The inherent lie behind braked towing capacities.
We’re all being a little bit hoodwinked at the moment; led astray by 4WD manufacturers. It’s to do with the relevant tow ratings of vehicles, especially utes. It seems like all manufacturers are hell-bent to have a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, the problem is that they are all cutting corners to get there.
If you believe what they tell you in the advertising, these utes are all stronger than Steven Seagal’s stare, and can do just about anything tough – especially towing and hauling big loads. But not everything is as it seems, and it’s important to actually know the limitations of these vehicles.
Let’s have a look at the braked towing capacity figures, in order of 4X4 ute sales popularity. I’ll pick the highest-spec models (with diesel engines) to keep the field even.
Toyota HiLux SR5: 3,500kg (manual), 3,200kg (auto)
Ford Ranger Wildtrak: 3,500kg
Mitsubishi Triton Exceed: 3,100kg
Holden Colorado Z71: 3,500kg
Nissan Navara ST-X: 3,500kg
Isuzu D-Max: 3,500kg
Mazda BT-50: 3,500kg
Volkswagen Amarok: 3,000kg
Volkswagen Amarok V6: 3,000kg
Oh lord; I pity the fool that thinks that’s the end of the story. And I genuinely worry for the folk out there who don’t know any better and take the salesman at his word. When they ask, “Will this tow my caravan?” Put simply, Gross Combination Mass does not equal Gross Vehicle Mass plus Braked Towing Capacity. Let’s look at the rest of the specs, and understand what’s happening here. Now, where did I leave that old Casio calculator…
HiLux
Towing: 3,500kg (manual), 3,200kg (auto)
GVM: 3,000kg
GCM: 5,850kg
Kerb: 2,075kg
Payload: 925kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 275kg
Actual towing capacity @ full payload: 2,850kg
Ranger
Towing: 3,500kg
GCM: 6,000kg
GVM: 3,200kg
Kerb: 2,250kg
Payload: 950 kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 250kg
Actual towing capacity @ full payload: 2,800kg
Triton
Towing: 3,100kg
GCM: 5,885kg
GVM: 2,900kg
Kerb: 1,955kg
Payload: 945kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 830kg
Actual towing capacity @ full payload: 2,985kg
Holden Colorado
GCM: 6,000kg
GVM: 3,150kg
Kerb: 2,150kg
Payload: 1,000kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 350kg
Actual towing @ full payload: 2,850kg
Navara
GVM: 2,910kg
GCM: 5,910kg
Kerb: 1,969kg
Payload: 941kg
Navara towball penalty:100kg – 130kg
200kg – 280kg
300kg – 410kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 311-31kg (that’s not a typo, it’s 31kg)
Actual towing @ full payload: 3,000kg
D-Max
GVM: 2,950kg
GCM: 5,950kg
Kerb: 1,940kg
Payload: 1,010kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 510kg
Actual towing @ full payload: 3,000kg
BT-50
GVM: 3,200kg
GCM: 6,000kg
Kerb: 2,118kg
Payload: 1,082kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 382kg
Actual towing @ full payload: 2,800kg
Amarok
GVM: 3,040kg
GCM: 5,550kg
Kerb: 2,020kg
Payoad: 1,018kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 530kg
Actual towing @ full payload: 2,510kg
Amarok V6
GVM: 3,080kg
GCM: 6,000kg
Kerb: 2,216kg
Payload: 864kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 784kg
Actual towing @ full payload: 2,920kg
The problem is pretty obvious. It makes realistically trying to understand your legal limits here in the real world quite difficult. 3.5-tonne towing does not mean you can tow 3.5 tonnes. And a 1-tonne payload does not mean you can put a tonne in the back, if you’re towing.
A dishonourable mention here needs to be levelled at the Navara. Having a GCM that isn’t truly representative of a full payload and full towing capacity that sucks, in my opinion. But Nissan, taking it to the next level of limiting complexity with its towball mass clause, which could effectively give you a 31kg payload… that’s absolute rubbish. When you start factoring in extra passengers and accessories like barwork and canopies, things only get more dire. In fact, you even have to include the towbar most of the time.
Who is doing it right? Only Toyota’s 70 Series LandCruiser, these days. 3.5-tonne towing plus a 3.3-tonne GVM equals a 6,800kg GCM. The Land Rover Defender 130 had better stats at 3,500 + 3,500 = 7,000, but it’s sadly no longer around. Step up into the Light Truck category if you’re really serious and look at an Iveco Daily 4X4.
