It should go without saying that every single item in and on an RV adds weight and takes away from available payload. However, it can be easy to overlook the little bits and pieces that slowly accumulate. And since it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, it’s as important to account for knick-knacks and curios as fridges and batteries.
One of the first things to remember is that the tare weight of your RV is not necessarily what it will weigh as you drive it home from the dealer. The tare weight is a figure that relates to a caravan or motorhome as it leaves the factory, dry and without any extras. From there, any additional dealer fitted extras will subtract from your available payload, meaning the payload of your fully optioned rolling palace may not be the same as the figure given in the catalogue.
Such items to consider might include awnings, spare wheels, air conditioners, storage boxes and any number of other accoutrements, some of which may not be immediately obvious.
Always check with the dealer what has been fitted that may not have been accounted for in the original tare weight figure. Better yet, head to a weighbridge and see for yourself.
Only once you’ve weighed your own RV will you know your exact payload. This new figure that you’ve acquired from the weighbridge is subtracted from the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) or Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) to give payload.
From here, everything adds to the overall weight and subtracts from the remaining available payload: water, bedding, food, bottles of wine picked up along the way, souvenir tea towels — everything.
Not to worry, this isn’t as daunting as it sounds. There are plenty of public weighbridges in and around Australia’s population centres, as well as mobile weigh stations that can come to you, so all it takes is to double check your payload figure, as mentioned above, and then see where you’re at when the rig is fully loaded. Beyond that, just be mindful of what you pick up along the way. It doesn’t take a genius to know that if you’re 30kg under GVM then buying an antique anvil from a regional flea market is probably not the smartest idea, but a tea cosy from the craft market is perfectly fine.
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