Have you got a new caravan or are you planning to buy one? Keeping track of the caravan’s measurements like length, breadth, and weight is important in both cases. It is because the length and weight of the caravan impact the driving way, parking, towing, etc.
Another major reason for knowing the exact weight and other dimensions is the legal rules and the safety. For example, there is a maximum limit of weight a caravan can carry. Also, to navigate the risky roads and the tunnels, knowing the caravan measurements help you keep yourself safe when travelling to the camping destination.
How often should you measure the size and weight of your caravan?
If you are about to buy a used caravan, never avoid measuring the caravan since the caravan may have been modified or fitted with some extra equipment. So, the extra appliances or components added to the caravan can increase the length or weight of the caravan.
Moreover, if you want to buy a new one, you will surely get the caravan measurements at the store. However, you want some added features in your caravan, then after all the fitting, get your caravan measured to get an accurate idea. Besides, it is recommended to weigh the caravan before embarking on every trip or at the time of towing when it is fully loaded, or you add any new equipment to it that can increase its weight.
The terminology you need to know when measuring the size and weighing the caravan
Tare Mass- The weight of an empty caravan is known as the tare mass.
ATM- It is Aggregate Trailer Mass. It is defined as the maximum weight a caravan is allowed to carry by the manufacturer. It is calculated by adding the tare mass and the maximum carrying capacity of the caravan when not connected to the towing vehicle.
GVM-It indicates the maximum weight limit that your car supports. If the ATM of the caravan is more than the GVM value of the car, you can’t tow your caravan with that car. Most of the four-wheelers can easily tow the caravans, but the small and medium-sized cars have problems towing the caravans.
Body length-The body length of the caravan is measured divided into two ways-internal dimensions of the living space and the external body dimensions.
Overall length: The caravan’s overall length is measured from the rear end of the equipment mounted on the backside of the caravan to the front end.
How to weigh your caravan
There is no household equipment to weigh the caravan, but you can make use of the weighbridges and specially built caravan weight scales. Weighbridges are used to weigh cars, trail ores, caravans, etc. All you need to do is visit the nearest weighbridge and pay for the weighing services. To calculate the accurate weight of the caravan, first, find out the tare weight, then check the weight of the fully-loaded caravan. Caravan weight scales are like your home bathroom scales, however much stronger and are placed under the wheels of the caravan.
Use of the weighbridge
The weighing area of the modern weighbridge is made up of multiple pads. These are placed in straight lines. And when you drive the caravan to the weighing area, the vehicle, the caravan, and the hitching system exert weight on different pads. The weighing reading of the different pads is taken. After adding up all the three values, the total you get is the Gross combination mass of the caravan. And it should be less than the GVM and the ATM.
If you want to measure the weights of the loaded vehicle or caravan, decouple the hitch and note the readings from the specific weighing pad the caravan or a vehicle is on. However, if part of the caravan or vehicle is on another pad, you can add up the weighing readings from all the pads carrying the caravan or vehicle. This way, you can weigh your caravan correctly. And have a safe and effortless camping journey.
How to measure the caravan size
The easiest and the simplest way to measure the size is using a measuring tape. Here we give you some practical tips to measure a caravan.
Measuring caravan width
The total side to side distance of the caravan is the outside width of the caravan. Therefore, to measure the width of the caravan, you need to align the measuring tape from one end to the other. Moreover, various measuring tapes come with a hook at the end so you can attach the hook to the caravan corner and easily extend the tape underneath the caravan body.
Measuring the length
The caravan’s overall length is considered the actual length of the caravan (distance from the coupling point at the front to the back).
Measuring the height
The distance from the top of the caravan to the ground is the overall height of the caravan. Also, don’t forget to take the outer components into account to get the precise value of the height of the caravan.
Summing up
You can follow our tips mentioned above to measure the size and weight of your caravan. Make sure you visit the licensed and experienced operators of the weighbridge. Also, do not use a defective or old measuring tape to get the precise value of the length, breadth, and width.