This article was originally posted by Unsealed 4X4.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Comments 40
The dumbest article i-eve ever read
When the towpoint is behind the rear axle line, its not safe to tow a trailer heavier than the tow vehicle. Adding payload to the tow vehicle actually makes it safer to tow a heavier trailer. Whether its the government’s or the importer’s fault, somehow its not being presented the right way.
GROSS VEHICLE MASS (GVM)
The GVM is the maximum weight that a truck can carry including its own weight. This is the maximum or total weight of a loaded rigid vehicle (including body, payload, fuel and driver). It is a figure set by the manufacturer and is lodged with registration authorities and governs all applications and is stamped on the COMPLIANCE PLATE OF THE VEHICLE, remember by the manufacturer. Not including bull bars, winches, side steps, extra large fuel tank, you know the extra common aftermarket accessories, the rest of the family, the esky the camping gear and don’t forget to include the weight on the tow ball on the tow bar if you are towing a trailer or caravan etc.
GROSS COMBINATION MASS (GCM)
The GCM is given for the total weight any vehicle can carry and tow. This is the maximum weight of a loaded vehicle combined with trailer or caravan (also referred to as GCW Gross Combination Weight).
Sorry, nothing dumb about the article.
Can anyone explain the principle behind why it is possible to get a GVM certificated increase for a vehicle with suspension upgrades, but this does not alter or increase the GCM. Not winging, but would like to know the principle behind why?
Mostly it’s about max axle loading.
Generally a Gvm upgrade can only go to max axle loading
Example my patrol
Max front axle 1500kg
Max rear axle 1800kg
Total 3300kg yet gvm 3060kg
So a Gvm upgrade would normally give Gvm of 3300kg, that’s an extra 240kg for around $1600
I suspect mark drives one of those legendary, magical “unbreakable” Hilux utes . . . you know, the model that rolls off a cliff into the ocean, washes up on the beach a week later and drives away. Marketing puffery vs reality – the precise theme of this article. It’s like all the unfortunate people who buy brand new Prados to tow their shiny new caravan. Wonderful vehicle, but they discover too late that 2500kg is not enough to tow their new caravan legally.
I know here you have compared diesel vehicles however it is incorrect to state, “Who is doing it right? Only Toyota’s 70 Series LandCruiser, these days. 3.5-tonne towing plus a 3.3-tonne GVM equals a 6,800kg GCM. ”
The Nissan Patrol is superior to the Toyota, having a 3.5-tonne towing plus a 3.5-tonne GVM equals a 7,000kg GCM.
it is the only one in diesel utes as the article states, not petrol or wagons, you can then bring in the d4 as well.
V6 Amarok towing capacity has been 3500kg since 2018 – agree with the context of the article (I only tow a 2,000kg Kimerley Karavan and wouldn’t want to tow any more where we go).
Borrowing articles like this from another source is not helpful unless it has been updated and checked.
NB: I also have had a GVM upgrade licenced with Vicroads but my GCM is still 6,000kg
BT 50, seems that GVM plus actual towing is adding up to 6400 kg . Bit odd as GCM is 6000Kg. ???
BT50 Actual towing @ full payload: 3,200kg I think this is wrong
What’s dumb about it Mark?
Plenty of people out there towing 3t vans cause they have a 3.5t towing capacity without realising that they’re way over the combined vehicle mass after adding in four passengers, extra fuel, barwork, winches ect.
Have to agree with you Bernie the most important number is the GCM then it’s individual axel weights and tow ball weights .
My question is with a 5th wheeler is the 5th wheeler allowed to weigh more than the stated trailer towing ie 3500 kg even if all axel weights are correct and is under the GCM .
Ps I’m really thinking of the Iveco daily as a tow vehicle but my question is still relevant to the average 4×4 ute that is towing a 5th wheeler
Yes because you are not towing( as per the towbar) Your weight is part taken up bye down weight in the GCM
Stephen
I bought an older f250 7.3l just for towing, plenty of grunt, 1100kg carrying with 3.5 tonne still on the rear, gotta be careful doing a youi though!!
Hi
I have bought a navara and have discovered the rear suspension is very weak could you give me some advice on what would be the best way to strengthen it …would air bags or heavier Spring do the trick
You comments would be appreciated
The article is about utes, and by the way, like the Navara, the Y62 Patrol has a ballweight penalty at 350kg thus reducing allowable payload – read the manual. Very good article for those considering buying a ute.
