31/05/2026
This is why we do what we do!
We received a request for a weigh check a few weeks ago from clients who were concerned about their tow ball weight. They had packed up their lives on the central coast and were on their way around Australia for up to a couple of years.
With a large box on the drawbar and a four-bike rack mounted above it, it was not a surprise to us to see that the tow ball weighed in at 434kg. This is 84kg over the van and tow vehicle's compliance plate. The van's ATM was also found to be 231kg overweight.
In addition to this, the tow vehicle's rear axle was 72kg over its compliance plate rating.
The look of despair on their faces said it all. "What are we going to do? The caravan salesman said we would be right!!"
"How can we fix this?"
This family was on their way to their next destination and needed it to be fixed... We said, "We can fix it if you have the time". They didn't seem convinced but loved our optimism, so we went to work!
Our first goal was to get the ATM and ball weight of the van within the manufacturer's specifications. We started draining the water from the tanks. The bikes came off the bike rack to give us access to the storage box on the drawbar and everything was removed from the box, tunnel boot and rear storage compartments.
Now that everything was out of the van, and with the van still on the scales, the re-packing of the van began. As the bikes were a necessity, they went back on first, then we packed the van with everything that we could up to the maximum ATM. Not ideal but this was their lives in the van. We achieved a tow ball weight reduction of 113kg. Now the caravan was compliant!
With a pile of their belongings still on the ground, the packing of the car began. With some very strategic placement, they were able to get everything leftover into the back of their ute, except for a bag of firewood and an ice making machine (they literally had no-where to put them). The ute has had a good suspension upgrade and was up to the extra load, staying within its compliance limits.
Now time for the reweigh. The customers were ecstatic to find that everything on the setup was within the van and cars manufacturer's specifications, legal and now well balanced.
They also have the knowledge of how weight distribution can affect a setup's stability and safety. A poorly balanced load can be just as bad, if not worse than an overloaded setup.
How would you weigh in?
