Weighing our Next Gen Ranger & Crusader Caravan | GCM GVM GTM & ATM Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- One of the most important things you can do before you take off and start caravanning Australia is to understand your weights! That's why we took our setup to mobile weighing service Check Weight.
Did you know that there are more restrictions than just the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle that you must comply with to safely and legally tow your van? We're here to help break down all the acronyms (GVM, GTM, ATM, GCM & TB) and to provide a clearer understanding so that you can make an informed decision when buying a new caravan, and or tow vehicle.
If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE or leave a COMMENT to let us know.
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0:00 Intro
0:59 Caravan Weighing Process Explained
1:54 Caravan Towing Weights (GVM, GTM, ATM & GCM) Explained
3:00 Weigh-in Results Start
3:23 GVM
3:42 GTM
4:09 ATM
4:41 GCM
5:34 Tow Ball Load
7:26 GTM to GVM Ratio
8:52 Tow Vehicle Balance
9:37 Caravan Balance
10:55 How important is it to get weighed?
12:20 Review of weigh day
13:06 A Wild Zeki Appears
![[TH] VCT Masters Shanghai Playoffs DAY 3 // FNC vs FUT | EDG vs PRX](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pw2T5v0ogDI/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi Everyone!
Thanks for your comments so far. So glad to hear it’s been helpful.
For those of you in the know, you’ve noticed that we missed out on the Axle Weights, so here they are:
Front Axle Max - 1490kg
Front Axle Actual - 1294kg
Therefore, Front Axle Remaining - 196kg
Rear Axle Max - 1959kg
Rear Axle Actual - 1530kg
Therefore, Rear Axle Remaining - 429kg
BONUS TIP!
Front + Rear Axle Loading = GVM and the GVM is measured with the Caravan hitched and Towball weight applied, as Vedat mentioned.
We hope that this video has helped raise awareness that safe towing isn’t just about a vehicles towing capacity, nor is it about just being under all the limits we’ve listed. While you will be legal, towing safely also requires you to look at the placement and distribution of your loads.
Safe travels everyone, we hope to see you on the road!
- Lani & Vedat
So is that 1530kg with the van hooked up?
@@mickpocock2102 yes, GVM is measured with the Van attached.
Wow that’s great. Any chance you know the rear axle with no van attached?
Thanks guys for a good intelligent and common sense analysis - I can’t emphasise enough how important this set of metrics needs to be understood by the general towing community - with more rigs on the roads now (eighty percent illegal according to road authority reports) the police blitzes will increase to maintain safety on the roads for everyone - a NSW driver was jailed for six years after he lost control of his overweight rig downhill on the way to Port Macquarie killing his wife and another family member - drivers should also undergo mandatory training for towing caravans - stay safe and enjoy the journey.
Thanks for the positive feedback, and for watching.
That is a very sad story. When you understand the requirements to tow legally, it’s scary to realise how many likely don’t conform on the roads. I think more education around towing is required and agree that driver training is a start, and then also a knowledge test to ensure people are aware of the weight obligations.
Enjoy your travels!
This is by far one of the best videos I have found on TH-cam explaining weights. I will probably watch this 100 times until I understand it 100%. Thanks for bringing all the information together so well. Congrats
🥹 thanks Aaron, appreciate the kind words! It makes us happy to know it was helpful. Thanks for watching.
For a 1st timer, this helps me big time.. thank you for explaining it.
Thanks for watching Chris. So happy to hear it’s been helpful 😊
Great video guys, lani you explained to so well for the 85% of people that have no idea about weights etc. Thanks for sharing..
Thanks for the feedback John! And thanks for watching.
Good stuff! Great to see you have so much room to move in what looks like a newer setup. We had less room when we weighed our setup but still under.
Good to see this becoming an interesting topic now days rather than a debate. Well done!
Thanks guys! We were fairly confident we were going to be under but it’s still a relief to know for sure. And even more settling to be so far under, not having to stress if we want to pack a bit more for a longer trip.
You explained that well That extra weight could go in a big box of chewies it looked as if it was quite enjoyable and lasting the distance .hope you enjoy the van.
🤣 he has to have something to occupy him while the wife speaks 🤦🏻♀️🙄 no wonder why he never hears me, too busy chomping 🤣
Thanks for the video. Awesome balance of information & entertainment ❤
And you kept poker face right up until the end so no clue as to your results 😄
Thanks for the kind words Jay and glad you enjoyed the suspense! 😂
Really good description, thanks. Particularly your discussion/advice on the TBM. Plus I really like your caravan and had no idea that Ford Ranger has such a good GCM. I tow 2T so well within the DMax's ability. I use a Hayman Reece Standard WDH for the front to back balance plus is provides great stability. Most caravan sales people know nothing about the engineering involved.
