Aggregate trailer mass ATM : This is the tare weight of the trailer plus its maximum payload when uncoupled from a vehicle. This is also referred to as gross trailer weight. Not to be confused with gross trailer weight, which is another name for ATM. Gross vehicle mass GVM : The total weight of the tow vehicle — the kerb weight plus payload including passengers, luggage and accessories.
Tare weight : This is the weight of an empty vehicle with all of its fluids but with only 10 litres of fuel in the tank. Most cars have an official towing capacity, which is declared by the manufacturer and refers to the maximum trailer ATM a vehicle can pull efficiently while remaining stable. Share on email. Prev Previous Essential Caravanning Equipment.
Next Track Your Van Next. Vehicle Plate Compliance October 28, Camp For Longer! October 21, Are You Prepared for Disaster? October 14, September 28, Register for Internet Banking. Important: The following information is based on Queensland regulations.
Other States and Territories may have slightly different rules. If the vehicle manufacturer has not specified a towing capacity, for vehicles built before , Queensland regulations allow the towing of a trailer:. One and a half times the un-laden mass of the towing vehicle, if the trailer is fitted with brakes or,. GTM will always be less than ATM as some of the trailer weight is transferred to the tow vehicle when the trailer is coupled to it.
Trailers built before August may carry little or none of this information. Ball Load is the amount of weight the fully laden trailer imposes vertically on the tow bar of the tow vehicle. Alternatively, some caravan dealers have special ball mass scales for this purpose. Some caravan plates show Ball Load at Tare. This is the ball load when the caravan is empty. It is not helpful in determining the ball load of the laden caravan.
Alternatively, low cost ball mass scales are available for this purpose. Payload is important for all trailers, however it is critical to campers and caravans, many of which have quite limited carrying capacity to start with. Modifications and additions to the trailer can very quickly eat into its carrying capacity and result in an overloaded trailer, or the inability to legally carry necessary items. The maximum trailer load will be specified to ensure the combination is safe, controllable, and that it will not significantly shorten the life of the vehicle's body and mechanical components.
A Maximum Axle Load specification is sometimes given for vehicles, such as utilities, that are capable of carrying a load over the rear axle in addition to the load imposed by the trailer the Ball Load. Some vehicle manufacturers impose reduced speed limits when towing.
The tare mass weight of your caravan can be found on the vehicle plate or in the manufacturer's handbook. Tow ball mass or tow ball load is the maxium mass allowed to be put on the tow ball of the towing vehicle. To measure the tow ball mass you can use a ball weight scale. You must not exceed the tow ball mass capacity. Aggregate Trailer Mass ATM is the total mass of the trailer when carrying the maximum load recommended by the manufacturer.
The ATM is generally measured with the caravan unhitched from your towing vehicle and resting on its jockey wheel.
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