GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #21 | Page 10

How you load your van is crucial to its stability. "Gross Trailer Mass, or GTM, is the mass transmitted to the ground by the tyres of the trailer when coupled to a towing vehicle and carrying the maximum load recommended by the manufacturer or importer, approximately uniformly distributed over the load bearing area." In short, it is the limit of weight that can be placed over the axles of the trailer. It does not include the weight exerted on the towball. 10 gorv.com.au "Aggregate Trailer Mass, or ATM, is the total mass of the trailer when carrying the maximum load recommended by the manufacturer. This includes mass imposed onto the towing vehicle when the combination vehicle is resting on a horizontal supporting plane." If you were to put your caravan on a weighbridge on its own and resting on the jockey wheel, this is the weight you would measure against ATM. Basically, it is the maximum total weight the trailer can be.