LoadMate User Guide - Section 1: Getting Started with Adding Your Vehicle

Welcome to the LoadMate onboarding guide. This comprehensive guide aims to equip both the rookies and seasoned caravanning enthusiasts with the tools and knowledge needed to get the most out of LoadMate, ensuring safe and enjoyable journeys.

For this part of the guide, keep the following handy:

-         Your vehicle's owner's manual

-         Any professional weight check reports of TARE (unloaded) weights

Please note that LoadMate currently uses metric measurements. If you are from the U.S., keep this in mind while following along.

Now, let's embark on your journey with LoadMate - your ultimate weight management solution for caravans and travel trailers.

Section 1: Getting Started - Add Your Vehicle

Your first step in using LoadMate is to add your vehicle. For the most accurate and comprehensive data, refer to your owner's manual. Redbook.com.au can also be a helpful reference, but it might lack specifics like axle load limits, which are often found in the "Trailer Towing" section of your owner's manual.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory and must be filled to proceed. To maximise LoadMate's functionality and ensure precise calculations, we recommend filling out as many fields as possible.

Vehicle Description

Enter a description for your vehicle for your reference.

Kerb Weight*

Kerb weight, or mass, is the weight of a vehicle with a full tank of fuel, excluding occupants, cargo or luggage, and with all standard equipment included.

If the Kerb weight is not in your owner's manual, it will likely be listed in a vehicle specification or on Redbook.com.au.

Take a moment to understand why knowing the kerb weight of your vehicle is important: it helps determine how much additional weight your vehicle can handle without exceeding its Gross Vehicle Mass limit.

If you only have your vehicle's Tare weight, which doesn't include the weight of a full fuel tank, you can make a simple estimation for the 'wet' weight. To do this, locate your fuel tank capacity (in litres) and multiply it by either 0.79kg/L for petrol or 0.84kg/L for diesel to get the weight of the fuel. Add this to your Tare value to estimate the Kerb weight.

Keep in mind, though, that some manufacturers include 10L of fuel in their Tare weights, while others do not. If you're aware of this detail for your vehicle, you can adjust your calculations. But don't sweat the small stuff — a slight discrepancy of 10L+/- isn't going to drastically affect your journey! Always remember to focus on the bigger picture when ensuring compliance.

Max Towball Mass or Trailer Tongue Load

The Maximum Tow Ball Mass represents the maximum weight your vehicle's tow ball can support. If your vehicle has a variable limit, ensure you enter a value that aligns with your Braked Towing Capacity, which should be equal to or greater than your caravan's Aggregate Trailer Mass. 

Braked Towing Capacity or Total Trailer Weight*

The Braked Towing Capacity (BTC) is the uppermost weight your vehicle can safely and legally tow when equipped with an electric brake controller. Please note that this limit refers to the actual weight of the trailer being towed, not the Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) indicated on the trailer's compliance plate.

That being said, if your caravan’s registered ATM is higher than your vehicle's BTC, it's imperative to ensure the trailer's physical weight doesn't surpass the BTC. This is important, as towing a caravan with a plated ATM exceeding your vehicle's BTC could lead to complications with authorities and insurers in case of an incident.

The ATM is a crucial factor as it includes the tow ball download, contrary to the Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) which excludes it. By considering the ATM, you account for the complete weight of the loaded trailer, including the vital tow ball weight. This ensures a more precise and safer evaluation of whether your vehicle and trailer combination aligns with legal limits and manufacturers' recommendations.

It's your responsibility to demonstrate compliance with all legal weight limits if challenged. This can result in an expensive legal process depending on the severity of the incident. Therefore, a meticulous approach to weight management is advised.

It's worth mentioning that some vehicles offer the possibility to upgrade their BTC. If you've gone for this option, make sure to input your revised limit from the compliance plate into LoadMate.

Gross Vehicle Mass or Gross Vehicle Weight*

Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) is the maximum weight that your vehicle can weigh when fully loaded, including the vehicle's base weight, fuel, water, luggage, passengers, any modifications you've added, and your tow ball mass.

Some vehicles may have the option to upgrade their GVM. If you have upgraded your GVM, please input your revised compliance plate limit. 

Gross Combined Mass*

The Gross Combination Mass (GCM) represents the maximum weight that your fully-loaded vehicle and attached caravan or trailer can collectively weigh. This value is specified by the vehicle's manufacturer and can typically be found in the owner's handbook or a mechanical specifications document. If you struggle to locate the GCM, resources like Redbook.com.au or a simple Google search might provide the needed information.

It's noteworthy that upgrading your GCM is complex and subject to different legal standards across Australian states and territories. Even where legal, not every second-stage manufacturer will offer upgrade kits suitable for all vehicle types.

Keep in mind, the GCM might be lower than the combined weight of your vehicle's Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and the caravan's Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM). Hence, it's crucial to avoid overloading your setup beyond its GCM limit. For the avoidance of any potential complications, seeking professional advice is highly recommended before proceeding with any upgrades or modifications to your GCM.

Front Axle Weight Rating and Rear Axle Weight Rating

The Gross Front Axle Mass and Gross Rear Axle Mass are the maximum load that your vehicle's front and rear axles can carry, respectively.

Remember: Monitor your Gross Rear Axle Mass closely when loading your vehicle, as it's one of the most commonly exceeded limits.

Measured Tare Weights

While LoadMate can operate using manufacturer's base weights for calculations, obtaining actual weights through a professional weight check significantly enhances the accuracy and safety of your caravanning adventure. This becomes particularly crucial when evaluating axle load limits, especially for pre-owned or modified tow vehicles.

Within LoadMate, preference is given to Actual Axle Weights, followed by the Actual Vehicle Tare Weight. Note that these weights should be obtained when the caravan or travel trailer isn't attached.

Keep in mind, without actual axle weights at tare from a professional weight check report, LoadMate won't be able to provide precise calculations for these factors. In the absence of these values, LoadMate employs a basic method by default, allocating 50% of the kerb weight to each axle as a starting point. This fundamental approach allows you to monitor this crucial limit, clearly visualising how your tow ball download and other loads impact the vehicle's axles.

Nevertheless, for the best results and to ensure utmost safety, we strongly advise getting a professional weight check report for the most accurate tare axle weights. Trust LoadMate for making your caravanning experiences safer and more efficient.

The following fields are provided for you to input this data: Actual Front Axle Tare Weight, Actual Rear Axle Tare Weight, Actual Vehicle Tare Weight, Date of Tare Weigh Service.

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In summary, the data you input about your vehicle forms the foundation for LoadMate's calculations. Accuracy here is essential as it ensures you get the most out of LoadMate's functionality, making your caravanning or trailer travel safe and enjoyable. Remember, the more information you provide, the more accurate the calculations will be. It's all about finding the balance that works for your specific caravan or trailer and load requirements.

Ready to move on? Let's proceed to section 2, where we'll learn how to add your caravan to LoadMate.