ATM stands for aggregate trailer mass and refers to the combined weight of the trailer (tare weight) and the maximum trailer load. The maximum trailer load ensures the load is safe, controllable and that it will not significantly shorten the life of the vehicle's body and mechanical components.
Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) is the total mass of the trailer when carrying the maximum load recommended by the manufacturer. The ATM is generally measured with the caravan unhitched from your towing vehicle and resting on its jockey wheel.
Imagine a caravan that weighs 2000kg Tare (empty, including the unladen ball weight). It has an ATM (maximum permissible weight, including the ball weight of the now-loaded van) of 2700kg, and a GTM (maximum weight resting on the tyres only) of 2500kg.
Aggregate trailer mass (ATM)
The aggregate trailer mass of a caravan means the maximum allowable weight of your caravan when fully loaded and unhitched from a tow vehicle. This includes the weight of the caravan, any modifications made after it's been built, water in the tanks, gas bottles, luggage, food, clothes, etc.
Tare Weight or Mass
This is the weight of an empty standard vehicle with all of its fluids (for example, oils and coolants) and specifically 10 litres of fuel in the tank. Essentially, it is the same as the Kerb Weight or Mass but with only 10 litres of fuel instead of a full tank.
Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) is the maximum weight of your caravan loaded up. This includes its tare weight and anything else carried by the caravan, including water and gas.
The tow ball weight aligns with the caravan tare weight. It refers to how much pressure the caravan weight applies to the tow ball connected to your vehicle. The tow ball weight is measured when the caravan is empty aside from manufacturer specifications.
Due to the way many caravans are constructed and rated, modifications are often not necessary to achieve an increase in ATM. In most cases we can give you a confident indication of the maximum ATM possible on your van within a couple of days, so contact us today to arrange an assessment.
vehicle tow capacity list. Your tow vehicle must have the ability to safely and easily get moving—and stop—with not only the weight of the boat and trailer, but also any gear and passengers.
To recap, here are the sums you are going to need to know: ATM = caravan tare mass + caravan max payload. GVM = vehicle tare mass + maximum payload.
ATM stands for aggregate trailer mass and refers to the combined weight of the trailer (tare weight) and the maximum trailer load. The maximum trailer load ensures the load is safe, controllable and that it will not significantly shorten the life of the vehicle's body and mechanical components.
Whenever a vehicle towing a trailer travels along the road with the back down and front up, a problem of weight transfer exists. This means that there is less weight on the front wheels but more on the rear. For maximum safety, stability and vehicle control, both the caravan and towing vehicle should be level.
Max towing capacity should not be taken lightly. Exceeding what your vehicle is designed to tow can strain your engine and transmission, accelerate brake wear, damage your tires and even warp your chassis. This could in turn trigger catastrophic failure while driving and could lead to property damage or serious injury.
The GTM is basically the fully-loaded weight of the caravan while hitched up to the tow vehicle. This is basically the maximum caravan weight (ATM) minus the Tow Ball Weight, because that Tow Ball Weight gets transferred to the car's weight when you're hitched up.
The ideal is to spread it all evenly so that no one point is significantly more loaded than another. From the factory, your car or four-wheel drive will have an ideal balance, which might be that 45 per cent of the vehicle's mass is over the front wheels and the other 55 per cent is over the rear.
For safe towing it is recommended by many towing experts that a novice should keep the fully laden weight of the caravan no heavier than 85% of the kerbweight of the tow car. This is known as the 85% rule. Bear in mind that it is a guide and not legally enforceable.
According to the GMC Trailering Guide, to get the proper trailer tongue weight, you should put about 60 percent of the load centered evenly over the front half of the trailer. For instance, if that 2,000-pound trailer is still carrying 1,000 pounds, roughly 600 pounds should be in the front half of the trailer.
Find the listed towing capacity of your vehicle as stated in your owner's manual. Subtract 10% as a safety margin. Most vehicle tow ratings were calculated without passengers, fuel and cargo, so Edmunds.com recommends subtracting 10% from the maximum tow rating.
You can find your truck's towing capacity in the owner's manual or calculate it on your own. To find your truck's towing capacity, subtract your truck's curb weight from its Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR). The GCVWR is the maximum weight of your loaded truck and the weight of its attached trailer.
If your caravan is too heavy, you're putting an unnecessary strain on your chassis and running gear, causing them to wear down far quicker. If it's overweight and unbalanced, you'll get what some refer to as 'Death Wobbles', where your van begins fishtailing behind you.
Overloading a caravan with too much weight will not only cause your car to struggle when accelerating or climbing hills, but will also affect its handling and stability, which makes overloading a real concern to your towing safety.
“Supply and install for GVM upgrades start from $17,000.
Your tow ball weight counts as part of your Gross Vehicle Mass when towing, so it is best to keep this in mind to ensure your vehicle is not overloaded. Typically, the tow ball weight should be 10% of the trailer's laden weight.
Keep the heaviest items in your van as close to the axle as possible and place lighter items at the front and the very lightest items at the back. With the majority of weight centred in the middle you'll be able to maintain more control of the caravan and reduce the range at which the rear can sway.
What is the difference between GVM and TARE weight? The GVM is the maximum allowable total mass of a fully loaded motor vehicle as specified by the manufacturer. Whereas the TARE weight is the base weight of the empty vehicle or trailer. Trailers must be unhitched from any tow vehicle, no payload or load restraints.