RV MAIL

I have been looking at caravans with the idea of trading up . But I am at a loss as to how this industry arrives at the Tare weight and the ATM weight . My present camper has a Tare of 1006kg with an ATM of 1306kg . I know the ATM includes the towball download . The towball download on my camper is 130kg , giving a spare weight of 170kg .

Now , the water tank is 60L and the 9kg gas bottle is 15kg , giving me a ( spare payload ) weight of 95kg . This is nowhere near enough for bedding , clothing and food . So how and what factors do the manufactures use as a standard ? Is it possible to do an article on this mystery ?

Brian Medlow - Cowirra , SA

Hi Brian , the payload capacity is the difference between the Tare and ATM . You ’ re right in that the ball weight is included in the ATM , but remember : it ’ s also included in the Tare .

Remember , too , that when the van is hitched up , the ball weight is now being supported by the towbar of the tow vehicle rather than the jockey wheel . The loaded weight of the van minus the ball weight should not exceed the van ’ s Gross Trailer Mass rating , which is the amount that can be legally supported by the axles and suspension .

While you haven ’ t provided your camper ’ s GTM , it appears that it has a true payload capacity of 300kg , which is actually quite standard for a single-axle van , though arguably still not enough . And yes , we ’ ll do an article next month . – Ed

I live in New South Wales . I have had my van registration in Victoria since I bought it a few years ago . All I had to do was have a garaging address in Victoria and a Victorian person with a Victorian driving licence to ‘ okay ’ it and they post the renewal to me in New South Wales . Now I have been told it is illegal to have a van registration in Victoria towed by a car registered in New South Wales . Can you advise on this ?

Greg Martineer Via email

Hi Greg , it is not illegal to tow a van or anything else with an interstate rego . Plenty of haulage companies tow trailers registered in different states if they have multiple depots .

As for registering a van in Victoria if you have an interstate licence , the van must be registered to the address where it is normally garaged . There is nothing wrong with using a Victorian address if that is where it is kept . But if the van is usually kept / garaged interstate , it must be registered to that address . – Ed

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