Tow load reg,s - rta links?

[Pis-ton broke]

Hi , I,m wanting to tow a doulbe horse float with a ba ute. Approxamite weight would be 2000kgs, thats loaded with two horses on. I,m after the rta load rules, but i can,t find them. If someone could ponit me in the right direction would be great.

Also , has anyone done this? how does the ba stand up to the punsihment? I want a car that will tow all day long.

Cheers Mick

always use fords as my daily driver for over 20 years

[MO]

My first check would be the load capacity of the ute,if thats fine then I would check rta and if thats fine,I would put on the highest load rated hayman reece tow bar with load leveller.
Also make sure your tyres are of the load rating and inflated properly when towing.

[Road_Warrior]

What MO said, plus a trans cooler. I take it the BA ute is a bog stocker I6?

Also, I have an idea that the maximum GVM for unitary body construction vehicles in Australia is 3500kg - although I haven't been able to find anything on the dotars website to clarify that

[MO]

Good point forgot about the trans cooler for the slush box.
Are they also a good idea if the box is manual??

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by MO

Good point forgot about the trans cooler for the slush box.
Are they also a good idea if the box is manual??

Not needed if its a manual - it's all about the heat and friction generated in an auto box that needs to be managed, whereas a manual 'box doesn't have this problem. OP is the car an auto or manual?

[Pis-ton broke]

hi guys thanks for the quick responses. I haven,t got the ba ute yet, i,m going to get a trashed one from the auctions in Sydney. I read some where that the manual box had a 1600kg cap and the auto was 2500kg. can someone conferrm that? I like the manual as they are fun to drive but a auto is really better suited for the horses comfort and saftey.

I will put on a big trany cooler and probaly trany temp. sender and gauge. And air bags on the rear supension. Have i left anything out? please advise.

Cheers mick

[FrogInASock]

Sorry if I'm telling you "how to suck eggs", but remember the trailer brakes.

[MO]

What state are you in,if memory serves different states different rules although I think there was talk of making them national.

[bodes-sh]

auto's with the right tow pack i believe are rated at 2300kg in ba's. you have the right idea tho, throw a big cooler and temp gauge on and keep an eye on things. make sure you bypass the radiator cooler too

[MO]

Originally Posted by FrogInASock

Sorry if I'm telling you "how to suck eggs", but remember the trailer brakes.

Very good point, so easily forgotten definately a good set of trailer brakes.

[Pis-ton broke]

thanks bodes-sh, will do.

I,m in i,m in S.W. Sydney MO.

CockInASock, hey i like eggs, i think trailers over 750kgs must have brakes fitted, and all doulbe horsefloats have brakes fitted.

cheers mick

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

hi guys thanks for the quick responses. I haven,t got the ba ute yet, i,m going to get a trashed one from the auctions in Sydney. I read some where that the manual box had a 1600kg cap and the auto was 2500kg. can someone conferrm that? I like the manual as they are fun to drive but a auto is really better suited for the horses comfort and saftey.

I will put on a big trany cooler and probaly trany temp. sender and gauge. And air bags on the rear supension. Have i left anything out? please advise.

Cheers mick

BA manual has a max towing capacity of 1200kg. Auto has 1600kg. Don't recall anything about braked towing capacity being higher on the utes. Not to say it isn't, just that I don't remember seeing anything about it.

[Pis-ton broke]

hi 04redxr8, i don,t know where you got your info, this ford site http://www.hillsford.com.au/spec/falconUte_specs.pdf states 1600kgs towpack with a manual box and 2300kg towpack for the auto. Why would ford have a towpack that grossly excedes any trany(gearbox) capabilities they have in the car?

So far know ones got links to rta formal guideline, it seems the BA will be up to spec for the job anyway.

regards mick

[deesun]

According to Redbook services site which I presume gets their info direct from manufacturers 2003 BA Supercab 5spd man = 1070kg braked 750 unbraked and the same with auto 4spd is 2050 braked and 750 unbraked. http://www.redbook.com.au/
Having a look at both these sites there seems that it depends on if you have a Ford approved towpack or just joe bloggs towbar there is a difference in towing capacity. Looks like plenty of grey areas out there but what seems definate is that the auto has a heaps bigger capacity than the manual. : Personally I would have thought it were the other way round but I'm often wrong. :

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

hi 04redxr8, i don,t know where you got your info, this ford site http://www.hillsford.com.au/spec/falconUte_specs.pdf states 1600kgs towpack with a manual box and 2300kg towpack for the auto. Why would ford have a towpack that grossly excedes any trany(gearbox) capabilities they have in the car?

