Notes

What’s weighing you down?

What’s weighing you down?
It doesn’t matter in case you are towing or not…weighing matters. It could be very easy to go overweight as everything we put in our car, van or trailer weighs one thing. Going over can affect vehicle dynamics.

Increasing weight on a car or caravan can affect the means in which they handle, add elevated pace and slight inputs from the driver and this could be catastrophic…we have all seen movies of people trying to right trailer sway only to end up being concerned in an accident.

Braking distance is another one that may get us into hassle. We should improve the next distance when towing, even more within the wet, but if overloaded, the automobile and trailer can behave very differently under heavy braking. Steering effectiveness can be diminished by overweight or poor weight distribution causing the automobile to wander and not go where it's pointed.

Vehicle suspension loses its capacity to do its job…too heavy and sagging greatly reduces suspension travel making the journey uncomfortable and increases wear and tear on suspension elements. I have additionally seen self-levelling airbag suspension disguise weight issues on the rear axle of the car. Wheel alignment can also suffer from being overweight sporting tyres prematurely.

Legal compliance…all automobiles, caravans and trailers have compliance plates stating most weights. Failure to adjust to these most weights means the automotive, caravan or trailer is deemed unroadworthy. This can affect your insurance in case you are concerned in an accident or if pulled over by the NSW police can lead to a $439 fine and three demerit factors.

It’s much easier to exceed your most weights than you may think…the TOYOTA LANDCRUISER is a good and very popular tow automobile but in addition very simple to overload…let’s take a glance at a number of numbers: Kerb weight (all fluids and gas however no folks or gear – supply www.toyota.com.au) 2740kg – Landcruiser VX, let’s add 150kg for 2 individuals, add 80kg for a steel bulbar and lights, add one other 80kg for gear and if towing a 3500kg caravan add 350kg tow ball weight = 3400kg. TOYOTA LANDCRUISER has a most weight (GVM) of 3350kg….50kg OVERWEIGHT. So even with a Landcruiser, it is very easy to go obese.

The dimension of the caravan doesn’t matter either, it’s simply as easy to overload an 18ft van as it is to overload a 25ft van…they all have most weights (ATM). Some have massive payloads however some have very small payloads. ATM – Tare = Payload. You could be towing a horse float with one or two horses, or a automotive trailer with a 4WD onboard or it might be a commerce trailer full of gear.

You might not tow a trailer but could have a 4WD with cover or toolboxes for work or play. It makes no difference as all of them have maximum weights that must not be exceeded … should you do you are unroadworthy.

So how do you know if you are compliant? You set your car or mixture up such as you would for travel, work or play and get it weighed by us.

We weigh using the most recent wireless weigh pads and indicators…we additionally provide a 3-page report that compares actual weights to those on your compliance plates so you possibly can see how a lot obtainable payload you have remaining or when you have exceeded maximum weights. The report additionally explains all the completely different acronyms used with automobile and trailer weights.




We weigh in Sydney, Lower Blue Mountains and Central Coast and require a flat, hard level surface to get the most accurate results.


Safe travels,

Craig


Read More: https://weighpro.com.au/2021/10/01/whats-weighing-you-down/