Caravan Payload and Tow Weight Calculator

Who this is for

Know the loaded weight rather than guess it. You copy the figures from your caravan's plate and your car's documents, list what goes into the van with its weight, and the sheet works out the payload used and left and how the laden van compares with your car.

Touring caravan owners loading up for a trip, first-time towers matching a van to a car, and anyone who has changed car or van and wants to see the numbers again.

What this helps you track

• Your van's plate weights and your car's figures in one place
• Every item loaded, where it sits in the van and what it weighs
• The payload available, used and still remaining
• The laden van as a percentage of your car's kerbweight
• The margin left against your car's towing limit

How to use it

1. Copy the van's maximum technically permissible laden mass (MTPLM) and mass in running order (MIRO) from its plate or handbook.
2. Copy your car's kerbweight, towing limit and gross train weight from its handbook or registration documents.
3. List each item loaded into the van, where it sits and its weight in kg, weighing on bathroom or luggage scales where you can.
4. Read the payload remaining, the percentage of kerbweight and the towing margin from the summary; on paper, add the weights and subtract from the plate figures.
5. Check the laden figures against the rules where you tow and the guidance from your van and car makers; the sheet does the arithmetic, not the judgement.
6. Where you can, confirm the result at a public weighbridge and write the reading in the notes.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where do I find MTPLM and MIRO?

On the van's weight plate, usually near the door or on the A-frame, and in its handbook. The car's kerbweight and towing limit are in its handbook and registration papers. Copy them exactly as written.

Does the sheet say what percentage of kerbweight is safe?

No. It works out the figure from your own entries. Guidance differs between organisations and countries, and legal limits are set by the plates and the rules where you tow, so check those.

Do items in the car count?

Not towards the van's payload. List only what is in the van here. Items in the car affect the car's own load and the gross train weight, which you can check against the car's documents.

Does MIRO already include water and gas?

It depends on the maker and the year of the van; some include a set amount of water and gas and some do not. Check your handbook, and list anything not included as an item.