Great video. It would be very helpful to know the weight on all of the axles both vehicle and caravan, as these are critical also
Very well explained for anyone new to towing…
I’ve towed more than 15000 km in our V6 Wildtrak now and I have learnt so much about what’s “really” needed for towing with the new Ranger so I apologize for my lengthy explanation.
Although our van is only 18’6 it’s a heavy van (Titanium). We tow our van loaded to 3200kg, I load much of my tunnel boot stuff into the Ute tub and I’ve had a custom water tank made which sits at the front of the tub and that’s to carry an additional 100 ltrs and to make the Ranger heavier and we run 300kg TBM.
I’ve now had 4 different suspension setups until I got it right.
Initially I ran with standard but it bottomed out on bigger road humps, then I added an additional leaf to the standard springs and they sagged, then I went with ARB mediums and they actually inverted and almost rode on the bump stops, so I added airbags but to satisfy the minimum spec for airbag height I had to run 32psi… (too high IMO)
so in the end I went with the ARB 3500 GVM upgrade. I didn’t need the extra GVM but I needed the 300kg constant load rear springs and the 40mm lift is really handy off grid.
I can’t tell how well it tows now and the ride when not towing and unladen is really still fine.
Along this journey and at various camp sites and parks I’ve popped my head under a few Next Gen Rangers and the springs have been sagged without the van even hitched just from their canopies or load in the tub so it may pay to keep an eye on your springs if you start to use some of that additional capacity and take note if your springs are sagging or close to your bump stops.
The standard Next Gen suspension really isn’t up to heavy towing… but the Ranger is a sensational tow vehicle when you’ve got the right suspension.
Thanks for you video and safe travels and definitely go the extra solar panel😂.
Hi I find that constant load level of 300kg very interesting, I have my wildtrack booking in at Lovells pre rego for the 3505kG GVM and 7005kG GCM and the constant load is just 100kg and the 3700kG GVM is 200kg constant load. The lift will be around the 40 to 50mm. I will towing much the same weight as you, we have an ATM of 3400Kg and a tare of 2600kG.
My work college had a constant load spring kit in his old triton of 300 KG he said with the roof tent and frame it was a good ride but with out, it was horrible. How have you found the unladen ride in your ranger when compared to standard if you can recall?
Hi David,
There’s a lot that concerns me about what Lovells have told you… as a mechanic… and having studied mechanical engineering I have a good ability to critically analyze what I’m told.
To answer you last question first… the ride is great. Yes it’s “slightly firmer” but way better than standard as the standard suspension since PX2 (ie PX3 and Next Gen) the suspension is designed more as the family car and it becomes soft and saggy.
I initially went to Lovells and was told by two separate outlets that the 3500 GVM is very harsh unladen so I pray you havn’t been given “sales spin”
Early days when we were the first to get next gen Rangers there was heaps of discussion and comparing of notes and one guy posted that he fitted ARB 300kg to his Colorado and it rode like a brick unladen and he also fitted the identical ARB 300kg to his Next Gen Ranger and the ride was chalk & cheese… he reckoned it was better than standard which is exactly what I have found which is testament to the 3 year collaboration between ARB & Ford.
Finally, I had the driveline vibration that many of the early Ranger’s suffered and Ford wouldn’t even look at it due to aftermarket suspension so I had to provide an invoice to show that every single component was ARB as that is the only accessories they will cover by warranty… I’m sure you could challenge legally if you had other brand accessories but I didn’t want the hassle.
I spoke to Simon from Lifestyle Pioneers at a Titanium event and while he was waiting for his new Cruiser he fitted a Lovells GVM upgrade to his PX2 Ranger (not sure what GVM) and he said it rode like a brick.
Not sure what more I can add but I know the ARB 3500 GVM rides really well unladen and tows beautifully with my loads (similar to yours)… but I think only Lovells do the GCM upgrade which you’ll go no where near needing anyway
Happy for you to PM on Facebook if you want to discuss further.
Hi thanks for your opinion I work with people who have put Lovells in their 200LC and I have been in their cars. The ride in all 3 of these has been really good. I put Lovells shocks only in my 2010 Pajero and was a stiffer ride especially with nothing in the car but great with a bit in it and after about 5000km it rode smother in any configuration.
