Towing Guide - Flipbook - Page 4
THE CARAVAN
The masses defined below are in accordance with European
Regulations for masses and dimensions of vehicles and will
generally be stated in a caravan’s owner’s manual.
(Alternative/previous names of terms are shown in italics).
Maximum Technically Permissible
Laden Mass (MTPLM)
(Maximum Authorised Mass)
Stated by the caravan manufacturer
on the caravan weight plate (normally
mounted close to the entrance door
but can be mounted anywhere on the
external skin – some manufacturers
are now mounting them inside the gas
locker.
MTPLM is the absolute maximum
weight that the caravan must not
exceed to be legal on the road and
it includes allowances for the user
payload, all fluids (water etc.) and
personal belongings that you may wish
to carry (clothes, food etc.).
Mass in Running Order (MRO)
(Unladen weight)
Mass of the caravan equipped to the
manufacturer’s standard specification
stated on the caravan weight plate.
From 2011, an NCC Approved caravan
will have an allowance in the MRO for
basic equipment such as gas bottles
4 NCC Caravan Towing Guide
and the electrical hook-up cable. In
older caravans, the equipment included
In the MRO will be different, so check
your handbook for what is included.
The weight of your leisure battery
is only included in the caravans MRO
if it was supplied by the caravan
manufacturer. Where the leisure
battery is supplied by your retailer
then the weight of the battery must be
taken into account within your payload
allowance.
From 2015 the rules changed again
so that manufacturers can now specify
how much fresh water they have
included in their MRO calculation. This
applies not just to storage tanks but to
water heaters and associated pipework
too. Most manufacturers have elected
to choose zero water to be included in
their MRO.
Your caravan’s handbook may tell
you how the MRO has been calculated.
User payload
(Caravan Allowable Payload)
Payload relates to the weights of all
items carried in a caravan and is the
allowance you have for:
equipment, including any equipment
fitted by the dealer – see optional
equipment below and personal effects
The total of the allowances represents
the difference between the MTPLM and
the MRO.
