Borgy's - Weigh Me RV, Bathurst (2026)

31/08/2026

Another "Pre-purchase Session" session saved this owner some big dollars.

The owner of this Patrol come to me about 6-12 months ago with an older twin cab ute. He had just left a hefty deposit on a brand new caravan, but wanted some unbiased advise about the purchase. When I weighed the ute, it was very clear to us both that it would be substantially overloaded while towing that trailer (or anything bigger than a box trailer for that fact), despite the manufacturer urging him it would be perfectly fine.

The "Pre-Purchase Session" allowed me to not only weigh the vehicle, but also simulate how adding a trailer would affect its legal weights. It allowed me to explain what the real limitations are for that particular vehicle, and the traps to avoid just in time for him to cancel his caravan purchase, which would have totally overloaded his vehicle.

After deciding he really wanted a Nissan Patrol, we also spent some time going through build plans and objectives. We looked at what the vehicle would need accessory-wise in order to do the job, and of course, what kind of payload capacity it would actually need. In this case, the owner wanted a vehicle that can be a fully self sufficient camping rig, but still tow a decent caravan for full time travel in the future.

My typical saying for this scenario is, "you can carry the weight, or you can tow the weight, but not many set-ups will do both at the same time."

Well, that's what weighing over a thousand caravans has shown me anyway.

So, we calculated the anticipated weight of all the accessories, passengers, fuel and luggage and worked out that a typical GVM upgrade wasn't going to cut the mustard if the Patrol was going to be the vehicle of choice. It would need a big GVM and GCM upgrade to keep it compliant.

So, it went straight in for a 4499kg GVM and 7999 GCM upgrade from DMW Industries, pre-rego.

Today, we did a progress weigh check to see what the vehicle weighed after all of the accessories were fitted (well at least 90% of them) and it was all loaded up with camping gear.

It weighed in at 3627kg, which is 871kg under the GVM. The rear axle weighed in at 1896kg, which is 1004kg under the rear GAWR of 2900kg. With the vehicle at this weight, it can actually still tow the maximum Braked Tow Capacity of 3500kg if required, although that isn't the plan.

The vehicle's weight is sitting pretty much exactly where we thought it would be at this stage of the plan, which just proves it is worth planning it all properly.

The owner actually expressed that if it hadn't have been for these pre-emptive "pre-purchase" weighing sessions, not only would he have been towing overloaded with the old ute, but even with the Patrol, as he would not have known what GVM/GCM upgrades were required, and would most likely have underestimated the true "loaded weight" of the build.

This latest session was also about working out what to look for in a caravan, which is yet to be purchased, and we used our "Tow Vehicle Simulator" to help us work it all out.

We determined that even with a 3500kg trailer running a 350kg Tow Ball Mass, the vehicle will have 449kg left on the GVM, just under 500kg left on the rear axle and be 800kg below the GCM.

There are plans for a steel rear bar and second spare wheel to be fitted shortly, which will put a dent in the figures, but there is plenty of payload left to get the job done.

The owner also recognises that the original plan for a massive 23ft caravan probably isn't the best idea, and is looking for something around the 18ft mark that won't give my scales a heart attack when he gets it all weighed as a combination.

I get so many overloaded set-up on the scales, and there is often some big dollars involved in setting up a touring combination correctly. It's nice to get ahead of the game every once in a while, instead delivery bad news to new caravan owners after the fact.

A "Pre-Purchase" weighing session just makes so much sense!

Available in Bathurst only, book your session at www.weighmerv.com.au

28/08/2026

Impressive results!

In an industry obsessed with building big, heavy caravans, this little Neptune 402S from Silversun Caravans is a real breath of fresh air.

With an unloaded Tare weight of 1520kg stated on the compliance plate, I have to admit, I was a little sceptical. I mean, it has all of the mod-cons fitted including an internal ensuite with seperate toilet and shower, air conditioning, independent suspension etc.

The owner was literally in the middle of a trip away, so he was fully loaded, and the little Neptune weighed in at 2018kg. That's with 200L of water on board!

Impressively, the ATM is rated at 2500kg, giving the Neptune 481kg of remaining payload from an original 980kg - yep, you read that right.

The GTM is set at 2400kg, and it weight in at 1779 GTM, which is also 621kg under.

The drivers side weighed in at 885kg and the passenger side was 893kg, that is just 8kg difference!

The Tow Ball Mass weighed in at 237kg, which is 11.7% of the trailers loaded weight. The owner says it tows beautifully, and I believe it. The Tow Ball Mass will also naturally get reduced as the water level drops as it runs one big 200L water tank placed just in front of the axle.

