I have been reading with much confusion and interest regarding the legality of ball weights, without going deep into the subject could somebody please tell me what my tbw should be on my rig. The car is a 2016 land Rover disco series 4 v6 diesel with a stated ball weight of 350kg as long as my gvm is 200kg less than the max of 3240kg, which it is.
The van is a 2013 23ft Universal with a ATM of 3320kgs. The compliance plate on the van states that the ball weight is 160kgs. This is impossible. the best I can get it down to is 280kg with the van fully loaded and water tanks mt. So at the moment I am running at 9% on the ball. My question is ,,,Am I Legal.
While it is more common for Aus made caravans to have around 10% TBM, there are some manufacturers who specify anywhere between 5-9%. Has the van had extras such as a toolbox or additional batteries installed up front which could be increasing the ball weight?
My understanding (and that's all it is) is that the stated ball weight on the van is the ball weight the manufacturer claims when the van leaves the factory. It has no legal standing. It is your job to ensure all other weights are legal, including maximum ball weight and axle weights for your vehicle. 160kgs does seem a little light on for a 23' van though! I wonder how many weight their vans when they are picked up, and how often the claimed weights are accurate.
As I said, my understanding only, not legal advice!
