What this check covers
Documented current ratings and matched load comparisons for the supported vehicle and trailer configuration. A proposed upgrade does not replace a current operating limit.
The result covers the selected requirements and evidence entered. It does not certify the vehicle or confirm its overall compliance.
What you need
- Current vehicle, axle, combination, trailer, towbar and coupling ratings.
- Matched travelling axle readings with the trailer coupled, where towing.
- Independent trailer-total and static hitch records where needed, plus the actual weight-distribution setup.
- Dated weighing records, occupants, fuel, accessories, cargo and configuration notes.
Understand the requirements
Establish current ratings first
Use records matching the actual make, model, variant and configuration: applicable manufacturer/RAV information, vehicle and trailer plates, component specifications and current accepted approvals. GVM, each axle limit, GCM, trailer ATM/GTM, vehicle towing capacity and hitch/component limits apply independently. Adding axle limits does not establish GVM. Adding GVM and trailer ATM does not establish GCM, and GCM minus GVM does not establish towing capacity.
A proposed upgrade is not an operating limit. The calculator continues to use the current documented ratings when you enter a proposal. Missing ratings, exceptional permits, unrecognised approvals and specialised combinations require review.
Prepare matched travelling mass records
Include occupants, fuel, water, accessories, cargo and the actual hitch setup. When towing, enter the motor vehicle’s front and rear axle readings with the trailer coupled in its travelling configuration. Their sum is the loaded motor-vehicle mass and already includes transferred hitch load. Add only the coupled trailer road-axle mass to obtain combination mass. Do not add static towball load again.
For example, coupled motor-vehicle axles of 1,400 kg and 1,600 kg plus trailer road axles of 2,700 kg give a 5,700 kg combination. Without weight distribution, a matched 300 kg static hitch load gives a 3,000 kg loaded trailer total. The motor vehicle remains 3,000 kg; the combination remains 5,700 kg.
Loaded trailer total includes the hitch load and is distinct from trailer road-axle mass. Use an independent uncoupled loaded-trailer measurement, or matched trailer road-axle plus static hitch readings without weight distribution. A tensioned weight distribution hitch changes axle-load transfer: use an independent trailer total and actual tensioned coupled axle readings, with manufacturer suitability advice. Measure static hitch load at the specified coupling height without distribution tension.
Retain dated weighing records, precision, load lists and configurations. Estimates remain planning comparisons. The calculator applies no enforcement or weighing tolerance; inconsistent readings need reconciliation at their recorded precision. A margin against one rating is not permission to add that amount of payload or exceed another limit.
Trailer and equipment limits
The selected towing scope is one conventional rigid-drawbar pig trailer with ATM no more than 4,500 kg, behind a supported two-axle light motor vehicle. Compare actual loaded trailer total with ATM and the applicable vehicle, towbar and coupling towing limits; compare actual coupled trailer road-axle mass with its documented GTM/axle-group limit. Verify individual axle, tyre, wheel and component loads separately. A plated ATM above the vehicle’s towing capacity does not alone make the entered loaded combination excessive if actual loaded trailer mass stays within the applicable capacity and all other requirements are met.
Check static vertical hitch load against the vehicle and the lowest applicable towbar/coupling limit. Verify equipment identity, markings, physical suitability, locking, attachment, safety connections, condition and lighting. Capacity figures alone do not establish installation suitability or braking/handling performance.
Trailer brake requirements use rated GTM: over 750 kg requires the specified trailer wheel braking; over 2,000 kg also requires driver operation and automatic breakaway operation for at least 15 minutes with holding on a 12% grade. Applicable ADR requirements may be additional. Choosing a lighter present load does not remove a requirement applying to the rating.
Rating proposals need their own assessment
An appropriately accredited Approved Person must assess a proposed GVM upgrade against the current LS11/LS15 requirements. MOD/CHECK cannot confirm eligibility for those codes or approve a new GVM. Continue to use the current documented rating until an upgrade is approved.
TMR describes LS15 as certification of physical changes carried out to the relevant LS11 design package. Ask your Approved Person to confirm the design, modification and certification requirements that apply to the proposed upgrade.
The selected LS16 indication covers a documented GCM or braked towing-capacity increase for ladder-chassis light vehicles with a separately mounted cabin/body, a traceable original manufacturer GCM, current/OEM baselines and the applicable OEM-alternative or engineered design basis. Unitary/monocoque vehicles and unsupported restoration/decrease pathways remain review findings. An unmodified braked towing-capacity increase is excluded; an unmodified GCM increase needs the permitted OEM specification basis.
LS16 assessment still needs full code eligibility, vehicle and component verification, design, physical inspection/testing, applicable plates/capacity labels and owner instructions. A GVM increase alone does not increase GCM or braked towing capacity. No new towbar rating is engineered here. Trailer re-rating, heavy vehicles, multiple axles on the motor vehicle, fifth wheels, goosenecks, A-frame towing, mobility conversions, permits and specialised arrangements need their separate assessment.
Worked examples
These examples use one documented load configuration. Axle, tyre, component and other vehicle limits still apply.
3,500 kg loaded; current GVM 3,200 kg
Current GVM exceeded. Matched, verified front and rear axle readings of 1,600 kg and 1,900 kg total 3,500 kg. A proposed 4,000 kg GVM does not replace the current 3,200 kg limit. Address the load and have the proposed upgrade assessed separately.
A 3,000 kg load is only an estimate
Actual loading still needs confirmation. An estimate below a 3,200 kg GVM can help with planning, but it does not establish the travelling mass. Obtain matched weighing records with the occupants, fuel, accessories and cargo included, then run the check again.
Official sources and review
- Queensland Vehicle Standards and Safety Regulation 2021 — current consolidation
- Queensland Government — Towing vehicles and trailers
- Queensland Government — Towing equipment
- QCOP LS16 — Gross Combination Mass Re-rating, February 2023
- TMR approved modification codes
- LS11 TMR guidance — GVM re-rating
- LS15 TMR guidance — GVM rating
- Queensland Light Vehicle Inspection Manual — July 2026
- Queensland Road Vehicle Modification Handbook
Sources reviewed 21 October 2026. This check compares documented ratings and loads and identifies some LS16 certification requirements. It cannot confirm eligibility for an LS11/LS15 GVM upgrade, approve a new rating or replace a vehicle inspection. Discuss proposed upgrades with an appropriately accredited Approved Person.
The statutory lighting, tinting and loading limits used by these examples were rechecked on 22 October 2026. Specialist approval conditions still require individual assessment.