LUX666 wrote:I have read the document you point too and nowhere does it say the ball weight is added to the vehicle, at actually tells you how to work out the total weight of the trailer and load, you also need to look at this document.
http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/roa ... 8-rev2.pdf This is the confusion that is going on, you need to talk to the RMS technical guys, your interpretation is not correct.
The RMS guy I spoke to was terrific, he walked me through it step by step, the ATM and the GTM in the end are exactly the same weight, just two different ways to work it out, whether hitched or unhitched.
Definitions
Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM)
The total mass of the laden trailer when carrying the maximum load recommended by the manufacturer. This will include any mass imposed onto the drawing vehicle when the combination vehicle is resting on a horizontal supporting plane.
Gross Trailer Mass (GTM)
The mass transmitted to the ground by the axle or axles of the trailer when coupled to a drawing vehicle and carrying its maximum load approximately uniformly distributed over the load bearing area.
ATM = A + B + C GTM = A + B
ATM = A + B1 + B2 + GTM = A + B1 + B2
http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/roa ... brakes.pdfPete,
The figures you quoted above are correct only if the vehicle is loaded to its max, in the case of the ranger, for example, the vehicle weights, depending which configuration you buy, plus two persons in it and fuel, you can get away with it weighing 2500, in which case it can tow 3500, and stay in the GCM of the manufacturer, can you do this in all models, I would highly doubt it.
Also some ads don't say towing capacity, they say pulling power, a little bit different.
A few years ago, the battle was between the Landcruiser and the Range Rover, the Landcruiser was advertised as being able to tow 5500 Kg and the Range Rover 6500 Kg, and this kept climbing every year till Australian Standards jumped in and stopped it.
Anyway I think enough said on this.