Is Your Caravan Overweight?
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- čas přidán 6. 04. 2024
- Is your caravan legal? The only way to answer this question is by paying for a professional weighing service to weigh both the tow vehicle and the caravan.
Caravanning is a popular pastime for many individuals and families who enjoy the freedom of exploring the open road with their home on wheels. However, as with any form of travel, it's essential to ensure that you have the right insurance coverage to protect your caravan and its contents. One crucial consideration for caravan owners is the weight of their vehicle and how it can impact their insurance policy.
Carrying excess weight in a caravan can not only be illegal but also dangerous. It can affect the stability and handling of the caravan, leading to safety concerns on the road. Moreover, an overweight caravan can also have implications for your insurance coverage.
Watch a professional weighing company perform all the necessary tasks to find the exact weight of your towing vehicle and caravan. And, some solutions if you are overweight.
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Need your caravan and tow vehicle professionally weighed? Love a great discount when shopping around? Call Andy from "Your Tow Weight" on 0419 380 230, and mention "Paul Wheel Drive", for a generous 10% discount and special report.
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I have a true story. I asked a person preparing for a major caravan trip, after he had been over a weigh-bridge “how did you go with your weights” he replied “I am probably over a little bit but the caravan tows well so I am not worried about it.” I didn’t give him a lecture on weights and insurance companies I figure he was old enough to know. What I did think was here is another person who has no idea or chooses to ignore the consequences of an accident or it won’t happen to me. He would be one of the many thousands out there towing overloaded. Your video drives it home well. Cheers!
My brother in-law has run a transport business in a coastal holiday town in SA for 30+ years. He lets people come and use his weighbridge for free and reckons that in 30 years, NOT ONE person towing a caravan on a lap of Australia has been legal.
Wow, that's a sad statistic 😞
Good article Paul, had a caravan first then changed to a fifth wheeler combination and things were so much easier.
Towed beautiful and no worry about random sway and levelling bars set up.
Weight was also very easy to manage as gear could also be stored on the Iveco double cab.
Just my personal account that I was happy with after having two vans prior.
Regards Steve.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you have achieved a lot, well done 👏
I was under the impression that the GVM of the towing vehicle included the weight of the passengers. If This is confirmed to be the case, many 4WD Utes and SUV's will only have a load capacity of 400kgs for camping equipment.
Many 4WD channels also discuss this point. I'm also thinking that the tow ball weight will be taken off the load capacity. The other point is that the towing vehicle GVM is calculated with a minimum of fuel in the tank. So do your homework or that insurance policy is not worth the paper its written upon.
Insurance companies do not need to act in good faith in court. They are the only ones that can get away with it. And only one can insure their own staff. That says something.
Some more details would have been educational. Tow vehicles typically fail due to rear axle loads hence why a WDH helps transfer weight to front axle. The caravan manufacturers have alot to answer for as the Tare weights are incorrect. We are currently upgrading the caravan suspension so we can increase the ATM. ATM our payload is only 140kgs on an empty 20ft van.. so many vans leave the showroom unfit for purpose. Good warning to everyone to have their vans weighed and take responsibility.
Hi mate, here in America a caravan is a string of RV's all headed to the same destination....what you have there is a travel trailer! ...just thought I would jab at you a little bit Lol! ...have a great day!
Hey Henry,
Thanks for that info. Wow American and Australian language really is quite a bit different sometimes.
I'll be there in America in a few weeks, I'll look out for you 🫡
I appreciate you're content and weights with insurance etc. How ever it would be nice to hear about the legality of tyres being out date. Maybe you could cover that as well.
Cheers.
Good topic Mark, thanks 👌
THANKS PAUL. JUST STARTING MY VAN EXPERIENCE. UPGRADE GOING ON , BEFORE I PICK UP VAN.❤IT
The best feature on my car is the lack of tow ball.
Very useful and important information as always Paul, thank you,especially in regard to agreed value v market value.As always travel safe.👍
My pleasure!
The joys of being in an area that has enough people for someone to be able to open a mobile weigh station, we are on the far south coast of NSW and any direction you head there are quite fastidious police about weight, so far we have been legal. Keep on trucking mate.
Hi John,
I didn't get in to the politics of it, but, I believe the government should give all registered caravan owners one or two vouchers to have their caravans and tow vehicles weighed.
It would be so much more positive by providing this service than using the threat of, "we will catch you" 😉
We are with RAA in South Australia. Have an agreed value on our 2021 Kakadu Wanderer 19.6. Cost a bit more but happy with policy.
