Finding the Perfect Towing Vehicle for Your Family Caravan

Whether it’s exploring Australia’s sun-drenched beaches or the rugged outback, caravanning with kids or family offers a mash-up of freedom, fun, and family time. But before you ride off to your destination, make sure you have the right towing vehicle.

Why Towing Capacity is a Weighty Matter 

Selecting a towing vehicle starts with knowing the required towing capacity. Exceeding your vehicle’s towing capacity can lead to damage or, worse, disaster.  

Ensuring your van’s weight matches your vehicle’s capacity can allow you to: 

• Avoid Mechanical Strain: Pushing beyond limits puts undue strain on your engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes. This means faster wear and tear, plus potential breakdowns.
• Practice Safety First: Exceeding capacity is totally unsafe. Imagine struggling to brake or control your vehicle while towing your caravan, especially on a winding road or during emergency stops – a sorry recipe for accidents. 
• Comply with Capacity Limits: Each state or territory in Australia has regulations regarding towing capacities. Breaching these legal limits can result in fines and put a damper on your trip. 
• Keep Insurance Out of Pocket Costs Away: Most insurance policies require you to stay within your towing capacity. If you have an accident while exceeding the limit, your insurance coverage might be jeopardised. 
   

How to Find Your Towing Capacity 

Let’s begin with a few numbers that you might need: 

• Tare (van) is the weight of your van, including permanently-fitted accessories, excluding cargo and passengers. 
• Tare (vehicle) is the weight of your tow vehicle, including 10L fuel, excluding cargo and passengers. 
• ATM (van) is Aggregate Trailer Mass, the allowable maximum weight of your van when loaded. 
• GTM is Gross Trailer Mass, the maximum weight on the tyres when hitched to a tow vehicle, excluding tow ball weight. 
• GVM is Gross Vehicle Mass, the allowable maximum weight of the tow vehicle, including passengers, accessories, fuel, and tow ball weight. 
• GCM is Gross Combined Mass, the allowable maximum combined weight of the tow vehicle and van, including all contents. 
• TBM or TBW is Tow Ball Mass or Tow Ball Weight, the weight of the van on the tow ball or hitch (see your vehicle manual). 
• Axle weight is the mass transmitted to the ground by the axle or axles of the trailer when coupled to a towing vehicle. 
• Payload is the allowable maximum weight that can be carried.  
  • Payload (van) = ATM (van) – Tare (van)  
  • Payload (tow vehicle) = GVM – Tare (vehicle)  
    
    

You can get these from the owner’s manual, the VIN plate, and the Caravan Compliance Plate. 

So, can your vehicle safely tow your caravan? Let’s see: 

1. Find your caravan’s ATM. 
2. Add your van’s tare weight to the estimated passenger and cargo weights. This total weight must be less than your vehicle’s GVM. 
3. Now, add the combined weight of your vehicle and caravan (fully loaded) to find the total towing weight. 
4. Compare this total towing weight to your vehicle’s GCM. The total towing weight must be less than the GCM. 
   
   

Choosing the Right Towing Vehicle for Your Caravan 

Now, let’s explore what to consider when selecting a towing vehicle: 

Towing Capacity 

This is essential! Ensure your vehicle can safely handle the weight of your fully loaded caravan and any additional cargo you might be carrying. So, what’s your towing capacity? The simple formula is: Towing Capacity = GCM – GVM.  

Payload Capacity 

It’s the total weight your vehicle can carry – passengers, luggage, and the caravan’s ball weight (the downward force exerted by the caravan’s hitch on the vehicle’s tow bar).  Choose a vehicle with sufficient payload capacity based on your needs.  

Engine Performance 

A powerful engine helps tackle off-road adventures, especially with a family caravan with bunks in tow. Torque represents the pulling power of the engine, especially at low speeds. A high torque engine provides the strength needed for inclines and uneven terrain. Good torque also allows for easy pulling away and efficient towing with minimal gear changes. 

Popular Towing Companions 

We understand the diverse needs of Aussie caravanners, that’s why we offer 4 models and over 60 different layouts of caravans for solo travellers, couples, and families. Towing any of them needs a proper vehicle, and the go-to tow vehicles for any of these caravans have traditionally been the trusted Toyota Landcruiser & Nissan Patrol. 

However, as caravans have been growing in size and features, they’ve also grown in weight. Many customers choose to upgrade their Toyota Landcruiser with Lovell’s to achieve a 4-tonne Braked Towing Capacity (BTC). This popular upgrade allows for increased tow capacity over 3.4-tonne and under 4-tonne. A professional installation includes heavy-duty springs, shocks, and a new GVM compliance plate. 

When a 4.5-tonne tow capacity is required then you can’t go past American trucks. The likes of Dodge RAM, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC, and Ford F-series are gaining in popularity, and so are larger caravans being put behind them, to cater for full-time travellers.  

Some caravaners even go to the next level with the likes of the Isuzu NPS 4X4 truck. The benefit of the Isuzu trucks is the 11-tonne GCM, meaning you can tow your 4.5-tonne caravan and load the truck with all your gear for full-time travel (boats, motorbikes, and any other outdoor items you can’t live without). Wonderland RV’s ambassadors, Lost Tribe Adventures, have had the pleasure of towing a 1907 XTR behind an Isuzu truck through the outback.  

No matter the brand, a good rule of thumb is to look at a heavy-duty automatic transmission with a tow/haul mode, exhaust brake, towing aids like extended mirrors, a 360-degree camera system, and integrated trailer brake controllers. 

Top Towing Tips

Check out these tips for driving a vehicle with a caravan in tow, for both newbies and seasoned caravanners to ensure a smooth and safe trip: 

• Watch Your Weight Distribution: Spreading out the weight evenly within your van helps maintain stability while towing. Place heavier items low and towards the front. The ball weight must be within the range stated in your van’s manual. 
• Slow but Steady and Sure: Always remember that you’re not in a race. Increase your following distance and allow for extra braking time when towing a caravan. Apply the brakes gradually to avoid causing trailer sway. 
• Trailer Sway? Stay Calm: If you experience trailer sway (the caravan swinging from side to side), just gradually reduce your speed until the sway subsides. Avoid slamming on the brakes or making sudden steering adjustments. 
• Proper Tyre Pressure: Ensure both your vehicle’s tyres and the caravan’s tyres are inflated to the recommended pressure. Underinflated tyres can greatly affect handling and stability.
• Regular Checks: Aside from the tyres, make sure you regularly check your wheel nuts, brakes and brake lights, turn signals, and wheel bearings. Do it daily when traveling. 
• Master Your Moves: Before hitting the road, practice manoeuvring with your van in a large open space. Get a feel for how the caravan reacts during turns, reversing, and braking. 
• Invest in a UHF Radio: This lets you communicate with other travellers on the road – share road condition updates, get assistance, and stay informed about hazards. It can also be incredibly helpful when reversing into campsites or caravan parks. 
  
  

Towing Vehicle Unlocked and Aimed at Awesome Adventures 

Wow, you’ve reached this far in the article – you must really care enough to choose the right towing vehicle. Now you’re well underway to going on countless unforgettable journeys with your family!