As of the 1st of July 2018 Gross Combined Mass (GCM) upgrades on new vehicles by Second Stage Manufacturers (SSM) will no longer be allowed. Even if your not buying a new vehicle to do a GCM upgrade, as a hunter/camper there is a high chance it will affect you.
Essentially what was happening was Caravaners were buying brand new vehicles. Then upgrading the GCM, by having the vehicle’s suspension, brakes and chassis modified by an aftermarket company. This could then be mod plated by an engineer.
I recently had the opportunity to do an interview with Shauno from 4WD Action at the 4WD Supacentre Parkinson open night. We discussed the implications of the changes:
How does this affect you?
As with any changes to laws along with that comes administering those laws. That’s to say, they will police them.
This doesn’t mean they will only target Caravaners either. They will set-up a weight station (as they already do occasionally) and weigh most vehicles that come along the road. Regardless of whether your towing a trailer or not they will weigh your vehicle.
So it’s important that you understand your Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) limits and your GCM limits. As discussed previously it’s very easy to go over your GVM, once you start modifying your vehicle with accessories.
Hilux with bullbar, brush bars, side steps, aluminum tray, long range tank, bash plates etc.
I recently went to the dump with my 2013 Toyota Hilux dual cab turbo diesel and weighed in at 2.44 ton. My GVM is 2.71 ton which means I’ve only got 270kg spare, not much at all.
What happens if your over?
If you get caught over GCM/GVM in Queensland you’ll receive a hefty fine and sent home.
I know of two people that were at the beginning of there Cape York trip from NSW with their campervans and both were sent home and received approximately $600 each in fines. They were to return home immediately.
What a way to ruin a holiday or a good hunt.
GCM upgrade law changes conclusion
Everything you add to your vehicle eats into your GVM. If your not paying attention you will quickly go over your GVM.
If your going to be loading up your ute or taking a quad, don’t risk it. Just get a trailer and be done with it. We all know someone with at least a small box trailer.
Don’t be caught out with the “she’ll be right” attitude, because it could easily ruin a good hunt. A lot of hunters plan massive trips that are only once a year. Don’t make your next trip bi-annual!
What is your hunting vehicle weight? We have all seen the overloaded Toyota Hilux or Landcruiser on the highway, bum dragging on the ground like a dog with worms. Many of us have probably been guilty of it at some stage (the overloaded vehicle that is).
In recent times, we have experienced the epidemic of the dreaded caravans on our outback roads. This has seen the likes of Queensland’s Transport and Main Roads department increasingly ever present. I know of 2 people with camper trailers being sent home and receiving a hefty fines in 2016 for being over their GCM. So the odds of being caught are high.
What’s possible worse than that is if you’re in an accident and your caught with your vehicle overweight, you could be found liable and have to pay damages out of your own pocket (with no coverage for your vehicle).
Steel dog box and awning, how strong are your dogs?
Vehicle GVM
So what is GVM? What is GCM? What is your payload or in layman’s terms; what’s the weight of your hunting vehicle?
GVM is Gross Vehicle Mass. This is the maximum recommended weight given to a vehicle by its manufacturer. Exceeding your GVM will void your warranty, void your insurance and wreck your springs.
GCM is Gross Combined Mass. This is the maximum recommended weight given to a vehicle and its trailer, by its manufacturer. Exceeding your GCM will void your warranty, void your insurance, wreck your springs and cause brake fade.
In this article we will address GVM and leave GCM for another day.
Payload
The payload of your vehicle is reflective of your GVM. That is the weight of your vehicle plus your payload. Let’s use an old 2013 Hilux dual cab turbo diesel manual as an example (a vehicle I’m sure most of you own or have owned). The Hilux has a kerb weight of 1,720kg and a payload (carrying capacity) of 990kg, the GVM is 2,710kg (sourced from Redbook).
The payload of 990kg includes everything; occupants, bull-bar, tow-bar, tray, service manual, air freshener, floor mats, lollies, drinks, the lot. Everything you have in your vehicle is included in your payload as your carrying capacity.
What’s your hunting vehicle weight?
*Please note some of these weights are guesstimates and your results may vary.