My parents bought caravans and thr tag on the trailer is so out even before loading anything like a bed or fridge my dad has had to getnew weight tags made manufacturers have something to do to make sure their vans are correct weight before they even sell them because by the time you add batteries solor panels water in the tank port a loo clothig food and any extras you could end up 800kg over loaded
Great watch Paul thanks,i weighed my set up and came in under on ATM by 100kg and under GCM by 399kg.😊 Checked insurance and with Rac wa it is agreed value
Thanks Robert, it would be great to set up a database of these offers by different insurance companies 😎
Great info, thanks Paul 👍
Cheers 🍺
Weight distribution bars and other modifiers are renowned for creating stress on the a-frames of Caravans/Trailers.
Wow! I didn't know that
Good video Paul, I'm sure many people are over weight when towing their vans.
Cheers Allan
Katrina here, I was told by Jayco insurance if you live in it .
You'd have to let them know where and when you are to change insurance to suit.
I don't know how people live in them and are covered . Yes you can have an address but truly people living in them a yr extra Jayco , NM caravan insurance have no insurance.
Be interested for later on I might need to 😅
Hi Katrina,
Thanks for your comment. Then there is the question, how long to reside in the caravan defines living in it. It appears as though many of the insurance companies are keen to accept your payments until there is a need to pay out 🤔
Would highly recommend RAA for caravan insurance. As long as the van and tow vehicle is road worthy within all the weight measurements and haven't broken any law in regards to the Road Traffic Act you are covered . Also they cover you if travelling on the Spirit of Tasmania for any damage when crossing Bass Strait, not sure on any other Insurance companies on this but have confirmed the RAA does.
Thanks Brenton,
Handy to know and glad you shared your information with us. 😃
My previous insurer allowed you to layup up to 6 months of your 12 month policy which reduced the premium substantially, the van was still insured for the full 12 months but only for 6 months onroad insurance. The months could be changed throughout the policy year. Unfortunately in the last month the insurer contacted me informing that when my policy expired they would no longer insure caravans.
That would have been great info to share with everyone. But, glad you got some value when you did 👌
Were you over your GVM with the van hooked up and both van and car loaded? You didn’t give us the figures in your video
My van is a bit overweight, so I will be shedding some gear, oh well
Hi Paul. Thanks for another great video. Not sure if a weight distribution hitch would help. In my opinion they add weight as they are quite sturdy. Might be better moving somethings to the Ute if you have the leeway. Cheers, Pete
Good point Pete
there is only one worthwhile caravan insurer and 4wd insurer in this country and thats club 4x4, true cover without the headaches and they have agreed value,
So you stated you were over weight but the guy said both your vehicle and van were under their legal limit. Exactly how did you end up over as this wasn’t covered in the video?
Thanks mate.
Hi Darren, in the final calculations, my van is overweight. I can fix it by rearranging a few items and discarding a couple of items I don't use. Thanks for your comment 👌
Check that insurance companies history in ww2
Interesting, i believe there should be course offered whether it's by road authority or by proven authority like Andy, Q By having log book with details, post inspection with load weight details, maintenance records would this help inspection by road authorities process inspection quickly?
Good comment
The combined weight of vehicle, caravan, and pay-load (all the sht you put in the car and van), I would say that easily half of all caravans on Australian roads are well over their legal GVM. Most peanuts driving caravans don’t even know what GVM means. When insurance companies do have the time/resources to investigate a large number of claims are not paid due to over-loading.
Just because it fits in the back does not mean you are legally loaded.
Vehicle gvm is also very important. Insurance will not cover the vehicle if you exceed the factory towing capacity. 2.5 towing capacity includes tow ball weight plus GVM of the caravan being towed . A Jayco 21ft caravan has a tare weight of 2500kg. Tow ball weight 250kg. GVM weight of 3200kg. Therefore this caravan can only be towed with a vehicle with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonne. Keeping to this guidelines both caravan and vehicle is fully insured. Insurance companies will only insure to factory specifications. So modified vehicles will not be covered unless you have an engineering report. I learned the hard way 😢
Interesting
If your gross caravan weight max is say 2000kg and your tow bar has a ball load of 200kg can you be 2200kg max ? John
I shall consult the "weigh man" 😉
yes well if you are like so many others without years of driving experience then yes you need very expensive insurance
Makes the motel look good don’t have to drag it clean it and won’t tip you arse over head
No but I am
Paul if you are not going to show how the end results were WHATS THE USE pretty poor sorry but that how I feel
Wow Robert, I'm sure sorry I upset you.
Since you would like the overweight results. The caravan was over by 100 kgs and the tow vehicle was 65 kgs under.
I hope this helps, cheers, Paul
Just go to a weighbridge a lot cheaper