With a growing awareness of the importance of correct caravan weight and weight distribution, there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of grey nomads and other travellers seeking out opportunities to get their rigs checked out.
While there are private companies which will weigh and assess a towing set-up, and some public weighbridges which can be used, there are also regular free weigh days offered by local authorities.
Leeton in New South Wales, for example, will be offering free road safety and caravanning advice at a series of caravan weighing days held on September 6-7.
Leeton Shire Council and Transport for NSW will co-host the caravan weighing days with the support of ‘Your Weigh Mobile Vehicle Weighing’ to educate caravanners about correctly calculating their caravan’s weight, how to load their caravan for even weight distribution, safe driving tips while towing, and ways to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash.
Caravan weighing days can help make travelling safer. PIC:: Leeton Shire Council
Leeton Shire Council’s Manager Roads & Drainage, Chris Lashbrook, said that as caravanning has grown in popularity, so did the need to ensure caravans were being operated safely.
“Simple things like adding a toolbox to the back of the van, popping a kayak on the roof or travelling with full water tanks can cause the caravan, tow vehicle or combination to become overweight or non-compliant and may increase the risk of a crash,” Mr Lashbrook said. “An incorrectly loaded caravan can lead to snaking, swaying or loss of control of your caravan and vehicle.”
He said owners of registered caravans would be welcome to come forward in Leeton to learn some vital tips that could save lives.
“Driving while towing a caravan is a different experience to normal driving and requires a higher level of knowledge and skill, a need for greater stopping distances, and consideration of environmental factors such as high winds, wet roads and uneven surfaces,” Mr Lashbrook said. “As part of our free weighing days, owners can calculate the actual aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of their caravan, actual gross trailer mass (GTM), actual gross vehicle mass (GVM), actual ball weight and actual gross combination mass (GCM) of their caravan and vehicle.
Bookings are essential and can be conducted online through Calendly.
More information on safe caravanning can be found on the Transport for NSW website.
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We should all be aware of driving with a tow vehicle requires a higher level of knowledge and skill and a need for greater stopping distances.
We owned a horse truck for a number of years and have done several trips with a tow vehicle on tow where safety has always been a concern but educating also needs to be educated to all drivers. How many times driving you try to keep a safe distance from other vehicles but it happens on numerous times where an idiot will cut in between you and the traffic in front of you?