Ok I understand what they all mean, but I can't for the life of me which one to use for my calculations.
The scenario is -
Boss lady, despite my greatest efforts to convince her of our absolute need of a Jayco expanda, put her size 7's down and we got another Hawk.
Now while I do love it, she popped her ever correct ever knowing head inside an expanda and went " oooooh this is nice"
Really honey, you think??? That's why you're the boss and I'm the humble manservant.
What would I know. Lucky you saw them and like them, cos I never would have thought of that..................
Rant over and moving back on track.....
We are toying with the upgrade, but since she also won the argument over getting the Toyota Playdo with its mediocre 2500kg towing capacity, we can't tow the expanda we want.
We have found a few that come in around the 2800 kg mark, but it got me thinking about the way the weight is calculated.
The payload which is added to the tare weight is an "allowance" so technically if you only put in 10 litres of water and a sports bag then your GTM is lower than the actual rating.
Now I realise to be legal you must comply with the GVM.
My quandry however is does the vehicles tow capacity go on the GVM or the ATM
The GVM does not include the tow ball weight, which can easily be around 260kg when empty and almost 300kg when loaded
The ATM includes the tow ball weight which can be up to 300 kg heavier.
Which is the correct weight for the towing capacity?
My assumption is that the towball weight is part of the cars payload as that is where the weight is distributed downwards, thus leaving the actual towed weight being the lighter of the 2.
I have also seen that there is a company in Newcastle that does GVM upgrades of 500kgs on the Playdo's which would take me up to 3000kg for about $2k.
I can consider this option as well, but was wondering what peoples thoughts are???
I tow the Hawk which is roughly 1600kgs loaded with ease and the Playdo has no trouble at all on or off road, but an extra tonne would certainly be felt......
Now to run the risk of upsetting a few people, but I also believe the tow capacity of lots of utes out there (Bt50's and d max's etc) have 3 tonne capacity and I'm sure the playdo would handle it just as well or better than those utes. I also have air bags in the back ( another popcorn thread), but I also believe this helps a lot when I tow. (only put 8 psi in them to take out the rear wallowing in washouts and dips etc to make it more comfortable - not for load carrying or suspension lifting.......)
I realise I've posted a lot of info and questions and there will be varying opinions and thoughts, but I am after some useful commenting if possible.
To save some posts, I acknowledge safety issues, I understand compliance and insurance issues and hence the reason for asking so I get it right.
I also can't change vehicles easily as not only is it expensive, but SWMBO loves ( and I mean loves
) her playdo and would hit me up for alimony in a heartbeat if I tried to change it.
Should've stuck to my guns and bought the patrol.....
I'd be living in a shed on the farm without my kids, and wouldn't need the towing capacity, but at least in my lonely suffering I could announce my triumph for all mankind!!!!
Any help or thoughts appreciated, ( and I've already considered shooting the wife
)
Brian
