The Queensland Government is to introduce tough new laws that will mean that any Queensland driver wanting to buy a caravan will probably need to buy a new tow vehicle as well.
Under the proposed new codes, to come into effect in two weeks, the towing capacity of 4WD vehicles will not be able to be upgraded after purchase. The upgrades affected include improved suspension and shock absorbers which often provide a more stable, safer ride and quicker stopping, while increasing towing capacity.
The Courier-Mail reports that Queenslanders who need an increased carrying or towing capacity will instead soon be forced to buy large, powerful, expensive and fuel-inefficient imported utes and trucks.
The weight of accessories such as water tanks, extended fuel tanks, bull bars and winches force many vehicles over their legal weight limit, which also makes upgrades necessary.
The Courier-Mail says that vehicles operated in excess of their legal carrying capacity will be declared unsafe and are not covered by insurance.
The ban will mean that many caravaners will be lucky to fit two people and a full load of fuel into their vehicles before they are over the legal towing limit.
The vehicles most affected include the most popular 4WDs on the market, including the Toyota LandCruiser, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Patrol, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D Max.
The new laws will affect up to a million 4WD drivers and 200,000 grey nomads.
Australian Caravan Club treasurer Graeme Tree yesterday said the ban meant any Queensland driver wanting to buy a caravan would probably need to buy a new vehicle as well.
“If this was about safety, it would apply to all vehicles on the road,” Mr Tree told the Courier-Mail. “But these are modifications that are fitted to Queensland police, emergency services, fire and parks vehicles to increase safety in towing … they are already on thousands of private vehicles in Queensland and are perfectly legal in other states.”
Mr Tree said the proposed changes to Vehicle Codes LS11 and LS15 would decrease safety on Queensland roads and unwittingly put drivers of 4WDs in breach of their insurance.
“Modifications to most 4WD vehicles are essential for legal towing, so from September 4, most Queenslanders buying a caravan will also need to buy a new vehicle,” he said. “It is inconceivable that Queensland would stop people improving the safety of their towing vehicle when the modifications are allowed under federal laws and before registration in Queensland.”
Grey nomads Ray and Lynne Friis said their Bog Lap plans have been thrown into disarray by new State Government laws.
“It almost feels as if this government is targeting grey nomads,” said Mrs Friis. “It’s definitely about revenue raising.”
Mrs Friis said the new law was ‘silly’ and meant that if they wanted to buy a bigger caravan they couldn’t.
“We have worked hard all our lives to enjoy our retirement and travelling with the caravan is a big part of that,” she said. “Now we are hit with these extra charges to make sure we can tow, it makes no sense whatsoever.”
Well now I am confused. This article talks about 4WD’s and I have a AWD Territory towing a 17ft Poptop. So does this affect me?
I don`t believe it will not effect us, technical speaking, we are within the range limits of a pop top, being 1450 kg half the weight of other vans with a Triton towing capacity of 3.1 ton.
Yes this will affect us. We have just purchased a new Dmax with a towing cap of 3500 for our large cvan. Now where are we? Do we just travel through the other states. Not everyone can afford to go and purchase a new vehicle.
Hi i have a 100 series landcruiser with turbo and up until 12 months ago i had been towing a big 3 tonn 24 ft Regal with no trouble what so ever pulled it like a dream. I have since sold it and now pulling a 1500cwt Swift and dont know when i have got it on.
Obviously people are reading what the want to see. This new law willonly apply to NEW registrations
I very much doubt it will effecy you unless you have done after market modifications to the Territory. You can legally tow 2300 kgs with rear wheel drive and 2700 kgs AWD .
If you already have a lovells upgrade will it be legal when the new law comes in?
Yes it’s fine
Had the same done to my ranger
When my lease runs out im moving to vic or sa. The cost of owning a vehicle in qld is just ridiculous. Rego is off the chart and the cost of fuel is just a rip off. This state doesnt want anyone to travel and enjoy this country. The people that have 4×4 for towing most likely have already up graded their suspension to tow a larger van. The qld government it dictating to us again . Like when the goverment at the time said there would be no more increases in rego fees. Huh. So they put up the price of a drivers license. Na , had enough of this state its just a rip off state. The price of a warm coat and some jeans and head south will be alot cheaper.
Come and live in Victor Harbor (SA) You’ll love it.
Don’t move to S.A registration for a utility is nearly a Thousand Dollers in the country Victoria is way cheaper for Registration and lots more 4×4 tracks
Victoria is the best for your rego
Yep I’m with you they’re a bunch of thieves, WA pays less than half the rego and has half the population for a revenue base, their roads twice the length Qld roads and 10 times better. The Qld government needs to get their snouts out of the trough. There is something very smelly around the Qld government
So it costs nearly $2000 to register a landcruiser in Qld Steve ?
