RV FEATURE
This camp oven weighed 8.8kg.
TOW VEHICLE RATINGS GVM BREAKDOWN
My Isuzu MU-X has the following ratings: When loaded up for our Christmas holiday, I
was surprised to discover my MU-X was
closer to its GVM than I thought:
Kerb/unladen mass 2075kg
Gross Vehicle Mass 2750kg
Gross Combined Mass 5750kg
The difference between Kerb and Gross
Vehicle Mass is the vehicle’s payload
capacity. In this case, I had 675kg to account
for passengers, luggage, aftermarket
accessories, and – crucially – the ball weight
of the caravan.
An important note: while it’s essential to
factor in the ball weight when checking
whether the tow vehicle remains within GVM,
do not count it twice when checking that
vehicle and van are within GCM.
Portable toilet (with water inside)
13.2kg
Camp oven 8.8kg
Basic roll of tools 1.6kg
Kids’ bikes
Camera equipment
Laptop case and equipment
Passengers
Roof rack
Solar panel
Small portable fridge
100Ah auxiliary battery
Ball weight
39.2kg
8kg
3.1kg
277kg
20kg (approx)
5kg (approx)
6kg
13.5kg
200kg
TOTAL: 595kg
With 595kg on board, the vehicle theoretically
weighed 2670kg – 80kg (or roughly another
adult passenger) shy of GVM. That’s cutting it
pretty fine and shows how easy it would be to
inadvertently overload the tow vehicle.
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