The loaded trailer is also 560kg lighter than the tow vehicles unhitched weight, which is a major win!

How did the Hilux go? Well, it weighed in at 2816kg hitched, which is 234kg under the 3050kg GVM.

The Gross Combined Mass is the one that usually catches these utes out, but in this case, with a modest sized caravan that doesn't tip the scales, it weighed in at 4595kg, which is 1255kg under the GCM.

The rear axle is the achillis heel. It's rated at 1700kg, which is a bit lower than competing utilities. It weighed in at 1580kg hitched, which is still 119kg under but something that can be improved. It gives us 56% of rear weight distribution. There is also some extra weight placed in the back that isn't usually there, like 40L of extra water, just in case.

While the vehicle is still under its maximum limits, the owner is looking at GVM upgrades for the future to ensure it'll happily tackle some proper outback touring tracks. I think those stock shock absorbers will thank him for it.

Having the exact weights means he can work out the best option for what he needs.

It is my hope that caravanners shift their mentality from towing caravans that are on the edge of their limits and the cars capabilities, to modest set-ups that let you go exploring in comfort and are arguably safer on the road.

This little caravan proves it can be done.

Book your weighing session at
www.weighmerv.com.au

17/08/2026

Pre-Purchase Vehicle Weighs:

We had another Ford Ranger up on the scales the other day, this time it was to see how much it could really tow before the owner purchased a brand new caravan.

You see, when the vehicle's manufacturer says that a vehicle can tow 3500kg, that figure is largely dependent on what the vehicle currently weighs with fuel, passengers and luggage etc. The large majority of vehicles with a Braked Towing Capacity of 3500kg will actually exceed their Gross Combined Mass if they try to tow that amount of weight if the vehicle has any load added to it from factory.

For this particular vehicle, the GVM is 3280kg, and it weighed in at 2707kg with passengers etc on board, putting it at 573kg under its GVM (remaining payload).

Luckily, it isn't loaded up with payload-sucking accessories like batteries, water tanks, winches, draws and a canopy, eh?

But, what about Tow Ball Mass?

Now, we need to remember that when you attach a trailer, its Tow Ball Mass gets transferred to the vehicle, and that weight comes out of the vehicles remaining payload. So, if the trailer weighed 2800kg, and you allowed a 10% Tow Ball Mass (280kg), in this case we would have about 293kg of remaining payload with the trailer hitched, at least theoretically.

The question is, is this enough? Will this allow for any extra load the owners are likely to add, like future accessories or those little extras you tend to chuck in for a trip away in the real world (like beer, and more beer).

And if the vehicle weighs in right on the the GVM, are you happy to run at the vehicles absolute maximum weight?

That's a call for the owner, but in our experince, a 5-10% payload buffer couldnt hurt.

Rear Axle Load:

The other considerations we look at when assessing a vehicles suitability to tow a particular trailer, is how that extra Tow Ball Mass will affect the front and rear axle loads.

In this case, the rear axle weighed in at just 1195kg (there was almost nothing in the tub), which is 764kg under the 1959kg Rear Gross Axle Weigh Limit.

Unfortunately, to calculate how much the rear axle will be loaded up when we hitch the trailer up, it's not as easy as simply adding the Tow Ball Mass to the rear axle weight - there is a leverage effect that transfers weight from the front axle to the rear axle on top of the Tow Ball Mass.

As part of our service, we can take a few extra measurements like the rear overhang and the wheelbase length, and use a formula to calculate how much weight gets transferred, and how much rear axle loading we are likely to see realistically.

In this case, we worked out that when a 287kg TBM is applied, we anticipate about 114kg will be transferred from the front to rear axle. In other words, adding a 287kg Tow Ball Mass should result in 401kg being applied to the rear axle. This brings the total rear axle load to 1596kg in theory, which is 362kg under the maximum. For this particular set-up, that should give us about 53% rear axle weight distribution.

What about Gross Combined Mass?

Well, this is another large peice of the puzzle. If the Ranger currently weighs 2707kg, and the caravan is estimated to weigh up to 2800kg (ATM), the combined weight is 5507kg, which is well under the Vehicles GCM of 6400kg.

So, we now know that if we add a 2800kg Trailer with 10% TBM to this vehicle at its current weight, the vehicle should be around 285kg under its GVM. The rear axle will have plenty of room too, providing it isn't loaded up with extra gear compared to our current weights, and the Gross Combination Mass should not be an issue either.

