GCM limit

[crdv6]

Just wondering when the JGC had it's GCM reduced from 6449 to 6099?
I have a '17 model with the lower limit and towing a Silverline Outback I'm right on its limits.
Wonder if I should have brought an older version.

[drover]

Mine doesn't have one noted on the plate but I did see on the build sheet a GVW of 6500kg which I though a bit much actually.......

[LeCheese]

Taken these two comments off a recent post in one of the Facebook groups:

"There has been no reduction in GCVM, it was always 6499, including the 350 kg ball weight, they now just separate them out. The vehicle size hasn’t changed, the suspension hasn’t changed, it is just the way the ADR regulations are now."

"With the MY15, the GCM was never explicitly stated in the owners manual. It was calculated by taking the GVM and adding 3,500kg (the rated towing capacity) to that. In practice, you could never achieve the rated GCM unless you had a ball weight of 0kg!!! Imagine you have your Jeep loaded to the max GVM. You then hook up a 3.5 tonne van to it. By doing so, you will have exceeded your GVM by the tow ball weight. To be legal, you need to take stuff out of the Jeep, equivalent in weight to the tow ball mass. In the later models, the GCM was explicitly stated and effectively assumed a tow ball weight of 350kg."

[drover]

The GCM has always been the GVM plus GTM, the GTM is the ATM less the ball weight which has always been included in the tug............. unless otherwise stated with a specific GCM which often means the vehicle is not capable of towing its full tow capacity.

The figures should always be the actual scale figures not something stamped on a plate or in a brochure they will be wrong.............most van compliance plates are incorrect and shouldn't be relied on for anything other than vin.

It should be noted that weigh bridge tickets will not stop you getting fined, its what on the dial of the scale the Transport fella has that counts.

[crdv6]

So, what does the Transport fellow go on?
Actual weight, or will he add my GVM to the van's ATM without allowing for the fact that my GVM includes the towball weight, which comes off the ATM.
They shouldn't count towball weight twice, but I've seen some articles on this subject that say your tow vehicle should allow for GVM plus max towable weight which would be 6449 not 6099.
If I add both GVM's together I'm ok with just 50kg to spare, but if you add car GV M to van ATM I'd be 150 kg over.
I'm not so much worried about the transport fellas as the insurance company.
How do they assess a big claim? If they thought you were over limit they would probably deny a claim.

Sent from my CPH1979 using Tapatalk

[drover]

The transport fellas will always go by whats on their scale read out, so for example you go over a weigh bridge with your van hooked up, you stop your tug on the bridge that will give the GVM of your tug, thats the tug plus the ball weight, then you run the whole rig onto the bridge, this gives you the GCM, next you pull the tug off the bridge, just leaving the van axles on the scale, this gives you the GTM to be fully checked you then reverse so you can unhitch leaving the van on the bridge with axles and jockey wheel, this reading is the vans ATM.............
Then you subtract the GTM from the ATM and you have the ball weight (BW)..... You can then subtract the BW from the GVM you got and that will show you how much is in the tug when unhitched............. head spinning yet ????

Now, it is possible to have a GCM which is legal BUT you could still be over loaded if any of the others don't comply..... We will leave axle weights to another session............. Having to go thru this stuff sort of daily with trucks it becomes second nature, even now..........

Weigh bridge tickets show that everything was good at a certain time, but if you had only half a tank of fuel and no water onboard, added granny later on, things change............ I would be more inclined to worry about Scallies than Insurance, if towing a big arse van with a Prado etc the Insurance mob will get suss but a compliant rig they wouldn't bother unless other things attracted attention, like boat on roof, motorbike on back sort of thing..........

It should be noted you are only overloaded if the actual weight is over the rated weigh for that vehicle, a 3ton tow capacity on a tug doesn't stop it towing a van with marked as 3.5t, if the actual real world load is under the 3 ton all is good....... same for a 300kg ball weight so long as the BW isn't over 300kgs its legal no matter what the compliance plate says....... ignore tare weight its a fantasy that will never been seen again.

A few years back Grands had the GCM marked as they were Cat MC which denotes as a 4WD and gets the GCM noted on the plate, then they went to MA, costs less its a Car class not FWD and doesn't need to have the GCM noted I think they are now MC and have GCM noted on plates, this has made them do a proper classification and thusly derated the GCM so it actually complies..... if you have a look at the regs your brain will go to mush, so my explanation gives a gist of the MA/MC BS............

[johnnywal]

I find that the maximum weight my van can be when the GC is loaded for a typical trip of a few months away is 3100kg.
That is my golden rule to be legal with the 2 of us in the vehicle, a MY14 GC Laredo diesel.