Inaccurate caravan compliance plate ?? = small payload

Hi Guys,
There's something wrong here.

Unless the seller can get this all sorted so that you have a reasonable payload (4-500kg) with all the necessary paperwork confirming this prior to you handing over your hard earned, I suggest you walk away from the deal.

You may be able to read the compliance plate if you remove all the paint etc covering it and shine a torch at an angle to pick out the numbers which may help clarify the issue.
You may have a possible out in the "suitability for purpose" clauses of the trade practices acts if it all turns pearshape on you.

Hope this helps.

Disco.

With all that extra equipment I'd be very surprised if it is in fact under GVM without any personal gear in it.
As others have advised I'd get it weighed BEFORE paying anything. no weighbridge ticket, no sale.
I would also be present at the weighbridge when weighed and ensure that everything is still in situ, water and gas all full as well.
It may well be on a van of that vintage that due to axle and chassis strength (lack thereof) it cannot be upgraded to a higher GVM.

yep, that's an old dealer/manufacturer trick: get the caravan weighed and rego'd when it's just a white box... then install the stoves and stuff

Brecath,

Having had a van a few years ago that was registered with a mis-placed decimal point and knowing the technicalities to have rectified, the absolute minim that I would do is phone QLD Transport. They are normally quite helpful.
50kg payload? Two steaks and a carton is about all you could carry.

Regards Mike.

Thanks for responses. Tare weight measured at 1680kg today. Docket taken to Main roads and the safety certificate and database all updated easily.

Firstly any compliance plate should remain ledgable at all times.

Secondly there are heaps of errors in the QLD transport database concerning trailers.
They lost a heap of information and made a heap of errors in the great data base migration back in the 90's.

One of my box trailers lists a tare of 750KG and a GVM of 750KG and their system has bugger all information on it other than that.

The original paperwork from 1985 will be burried sooo deep in the archives that it will never come to light.

Getting details "corrected" and attaching replacement VIN plates to trailers is not anywhere near as big a deal as it is on cars.

I replaced a non-ledgable VIN plate, before selling a boat trailer not long ago.

If you have an old trailer, you have an opportunity to "correct" the information that QLD transport holds,
You simply have to show proof of the "correct" information.
For the weight and GVM they will require a weigh bridge certificate and previous rego papers of the old dodgy vin plate.
They may want to measure the thing and poke it with a stick.

From memory you use a standard rego application form and mark it correction of details.

So if you end up buying the thing, take the opportunity to make sure the "correct" information is what you want it to be.

All that said...it is far from uncommon for caravans to have very very poor payloads.....all reading should be carefull of this.

cheers