🚙 Tow Vehicle Setup: What You Need to Know Before Towing Your Caravan

Towing a camper or caravan safely isn’t just about hooking up and hitting the road — it starts with having your tow vehicle correctly set up to handle the load. Whether you’re heading off-road or planning long highway hauls, getting your vehicle towing-ready is critical for safety, comfort, performance, and compliance.

Here’s what you need to consider to ensure your vehicle is truly up to the task.


 

🔧 1. Suspension Upgrades – Stay Safe & Level

Factory suspension often isn’t designed for the extra weight of towing a fully loaded off-road camper or caravan. When the rear of your tow vehicle sags under load, it affects:

  • Steering response

  • Braking performance

  • Headlight alignment

  • Stability and sway control

That’s why we strongly recommend upgrading your suspenion such as that provided by Tough Dog Suspension – Australia’s trusted suspension brand built for off-road performance and towing stability. Aftermarket Suspension offers:

  • Heavy-duty springs

  • Load-rated shock absorbers

  • Airbag kits for extra rear-end support

🟢 Goal: Your vehicle should sit level when hitched to your caravan. This ensures balanced weight distribution across all axles and safer towing on all terrains.


 

⚖️ 2. Understanding Vehicle Weight Ratings: GVM, GCM & Axle Loads

When towing, you must stay within your vehicle’s legal weight limits. Key terms to know:

TermMeaning
GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass)Max weight of your vehicle (including passengers, fuel, cargo, tow ball weight)
GCM (Gross Combined Mass)Max weight of your vehicle AND caravan combined
ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass)Max loaded weight of your caravan
Axle Loads

Max weight allowed over each axle (front & rear)


🧰 3. Ball Weight & Load Distribution

Tow ball weight (the downward pressure the caravan places on your vehicle’s hitch) typically at 10% of the caravan’s total weight.

Too much or too little ball weight can lead to:

  • Poor handling

  • Increased sway risk

  • Uneven wear on suspension and tyres

🎯 Tip: Load your caravan properly — heavy items over the axles, lighter items to the front and rear — and weigh your setup for balance.


🎓 4. Invest in a Towing Course

If you’re new to towing or upgrading to a larger van, a professional towing course is a great investment. These hands-on sessions teach:

  • Reversing and maneuvering

  • Safe braking and turning techniques

  • Emergency handling

  • How to correctly load and balance your caravan

📍 Many insurers and clubs offer discounted towing courses – ask us for recommendations near you.


⚖️ 5. Book a Vehicle Weighing Session

We highly recommend a professional mobile weighing service before your first big trip. This ensures:

  • You’re compliant with GVM, GCM, and axle limits

  • Your vehicle and caravan are balanced

  • You’re not carrying unnecessary gear

🛠️ A small investment in weighing can save thousands in fines, wear, and insurance complications.


 

🚦 Tow Confidently With SCT Off Road

At SCT Off Road Campers & Caravans, we want every customer to hit the road safely and confidently. That’s why we encourage:

  • Upgrading your suspension for strength and stability

  • Staying within weight limits with professional weighing and correct loading

  • Level setups for comfort and control

  • Ongoing education through towing courses and expert advice

📞 Not sure if your vehicle is ready? Talk to our team and we’ll help you get your setup right before you tow.

 

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Why choose us

Quality branded componentry

We’ve built our trailers from experience both travelling and extensive R&D of our products. By only using named brand components and accessories, we are building our Camper Trailers to last and provide trouble free travelling.

Quality Suspension

Signature Camper Trailers has worked very closely with brands like Toughdog, Lovells and Dobinson to ensure our trailers suspension is up to the task of combating the Australian outback and New Zealand off-road tracks. We have tweaked many of the parts in the swing arms, shocks, grease points, and more.

Built to Last

We noticed that many camper trailers currently available are not built to last. We started Signature Camper Trailers to buck that trend. We decided to offer a locally assembled great quality camper trailer product built for Australian and New Zealand’s tough conditions.

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