I spoke with my Ford dealer and asked him about GVM upgrades and the GCM upgrade. His answer was only Lovells offer the option i wanted and he then said that Ford would cover it under factory warranty even though it was not ARB.@@graemegrieve1953
@@Sabumnim666 It’s good your Ford dealer will cover it which makes me think I might look for a more cooperative Ford dealer.
The LC 200 is a different comparison as they are a coil spring set up…
Thanks for your TH-cam vid and I think conversations like ours can only be of help to others starting out.
Thanks and good luck with everything.
Hi yeah that is correct but then again so was the Pajero.
Nice to have a chat all the best. @@graemegrieve1953
Good job love the little dog in the background
Thanks Edward ☺️ can you tell we are dog people? 🐶🐾🦴
Just watched a few of your vids. Thank you for the information. Very well done and presented.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words ☺️
Great video. Good explanation of weights and reasons.
Thanks for the kind words Ian.
🌸👍😎 That was a great episode,
I have the same car and van ,you both explained that really well.
have a great week.🍷🍷😎🌼🌺🦋
Thanks for tuning in again Paul. Enjoy your week! 😎
No mention of axel weights, equally as important as all the other weights, if you’re over, it’s not only unsafe, but also most likely won’t be covered by insurance.
Thanks for the comment. Totally agree! I’ve pinned a comment on the Axle Loads for those interested in this extra level of detail 😊
Gr8 job Lani with that explanation of ATM GCM GVM TBM, good choice Vedat in increasing available off grid power. you cant have enough SOLAR. We have ordered a Crusader Musketeer Aramis crossed with the XCountry Extreme, Stage 4 TuffRide Airbag System, 12" Disc Brakes, 400amp Enerdrive Simarine BMS....blah blah blah and the list of upgrades is never ending but it will be our fulltime offgrid home.....we are so looking forward to pick up in Aug24. Enjoy your travels and adventures as your making memories, looking forward to one day catching up with you guys one day.
Thanks for the kind words Wozz, and congratulations on ordering your new van. Very exciting times ahead.
I understand the never ending list of upgrades 😑 (and it appears it’s still not finished with the constant solar upgrade request from Vedat!) BUT, having been through it, I think you’ve made the right decision to just get it all done straight away. Especially if you’re going to live in it full time. You won’t regret it! Hopefully we can catch you on the road one day.
First time I’ve watched one of your vids enjoyed it very much really well explained , but I do have to say I think you are really punching young fellow good on ya 👍
Wow. That was a power play at the end.!!
We all know who the boss is! 😂
Great video on weights and you guys are great enjoy
Thanks so much! 👍🏼
we just got our new wildtrak and had it weighed with check weight.Worth the money and piece of mind. grt video
Thanks Bruce! How did your weights work out, did you need to change much?
I was 100kilos over Atm on van (single axle) but easy fixed as I had it stacked to the hilt for weighing,,so took stuff off and just transferred things to car so all good. @@AnotherAusAdventure
Nice video
Thanks for watching
Great vid, well done. Would like to see your Ranger towing review vid, I’m currently in the position to go the Ranger, but a review of your actual experience has been
Hey Roger, sorry for the late response. We disappeared for a while 😂 but we’re back and the Ranger review video (part 1 of 2) will be up next week! Have a nice weekend.
Great video guys, I’ve watched a few videos regarding weights but your is the easiest to understand. 👍
I agree with Vedat, you have more room for solar and lithium now 😃☺️
Thanks for the feedback. Glad we were able to help clarify things for you.
Not so glad about that last statement though 😫😂 - Lani
Just Fantastic
I live in the Illawarra as well, I also have a Ford Ranger Wildtrak, so I can really relate to your videos, thanks so much for your recommendation ( Otherwise how do you know). I will use Check Weight to make sure I am legal
Thanks John. How good is the Wildtrak?! We can’t recommend check weight highly enough. You won’t be disappointed.
the caravan companies really need to take some responsibility when it comes to correct weights and measures. But in reality, they couldn't give a crap, they just want a sale, and wouldn't care if you flipped the van on the motorway.......great detailed post guys.....🙂
Thanks for watching. Yes, it would be nice to see the caravan manufacturers at least raise awareness of these requirements to potential buyers.
Good video misses a weight limit that is being looked at some recent free weighing days in that each axle on the tow vehicle also has a weight limit
Hey Andrew, thanks for your comment. The axle weights can be found in the pinned comment if you’re interested. Cheers.
