• Tow Vehicle and Dual Axle Caravan : $360
• Tow Vehicle and Single Axle Caravan : $320
• Motor Home : $200
• 4WD (INCLUDES CONSULTATION): $200
• Tow Vehicle and Boat Trailer : $300

CHECK WEIGHT accepts Cash or Direct Credit (OSKO) Payments on the day.

NO – Not at this time

Sorry unfortunately, we do not offer discounts for seniors.

CHECK WEIGHT operates 7 days a week (except for days off and unless we are away camping)

• Via our online booking system you can book 10 am or 2 pm.  (some days we do three appointment 9, 12 & 3)
• If a day is unavailable, it’s either booked or a day off.
• Or phone  Ginnie/Jeff  in the main office on 0419693975 for other times. (Please leave a message if not answered)

• A Weighbridge can only give you the total weight of your caravan and tow vehicle.
• Weighbridges can be intimidating if you have trucks behind you.
• Weighbridges don’t give you information on your weights.
• CHECK WEIGHT provides a weight ticket as well as a comprehensive report on ALL your weights, each wheel, each axle, GVM. ATM, Tow Ball and GCM.
• CHECK WEIGHT can advise you if your vehicle and caravan are balanced correctly.
• CHECK WEIGHT specialises in Caravan Weighs.
• CHECK WEIGHT comes to you – we are mobile.
• CHECK WEIGHT offers education and help and can provide advice on your weighing issues.

• A level surface of concrete or tar on which the tow vehicle and caravan can be driven – not more than 3 degrees. If a soccer ball would roll slowly it is OK, but if it would roll quickly it is not OK.
• Owner/ Driver to drive on to weigh pads and do unhitching and hitching of caravan.

CHECK WEIGHT recommends weighing caravan with water tanks full to give you an accurate snapshot of your caravan weight. It will also give you an idea of the effect of the caravan weight on your tow ball.

• CHECK WEIGHT recommends weighing the caravan with it loaded as much as possible – i.e. as you are ready to go on a trip. (with as little clothing or fridge items is OK) and as much as you can in the vehicle.
• During the weigh the driver (and or passengers) remain in the vehicle.

• Sorry NO – CHECK WEIGHT is not insured to drive your vehicle.
• The owner must be present and drive the vehicle onto the weigh pads.

CHECK WEIGHT recommends that your partner be present at weigh if possible so that any questions that come up can be answered at the time. (Two heads are better than one!)

• The weigh pads are calibrated by Newcastle Weighing Services every 12 months. 
• They are rated to weigh 2 tonnes each
• They weigh in 1 kg increments, so are very accurate 
• Public weighbridges generally weigh-in 20 or 25 kg increments

The Tow Ball weigher measures in 1.0 kg increments and is calibrated by Newcastle Weighing Services every 12 months.

• Tow Vehicles and Caravan have specific limits that are enforceable under the law.
  • If you exceed those limits: 
    • You can be fined
    • Your Insurance may be voided if you are in an accident
• Overweight caravans can stress your vehicle.
• Overweight caravans mean you can use more fuel.
• Overweight caravans can become unstable and cause an accident.
• Knowing your weights gives you a benchmark, so you know your Vehicle and Caravans weights and where that weight is. Then you know how much payload you have (or how much you need to remove).
• An overweight or unbalanced caravan makes it harder to recover from an emergency situation i.e.: sway caused by high winds, slippery roads, trucks overtaking.

CHECK WEIGHT neither recommends nor recommends against Weight Distribution Hitches (WDH).

However, if you currently use a WDH, CHECK WEIGHT can show you how much weight is transferred from the rear axle of the tow vehicle when a WDH is fitted.

What does a WDH do:

• It tightens up the flexible point between the caravan tow ball and the vehicles tow bar
• This in effect applies a torque wrench to the rear wheels, which moves weight from the rear axle to the front axle.
• It also applies pressure to the vehicle where the tow bar attaches to the vehicle.
• It can transfer weight from the vehicle to the caravan of between 0-120 kgs.

A WDH shouldn’t be used to fix a problem where better weight distribution and better caravan loading would work – or where the rear of the vehicle is overloaded.

The Bad

From a safety perspective, WDH systems are not always the best option due to the significant loads they transfer through the vehicle’s towbar and frame, especially in the event of a front-end collision, the structural damage is often tripled. 

You will notice prominent manufacturer warnings on their hitches, stating the risks of using this system and instructions on how to release the spring bars when negotiating driveways or spoon drains. 

Many people ignore this warning and still use the WDH under tension and risk vehicle and towbar damage. 

In addition to this, if you choose to use a hitch that is not rated or approved by your vehicle manufacturer or designed for your towing setup and you are involved in an accident, your insurance company will likely not cover you.

They are not a set and forget – they shouldn’t be used on rough roads, over gutters etc.

The Good.

Transfers weight from the rear axle of the vehicle to front- which should balance weigh better and give better front wheel steering and braking.

CHECK WEIGHT are not suspension specialists; therefore, we neither recommend nor not recommend airbags.

That said, CHECK WEIGHT believes that airbags DO NOT change where the weight is – therefore airbags may not be necessary if the weight of the vehicle is correct and balanced.

We advise weighing your vehicle and caravan prior to any suspension or GVM upgrades so you can determine your exact weights before you embark on costly upgrades.

Airbags may improve your ride comfort.

CHECK WEIGHT does not recommend a particular vehicle for towing.

Everybody’s circumstances are different – and in caravan towing, there isn’t a one size fits all approach.

The” UP” to 3.5 tonnes towing “limit – is loved by the car manufacturer car companies marketing departments.

But in reality, it is only one of the weight compliances – and unfortunately for a lot of people, it’s the only one they look at.

And that can be a very expensive mistake.

At CHECK WEIGHT, we check the following weight compliances on a vehicle.

• Towing Capacity
• Gross Vehicle Mass
• Rear Axle Maximum Weight
• Front Axle Maximum Weight
• Maximum Tow Ball

Of the over 1400 caravan and vehicle combinations we have weighed, only a handful were towing over their vehicle capacity – but there have been many who have exceeded their GVM and maximum axle weights.

Let’s use the Isuzu MUX as an example:

Towing Capacity 3000

Payload MUX LST 4×4 (includes full tank of fuel) 593 kg    

2 People x 80 kg 160 kg

Tow ball down load mass 270 = 430 kg

Payload left 163  

And remember any tow bar, nudge bar, awning – any extras come out of that payload. So if you are towing a 3000-tonne caravan (and your tow ball is 270 kg), you have only 163 kg of payload. 1400