RV FEATURE
“NEXT MONTH, WE'LL LOOK AT HOW TO ASCERTAIN A TRAILER’S
WEIGHT LIMIT AND THE PITFALLS YOU'RE LIKELY TO FACE.”
group dedicated to caravanning, questions about KERB MASS
an individual's rig compliance with weight laws are The Kerb Mass or Unladen Mass of a vehicle,
a common occurrence, some attracting hundreds according to the Australian Design Rules (ADRs),
of responses.
is the mass of the vehicle in running order,
unoccupied and unladen, with all fluid reservoirs
And therein lies the problem. Many responses are
filled to nominal capacity, including fuel, and with
simply wrong, leaving the original poster even
all standard equipment. It is generally not stated
more confused than they were before.
on a vehicle compliance plate.
Most of the problems stem from a general
Obtaining the Kerb Mass of your particular tow
confusion about weights and many of the terms
vehicle can be a difficult process. If you obtain
associated with them. Over the next two months,
it from the vehicle manufacturer's website in
we want to try to identify some of those issues
Australia, it should comply with the requirements
so that when you're assessing your own rig's
of the ADRs. If it comes from an overseas website,
compliance, you're aware of the pitfalls and can
it may or may not include fuel.
make a more accurate assessment for yourself.
Kerb Mass varies between various models of
This month we will look at the main ratings for
the same vehicle. In the case of the Y62 Nissan
your tow vehicle…
Patrol, there is a 30kg difference between the
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