Definition. GCM. General Circulation Model. GCM. Google Cloud Messaging (mobile technology)

Gross Combined Mass

Gross Vehicle Mass, or GVM, is how much the vehicle can weigh when fully loaded. Gross Combination Mass, or GCM, is the towed weight added to the weight of the vehicle plus any payload.

GCM – Gross Combination Mass – The total weight of a vehicle and its load plus any equipment, trailer, and its load. This is commonly the sum of the GVM and the GTM but is not always the case. The manufacturer’s GVM should never be exceeded.

GCM: combine the maximum gross mass of your trailer and your vehicle and you will get your gross combined mass. TBD: tow bar download is the amount of pressure that the tow bar can handle. Usually, it should be between 10 to 15% of your GTM.

Gross vehicle mass (GVM): The total weight of the tow vehicle – the kerb weight plus payload including passengers, luggage and accessories. Tare weight: This is the weight of an empty vehicle with all of its fluids but with only 10 litres of fuel in the tank.

Tare weight is defined as the total weight of tractor and trailer when the vehicle is empty, meaning there is not any product in the trailer. Tare weight can also be called unladen weight.

Minimum kerb would be the lightest weight of the most stripped out model available. Kerb weight is what it actually weighs. Maximum Gross is the maximum all-up permitted weight of the vehicle (i.e when you have all your stuff in). To exceed the latter is an offence – and potentially dangerous.

You can find the kerbweight of your car in the owner’s manual, sometimes on a plate on the door sill or sometimes on the V5 registration document (look for the figure ‘G: Mass In Service’).

The vehicle’s ‘Kerb Weight’ To find out how heavy a car is, you can find the kerb weight in the owner’s manual, as well as sometimes on the V5 registration document (listed as ‘G Mass in Service’) or on a plate located in the car’s door sill.

Mass in service: The Mass in Running Order (MIRO), or kerbweight including a 75kg driver, of a car as it left the factory. It excludes any components added by the dealer.

Kerb weight includes a driver @ 75kg i think. Revenue weight is supposed to be max laden weight without a trailer.

Full Category B (Car) licences obtained on or after 1 January 1997. You can drive vehicles up to 3,500kgs MAM with up to 8 passenger seats (with a trailer up to 750kg). You can also tow heavier trailers if the total MAM of the vehicle and trailer isn’t more than 3,500kgs.

Conventional vans with a Gross Vehicle Weight of up to 3.5 tonnes are allowed to tow trailers up to seven metres long and 2.55 metres wide, so you’ll need a heavier vehicle and an appropriate licence if you want to tow anything larger than that.

Below is a list of mainstream cars that can tow 3,500kg:

• Land Rover Defender.
• Mitsubishi Shogun.
• Land Rover Discovery.
• Jeep Grand Cherokee.
• BMW X6.
• SsangYong Rexton.
• Toyota Land Cruiser.
• Range Rover.