60kg overweight. I didn't unhook so only weighed axle weight (GTM) but based on previous measuring of ball weight i was likely over 100kg over on total weight (ATM).

tow vehicle(ford territory) weights were well within the parameters, given its only a campervan, so 100kg spare on front and rear axle and 30ish on ball weight (i don't have a HD towbar so only 160/1600kg limits).

The van weighed just on 1.3t. Quite light as far as vans go, which isn't surprising as its only a wind up camper, but the issue is all trailers (from around late 80's early 90's i believe) have a compliance plate. A problem with this is the trailer industry, even to this day is largely unregulated. The numbers stamped on the plate are often meaningless as far as the trailer is concerned, but as far as the law is concerned, they are binding. My trailer actually has a max axle capacity of nearly 1.5t, so i was well within the capabilities of the axle and wheels/tyres etc. so safety wasn't a problem.

Jayco are one of these companies that just have a set figure for 'payload'. For single axle its 300kg and for dual its 450kg. So they weigh the van as it leaves the factory (tare) and then add 300kg to that figure (ATM). They then minus the empty ball weight off the ATM to give you the allowed axle weight (GTM). This gets muddy when accessories are fitted. Gas bottle, awnings, battery etc. If these are fitted at factory, they are included in the empty weight, and don't impact your payload. If they are dealer fitted, they are actually part of your payload.

This is all very boring but now i have to look in to ways of getting my compliance plate upgraded. we pack extremely light, with only clothes and bedding added to the van and a small amount of food. This makes me think most of my payload is chewed up with the accessories. Seeing as the actual axle is capable of handling more than the compliance plate limit, i think i can get a mod plate fitted or a new compliance plate.

The moral is, if you are looking to buy a van, make sure you do your due diligence and make sure the van is fit for your purpose, or can be modified to suit. If buying new, make sure any accessories are fitted at the factory and the empty weight of the van is inclusive of these added extras.