Balancing Your Rig Like a Pro
Picture your caravan as a seesaw on a playground. The axle or axles in a tandem setup, acts as the fulcrum. When weight is unevenly distributed, it tips the balance.
For example:
- Placing a heavy item on the rear bar shifts weight away from the axles, causing the tow hitch to lift, which reduces your tow ball mass
- Too much weight at the front of the caravan increases tow ball mass, potentially overloading your tow vehicle’s hitch receiver
These imbalances don’t just affect your weight limits — they impact handling, stability, and safety on the road.
This is where LoadMate steps in.
To help you visualise and manage load distribution, we use a smart image calibration tool that makes setup simple — and powerful.
Introducing LoadMate’s Calibration Tool
Once you’ve entered your vehicle and caravan specifications — including key limits and any dry (tare) weights — you’ll be able to explore LoadMate and get a feel for how it works.
However, to unlock the full power of LoadMate’s calculations and recommendations, there’s one final onboarding step: capturing a few key dimensions.
Here’s how it works:
- You upload a side-on photo of your rig (vehicle + caravan)
- You then calibrate the image by selecting key reference points:
- For your vehicle: centre of the front and rear wheels
- For your caravan: tow hitch, front wall, rear wall, axle centre(s)
- Using your earlier inputs, LoadMate calculates a pixel-to-millimetre ratio and maps your rig’s geometry
From here, you’ll place key load storage locations on the image — exactly where they’re stored in real life. LoadMate saves each location, labels it, and calculates its leverage impact based on its distance from crucial points like the axles or tow hitch.
What used to be the hardest part of setting up a towing profile is now easy, visual, and surprisingly fun.
And what you get in return is a deeply personalised tool that gives you expert-level guidance on your unique towing setup — every time you hit the road.
The next few steps will walk you through entering those key dimensions.
They only take a moment — and they truly elevate the LoadMate experience.
Entering Key Dimensions
To get the most accurate results from LoadMate, it’s important to enter the key dimensions of your vehicle and caravan.
These measurements are often listed in your vehicle or caravan specifications. But if you don’t have them handy, a quick tape measure check is all you need.
Wheelbase
The distance in millimetres between the centre of the front wheels and the centre of the rear wheels on your vehicle.
🔍 This is one measurement you can usually find easily in your vehicle’s documentation or online specs.
Caravan Dimensions
Most newer caravans will have these measurements listed in the specifications or drawings. For older models, you may need to take them manually.
Overall Caravan Length
Measure from the front of the tow hitch to the rear-most point of the caravan, in millimetres.
Caravan Body Length
The total external body length of the caravan, excluding the trailer A-frame, measured in millimetres.