If the GVM does happen to creep up, or the customer simply wants to improve his remaining payload or towing performance, then a GVM upgrade is always an option too, especially given that the Gross Combination Mass isn't going to be the limiting factor with this particular combination.

So you see, by getting a quick weighing session done by Weigh Me RV, the owners have now got much more information to make educated decisions on the right caravan to purchase. They have been brought up to speed about the common weight-related traps when buying a new (or old) caravan, and have some real world figures to work with.

Doesn't that sound better than just guessing your way through a new caravan purchase, and hoping the salesman isn't telling furphys to get a sale?

Book your "pre-purchase Weighing Session" at www.weighmerv.com.au

15/08/2026

This post really does say it all. A combination can feel fine, until it doesn't, especially under emergency conditions.

Things happen fast.

11/08/2026

Had this Ford Ranger and Viscount on the scales over the weekend.

The owner mentioned that the combination does not feel good to tow - swaying is an issue. The exact words were, "it feels horrible".

Interestingly, both the ute and the trailer were all well under their maximum allowable weights with a few hundred kilograms to spare across all individual categories.

So, why the sway? Well, there's a lot more to it then just the overall weights...the weight needs to be in the right places.

The first thing we noticed was the Tow Ball Mass was sitting at around 8% of the trailers overall weight (ATM). The water tanks were full, and they sit in front of the axle group. The customer also explained that he usually doesn't tow with full water, so that Tow Ball Mass would have been even lower on past trips.

The next thing we looked at was the weight distribution on the front and rear of the tow vehicle. The rear axle was about 500kg heavier than the front axle, and you could physically see the rear of the car was loaded up and sagging down.

The other issue we saw, was the caravans weight is heavier than the tow vehicle. This is perfectly legal, however, in my opinion, it isn't ideal. It basically allows the caravan to become the bully of the combination, and push the vehicle around a lot more.

So, we have 3 things contributing here;

1. A lower than average Tow Ball Mass allowing the trailer to lose stability quickly and sway.

2. The rear of the car is taking a large proportion of the weight, which means less weight on the front wheels - braking and steering are negatively affected by this, and being light on the front can allow the front-end to wonder, which can eventually become sway by the time it reaches the back of the trailer, a bit like a whip.

3. The trailer being heavier than the car means when the trailer does sway, the car is going to feel it a heck of a lot!

It just goes to show that you can be under your legal weights and still have an unstable set-up. That's why it pays to know exactly what your weights are, and importantly, where that weight is placed. Armed with that knowledge you can make adjustments to load, and look at what needs upgrading, like tyres, springs, shocks, Weight Distribution Systems etc.

Book your next session at
www.weighmerv.com.au

08/08/2026

I just had a 200 series LandCruiser up on the scales, and the owner wanted to see how much difference it made if he was to fit a 12V winch to the front, and also fit a shorter hitch into the towbar to help reduce the effect of leverage.

So we did a "before" and "after" weigh, to see the difference.

It is important to know, that the new hitch was set to the exact same ride height as the original one, and the Tow Ball Mass came in at exactly the same for both weighs.

We determined that 28kg was removed from the rear axle and 36kg was added to the front axle on the second weigh.

It was enough to lower the rear axle weight by almost 1 full percent, which is well on its way to improving general weight distribution and handling.

If you are looking at making a few changes to your set-up, it's worth knowing where you are to start with.

These owner now know what to expect when the changes are actually made, and also have a better idea on a few other improvements that can be made.

Book your personalised weighing session at www.weighmerv.com.au

06/08/2026

Just had this mint Isuzu D-Max on the scales today. The idea was to give it a quick weigh to see where it's at before the owners commit to purchasing a new trailer.

It was a good idea too, as we determined the vehicle would have been pushed over its GVM, GCM and rear GAWR with the vehicle in its current form and the camper trailer that they had in mind, attached.

Now, this vehicle already has a GVM upgrade to 3500kg, which includes upgraded axle capacities of 1500kg on the front and 2000kg on the rear.

The vehicle was pretty much fully loaded with 2 occupants and a large water tank in the canopy, and it ended up weighing in at 3212kg, which is 288kg under the GVM. The rear axle was sitting at 1834kg (166kg under the limit).

The camper they are looking at has a ATM of 3000kg, with 640kg of payload. We calculated that when fully loaded with water (has large capacity tanks) etc, it would be sitting right at that 3000kg mark, and assumed a minimum of 10% (300kg) Tow Ball Mass.