The GCM is based on the manufacturers decision what the vehicles enging gearbox configeration will happily tow ou a medium incline as well as its ability to safely retard a fully loaded braked trailer down a similar decline. All the spring up grades in the world wont enhance power or stopping ability.
I’ve been doing the math on this for quite a while and found the same conclusion. We’ll be modifying a 105 series wagon with engine and trans transplant. It ticks all the weight and balance boxes with suitable power and economy as well. Can’t afford new vehicle which actually meets the requirements otherwise.
Can someone explain the math in the article. How do you calculate the actual payload at full towing weight and the actual towing weight at full payload? What are the formula?
Spot on
The math used in this article is wrong, it does not take into account that
1. Towing capacity is always stated in terms of the ATM of the caravan which includes ball weight
2. GVM of a tow vehicle includes the towball weight, say 350Kg, when coupled.
Therefore in the first example of the Hilux (pasted below) you have deducted the GVM of 3000 from the GCM of 5850 and stated actual towing capacity of 2850; in fact the actual towing capacity is 3100 (2850+350 towball weight already included in GVM). By not taking this into account you are counting the ball weight twice!
You have to think in terms of a weighbridge results.
HiLux:
Towing: 3,500kg (manual), 3,200kg (auto)
GVM: 3,000kg
GCM: 5,850kg
Kerb: 2,075kg
Payload: 925kg
Actual payload @ full towing: 275kg
Actual towing capacity @ full payload: 2,850kg
You left out the best towing utes the american ones, they will do the job safely and easly they even have trailer brake controlers built in, plenty of power and some weight .
Towing capacity of 3500Kg plus kerb weight of average 4×4 of 2000Kg is 1000 Kg over the legal capacity of Car licenced driver. So I’m guessing that there is a lot of caravanners driving illegally, never mind if the vehicle is legal.
If you are referring to the 4500kg weight of vehicle? Then you are confusing two different regulations. the 4500kg maximum weight of the vehicle that refers to your license and the maximum weight of the vehicle you are driving. The 3500kg towing limit of your boat, caravan or trailer is the maximum you can tow. The other figure in the regulations is your GCM which refers to the weight of vehicle you are driving and weight you are towing as a combined total. As an example if your car is 2000kg and trailer is 3500kg you would need a GCM(gross combined mass) over 5500kg.If your GCM is 5400kg then you are over weight but if your GCM is 5600kg then you would be legal but would only have a capacity of 100kg of extra load you can carry including passengers, fuel, camping equipment etc. If your GCM is 5890kg then your limit would be 390kg. The GCM figure is on a plate usually either under the bonnet or on one of the vehicles pillars.
How good is this advice, the truth for once, well overdue. For those of us trying to workout a combination (Car ‘V’ Caravan) against any future purchase this is excellent advice
Well done 4X4
Towing 3,500kg should include a downfall weight of approximately 350kg. This also needs to be multiplied by a factor addressing the leverage of the towbar being behind the axle. A factor of approximately 1.4 (rule of thumb only – specifics of relevant vehicle need to be applied) thereby increasing the downball force to approximately 490kg.
Most utes would not have much payload left after deducting this figure. And payload includes, fuel, driver, passengers, personal luggage, and common accessories such as bullbar, canopy, roof rack, fridge (make your own list) and visit a weigh bridge while fully loaded with trailer/van attached. Be prepared to walk home, when you rig is proved to be not legal.
I’m not a expert When it comes to towing weight but however my ID plate on my Ford Ranger does not give me a Curb weight it gives me a GVM which is 3200 Caravan 3500 kg you combine the two and that gives you the gross which is 6700 kg in the school that I came from clearly says you go according to your ID plates on your vehicle and ideally I would love to test this in court however speaking to Police when I point this out, they seemed a little bit confused as well. So my point is has the law changed when now we don’t work off our ID plates that are on our vehicles.
One thing you forgot GCM that’s what you’re governed by.
Using this same logic, perhaps the author can start picking on many other manufacturer ‘claims’. Performance and economy figures will also be substantially different at max GVM. Handling will be different at max GVM. Its dumb logic.