Not good, thank god our van is good enough for us and our vehicle is NSW rego, one solution is get Victorian region, much easier.
This is not bad news this is for the safety of the driver and other uses on the road when we went to buy our car 5 years ago the law didn’t come out with this law yet but we as responsible caravan owners one day we wanted to be able to tow a caravan, so we chose a car that could tow up to 3 tonnes. Because if it can’t we would be putting ourselves and others at risk and if we had a car crash with our caravan and killed someone it would be our fault because the car would not been able to tow the right waight.
You do realize that your towing capacity can be reduced as you load more into your towing vehicle?
A ford ranger is rated to tow 3.5 t yet if you loaded it to its full gvm of 3.2 t it reduces to only being able to tow 2.8t. Your fuel , driver, passengers, luggage, bullbar (safety item) and other accessories all count to your vehicles gvm. This is the reason that we need to be able to do gvm/gcm upgrades.
Gvm means Gross vechile mass which the ranger would be 3.2tn gross combination mass is Gcm which is Ranger and Caravan combind which is probably around 6.2 tn take the ball weight 300 kgs on the Ranger leaves you with 2.9tn Ranger Wet weight with 2 pax and accessories is around 2.5tn leaves you 400 kgs to load in the back.
Your towing vechile is limited by the axle load allowed so if you have bull bar etc and towball weight as well you could find your exceeding the weight allowed on the front and rear axle. As per manufacturers designed if the axle limit is exceeded and there is mishap ie (Axle bearing failure causing an accident )you might find your in big trouble. Axle limits should be in the handbook
Ford Ranger kitted out by dealer, you know the buy it through your dealer campaign, front axle well over and totally non compliant and registered. Try explaining this one to my insurance company
Well said Mark. Maybe the QLD government actually wants people to buy larger tow vehicles (4% stamp duty) to comply with GVM’s instead of actually being safe. Another BS law will be passed in QLD without a house of review. My 100 series Landcruiser has been certified in 3 different states. 3 different engineers have signed it off to say its safe to drive. There has to be harmonisation of vehicle requirements because even if you have a vehicle registered in another state you insurance covers you in QLD. The roads are built to the same standard!!
I am travelling Aus. As I am based in vic. Will this affect me if I travel into q,land ???
I live in WA but I had my vehicle converted to six wheel configuration and upgraded to 4495kg GVM. The towing capacity was also increased. This modification was carried out in Qld by Six Wheel Conversions in Toowoomba and approved by the WA transport department. I feel far safer and have greater peace of mind now that my vehicle has the extra capability both in carrying and towing capacity as well as braking with the extra set of (braked) wheels. Cannot believe the Qld government is so short sighted and revenue focused.
Who benefits from this change? Are car companies getting in the ear of the Qld govt? Insurance companies? Donations to political parties involved? Makes you wonder.
Will this apply to caravaners traveling to Queensland from other states?
Glad to hear it is all about safety, I believe this is the most important thing, not only could your life be a risk, but other motorists are in danger as well . If your car isn’t capable of safety touring a caravan you will have no control if you have to swerve or stop suddenly, it’s all about the safety limits of your car not money.
I tore a pop top and see many overweight caravan combination s and wonder how people get away with it.
The answer is simple, either your car can tie your van legally or it can’t. Ben sales people don’t seem to care what they sell, but the recent spate of van accidents in Qld had led to these new regulations. Note all we need is driver training for towing.
If the qld govt do this how will it affect the already hundreds of vans in qld. The thought of having to buy a dodge ram or equivilent is out of reach for most people. Most have large 4×4’s anyway and most vans are a decent size so to make people get larger more heavier cars seems to be a rip off. Drivers need to be aware of what they are towing. Common sense and they should be entitled to keep what they got. Sure some vans are involved in accidents but anyone young or old can be in this situation. GET REAL GOVT.
If it makes our roads safer then I am all for it. There should be a minimum power to weight ratio also to ensure caravans are not travelling at 60 km going up hills on our highways with 100 zone. The size and weight of caravans has become ridiculous then all the gear in the tow vehicle plus the van cannot be safe without much bigger tow vehicles.
All this means is some people will have to buy a bit smaller caravan and stop overloading the car with steel bull bars, big tool boxes, extra batteries , boat on the roof etc. My 2004 24 foot van goes 2650kg fully loaded, so maybe new vans are just too heavy.
I think everyone is inventing scenarios here.
This is all to do with increases to vehicle gvm. It was legal to modify a vehicle as in one of the answers above, with 6 wheels instead of 4 etc before its first registration. This will now be banned!
So, if your vehicle comes from the factory and has a towing capacity of 3000kgs, ball weight of 300kgs, tare weight of 2200kgs and gvm of 2750kgs, then that is what you have and cannot modify by suspension mods etc. Too many people think that they can do these mods and their vehicle will now do the job! The result is Nissan Navaras snapping their rear end or other disasters that could cost lives.
