Check all 7 weight limits before you tow...

Is Your Rig Actually Legal, Or Does It Just Tow Fine?

I’m looking for five Kiwi caravanners to check their setup with my Towing Weight Calculator, free, with me helping. All I ask in return is an honest review.

IS THIS YOU?

“The dealer said the ute would handle it.”

“We’ve towed for years and nothing’s gone wrong.”

“I looked up GVM, GCM and ATM, and my eyes glazed over.”

“We’re about to buy a van and can’t afford to get this wrong.”

You don’t need an engineering degree. You need the right numbers, checked in the right order, by someone who’ll explain them in plain English.

WHY GOOD PEOPLE GET CAUGHT OUT: The Tow Rating Trap

The big towing number in the brochure is the one everyone looks at. But it’s only one of seven weight limits, and it’s the one that shrinks fastest once you load up. Two people, a bull bar, a canopy, a fridge and a full water tank can eat hundreds of kilos before you’ve packed a sleeping bag.

The brochure tells you what the vehicle can pull. It doesn’t tell you what you can legally pull with your vehicle loaded the way you actually travel. That’s the trap, and it catches careful people, not careless ones.

HOW IT WORKS

1. A 15-minute call to get set up. On a video call (I’ll help you get it going), or by phone if you’d rather, I’ll show you where to find each number: the compliance plate on your van, the plate on your towbar and your owner’s manual. Then I’ll send you the calculator.

2. Put in your numbers at your own pace. You only type in the yellow boxes. You get 12 checks, each a green pass or a red fail. Try different loads, or a different van, as often as you like.

3. A 20-minute yarn. Over a cuppa, on video or on the phone. You tell me what it showed you, what confused you and what you’d change.

WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH

• All seven limits checked for your own rig: GVM, GCM, ATM, GTM, tow ball mass, towbar rating and axle loads.

• How much you can actually carry in the vehicle with the van hooked on. Most people have never worked this out, and it’s often the surprise.

• For Kiwis: whether your rig fits your licence. A full Class 1 licence has a 6,000 kg limit that catches a lot of big setups.

• Which limit you’re closest to, and by how many kilos, so you know exactly what to leave at home.

• If you’re shopping: the biggest van your vehicle can tow, before you sign anything.

• A printable checklist for before you buy and before every trip.

WHY I DO THIS

I’m Robbie. I spent 48 years on the tools in engineering, mining, farming and heavy-industry workshops, and I’m a long-time NZMCA member.

When Sue and I went looking at a new caravan, I ran the numbers on our 2011 Prado before we signed anything. It failed. Twice. Not because the Prado’s a bad vehicle, but because once we were loaded up, that van was too much for it. The brochure never said so.

Then at a rally I met a bloke who’d been caravanning for over ten years. He found out that day he’d been 300 kilos over his vehicle’s legal limit on every single trip. He wasn’t careless or inexperienced. Nobody had ever laid it all out for him in one place.

So I wrote a book about it, “Know Before You Tow”, and I built the calculator. Now I want five Kiwi caravanners to put it through its paces and tell me straight whether it’s any good, before I ask anyone else to pay for it.

WHAT YOU GET: The First Five

• A 15-minute set-up call with me

• The full Towing Weight Calculator (normally NZ$19), yours to keep, with free updates if the rules change

• The NZ and Australian rules sheets, plus 18 towing terms explained in plain English

• A 20-minute yarn about what it showed you

Free for the first five. In return, I ask for 20 minutes of honest feedback and a short review I can share with your first name and town. Good or bad. A pat on the back is no use to me. The truth is.

🎁 BONUS

A free copy of my ebook, “Know Before You Tow”, straight away. And once we’ve had our yarn, I’ll post you a signed paperback as a thank-you.

🎁 THE BIG BONUS: Your weighbridge re-check

The calculator works on the figures you enter. A weighbridge tells you the truth. Any time in the next three months, take your rig to a public weighbridge, send me a photo of the ticket, and I’ll re-run your numbers with your real weights and talk you through them.

🛡️ MY PROMISE

It’s free, so all you risk is your time. If it wasn’t worth it, tell me straight, and I’ll fix whatever didn’t work for the next person.

QUESTIONS

What does it cost? Nothing for the first five. Just 20 minutes of honest feedback and a short review.

I’m not great with computers. Will I manage? Yes. You only type numbers into yellow boxes, and I’ll walk you through it on our call. It works best in Excel on a laptop or desktop.

Do I need to know my weights already? No. On our call I’ll show you where to find every number.

Is this legal or engineering advice? No. It’s an educational tool based on official NZ and Australian sources. Always confirm with your vehicle manufacturer, NZTA or your state transport authority, and a public weighbridge.

Will anyone see my numbers? No. Your numbers stay between us. I’ll only share your review, with your first name and town, and only with your permission.

Why only five? Because I set each one up myself and I want to do it properly.

I’m not used to video calls. That’s fine. I’ll talk you through it step by step, or we can just use the phone.

I’m in Australia. Can I join? Not this time: the First Five are Kiwis. But the calculator covers every Australian state, and you can get it now on my store.

What happens after I sign up? I’ll be in touch within 24 hours to book your set-up call.

Find out on your driveway, not at the roadside

Five spots, free, and I set each one up myself.

Cheers...Robbie

P.S. Most people guess their weights, and most guesses are light. That’s why the weighbridge re-check is part of the deal. Estimates are good. Real numbers are better.