How much can you tow? | Caravan towing weights explained (TARE, GVM, GTM, ATM, TBM, GCM, AXLE LOAD)

[@marklaurendet1861]

very helpfull

[@MrBigallen88]

Excellent information . Watched it twice and took notes !

[@HorizonsRAC]

Great feedback! Glad you found this useful. Safe travels.

[@johnwebster5983]

This also assumes a level caravan. If the van is tipped down a bit, the TBM will increase, putting it over the limit. I guess the idea of this video is what happens when you are close to the limit. I think then the idea is to be way more conservative than this so that you have plenty of leeway. Like how much do the people in the car weigh? How much stuff are you putting in the boot? What extraneous stuff have you added to the car, such is bull bars and roof racks? Do you have too much stuff in the van, including batteries, water and extra solar panels? So my advice is to be conservative in your choice of caravan and towing vehicle, and then you have more wriggle room for putting stuff, people, water, accessories and big dogs in the car and van.

[@johnwebster5983]

I think the Subaru is cutting it too fine, which is why there were a couple of points that were overweight. The Avan Aspire 555 is a bit ambitious for a Subaru which has a towing capacity of 1800kg. I think a Subaru is better suited to a much lighter camper van, such as an Avan Cruiseliner. It is also limited to 80kph which is a bit slow on a 110kph highway. If you want a 1.5 tonne caravan you're better off with a Pajero Sport or better. The ATM of the Avan is a touch more than the towing capacity of the Subaru. The tare weight of the car is 1660 which is less than the ATM of the van. This means that if the van is fully loaded, it will control the car rather than the other way around.

[@jacksjaunts8580]

You didn’t mention that the tow ball load is part of your vehicle payload. I have an Outback and with 180kg of tow ball load on the car, I can carry two adults, two medium dogs and around 30kg of other stuff after including tow bar and ball and a full tank. My 2.4turbo car suggests a 2400kg max towing capacity and a 240kg max tow ball weight. To run at 240kg on the tow ball I would have to run with minimal fuel and a light driver only. Even then if towing a 2400kg load, the load would be heavier than the car! Not a great plan. As they say, it would be akin to the tail wagging the dog. It is very important to get the message across to people that the manufacturers brochure figures are only for marketing purposes. THEY ARE NOT SAFE TOWING LIMITS. To understand those you need to fully load your car knowing the maximum lowball weight you have or accepting it is what is left after you load your car. The trailer weight minus the tow ball weight should be no more than 10 to 12% of the tow ball weight or 85% of the gross vehicle weight, whatever is lighter. Anything more and you are close to or surpassing and recognised safe towing limits.