The transport people will still pull you over and weigh your vehicle and van. If it is overloaded you will be made to reduce the load on the spot.
You will not be put off the road because you have put bilstein shocks or king springs in your vehicle! Common sense here required.
WRONG. It’s all about GCM, a GVM upgrade does not increase the GCM. Before all the experts sprout their opinion that it does, find and quote the actual government regulation that details that it does.
Another good reason to avoid Queensland.
What about interstate vehicles travelling through Qld? Would there be any ramifications for them?
This is financial black mail The reason this is occuring is the fault of the caravan manufacturers NOT rating GWM and TARE weights of the vans they are selling they are grossly under estimated .Not being able to modify a vehicle so it can be made safe to tow smacks of stupidity and no common sense ,..,.glad l dont live there anymore ….good luck Qld you are going to need it !!!
I think you will find that this is bogus reporting by the paper. Qld Transport Minister has come out and said there is no intent to change the laws. As POTUS would say, “It’s all fake news…”
The laws appear to target upgrading towing capacity, but there will still be people adding accesories affecting standard towing capacity of a vehicle. The issue is also caravans being manufactured too heavy. Very old school tech now outdated. Most vans over 2.5 Tonnes Tare pose a problem for 3.5 T capacity vehicles. In any event no-one should tow up to maximum. Very Dangerous!
Absolutely
Settle petals. Please read the most recent DTMR press release. They’re targetting after-market mods that already require a modification plate or don’t meet existing laws n regulations. Hysteria just makes us all look like rabid reactionaries.
I think you should all take a deep breath…AND
take notice what Vulcan said…then rest and not stress about much to do about nothing…If you look back our lives tend to be swayed by media and false reports too much. Have a nice enjoyable trip..dont read newspapers or watch media…and enjoy life. Cheers.
“…….fuel inefficient imported utes and trucks”. How do you know this? We have an imported ute, which incidentally, tows very safely and very easily, has all the extras as standard that others have to add to their vehicles, especially exhaust brakes which we have found to be invaluable and allows the driver to concentrate on the job of towing. As far as fuel efficiency is concerned, our fuel usage is as efficient if not more than the Japanese imports. The vehicles also come with emissions control as standard, with tyre motoring as standard, tow haul as standard and a very impressive computer system. The vehicle can be easily serviced around the country. Just returned from a trip and the RTA was not interested in pulling us over for safety checks and we saw plenty happening. All round, the best towing vehicle we have ever had the pleasure of owning.
When they say “fuel inefficient” they mean “burn more fuel” – gladly ignoring the part where efficiency is about how much fuel is burnt per unit work done and those giant vehicles burn lots of fuel because they do more work, like, say, towing heavier caravans. Yeah, a Ford F350 is a terrible city commuter but the reason it’s terrible for that role is because it’s got an overpowered engine and ultra heavy duty build, the same things that make it good at towing oversized caravans.
As mentioned above we need to be sensible. With that in mind I feel it necessary to make comment . People fit upgrades to these vehicles to increase safety a bull bar is unfortunately on these large 4*4 s a necessity. Ever hit a large kangaroo at 80 ks per hour with an 18 foot caravan behind in a standard ranger or land cruiser? Without said bull bar to take the initial impact the damage to a vehicle and occupants is greater. Same with an updated suspension setup . This reduces your stopping distance by allowing braking to work better as the vehicle sits with a better attitude. With suspension updating the vehicle sits level when towing whereas standard suspension tends to let the rear sag down making the vehicle point nose high. In emergency braking the front then porpoises downwards which as everyone knows is positively dangerous. We live in a country with approximately 80 % of the land area of mainland America but with only 12% of the population so long range tanks are again a necessity to get into and out of those places most want to visit. As refueling points are further apart you need to carry extra fuel. My understanding is people know how to load their vehicles to even out weight distribution and take only the most necessary items , basic necessities being safety equipment clothing food water and a minimum of spare tyres and parts . Load this into a vehicle straight off the showroom floor just doesn’t work safely. These vehicles and occupants benefit immensely from upgraded suspension and bull bar additions as a minimum. As for cost the base model Ram is $80 grand yes it sits under the cost of a land cruiser but doesn’t have even close to the technical kit of the Toyota. The simple truth is all today’s 4*4s are safer when these upgrades have been installed for travelling our wide brown land. Saying otherwise is folly.
Media beat up. Nothing to see here. Will only affect those buying a new modified vehicle to tow something that was probably too heavy in the first place. Nothing has really changed too much at all.
From what I’m hearing , Road Safety is what this is all about . All vehicles should stipulate CGVM .