It's not uncommon to see large single axle hybrids run more than 10% TBM, especially when fully loaded with water etc.

With 300kg Tow Ball Mass applied to the car, it would weigh in at 3512kg, which is right on the GVM (12kg over).

But wait, there's more. With a 3000kg trailer hitched, the total combination would weigh in at a calculated 6212kg, which is 262kg over the Gross Combination Mass of 5950kg.

We also calculated that the rear axle would be over the rear GAWR by approximately 292kg once you factory in the Tow Ball Mass and the affects of leverage.

Now, we also weighed it with the water tank empty, and a few other things shuffled around, and determined (with an educated guess) that removing the canopy would likely allow the vehicle stay under its maximum limits, but there wouldn't be much of a buffer left when it's all said and done.

It's food for thought for the owners, and gives them the information required to make educated decisions.

If you are looking to purchase a new trailer, it is worth knowing exactly where you stand BEFORE you lay down your cash.

Book your session at www.weighmerv.com.au

04/08/2026

Before getting a new aluminium tray fitted, the owners of this big rig decided to get the lot weighed to see exactly where it stands.

It was worth checking too, as even trucks can be pushed to their limit.

In this case, the truck was slightly over its GVM, but nothing that couldn't be sorted with a little culling of non-essentials, and of course, replacing that heavy old steel tray with a flash aluminium one will make a huge difference too.

The point of this session wasn't just to find out their weights. It was to learn what they mean. and how they interact. It was also to ensure the little towing compliance legalities where ticked off too.

Now, with the real world figures on hand, the owners know exactly where they stand and how to move forward.

To book your session, visit
www.weighmerv.com.au

03/08/2026

Fitting a suspension upgrade without knowing your vehicle and trailers exact weights is like prescribing medication without knowing the sickness.

Now, every now and then I get to weigh a car and caravan before it gets the suspension done. I get to show the customer exactly where they currently sit weight-wise, what needs to be done, and what they need to be weary of when determining what upgrade to go with. It allows me to explain what all the weight categories actually mean, and how they interact with each other, so you can make good decisions.

This know-doubt saves them a heck of a lot of guess work, time and of course, money.

For example, I just had this old Bush Tracker Caravan and 300 series LandCruiser in for a weight check before the owner decided on which GVM upgrade to go with.

We worked out exactly what the car weighed hitched up (remember, the Tow Ball Mass eats up the vehicles payload, so the vehicles unhitched weight doesn't tell you much), and how much extra payload would be required to keep it legal with a good buffer. We also worked out which GVM upgrades would be overkill, and would likely cause a harsh, stiff ride.

We assessed the individual axle loads, and worked out what the revised GAWR's would need to be to keep it legal and safe.

The truth is, when it comes to towing, if you are talking about upgrades without knowing the exact weights, you are purely relying on guess-work.

For $295.00 you can take most of the guess work out of it and drastically reduce the risk of getting it wrong.

So, if you are looking at getting a suspension upgrade, book yourself in a professional weighing session at www.weighmerv.com.au.

or, you can risk prescribing a very expensive throat lozenge for a bad headache!

www.weighmerv.com.au

02/08/2026

In the world of caravan weights, people often underestimate just how sensitive a trailer can be to even slight shifts in weight or adjustments to the hitch height etc.

I just had a caravan on the scales that looked pretty level to the naked eye, but was showing up very heavy on the trailers front axle. Turns out it was 2inch nose-down, which was loading the front axle a full 453kg heavier than the rear axle (1648kg front to 1195kg rear).

Raising the hitch height by 50mm, had the axles balanced to within 50kg of each other.

The other thing is the Tow Ball Mass increased by 40kg, which brought it up from 7.9% of the ATM to 8.5%.

Now, not all trailers will show this much of a difference.

We were also able to shift 30kg off the vehicles rear axle by simply moving a few items forward. We didnt remove any weight, we just moved a few things from the rear of the tray to the back seat of the car and it shifted 30kg off the vehicles rear axle.

It just goes to show how sensitive a typical towing set-up can be.

While many people will argue that because weight is constantly shifting with everything you move, there is no point getting it all weighed. I argue, the point of getting it weighed isn't just to find out if you are over the legal limits, but to know where the weight can be shifted to achieve the optimum weight distribution.

To book yourself in a weighing session, head over to www.weighmerv.com.au

Borgy's - Weigh Me RV

31/08/2026

28/08/2026

17/08/2026

15/08/2026

11/08/2026

08/08/2026

06/08/2026

04/08/2026

03/08/2026

02/08/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request