For Australian outdoor enthusiasts, understanding the basics of your caravan’s weight is crucial for a safe and enjoyable trip. Among the various weight terms you will encounter, tare weight is one of the most important. Whether you’re heading to the outback for an extended adventure or embarking on a weekend getaway to a local campsite, knowing the tare weight of your caravan helps ensure you remain within legal towing limits and stay safe on the road.
Tare weight refers to the unladen weight of the caravan—essentially the weight of the caravan as it rolls out of the factory, without any personal belongings, fluids, gas bottles, or additional accessories. This figure typically includes standard fittings that come with the caravan, such as the awning, kitchen equipment, and any other permanent fixtures. However, anything added by the owner post-purchase, like solar panels or extra storage, will increase the caravan's total weight but not affect the tare weight.
Understanding tare weight is essential because it serves as the foundation for calculating other important weight measurements like aggregate trailer mass (ATM) and gross trailer mass (GTM), which determine the legal towing capacity of your vehicle.
Knowing your caravan’s tare weight is critical for several reasons:
Safety on the Road: Overloading your caravan can make it harder to control, especially at higher speeds or during emergency manoeuvres. It also increases the risk of mechanical failures such as tyre blowouts, suspension issues, and braking problems. The tare weight provides a baseline to help you calculate how much additional weight you can safely load into your caravan.
Legal Compliance: Australian laws are strict when it comes to towing weights. Exceeding the allowed gross combination mass (GCM)—which includes the total weight of your car, caravan, and all loads—can result in fines, voided insurance, and potential legal liability in the event of an accident. The tare weight is the first figure you’ll need to stay compliant with towing regulations.
Optimising Load Capacity: By knowing the tare weight, you can calculate the remaining payload capacity of your caravan, which is essential for packing smartly and safely. This includes everything from food and camping gear to water tanks and fuel. For example, if your caravan’s ATM (maximum allowable weight) is 2,500 kilograms and the tare weight is 1,800 kilograms, you have 700 kilograms of additional load capacity available.
The tare weight is usually listed on a compliance plate attached to the caravan, often near the drawbar. This plate also contains other critical information such as the ATM, GTM, and maximum tow ball weight. If you can’t find the tare weight on the plate, the owner's manual should provide the necessary figures.
It's important to note that the tare weight doesn’t include water in your tanks, gas in your cylinders, or any other equipment added after the caravan leaves the factory. Therefore, always account for these extra loads when calculating your overall weight.
While tare weight is a fixed value determined by the manufacturer, modifications to the caravan can change its overall mass. For instance, if you install solar panels, a rooftop tent, or additional storage boxes, these additions will increase the actual weight of the caravan, although they won’t change the original tare weight listed on the compliance plate. Therefore, when making significant modifications, it’s important to consider how these affect your caravan’s total load capacity and towing requirements.
Stick to the Payload Limit: Always ensure that the total weight of your caravan, including all loads, doesn’t exceed the ATM or your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity.
Even Distribution: Distribute the weight evenly inside the caravan to maintain stability. Keeping heavier items low and toward the centre can prevent swaying.
Check the Tow Ball Weight: This refers to the downward force your caravan exerts on the tow hitch of your vehicle. Ideally, it should be around 10% of your caravan’s total weight to maintain balance while towing.
Weigh Your Caravan Before Every Trip: Many caravan parks, truck stops, and weighbridges offer weighing services, allowing you to measure your caravan’s current weight and make sure you're within legal and safety limits.
For Australian outdoor enthusiasts, understanding tare weight is a fundamental part of safe caravan travel. It helps ensure that you remain within legal limits, prevent overloading, and enjoy a safer and smoother towing experience. Knowing how to manage and calculate tare weight is key to avoiding common pitfalls like mechanical failures, instability on the road, and legal issues. So, before you embark on your next outdoor adventure, take a moment to familiarise yourself with your caravan’s weight limits and make the necessary preparations for a worry-free journey.
Australian Government. (n.d.). Vehicle Standards Bulletin 1: Building Small Trailers. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communications. https://www.infrastructure.gov.au.
Caravan Industry Association of Australia. (2021). Towing Weights and the Law: Caravan and Trailer Compliance. https://www.caravanindustry.com.au.
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