Hey Lani & Vedat,
Hoping all is well and you’ve had an awesome Christmas and New Years with little Zeki.
Hey! Thank you so much. Yes, it was a special one being Zeki’s first Christmas and all.
Happy belated Christmas and New Years to you too! Hope you enjoyed some time with family and friends.
@@AnotherAusAdventure I have a 3 year old and Christmas only gets more fun from here. The hardest part will be all the toys your home has accumulated by then 😝
Yes, put that Pannel on
Good idea
Noooooo 😂😂 we need more water, not power! - Lani (aka the sensible one) 🙈
Interesting video and well done explaining how the weights system for towing works.
Unfortunately, many people out there who may get their vans and cars weighed may think, "oh goody, I have 500kg to spare - I can throw in more junk...". Me, I like to keep things as light as possible. What with diesel over $2/l and the general cost of stuff continuing to rise, anything to help fuel economy has to be a plus, right? Plus, it makes the overall rig safer, I guess.
My PX3 3.2l Ranger tows a 2.5t van (2.8t ATM). Its ATM when I weighed it came in at around 2.6t with the Ranger at 2.7t or thereabouts. With a 6t GCM all up it's around 5.4t I think it was. (these figures aren't exact - I'm going from memory here) I'd much rather have that leeway than to push it. The Ute struggles as it is. On the flat, easy peasy, cruise at 100 if conditions are calm. Hit a hill of an decent length and it's down to 75km/h, so it does struggle.
Remember too, your towball mass (TBM) may be say, 250kg, but the load that it places on the vehicle is much higher due to the lever effect, moment arm, that sort of thing. And that plays heavily into how your front axle load allows solid steering on the vehicle.
That 10% figure gets used a lot. But no-one can tell me where it originated and why that particular number?
My unladen rear axle weight went up around 450kg once the van is attached. And the TMB scale said 270kg. Of course, we can argue that the scales may be inaccurate, but the corresponding reduction of weight on the front seemed to bear these figures out.
When I had the Jeep Grand Cherokee (5 years of faultless driving in case the Jeep Haters want to lay the boots in), it suffered badly from a light front end, making it scary to tow. I had to installed a Hayman Reece hitch and weight distribution system which improved steering and stopped the porpoising that I'd experience on rough roads (which most of them seem to be these days). The Ranger is more stable in that regard so I don't need it. But it too, adds around 30kg or more to the back end weight so that has to be factored in when doing the sums.
You may want to confirm with Check Weight whether your towball mass should be 10% of the caravan's ATM or 10% of the actual laden weight of your caravan. Views online seem to be split about 50/50 between the two.
Hi, Check Weight base their calculation on 10% of the GTM.
Lgot the luxe yellow I just put an a uniden xtrak pro 80....Got a aerial bonnet pate from GMF and fits so good you can still take car under shopping centre carparks . got a bracket clip on dash and fits in nice no drilling
Nice! Thanks for the tip.
Hi, We are picking up our Crusader Duke in about 3 weeks so this was a very helpful video. We are also towing with a V6 Ranger and was happy to see your actual weights matched what I had tried to predict from the info from Ford and Crusader.
I have a question regarding your tow hitch height - are you using the standard Ranger tow hitch reversed upwards ? We have been advised that our hitch height is 500 mm but your setup looks like it is higher.
Thanks for your help
Hi William, Congratulations on getting a new van!
Great to hear that you were already thinking about your weights before you pick up your van.
We are not using the standard hitch, unfortunately it wasn’t the right fit. You should also be mindful about turning it upside down as some hitches (and this one in particular) aren’t designed to take the load in the opposite orientation.
Off the top of my head I can’t remember which hitch we went with but this is something we will cover in our upcoming Ranger Towing video.
Great explanation on weights so many over weight setups out there very dangerous I just subscribed looking forward to following you on your travels be safe and have fun interested how your fuel economy will be maybe do a video on that 😂😂😂😂😂
Hey Antonio, thanks for watching.
We sure will. Aiming to have a Ranger towing video out before the end of the year, will definitely be talking fuel economy. Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi, thanks great helpful vid. What about axle loads?
Hi Thomas, thanks for pointing this out. I’ve pinned a comment to answer your question 😊
Nice job guys.... 👏 when's your first long distance trip? USA
Thank you. We are very new to caravanning so definitely have to hone our skills before tackling a long distance trip domestically. And seeing as we just invested so much $$$$ in a caravan, it’ll be a while before our next long distance international trip too I’d say 😂
All that is great info, well explained and im glad your under weight, but, my worry on top of weights is the extra drag, espacially wind/sand and uphill, of the van on long distance and therfore heat and extra wear on the drive line and engine of the car. There is quite a few 4x4/van combinations I've seen on the side of the road with major breakdowns.
