Varying Tare

Member Ready to Go posted the following -

"I know this is off topic, but it never ceases to amaze me why there is so much variance in tare weights for similar vans. Our van is 18’0” and the tare weight is stated as 2580 kg. We have three solar panels, three batteries, four water tanks, TV, 1800wt inverter microwave etc. I know that overall weight is dependant on the add-ons, but I do not think that our van includes more than the usual found in most Bushtrackers today yet the various tare weights stated at times do not seem to be logical. I realise that these tare weights are provided by Bushtracker.


The windscreen is a Travelling Picture Show"

For what it is worth, we believe that internal van design is the key - Our 2009 20' van which has a tare of 2560kgs was designed to keep the weight low - to do this we designed an "open plan" layout. The layout includes a full across the rear ensuite with separate shower and toilet separated by a bathroom basin and mirror. We have all the normal extras including 3 X solar panels, 3 X batteries, air conditioning, TV, full fridge, gas stove/oven, dinette, queen island bed, washing machine and 4 water tanks etc - we do not have an inverter. We still have sufficient storage space including a dedicated pantry. We validated the tare independently at a public weigh bridge [naturally deducting the weight of the full water tanks].

A friend's BT of basically equivalent design but supportring an additional water tank, 4 X solar panels, 4 X batteries and an 1800 watt inverter has a tare of 2780kgs [210kgs heavier],

During our pre-ordering research we viewed a lot of BTs and noticed many of them have extensive internal wood-work which can be very heavy. As our van is for holiday use we chose the minimalist approach.

Hope this helps.


Searenity