As Tony Ogden's laptop punched out the numbers in Mitchell in the ACT recently, Gilmore couple Rob and Jock Croker were relieved to find their much-prized latest purchase, a brand new 6.4-metre New Age caravan and Ford Ranger ute, were both within road-legal specification.
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But for thousands of people plying the roads with their huge caravans in tow, the numbers tell a very different story.
Around one third of the car and caravan combinations that roll over Mr Ogden's mobile scales are overweight, and the problem is a growing one.
"Some people just don't want to know," Mr Ogden said.
"They just assume they are legal, hook up their caravan and go. But you can tell just by looking at some set-ups that they are way over[weight]."
This, in turn, can have serious safety and insurance ramifications, together with big fines if stopped and weighed on the roadside by transport inspectors.
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Unable to travel overseas until only very recently, Australians have been hooking up vans and hitting the road in record numbers.
The national caravan industry is experiencing its biggest growth in some 50 years, yet many buyers are jumping into the market unaware that their latest van purchase, which at the top end of the comfort and size spectrum could cost $150,000 or more, could be well beyond their vehicle's legal towing weight.
Experts warn that the so-called "raw" weights should be treated with caution.
"It [towing overweight] is a common problem, far more common than many people think," Tony Ogden said.
"We got into doing this [weighing car and caravan combinations] for customers because we got burnt by exactly that same issue.
"We bought a caravan that we thought we could easily tow legally with our Toyota Prado.
"But when we put the combination over a weighbridge, that wasn't the case. So that was quite a surprise to us - as we do this [mobile weighing], we see that same issue time and again."
Tony and Debbie Ogden run a small business called Your Weight, in which they travel throughout the NSW southern region in their own caravan and set up "shop" in popular travel stopover points such as Canberra Park in Mitchell, charging customers a standard fee of $270 to provide a comprehensive breakdown of all their combined car and caravan weights and loads.
"We're flat out. Usually we are at the caravan shows ... but there hasn't been any shows because of COVID," Mr Ogden said.
As a result, caravans are getting bigger, more luxurious - and heavier.
"The gross vehicle mass is the crucial number that people should be aware of, but there's also a whole lot of other factors to consider including towball weight and rear axle weight," Mr Ogden said.
"The legality of a set-up also has to factor in what accessories people fit to their tow vehicle - bullbars, driving lights, winches and so on - and to their caravan.
"For instance, the caravan brochure can have one tare weight as it leaves the factory but then when it reaches the retail yard, a customer orders an annexe fitted, an extra gas bottle on the drawbar, and solar panels on the roof. It soon adds up."
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