There is renewed focus on towing safety.
South Australia has joined New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania in allowing motorists to carry and tow more weight.
Reversing a 12-month ban, the South Australian Government has accepted a new testing regime that proved the safety and integrity of towing upgrades and Gross Combination Mass (GCM) revisions.
Western Australia is set to make a decision on the same testing regime later this year.
The State and Territory jurisdictions cover in-service vehicles – those that have left the showroom floor.
In line with the current Australian Design Rules, GCM revision and towing upgrades can be done on pre-registered vehicles. Only Queensland and the Northern Territory motorists are being ‘disadvantaged’ compared to their counterparts across the rest of Australia.
The General Manager of Lovells Automotive Systems, Mike Davison, said the new South Australian regulations required that the vehicle modification for the towing upgrades and GCM revision be undertaken by a second stage manufacturer and then inspected by a qualified automotive engineer.
He said Transport SA accepted that a rigorous regime of engineering tests, based on current Australian design Rules and international standards, delivered a safe product.
Mr Davison said the majority of Australian motorists could now have their vehicles legally upgraded and be confident that they were not breaking road rules or voiding their insurance by towing too much.
He said the usable payload and factory GCM of most 4X4 vehicles today was minimal, and that the addition of basic optional accessories and equipment, plus two or three adult occupants will bring the vehicle close to its legal maximum weight capacities.
“Add long range fuel tanks, bull bars, a winch, side steps, roof racks, recovery gear, a payload of camping equipment or tool boxes, or an industrial style custom body, and the vehicle may exceed its legal capacities, which include axles, GVM and GCM,” Mr Davison said. “That’s even before you add the caravan or trailer, where ball weights and towing capacities are easily exceeded.”
He said that without an increase in legal towing capacities, many people towing caravans or trailers have been unknowingly breaking the law and voiding their insurance.
newer vehicle are able to get these upgrades and yet there the ones that are bending there chassies because there made to light it.s ridiculous
Shock horror!
Fools! Are they going to upgrade the cabability of the driver to handle the extra load and forces on the vehicle.What ever happened to the ruling that
the item being towed was not to exceed the weight of the towing vehicle.Don’t the authorities ever read the stories here. Vans taking control of the vehicle in some accidents.These combinations are up there and over a heavy rigid licsence . More stories of out of control van and vehicle combination coming up.Then the blame will go to road conditions again i suppose. Go figure.?