GVM = Gross Vehicle Mass, sometimes also called GVW = Gross Vehicle Weight. The most important weight to know on your vehicle. This is the most your vehicle is allowed to weight when it is loaded. Now to make it slightly complicated, there could be two values for this. But the only one that matters is the GVM your vehicle has been registered at. This may be less than the weight stamped / printed on the vehicle’s rating plates. eg “light” Fiat Ducato’s typically have a GVM of 3650 kg, but are often registered at 3500 kg so as to be on a “WOF”
GCM = Gross Combination Mass, sometimes also called GCW = Gross Combination Weight. This is the total allowable weight of the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle (ie trailer) combined. Once again the value that the vehicle has been registered with is the legal one.
Allowable axle weight – The weight each individual axle is allowed to weigh as stipulated by the lessor of either the vehicle manufacturer or the legal maximums as prescribed by NZ legislation. It’s not unusual for the summation of allowable axles weights to be greater than GVM.
Tare – This is the weight of the vehicle empty.
Payload = GVM minus Tare. So this covers everything you add to your vehicle eg. passengers, water, food, clothes etc
WOF = Warranty of Fitness. Only vechiles with a GVM of 3500 kg or less can have a WOF.
COF = Certificate of Fitness. This is for all vehicles with a registered GVM greater than 3500 kg. Note, vehicles up to a GVM and / or GCM of 6000 kg can be driven on a Class 1 (Car) license.
Rating Plate. Motorhomes will typically have multiple rating plates, especially if manufactured in Europe or Australia. The “First” stage rating plate will be from the base vehicle manufacturer, eg Fiat / Mercedes Benz etc. The “second” stage rating plate will be the manufacturer who has completed the second stage of manufacturing. If your motorhome has an “ALKO” chassis, then this is the second stage in the manufacturing process, so ALKO will apply a second stage rating plate. If your motorhome doesn’t have an ALKO chassis, typically the body builder will be the second stage, so they will attached their second stage rating rate. With ALKO chassis the body builder rating plate will be a “third” stage rating plate. Each subsequent rating plate overrides all ratings on all previous rating plates, so in short the last stage rating plate is the one to be consulted for the manufacturer’s vehicle ratings.
Semi Air Suspension – This is an air suspension system where an airbag is fitted to the existing suspension to supplement it performance.
Full Air Suspension – This is an air suspension system where the existing suspension system is completely replaced with a new suspension system that uses airbags as its primary “spring”
Coil Spring – a coil spring that’s added as a supplement to the exting suspension, or as a direct replacement
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