If your vehicle and van come under this total ( FULLY LOADED), then that’s a good start . The other important thing to consider is downward weight on your tow bar ( eg..250-300kg ) .
If this downward weight still appears to render the rear of your vehicle saggy ? Then you will have to consider a spring and shock (or even )overider spring, airbag upgrade . The front end may need the same MOD especially if Bullbar and winch are added . These mods are not terribly expensive ( maybe up to $6g , front and back fitted ) .
There is however another issue which may surface in regard to which upgrade suspension kits will be allowed by the new laws to comply with proper engineering specifications ..
So cost of modifications may be subject to and limited to specific , reputable brands and then need to be inspected by authorised engineers .
This would start making the cost of upgrades questionable .
At the end of the day it’s all about being aware of the safety considerations when towing a big, cumbersome caravan and having a vehicle capable of towing such a load ,SAFELY .
Don’t panic , just do the math and except the challenge as part of your adventure .
TOO many people suffer on our roads as it is !
I started towing caravans in 71 (1971) back then the common sense thing was tow vehicle 30% heavier than what you towed and common sense is still with me I tow a 16 caravan with a 9 ton truck which makes it very safe we tow at least ever other week end leaving on friday morning back for tuesday linchtime doing anything upto 1000 k’s some weekends and the amount of wrecked caravans along the way is incredible Finally somebody with a bit of common Sense comes along with a suggestion that can save a few more lives and it’s a problem.if you have worked hard all yuor life why end it so carelessly if you are going down the road with 2 1/2 ton pushing you along and you need to dtop in a hurry your obviosly DREAMING if you think a nearly 2 ton vehicle is working fir you Ted sloan
With what I have seen, some grey heads should be driving a Mack truck with what they have loaded on there 4WD
Long time coming this
And more to come
In the U.S any towbar GCM rig over Approx 4500kg (11,000 lbs) is considered commercial and you need a special license for that
The Horse people have known for 40 years plus that any GCM over approx 5000 kg using a 4WD your best to go gooseneck of fifth wheeler unless it’s lightly loaded or short trips.
It’s all about physics, control, experience, safety aids, correct loading and risk management with a well maintained and inspected rig
Those that are high risk will be have to expect massive insurance costs
into the future.
They may also apply more stringent health checks for commercial rigs or rigs over 5000kg GCM
I also predict Insurance costs will rise as the accident rates of these larger car and caravan
The Law will be Void by the Constitution of Australia If its legal in one state its legal in all states this is a Federal mater the Queensland Government should learn there place. Hopefully the Insurance companies will step in AGAIN and stop this being past.
Hi im Craig from Mackay in Queensland I have a 2001 mk triton dual cab with 3 litre v6 5 speed manual and a 2008 coromal 615 lifestyle 20.6 foot caravan, I have to appropriate Hayman Reese which I bought when I purchased the van and an electric braking system installed in the vehicle, I was told these extra accessories would make it legal to tow that size van, for the last two years the van has been unregistered because of no opportunity to use it but I plan to re-register it towards the end of the year but will my particular make and model of vehicle still be legal to tow it, any advice on this matter would be appreciated
It is typical of this government to F**# things up once again. It is revenue raising as everyone will be paying luxury vehicle tax. Dodge Rams and F250s aren’t cheap. It is also about getting vehicles off the road as they feel there is too many. The truth is it should be about a caravan license. A friend of ours owned the Norwesta caravan park in Carnarvon and I lost count of the amount of times Peter sent people to me to reverse their caravan into position. While most people out there, getting a license would be a walk in the park but to others they need to learn how to load a van properly,set it up to the vehicle and reverse. I drove interstate for 35 years and have seen a lot. Also driving road trains in WA. Most 4x4s are no differant from towing a 35 tonne trailer with a prime mover. Just my opinion. I am doing a 38′ bus to become a nomad (grey that is)
Get yourself a Chevy Silverado du ally then you will be classed as a commercial vehicle and pay $1900 per year even if all you pull is a 5 th wheeler oh and another $650 for the 5th wheeler No classification for vehicles pulling 5th RVs the powers that be think you are running up and down the highway all the time and want to rip the last $ they can out of you.
Labour State Government brought this modification in. Don’t vote for them in the next election. While we don’t own a van we do live in a rural area so we have installed a long range fuel tank, a bullbar with the option to have a winch if we decide to put one on and a canopy for the ute. We enjoy doing outback travelling as well as touring around the coast and often camp in a tent and in a double swag. These large imported utes may be more fuel efficient and are able to tow easier but they are very expensive to buy maintain and parking in shopping centres and other parking areas would be difficult to find the space as parking spots have become smaller as we have found with our ute.
If the Queensland Government is so stupid as to pass this, then all Grey nomads should bypass Queensland as a holiday destination. That will cost them a lot more. Greedy QLD government.