Increasing the ATM on my Windsor Caravan

Thank you Bantam. You are so right.
I have just sent an email to the engineering firm to re-quote to raise the ATM to 2500 or 2600kg.
All the initials confused me plus the GM of the engineering firm gave wonderful service he called out to inspect the van on his way home from work and I just accepted his advice. Without working out the numbers.
The only numbers that I realy looked at were the dollar numbers.
Thank you again
Regards
PeterM (Qld)

There are some very good pages and booklets about the various load limits.
Possibly the easiest to access is in the back of the caravan parks guide.

But a quick run down.


GVM ( gross vehicle mass)of the trailer is that mass that presents at the wheels of the trailer
Ball weight is the mass of the trailer that presents it the ball.
ATM...agrigate trailer mass is the whole mass of the trailer....the GVM pluss the ball weight.

Tow vehicle GVM is that which presents at the wheels of the tow vehicle.
That is the total mass of the vehicle including its occupants, accessories' load AND the ball weight.

GCM, Gross combination mass, is the toal mass of the vehicle and the trailer it tows and everything in or on them.

Permitted axle loadings are the maximum load that can appear at each axle.

Curb weight...ahh well that is a beauty....that is the weight of the car as ir rolls off the production line with the sump and radiator full.....but with the fuel tank only partly full.

Payload is that which the vehicle can carry after alll fuel tanks have been filled, the weight of all permanently fix accessories and the like have been taken into account.

The irritating this is and a couple of other things are specified and legally regulated....BUT...they are not all to be easily found in the one place on a passenger car or in the manual....if they are there at all they will be strewn about the car and the manual.

In the heavy vehicle business, if you own, manage or drive a heavy vehicle, you are an absolute fool if you do not know these figures or have them available for immediate reference....and they are generally redily and prominently documented......many vehicles have them painted on the side or printed somewhere redilly viewable by the driver.
AND they are considered important in sales documents.

But unfortunatey our passenger cars all we seem to hear is towing capacity.....we have to trawl thru the manual to find them on different pages and different sections and GCM may not even be in the documentation the owner recieves.

Peter mate...time to do some homework and find out what all these figures mean and what they are in relation to your vehicles.

Most of the station waggon 4wds have very poor payloads in the range of 600KG some of them.
It is possible to find them overloaded with bullbar, rear bar additional spare wheels, roof rack, two average people and their bagan aboard.

Remember if you have a 300KG ball weight ( 10% of a 3 tonne trailer) and two 100kg people aboard....that don't leave much to spare...and that is no bullbar, winch roof rack or long range tank.


SO..off you go do your homework....then go down the nearest public weighbridge ( most tips and gravel yards) and see how she goes over the scale........don't forget to take your heart pills.

cheers

Kerb weight is normally taken with full FUEL tanks included

Tare weight is dry weight as you describe and normally with 10L of fuel.

Another thing to consider when upping the ATM of a van is.

A. Limit of brakes, they come in different ratings
B Springs The same
C. The rating of the chassis 2.5T or 3.0T, its stamped on it
D. Axles also have weight limits
E. Wheels and tyres all have weight limits.
F. Axle group rating.

Also Nissans are notorious for having reduced ballweights above towed weights of 2500KG.

All should be considered before paying out the money.

I had a Roadstar done and all it entailed was a check of each of the above.Mine was limited by the Chassis which was rated at 2500kg.

It only cost $475 for the certification plate.

I think you need to check your facts on kerb weight.

It may in fact vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and differ depending on the market the vehicle is sold in.

it pays to check what the kerb weight actually means for that manufacturer and that vehicle.

If the vehicle for instance has two fuel tanks totalling 160 litres and the kerb weight only accounts for one tank being half full....hmmm yeh that is an issue.

various definitions I have seen.
fuel tank full
fuel tank half full
30 litres of fuel
45 litres of fuel
Primary tank half full.

Its not a regulated term ands can not be relied upon to be standard world wide.

cheers

Not entirely sure about Nissans but 200 ser Toyos kerb weight is with full tanks Nissan weights are shown all over the place.

One shows 1907 tare others show 2345 so who would know.
Just make sure it doesnt exceed GVM with van attached

Perhaps “Kerb Mass” and “Tare Mass” being confused here.

Kerb mass is usually unladen with all resevoirs filled, including fuel; tare is unladen with all resevoirs filled, with exception of fuel which is 10 litres only.

G'day Slow One
The company name is: ADiT Engineering 4755 5222
I was given their name by an engineer at Rupertswood: Christian Avendt; 0400 699 656 or 4788 7412
I'm waiting for a new quote to raise the ATM to 2.5t which will keep it under the towing capacity of the Nissan and will be far more than we need.
I'm sure we travel at just on the current load capacity without water but I would like to be able to travel with water and both gas bottles filled and not pay any State Government any extra taxes
peterM (Qld)

Peter M,
Thanks for that and I will pass it on as he comes from up that way.

He has the same problem with being just overweight with a full load of water.