Help? Towing - ball weights and reduce gvm?

[the evil twin]

Post #19 by Jack is a great way to illustrate some of the measurements and also the following extracts from the web may assist.

The last sentence sums it up the best :-)

Y62 Patrol - Towing the line

At first glance, the Patrol’s towing specs look good: it has a 3500kg maximum towing capacity, of which a maximum 350kg can rest on the towball. The Patrol has a 750kg payload and so when loaded to its 3500kg maximum Gross Vehicle Mass, it’ll still be able to tow its full 3500kg capacity (so Gross Combined Mass is 7000kg).

The downside is the Nissan’s 350kg maximum towball download becomes a 250kg maximum if you have loaded the Patrol to its 3500kg GVM. However, if you reduce payload in the Patrol by 70kg, (so its GVM is now 3430kg) maximum TBM is 300kg; reduce it by 100kg and TBM is 325kg. To use the maximum 350kg TBM, you’ll have to take 130kg out of the Patrol. As if towing weight legalities weren’t complicated enough already.

[jack]

I’ve printed out that sheet, currently loading up the Patrol & Caravan and heading out to the local free weigh bridge. They have a large LED readout, no ticket.
We have one each side of the highway just out of town, Cuppa recently checked them both and they matched so confident of the weight.
I’ve added 50kg extra to the caravan which I can move around to check best load arrangement etc. just need to fill up on fuel as well.
I’ll take pics of the readout and rearrange as required. I’m confident it’s loaded with more than we actually take so it’s a worst case scenario (I hope).

[BillsGU]

Yep - I still cannot understand how if you are already at your maximum GVM of 3500kg, you can then add another 250kg to it. Your vehicle is after all carrying the towball download weight.

This is all too difficult and differs with depending on who you ask or what you read. A couple of years ago we had a fellow from RMS (NSW - was called RTA) at our 4WD Club meeting and we asked him all these questions and he could not give us answers. Neither did he get back to us with answers, as he said he would. Seems to me that they really don't know either.

How is the average mug towing his caravan down the highway supposed to understand and comply with all this crap?

[MB]

These were for sale at my nearest SCA town visit today. http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Pro...320/SPO3257996 If truly accurate could be cool on a stationary combination except our beasts are unruly stomping pricks :-(


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[MB]

Didn’t read the instructions although I could imagine you’d wanna keep your dolley at minimum 1” under for a failsafe ;-)


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[Cuppa]

I used a mates one of those tow ball scales like that a few days ago. It gave *exactly* the same reading as the old pair of hospital scales I had used a week earlier. I was quite impressed as I hadn't really expected it to give more than an approximate reading.

[MB]

Hay Man & Reese ;-)


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[jack]

Here you go, match the public weigh bridge and an independent towball weight exactly (only $51).

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TOWSAFE-...72.m2749.l2649

[GeeYou8]

I have looked at those towball scales (on special $50 at Parkside) I think the would work well on single axle trailers. But my car trailer is a tandem with slipper springs, so the height of the ball would affect down force on the scale, would be even more affect on unsprung tandem car trailer.
This set up would allow you to set the ball height to the same as what you have.
https://swiftcaravanservices.com.au/...w-ball-weight/