Tare and ATM

geebee · Newbie

Tare and ATM

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Pity you did not ask these questions before spending your money.
It is likely that the real Tare is higher than stated. You will need to weigh the van to find out.
That leaves you with a problem. The ATM will need to be increased to have a legally usable van and you will need to see an engineer to do that.
It may be a simple matter of changing the paper work, or you may need to have some modifications done to the van to achieve that.

Cheers,
Peter

PeterD · Guru

PeterInSa wrote:
I would look at confirming the real Tare,

The real tare is weight the van was when it left the factory. Any records of it's weight at that time would have disappeared when the original Viscount company went bust. The best indication is the rego papers. The rules are exactly the same for vans as your tug. Any minor additions you add after purchase do not alter the the tare weight. Do you have the tare weight of your tug amended on the rego papers after you add bull bars, winches, canopies on utes (they are around 100 kg sometimes) or tow bars?

What you need to find out is the current unladen curb weight (this includes all fixed accessories.) You subtract this from the ATM you will know how much load you can carry, including the water in the tank.

In regards to the "Badge: 4.27M" I feel the best way to find that out is to ring your nearest motor registry. The 4.27M could have some reference to length. Can you measure 4.27 metres somewhere along the van?

-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 15th of August 2012 03:48:18 PM

PeterInSa · Guru

Hi,
I would look at confirming the real Tare, GVM of the van and based on that info would look at what I would do next. Which would probably entail getting a certified engineer to, check out the tyres, wheels, springs, axle, brakes and chassis to come up with a new ATM and tow ball weight. I would be aiming for an ATM of 1450Kg. Depending on which state you live in, my gues estimate of the engineers fee in SA could be around $500 and a checkout by Road Transport could be another $250.

Alternative 1, is to load up the van with your gear.clothes, water, LPG gas bottle and hope that nothing goes wrong and you are not involved in an accident, because if overloaded your insurance may have some issues.

Alternative 2 is to carefully weight everthing you put in the van to stay within the 160KG.

Alternative 3 is to sell the van and buy a van with a reasonable ATM and a Tow ball weight that is suitable for your Tug.

Peter