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here, as this is not always the case. Like with the vehicle’ s overall towing capacity, you must not exceed the maximum permissible towbar mass of the vehicle.
TARE AND ATM
It’ s now time to match your vehicle to a caravan. There are two key figures to understand here: Tare and Aggregate Trailer Mass( ATM). The story on GoRV. com. au discusses the others, too, but let’ s wrap our heads around these two first. Tare is the unladen mass of the caravan or camper trailer. It refers to the weight of the van as it leaves the factory, excluding any options that might be later added by a dealer, such as a generator or solar panel. ATM is the total permissible weight of the caravan or camper trailer, unhitched from a tow vehicle, as stipulated by the rig’ s manufacturer. Like with all the weights relevant to the van, the ATM should be engraved onto a compliance plate, found in either the front boot, the tunnel boot or riveted to the drawbar.
GROSS TRAILER MASS
You’ ll see this figure on your van’ s compliance plate, alongside Tare and ATM. When it comes to safe and legal towing, however, it’ s not
as relevant as the other two. Gross Trailer Mass( GTM) is the total permissible weight of the caravan when it is hitched to a tow vehicle. In real terms, it equals the ATM minus the towball weight.
SUMMING UP
This is just a brief overview of the facts and figures relevant to safe and legal towing. It can, and does, get much more involved but the above information will set you on the right path.
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14 gorv. com. au