Resources · Pre-weigh checklist

Pre-weigh checklist

Use this guide to ensure you have the vehicle ready for a true assessment.

The single most useful thing you can do before we arrive is load the setup the way you actually travel. Not the way it sits in the driveway between trips.

The more realistic the load, the more useful the result. A half-packed van gives you a number, but not one you can plan a trip around.

The one rule

Pack it as if you are leaving tomorrow morning.

Most people arrive with the van they use for a weekend, then ask what a fortnight would look like. We can only measure what is in front of us. If a long trip is what you are planning for, load for the long trip.

Section one

The tow vehicle

Fuel at your normal travelling level
Whatever you would actually leave home with. Long-range tanks count.
Everyone who normally travels is here
Passengers are load. If someone genuinely cannot make it, tell us and we will note it.
The gear that lives in the vehicle is in it
Recovery gear, tools, fridge and its contents, drawers, spare wheels, air compressor, awning.
Roof load on, if you travel with it
Roof-top tent, boards, jerry cans, storage boxes.
Luggage in, packed as it would be
Clothes in the bags, not on the bed at home. This is the one most people leave behind.
Tyres at your normal running pressures
Do not set them specially for the day. We record what you actually run.
Helper airbags at your usual pressure
If fitted. Leave them where you would have them for this load, and we will record it.
Anything that is not normally there, out
The trailer-load of green waste, the mate's toolbox, last weekend's firewood.
Section two

The caravan or trailer

Water tanks at your travelling level
Full if you travel full. Roughly a kilogram per litre, so this moves the number more than anything else on the list.
Gas bottles on and filled as you would carry them
Both of them, if you travel with two.
Food and drink stocked
Pantry, fridge, cartons of water, the slab. A fortnight of food is real weight.
Clothes and bedding aboard
In the cupboards and bags, not still in the house. Doonas, pillows, towels, wet-weather gear.
Outdoor and camp gear packed
Chairs, table, mats, annexe walls, BBQ, generator, bikes and racks, fishing gear, tools.
Everything stowed where it normally travels
Where it sits matters, not just what it weighs. Do not pile it all on the bed for the trip over.
Tyres at your normal running pressures
Trailer tyres too, including the spare if it travels mounted.
Anything borrowed or temporary, out
If it will not be there on the trip, it should not be there on the day.
Section three

On the day

Room to unhitch and reposition
For combination bookings we measure hitched and unhitched, so we need space to do both safely.
Firm, stable, reasonably level surface
Concrete, bitumen or hard compacted ground. Not soft grass, sand, mud or a slope.
The area is clear
Bins, other cars, boats, trailers and bikes moved out of the way before we arrive.
Pets and children accounted for
There is a vehicle moving on and off scales repeatedly. Best kept well clear of the area.
Gates unlocked and access clear
If we are coming to a storage yard, workplace or rural property, make sure we can get in.
Set aside 60 to 90 minutes
Longer for a full combination. We go through the results with you before we leave.
Section four

Paperwork

Compliance plates accessible
On the vehicle and on the trailer. If a plate is missing or unreadable, let us know beforehand.
Any upgrade paperwork on hand
GVM or GCM upgrades, suspension work, ATM changes. It affects which ratings apply to you.
Section five

Commercial and work vehicles

Skip this section unless you are booking a commercial or fleet assessment. Same principle applies: present the vehicle the way it operates on a normal working day, not swept out for the occasion.

Tools and equipment loaded as normal
Hand tools, power tools, ladders, test gear, whatever goes out on a normal job.
Parts and stock aboard
Carried inventory, consumables, fittings and the spares that never come out of the van.
Fluids and tanks at working level
Water tanks, chemical tanks, fuel, oils, gas bottles, compressors.
Permanent fitout in place
Service body, canopy, shelving, racks, drawers, roof racks, crane or tipper gear.
Driver and usual crew present
If the vehicle normally carries two, weigh it with two.
Fleet bookings: vehicles staged and available
Keys, drivers and a running order sorted, so we can work through them without waiting.
Not everything on the list applies to you

Work down what is relevant to your setup and ignore the rest. If something on this list is not possible on the day, that is fine. Tell us on arrival and we will record the setup as it is presented.

Nothing here changes what we can measure. It only changes how useful the numbers are to you afterwards.

Prepare for your weigh

The full guidance behind this checklist, and why presenting it realistically matters.

Read the guide
Understanding your weights

GVM, GCM, ATM, GTM, tow ball mass and axle loads, on one diagram.

Learn more
Frequently asked questions

Still not sure about something? Most preparation questions are answered here.

View FAQs

Packed and ready?

Book the assessment and we will come to you. Most take 60 to 90 minutes, and you will have the results explained before we leave.

Book a weighContact PROWEIGHED