Caravan Weights Explained: Tare, ATM, GTM, GVM and GCM with Real Numbers

#CaravanWeights #CaravanTowing #GoldstarRV Sidney from Goldstar RV breaks down caravan weights using a real van and his own Ford Ranger, not made up numbers on a whiteboard. Every term on the compliance plate, every figure on the tow vehicle, and how to work out whether your car can legally tow the caravan you own or the one you are looking at. Caravan side, from the compliance plate: Tare: the weight of the van as it leaves the factory. Gas bottles included, gas not. Water tanks included, water not. Add ons fitted later at the dealership may not be in this figure. GTM: the maximum weight allowed on the wheels. ATM: the maximum loaded weight of the whole van, wheels plus ball. This is the number that decides whether your car can tow it. Payload: ATM minus tare. What you can carry. Tow ball weight: aim for around 10% of the loaded weight. GTM minus ATM is not your ball weight, it is the minimum ball weight when the van is fully loaded. Tow vehicle side: Kerb weight: the car as it left the factory, 10 litres of fuel, nobody in it. GVM: the maximum the car can weigh fully loaded. Your caravan's ball weight counts against this. GCM: the maximum weight of car and caravan combined. GCM minus GVM is what you can actually tow with the car fully loaded. On this Ranger that is 2800kg, not the 3500kg towing capacity on the brochure. Also covered: why the number is a sliding scale depending on how loaded the car is, GVM and GCM upgrades if your numbers do not line up, and what can go wrong if you tow overweight (fines, insurance, engine wear, unsafe towing). Chapters 00:00 Intro: why caravan weights matter 00:34 The compliance plate: tare, GTM and ATM 00:52 Tare weight: what is and is not included 01:22 Add ons that eat into your tare 02:04 GTM: maximum weight on the wheels 02:37 ATM: maximum loaded weight 03:10 Payload: ATM minus tare 03:38 Tow ball weight and the 10% rule 04:37 GTM minus ATM is not your ball weight 05:12 The one number that matters: ATM 05:43 The tow vehicle: Ford Ranger 05:56 Kerb weight, GVM and GCM 06:14 Towing capacity vs what you can actually tow 06:40 Kerb weight explained 07:06 GVM and where to find it 07:55 Vehicle payload and why ball weight counts 08:35 GCM: gross combination mass 09:12 The calculation: GCM minus GVM 10:18 Why it is a sliding scale 11:00 GVM and GCM upgrades 11:25 Takeaway: 3.5t capacity is not a 3.5t caravan 11:49 What goes wrong if you tow overweight 12:15 Ask your sales consultant and wrap up Goldstar RV designs and builds its own caravans. Questions about weights on any Goldstar model go straight to the people who build them, so leave them in the comments. Goldstar RV is the manufacturer and the dealer. Factory direct, no middleman. South Australia (head office and factory): 137 Old South Rd, Old Reynella SA 5161. Phone 1300 849 146 Western Australia: Lot 9001 Corvette Road, Bullsbrook WA 6084. Phone 1300 367 049 Stock also available for viewing in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Email: leads@goldstarrv.com.au Web: https://goldstarrv.com.au Stock also available for viewing in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Email: leads@goldstarrv.com.au Web: https://goldstarrv.com.au