RvStoria

Tow check

A tow rating of 3,500 kg doesn't mean you can tow a 3,500 kg van. Your rig has to be under four limits at once, and the one people miss is usually GCM. Enter the van and your vehicle; the sign checks all four.

The van

Only vans with a published ATM are listed. Or type your own figures below.

Your tow vehicle

These are in the owner's manual, on the manufacturer's spec sheet, and some on the compliance plate. Use the lower figure if your towbar is rated below the vehicle.

How it works

The check compares your numbers with the four limits that apply when you tow. You need to be under all of them at the same time.

  1. Towing capacity. The van's loaded weight, including what sits on the towball, against the vehicle's braked towing capacity.
  2. Towball download. The ball weight against the vehicle's maximum towball download.
  3. GVM. Kerb weight + people, gear and accessories + ball weight, against the vehicle's GVM. The ball weight presses on the vehicle, so it counts here.
  4. GCM. Kerb weight + people, gear and accessories + the van's loaded weight, against GCM. The ball weight is already part of the van's weight, so it's counted once.

"Heaviest van" is the lower of the towing capacity and what GCM leaves after the vehicle. "Most you can carry" is the lower of what GVM and GCM leave once the van is hitched.

Brake rules are a summary from RACQ's guide to trailer brakes. The rules measure the van's gross trailer mass, which is a little under ATM, and some details vary by state. For the full picture, read Caravan weights explained.