Be Careful Out There!

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Be Careful Out There! - Amended Compliance

For all those people out there busily adding, changing, extending, putting spare wheels from back to front etc. a gentle word of advice If you contact the Queensland traffic authority there is a special department there that will gladly forward to anyone who asks, all rules and regulations regarding building, registering. safety info, gas install and regs pertaining to caravans and lots of friendly info that you may never have heard of, even loading, driving, etc. One particular reg with single axle vans is from the front of the body to the centre of the axle is measurement A. This MUST be greater than from the centre of the axle to the rear of the van measurement B.

The rear of the van is defined as the rearmost point of the van including anything attached to the rear whether permanent or temporary i.e.. spare wheel, or if you have attached 4 bikes on the back of the spare wheel, then the furthest part of the rearmost bike is included in measurement B.

With the A'van the A'liner standard I am talking about - the body length is 12 feet.

Measurement A, front of the body to axle midpoint is 6 feet 11-1/2 inches.

Measurement B, axle midpoint to rear of spare tyre, is 5 feet 11-1/2inches being 5feet 0-1/2inch in the body plus a further 11 inches to the rear of the spare.

From this you can see, there is only 1 foot further you can go before your van becomes illegal! (in Queensland) If you put the spare on the A frame in front, and fit bikes on the back, you only have 1 foot 11 inches to fit bikes in. If they project past that you are then illegal. Also if you put weight up front, you change the ball weight. This then may make you illegal. All van makers are restricted in weights, measurements, lights placement, all sorts of regs apply. They must supply info and submit their van to the traffic authority to be issued with a compliance plate. Any changes, they must submit for a change of the compliance plate. If a van is altered without submitting the changes for an amended compliance plate the van is then illegal.

Sorry at being long winded, but if you have a radically changed van and you have an accident then the insurance assessor or company may not pay out on your claim, so be careful out there!

Neil Louer