Be sure there is a good insurance in place, especially in the outback and with a newly designed basically untried vehicle. It costs a fortune to have the things towed for hundreds of kilometers if need be. Just saying. Hope you have a fantastic trip.
Thanks for watching Paul, and great point.
Not only is insurance important, it’s the type of insurance! Not all insurers provide coverage to the same extent. So it’s important to read the PDS to understand whether or not you will be covered for a tow if you breakdown, not just in a major town, but to the far reaches of the country (if that’s where you’re travelling).
Good to see you were smart in not buying a bloody great mcmansion to feed your egos!! So many overweight rigs on the road. Coppers will be targeting these rigs in the future with no more warnings for being overweight. The weights you guys have will mean easier towing for your vehicle, less stress for the driver and better fuel economy whilst being 100% legal and insured. Congrats on using common sense.
Thanks Ian. It’s pretty eye-opening once you understand your legal obligations regarding weights and realise that there are A-LOT of people that are clueless. Sometimes through no fault of their own.
I think there needs to be more awareness raised and more enforcement to keep everyone safe.
Hi Guys
Could you please advise me what modifications you needed to make the Next Gen Ranger work with the Crusader sequential indicator light??
I also have chosen a smaller. Crusader van and a Next Gen Everest
Thank you
Keep up the informative video’s
Hi Simon. Thanks for watching. So glad to hear you’re enjoying the vids. If you check out our ‘pick up & first impressions’ video we have shown the solution around the 11 min mark. Hope it’s helpful!
And congratulations on the crusader and Everest! Wishing you many safe travels.
Good video, well explained, but you have to stop chewing gum on camera.
Great explanation guys but,
How would adding more weight to the “rear” of the car help increase your tow ball weight.
Hi, thanks for watching!
If you are referring to ~8:33 where we are talking in the context of GTM to GVM ratio, and discussing how we need to put more weight in the car to meet the 90% ratio requirement - with my passing comment of “help with our towball down load” I am referring to the fact that adding more weight to the car will help to compensate for our lack in towball down load. Seeing as the towball weight has a direct correlation to the overall GVM of the car, which we need to increase. - Lani
@@AnotherAusAdventure I am, but I’m trying to wrap my head around adding weight to the “tow vehicle (GVM)” would impact the tow ball weight in any way that you require it too. Given you mentioned you needed more towball weight. If you’d taken weight from the van it would lessen the tow ball weight. If you moved weight toward the front of the van you could expect a proportional rise in the TBW commensurate with how far forward you could place it.
@@AnotherAusAdventure plus overall GVM & rear axle weight are VERY VERY different to tow ball download on a tow vehicle
You’re correct, Adding weight to the vehicle does not add to the tow ball weight. And GVM, Rear Axle and Towball are all separate measurements that are a piece of the puzzle to achieve a compliant and well balanced setup.
Moving weight around (from van to car) in this is case won’t help us. We need to increase our GVM by adding extra items to the car to achieve the ratio.
@@AnotherAusAdventure I don’t comment on this negatively and I’m not being a keyboard warrior.
It’s just you’re putting this information out there as influencers “WHO KNOW THEIR STUFF” so I clarify this point which you may not do so, as I feel it rather remiss to make passing comments that aren’t correct… when people maybe relying on your advice wholeheartedly.
I do know every weight and measure of the industry and our setup, we’ve have been travelling Australia in a off road van and F-150 for 18 months. We’ve seen plenty of setups that wouldn’t stack up or pass this weigh in test on our travels so it’s great to see “new you tubers” addressing the weight issue as people are going to have some rude surprises(when authorities crackdown) or insurance nightmares on their hands in the event of an incident.
Travel safe guys.
Good vid guys - what is the TARE of your van ??
Hi Rob, thanks for watching! Tare is 2.5T - We cover this, and all our optional extras in our walkthrough video.
What was your rear axle weight when the van is hooked on? This is something that dual cabs fall down on. You mentioned in another comment that you pinned a response, but I can find it
found it.
No worries! We have some room to move thankfully. Thanks for watching ☺️
Did you do your axle weights?
Hi Suzanne, we did. Please see pinned comment. Hope it’s helpful!
👍👍
Thanks for the comment 😄
Guys this subject has been done to death , move on please
Thanks for watching!