So far know ones got links to rta formal guideline, it seems the BA will be up to spec for the job anyway.

regards mick

I got it from BA's and now BFII's owners manuals. It also on the tyre placard

[lofty]

Redbook is not reliable for specs. I've found errors in the past.

[GasoLane]

Try this

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fr...2+0+N?tocnav=y

[deesun]

From here http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registrati...ngtrailers.pdf

comes this, If the vehicle manufacturer has not specified the maximum towing mass, the maximum towing mass is:
One and a half times the unladen mass of the towing vehicle, provided that the trailer is fitted with brakes which are connected and in working order, or
The unladen mass of the towing vehicle if the trailer
does not require brakes.

Almost every model of car has a different mass. Check the mass of the vehicle you want to buy.

[lofty]

Originally Posted by deesun

From here http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registrati...ngtrailers.pdf

comes this, If the vehicle manufacturer has not specified the maximum towing mass, the maximum towing mass is:
One and a half times the unladen mass of the towing vehicle, provided that the trailer is fitted with brakes which are connected and in working order, or
The unladen mass of the towing vehicle if the trailer
does not require brakes.<snip>

The next thing it says is:

750 kg loaded weight – no brakes required.
751 – 2000 kg loaded weight – braking on both wheels on at least one axle.

Since only trailers less than 750 kg don't need brakes, and most (all?) cars weigh more than 750kg, the unbraked limit is effectively 750kg. Am I reading that right? Seems unnecessarily confusing to me.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by lofty

The next thing it says is:
Since only trailers less than 750 kg don't need brakes, and most (all?) cars weigh more than 750kg, the unbraked limit is effectively 750kg. Am I reading that right? Seems unnecessarily confusing to me.

Don't think it's that confusing. What they're saying is that if the gross weight is 750kg or under you don't need brakes on the trailer so you were reading it right.

But don't forget a bureaucrat in the RTA composed this, so of course its confusing

[lofty]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Don't think it's that confusing. What they're saying is that if the gross weight is 750kg or under you don't need brakes on the trailer so you were reading it right.

But don't forget a bureaucrat in the RTA composed this, so of course its confusing

Yeah I understand that part. But why bring the unladen mass of the towing vehicle into it? I can't think of a single instance when that rule would apply.

the maximum towing mass is: (...)
The unladen mass of the towing vehicle if the trailer
does not require brakes.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by lofty

Yeah I understand that part. But why bring the unladen mass of the towing vehicle into it? I can't think of a single instance when that rule would apply.

Ahh, right.

Why don't they just say "for safety's sake make sure the front bit is heavier than the back bit"

[Pis-ton broke]

thanks guys , just needed the fine print so as when the police pull me up , i will know what i,m talking about.and i will know all is safte. The numbers are for the XL styleside ute (standard ute)
kerb wegiht= 1680kgs,
1680 X 1.5 (with powered trailer brakes)= 2520kgs (maxium legal towing capacity) As i said earlier, two horses and float is approx. 2100kgs.
So with an auto trany and 2300kgs hayman towpackage, all is well in the world. I have no worries about loading up a ba ute, if it will perform like all my earlier fords, it will be fine.
I see on the rta link that you can,t tow two trailers one behind the other, aren,t the rta such spoil sports. Thanks all.

cheers mick

[deesun]

Originally Posted by lofty

The next thing it says is:
Since only trailers less than 750 kg don't need brakes, and most (all?) cars weigh more than 750kg, the unbraked limit is effectively 750kg. Am I reading that right? Seems unnecessarily confusing to me.

I didn't think I needed to include that info cos pis-ton broke said his trailor was about 2000kg. And I figured he could read that bit himself.

[lofty]

Yeah I know. My point wasn't strictly relevant to the OP. Forget it. Sorry.

[redxm]

Not sure now, but in NSW used to be 1.5times the weight of the tow car except commercial vehicles. They were the GVM of the tow vehicle. Might be worth a phone call to check.

[DR650]

I think the 1.5 times thing relates to older cars that don't have load placards on them from the factory.
Remember the bad old days when you saw the family going on holidays towing their 25ft tandem axle caravan behind their 180B wagon which was bursting at the seams with kids and crap.Prime example of the 1.5 times thing.

[deesun]

Still displayed in the NSW RTA website. No word of any exceptions. If its old then it shouldnt be there or it should have exemptions.