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How To Weigh Your Trailer

Repco | 18th July 2023 | 2 minutes to read

All vehicles have a towing capacity rating. These are set by the vehicle’s manufacturer. This is the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can pull when towing a trailer. Knowing the weight of your trailer is important when towing as you are legally not allowed to exceed the rated towing capacity of your vehicle. A lot of newer trailers have their weight on a data plate fitted to the trailer. The trailer weight is usually calculated on an empty trailer as loads can vary in weight by a large amount.

Knowing the weight of your trailer either unloaded or loaded is a must these days. Vehicle towing capacity is an important factor and authorities are checking to make sure you are compliant. In my case, my 35-year-old car trailer had a lot of unknowns, including how much it weighed. Over time I had added a winch and larger ramps which increased its weight. I knew roughly the weight of the car, but I had no idea the weight of the trailer. It’s important to know so that I can add them together and make sure the new tow vehicle will be up to the job.

The next step was to find a weigh bridge so I could get an accurate measurement.

I started to do some homework and came across this national document:

Road Vehicle Standards: VSB 1 – Trailers with an Aggregate Trailer Mass of 4.5 Tonnes or less

It is designed for trailer manufacturers as a guide and is really handy if you have an old trailer and need to know what the latest trailer rules are.

While this didn’t help find the weight of my trailer, it advises on braking, wiring, lighting, and a host of other things covered by ADR’s (Australian Design Rules).

My brother-in-law, who tows around scissor lifts, put me onto a website called Go Weigh. These are public weighbridges based at certain BP service stations around Australia. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are self-service. For a fee they print out the weight and you can also send it electronically.

Step by Step Guide To Weighing Your Trailer

Visit the Go Weigh website to find a location of one of their public weigh bridges. These are at BP servos in most capital cities and open 24/7. If you live in the country, most Road Traffic Authorities can advise you on where to find a weigh bridge in your area.

The weigh bridge is divided into 4 sections, A, B, C, & D and you need to make sure you place your vehicle and trailer in the correct sections before weighing.

Once set up, you simply follow the prompts on the touchscreen. It is easy to navigate and self- explanatory.

Payment is done by card. Once you have paid, the machine beeps to let you know it is processing the weights, so don’t move anything on the bridge while this occurs.

Once the beeping stops, it issues a receipt showing the weights in each section. It has an option for sending the receipt electronically as well.

You will now have a printout of the trailer weight, which will list the weight under the appropriate section.

Trailers & Towing at Repco

Use Repco's Rego Search feature to check the fitment for trailers on our site and make sure that you're getting the right fit for your vehicle.

We’ve got you covered for trailer components and other towing equipment at Repco, from trailer adaptors and coupling locks to LED autolamps and cage covers. Head into your local Repco store or shop online to see our full range of products.