Complete guide to heavy towing (GVM, GCM & ATM explained)

Complete guide to heavy towing (GVM, GCM & ATM explained) | Auto Expert John Cadogan

Рет қаралды 286,565

5 жыл бұрын

This is the complete guide to heavy towing with a 4X4 wagon like a Landcruiser or a 4X4 ute like a Ranger.
Click here to save thousands on any new car (Australia only): autoexpert.com.au/contact
Did you like this report? You can help support the channel, securely via PayPal:
www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
In this report: The definitions and what they mean:
* Tare weight
* Kerb weight
* GVM - gross vehicle mass
* ATM - aggregate trailer mass
* Towball download
* GCM - gross combination mass
* Payload capacity
I also discuss the towing 'arms race' in which people think it's OK to tow a 3500kg trailer with a vehicle that weights 2500kg (ish) - and this is often a very bad idea, in my view.
I'll talk you through the payload limitations in the common vehicles and also discuss how you can actually measure your critical weights using a public weighbridge, to ensure you're not driving overloaded - which has important safety, legal and insurance implications.
Also discussed: GVM upgrades and warranty, and the effect of adding accessories on your payload capacity.
Toyota heavy towing guide: toyotamanuals.com.au/images/t...
Pedders GVM upgrade details: www.pedders.com.au/kits/gvm-u...
Zone RV $190k off-road van: www.zonerv.com.au/summit-series/

Пікірлер: 690

@captainbarnicle8548 5 жыл бұрын

Every husband that’s buying a camper trailer and has a wife in his ear saying I want a 2.5t-3.5t caravan with toilet shower and indoor kitchen and indoor lounge room needs to be sat down, tied to a chair and made to watch this!!

@brendancarter5846 5 жыл бұрын

to play it safe i will now leave my kids at home when we go camping thanks john peace at last!

@adamheapy8603 5 жыл бұрын

Go down to any caravan park on the east coast and the LC200 is the rig of choice. Most are sporting the ARB catalogue of parts and ALL blindly over weight. HOPEFULLY this gets shared amongst the grey nomad fraternity. Great episode JC

@RobB_VK6ES 5 жыл бұрын

Thankyou John. The trinity of videos on towing should be required viewing by every grey nomad and 4X4 junky. If it were up to me, towing a trailer would require an examinable endorsement on the basic drivers licence.

@garylayne687 4 жыл бұрын

listing to him is simply painful

@4G12 5 жыл бұрын

Now THAT's an Iron man T-shirt.

@petekay67

After watching some of John's videos I ended up buying an 1800kg ATM caravan, 16 foot with ensuite etc etc, pulled by my 2017 Pajero. Well within all limits. It's a nice feelng knowing that my safety margin is bigger than all our friends Taj Mahals😅. Many thanks John👍

@MrGundawindy

I 100% agree with not towing something heavier than the tow vehicle. It's a long story, but many years ago a friend and I needed to move half a dozen or so cars overnight. We had a TD Cortina as the tow vehicle and the largest of the cars we towed was an F150. It was super sketchy, but even another Cortina plus the trailer weight was still very sketchy. Luckily we only needed to move them 10km's or so.

@peterferguson248 5 жыл бұрын

Good presentation. There is one additional engineering constraint that most seem to ignore and that is maximum allowable axle loads, particularly rear axle. These are incredibly easy to overload and I rarely hear anyone reference them.

@normanappleton3627 Жыл бұрын

It's a lot easier to take the lot across a public weighbridge when you next start out on a trip. But be prepared to unhitch and take the excess stuff back home before continuing on the trip. My tow vehicle has a GVM of 3200Kg as is the Caravan. But the GCM is 6 tonne with a max ball load of 350 Kg but I am running it at 190 Kg. Of course I have done my sums and ensured that I don't overload and have run over a weighbridge a couple of times.

@gallis0707 5 жыл бұрын

Finding this information explained in a format easy to understand has been almost impossible.

@mutualbeard 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks John. Engineering facts beats "common sense" any day.

@BenMitro 5 жыл бұрын

"You aren't getting away from it all, you are taking it all with you" - Classic Cardogan!

@jacobwhittaker6241 5 жыл бұрын

As a Murican! born dude I find these videos very informative even thought they're upside down and in metric.

@billroach2393 5 жыл бұрын

With regard to the cost of 400 nights accommodation compared to the outlay for an expensive caravan....you're forgetting that the caravan will have a excellent resale value, so the net cost is much less than spending 400 nights (WITH THE MASSES) in various motels. Some of us like to get away from the crowds.

@karlbartelt3939 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks John, all my late night searches for ATM videos have giving me quite a different perspective on load displacement, your detailed explaination is far more fitting for the handing of my big loads.