These utes are ‘certified’ to tow ‘up to’ their max rating. The manufacturer can advertise them as such. They don’t market them as being able to tow a 3.5t caravan! They can just put 3.5t of anything off the back. Some tradies may use them to tow small excavators, for example. They can be used to tow another vehicle etc.
Manufacturers are well aware of the vehicles limitations, hence the more ‘reasonable’ GCM figures. The GCM ensures that as the load is increased, the vehicle is still within its limits. Yes, the tow figures are used for marketing, but they aren’t ‘false’, as some people like to claim.
Hi can you please advise where a Toyota 200 series sits and please provide the detailed list of the calculation. There are a hell of a lot 200 series out there towing caravans.
Hi Brian,
Our understanding is the following:
MODEL LAND CRUISER 200
Kerb weight 2740kg
GVM 3350kg
GCM 6850kg
Towing capacity 3500kg, at full payload of 610kg
Does this help?
I have a 3T caravan with ball weight of 290-300kg behind my 200 series.
I love my 200 series.
Crusier has bullbars/roof rack/fridge. With the family in and nothing else loaded in the crusier. I went over a weigh bridge and my GVM was over on the 200 series!! that was a empty crusier I hadn’t even packed the contents in the fridge or taken the kids andriod tablets. Lot people forget to include the ball weigh of the van as payload, or people sitting in it.
Crusier 610kg payload – 300kg ball weight.
leaves 310kg payload
– 40kg roof rack
– 25kg battery extra battery
– 35kg fridge – empty
– 15kg Pram
– 25kg kids seats
-20kg other stuff (snacks/cloths/electronics/etc…)
– steel bull bar which I think was 80kg. (yes I took it off to weight it!)
Then the family which is about 200kg+
I have since had to lighten the 200 serise (remove roof rack/take out fridge and extra battery) and try and reduce the van ball weight by at least 50kgs (change to 4kg bottles on a-frame, leave bbq, push bikes at home, shift some load to rear of the van) to be legal.
I love my 200 series but it needs more added to its GVM.
This is the challenge Trevor! The 200 series is one of the few vehicles on the market where the towing capacity at full payload remains 3,500 KG. People forget that anything you add to the truck adds weight though. Glad you are doing the right thing and being sensible. You can get an increase in GVM, but it isn’t cheap from what I’ve heard.
Can anyone tell me! A 2015 Holden colorado gvm is 2950 But when I look on the Internet it’s telling me that all colorados have a gvm of 3150. Cheers!
What an absolute load of rubbish, might want to go out into the real world before making ridiculous statements. Our Ford Ranger XLT has been towing our JB Scorpion Sting 21 foot caravan for the past 18 months on our round Oz trip completely legally and has not missed a beat, nor did the vehicle and caravan feel un stable or un safe at any time on both sealed and un sealed heavily corrugated roads and close to the legal GCM.
Stop scare mongering, promoting un necessary silly trucks and that overpriced 70 series that belongs back in that era.
So if this article is correct and factual . almost every 4×4 ute towing a van around 3000kg is illegal and police and insurance company fodder ?
and seem like car and caravan manufactures need to be taken to task .
now if you own a 4×4 wagon .. what is the restrictions on them ?
Hi David,
These are the facts, and there would likely e a lot of people over GVM out there. The same principle applies to wagons, although for some like the 200 Series Landcruiser, towing capacity plus payload plus Kerb weight = GCM so the issue is not quite the same. The bigger issue here is that people will forget to account for their mods and accessories off the payload capacity, which in actual fact will significantly reduce the payload they can take, which can create the overweight issue!
The Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 CRD used to be like the 200 series in that the GCM was not specified by Jeep: in this case the regulations state that the GCM = GVM + stated towing capacity. However from the 2017 model year onwards Jeep started specifying the GCM at a value 350kg lower than before, which is the maximum towball weight. Since this always had to be taken into account when calculating the GVM, nothing has really changed.
There’s one major problem with the figures quoted in the article: in calculating the max towing capacity at full payload they ignore the fact that the payload figure must include up to 10% of the Aggregate Trailer Mass. So by calculating the maximum towing capacity as GCM – GVM they are underestimating the allowable caravan ATM by up to 10%
So to take the Ford Ranger as an example, the article states it to have a payload of 950kg and a towing capacity at maximum payload of 2800kg, whereas if the caravan is set up with a 10% ball weight the caravan ATM can be 3100kg and the actual ute payload (Fuel, passengers, luggage, bull bar, winch, fridge, etc) drops to 640kg.