Interesting that you should bring this up Dave..... On Wednesday I took delivery of my brand new van (there will be conducted tours this weekend, sausage sizzle et cetera) and yesterday was maily taken up with the very involved process of getting it registered in the ACT. I had to take it to 3 places1) to get a pink slip,2) to the official stamperonner of the VIN suffix that only applies ot towed ACT Vehicles,3) to the motor registry to get a "final inspection" and the paperwork sorted. Now as the van has electric brakes and me being a pedantic smart ass when I get to the registry the inspector in uniform redolent of some G&S character says he wants to inspect the brakes thats OK I say, I'll uncouple the Jack and you can do what ever you want.... A heated, somewhat accrimonious debate ensues and I pointed out that he was only to check the Van, not the car..... Anyway he eventually decides that he will check the brakes "Visually".... I drive down his little bit of road and hit the anchors, he will observe...
Anyway we now cut to the chase, but you all get my drift these ACT beaureaucrats with nothing better to do than to find fault to justify their jobs just peeve me, so he asks me what the allowable ball weight is. I could have told him anything but I know it's 250 kg and then he weighs the front end of the van attached to the vehicle  by putting a scale under the jockey wheel and winding it up, thus measuring not only the van but the car that was being lifted by the coupling, the more he wound up the jockey wheel the heavier it got untill he got to around 680kg, he says this is too heavy for me to tow, I scream obscenities at him and tell him to lower it down, uncouple the ball and then weigh it. Come to think of it this clown was too stupid to be in any G&S production......He goes of to consult his supervisor who comes back and confirms my idea that he is weighing everything and gives me an earfull for calling his "staff" a cretin.... I tell him that I am extremely sorry, I appologise profuseley, I reassure him that I know that this is a major safety issue that could cause death... and I tell him that if I had not caused a fracas his "staff" would have made a serious error that would have found them all held to public ridicule. I then went on to explain (after he had stamped everything as "PASSED") that I would be communicating this entire event factually to the media, the ACT roads minister, the internet, the world.... I explained that I knew there were rules to be followed but I also told him that he should ensure his staff were competant to perform their duties....
Oh what a day.....

Basil Faulty wrote:

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Interesting that you should bring this up Dave..... On Wednesday I took delivery of my brand new van (there will be conducted tours this weekend, sausage sizzle et cetera) and yesterday was maily taken up with the very involved process of getting it registered in the ACT. I had to take it to 3 places1) to get a pink slip,2) to the official stamperonner of the VIN suffix that only applies ot towed ACT Vehicles,3) to the motor registry to get a "final inspection" and the paperwork sorted. Now as the van has electric brakes and me being a pedantic smart ass when I get to the registry the inspector in uniform redolent of some G&S character says he wants to inspect the brakes thats OK I say, I'll uncouple the Jack and you can do what ever you want.... A heated, somewhat accrimonious debate ensues and I pointed out that he was only to check the Van, not the car..... Anyway he eventually decides that he will check the brakes "Visually".... I drive down his little bit of road and hit the anchors, he will observe...
Anyway we now cut to the chase, but you all get my drift these ACT beaureaucrats with nothing better to do than to find fault to justify their jobs just peeve me, so he asks me what the allowable ball weight is. I could have told him anything but I know it's 250 kg and then he weighs the front end of the van attached to the vehicle  by putting a scale under the jockey wheel and winding it up, thus measuring not only the van but the car that was being lifted by the coupling, the more he wound up the jockey wheel the heavier it got untill he got to around 680kg, he says this is too heavy for me to tow, I scream obscenities at him and tell him to lower it down, uncouple the ball and then weigh it. Come to think of it this clown was too stupid to be in any G&S production......He goes of to consult his supervisor who comes back and confirms my idea that he is weighing everything and gives me an earfull for calling his "staff" a cretin.... I tell him that I am extremely sorry, I appologise profuseley, I reassure him that I know that this is a major safety issue that could cause death... and I tell him that if I had not caused a fracas his "staff" would have made a serious error that would have found them all held to public ridicule. I then went on to explain (after he had stamped everything as "PASSED") that I would be communicating this entire event factually to the media, the ACT roads minister, the internet, the world.... I explained that I knew there were rules to be followed but I also told him that he should ensure his staff were competant to perform their duties....
Oh what a day.....

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 The whole deal with gross towing weights and towball weights is a little confusing. The Outback I drive came with the Subura tow kit fitted including transmission oil cooler . On the hitch the ball weight is 90kg and the all up weight  is 1400 kg.  The owners manual quotes a max tow ball weight of 70  Kg and a all up weight of 1980 kg.  The attached info is from the owners manual

 

While on the subject of trailers and weight distribution have a look at this . I took the pic while filling up at Balladonia  coming east from Perth back in May  this year .  I assume he made it I never saw him again heading east

gotta make you wonder dont it some people have no idea, wombat is that with a "tow kit" or is that the maximum ball weight and thats the end of it, no other course of action, pete is correct you must go with the minimum numbers as your maximum load, otherwise bits fall off