A little van with a big weight problem

The problem:

This neat, compact caravan was brought in because it was terrible to tow and the owner suspected that it was over it’s legal weight. Looking at the size of the van, you would assume that the customer’s Toyota Prado was more than up to the task of towing it.

When we looked into it the owner was right – the little van had a big weight problem – it was overweight by a 150 kilos (the plated ATM was a meagre 1119kg). The van had also been illegally modified with a draw bar extension that made the van difficult to tow. Backyard modifications are something to look out for when you are purchasing a second hand van.

The brief:

• get the caravan legal with an increased ATM so the customer can legally carry more; and
• make the van comfortable to tow.

The solution:

We replaced the A-frame with a stronger, higher rated frame that would accommodate the storage box and battery and be comfortable to tow. A new coupling was fitted and the van was certified by our engineer.

With the ATM upgraded to 1750kg the customer can legally tow the van with an additional 631kg capacity. A weight distribution hitch which is to be fitted next week will further increase the comfort towing the van by keeping the load evenly distributed through the tow vehicle.

Any sized van can be overweight, illegal and a pain to tow, regardless of your tow vehicle. If your van isn’t comfortable to tow or if you suspect that you have an overweight caravan, our experienced team can inspect your van and provide you with solutions. Often there are cost effective ways to get legal and improve handling. For a free inspection, give us a call at the RV Service Centre.