GVM
Weight
Quantity
Sub-total
Hilux
1720
1
1720
Tray – steel
250
1
250
Side steps
15
2
30
Bull-bar
75
1
75
Tow-bar
40
1
40
Under tray tool box
7
2
14
Winch
27
1
27
Recovery gear
20
1
20
Water
20
1
20
Long range tank
40
1
40
Air compressor
10
1
10
Bash plates
30
1
30
Spotties
2
2
4
Occupants
85
2
170
Dog cage
40
1
40
Dogs
40
2
80
Fridge
40
1
40
Firearms
5
4
20
Ammo
50
1
50
Quad
300
1
300
Unleaded
15
2
30
Cooking gear
40
1
40
Sleeping gear
30
1
30
Total
3,080kg
Hilux GVM
2,710kg
Over by
-370kg
Even removing the quad bike your still over, no room for tow ball weight. Note this 3,080kg total does’t include; what’s in the glove-box, centre console, UHF, aerials, floor mats, light bar, shooting spotlight, etc.
As you can see, it’s very easy to go over you GVM/payload on your hunting rig (even on a quick hunting trip).
Basic vehicle weights
So let’s examine what weight we cant avoid and see what we are playing with.
GVM
Weight
Quantity
Sub-total
Hilux
1720
1
1720
Tray – Steel
250
1
250
Side steps
15
2
30
Bull-bar
75
1
75
Tow-bar
40
1
40
Under tray tool box
7
2
14
Winch
27
1
27
Long range tank
40
1
40
Bash plates
1
30
30
Spotties
2
2
4
Occupants
85
1
85
Total
2,315kg
Hilux GVM
2,710kg
Under by
395kg
With only the driver and all the fix items I have 395kg to spare. That’s not much. As soon as you add a second or third person you only have half the weight left. Or you put a quad on your only left with 95kg. That’s not much weight to play with.
Under tray tool boxes, anywhere from 7kg each, plus however much junk you can fit.
Common mistakes
Upgrading your rear springs to 300kg constant load or similar does not increase your carrying capacity. What these springs are designed for is increasing you everyday carrying load (i.e. carrying tools everyday), so that your vehicle handles better.
Another temporary measure is; air bags or air assist. But these to are not for increasing your carrying capacity either.
To increase your carrying capacity you need to do a GVM upgrade such as that done by Creative Conversions, which is very expensive and involves beefing up your rear axle to take the extra load.
Although the 300kg constant load springs and airbags will keep your ride level and maybe the cops off your back, they wont keep you legal.
Hunting vehicle weight reduction
What are the solutions? Well of course you could start leaving stuff behind but most of what’s listed is required on a hunt.
My recommendation is to get a trailer. Even a small un-braked box trailer is going to be; much safer, reduce your hunting vehicle weight and keep you legal. If you use your hunting rig as a daily driver, the best part is you can pre-pack the trailer the day before you leave.
Why does everyone want a steel tray? An aluminum tray will save you about 130kg. By using an aluminum tray you would now have room for 525kg, this is getting to a respectable figure.
This heavy duty BW tray from Chinchilla would easily be 250kg plus the 800kg hydraulic hoist and 25L water tank, by removing this I probably saved close to 400kg.
I have heard some people complain about the aluminum tie-down rails bending when tying down quads. But the reality is they are probably strapping them down to excess.
I live in the city and I would suggest 90% of utes here have aluminum trays and I haven’t seen many with bent tie-down rails. I understand if you throwing stuff in them all the time steel will last longer. But how many people do you know of that had to replace a “worn out” aluminum tray?
Do you really need under tray tool boxes? What have you got in them? More unnecessary junk? Save 14kg plus the excess weight of the contents.
Could you do without a winch? Do you need bash plates? Might be time to do a stock-take. Work out what you actually do and don’t need in order to reduce your hunting vehicle weight. Consider building a dog box from aluminum instead of steal.
Heavy hunting rig payload conclusion
I think there are 2 reasonable options:
1. Fit an aluminum tray
2. Use a trailer
If most of your hunting is solo, fitting an aluminum tray is probably a great idea.
However if your hunting with friends, using a trailer is really the only way to reduce your hunting rig’s weight/payload, but retain all your hunting items.
Get yourself a good trailer!
Ripper of a trailer spotted on Brisbane high way, dual axle, aluminum bed and Off-road tyres
So coming soon is “What’s your hunting rig’s GVM?” and selecting the correct trailer.
