Caravans by Tow
Ball Weight
Ball weight is the weight the van presses down on your car's towball, and it comes out of your car's payload.
Every checked range that publishes one, in brackets.
As of September 2026, the lightest ball weight here is 32kg on the CARLIGHT Carpento 310. The heaviest is 420kg on the Highclere Caravans The Queen 26'1.
Where a range does not state a ball weight we leave it off rather than estimate one, because on a page about what your car can legally carry a shorter, honest list beats a guessed number.
The 10 percent rule and what the specs actually say
Across the vans here that list both a ball weight and an ATM, published ball weight runs from 3.2 percent of ATM up to 10.5 percent, median 6.6 percent.
That sits below the familiar 10 percent rule of thumb for a simple reason: makers measure the van empty. Load the front boot and the real figure climbs. Use the published number to compare vans, and a weighbridge to work out yours.
Found one that fits? get a finance quote first
A quote is not a loan application.Free, no obligation, no credit check to get a quote, about 2 minutes.If you want to go further, Jade handles the next step.
Jade Finance pays us a commission if you finance through them. About Jade
Ball weight under 100kg
39 ranges, from 32kg to 97kg. Camper and small hybrid territory. A full-sized caravan almost never lands here, because ball weight tracks the size of the van.

Carpento 310

Deluxe

Seeker ST Lite

Euro Glider Double Bed

Euro Glider 3 Berth

Euro Hobby Double Bed

Euro Hobby 3 Berth

Euro Hobby Twin Singles

Deluxe Plus

Euro Hobby Twin Sport

Cruiser

Seeker ST

Glider

Carpento 360

Mystic 11

Vagabond Joey

DUO

Vagabond Brumby

Rough Rider

Longreach

Seeker LX Gen2

Venus 11

XplorGT

Emerald

Mystic 12

Sportliner

Mystic 12F

Aliner

J-Pod X

Nexus

Cruiser

Seeker AT Gen2

Venus 11 Plus

Dual Track

Teardrop Camper

Carpento 410

Xscape

Winton 10 MK2

Airlie 11 HR Twin
Ball weight 100kg to 149kg
91 ranges, from 100kg to 146kg. The lightest full caravans, pop-tops and compact tourers. Comfortable for a mid-sized wagon or a ute with passengers and gear aboard.

Portsea

Cubby 13

HKC Xplorer 2.0E Shorty

Venus 14

Cruiseliner

Simpson X Rooftop Tent

Skyline 16

Cubby 13.5

Deluxe II

TOYTUF TF2

HKC Xplorer ST

19 Series Tourline

20 Series Tourline

Odyssey

Nugget-SF

Odyssey Signature

Somerset-13

Nugget-RT

Manta Ray

XL-FF

Scout-13

Escape

Venus 13
Adventure Seeker

Rover Escape

XL-FF6

Ares

Drifter 20' Full Ensuite

Artemis

Kruiser S-Class

Skyline 14

Rover Intrepid

Airlie 11 LR Twin

HKC Xplorer 2.2e

15 Series Tourline

Soul Seeker

Sprinter

Storm

Ray Pop Top

Tasman
Lachlan MkII

Galaxy

Winton 13 MK2

SRS Mini Caravan Range

J-Pod XL

Renegade 12

Fraser

LITE

Cubby 17

15 Series SuperX

Trekka Ultra XT

Skyline 19

SC11 Espresso Cruiser

Trekka On-Road

Crossfire

Winton 16F Twin MK2

Elite Lite

Aspire 400 Series Pop Top

Forbes 11

Thrill Seeker

Aspire 400 Series Hardtop

Skyline 22E

F-Pod

Cubby 15.5

Conifer Series

Telegraph X Forward Folding

Discovery 13GTX Low

13 Elite

Rover Ultra

Infinity

Savannah-X Rear Slide

Single Axle Caravan Series

Karavan

Kube

Marlu Pop Top

Marlu Hard Roof

Sorrento 15

Telegraph-LT Lite Upgraded

Enfield

Hybrid Pod

Drifter 18'6 Single Axle

Plenty-LT Double Folding Lite

Winton 17R Twin MK2

Scout-19

Poseidon

Robson XTT

SRH Hybrid Range

Nano 14

Aspire 500 Series Pop Top

19 Series SuperX

XCountry
Ball weight 150kg to 199kg
207 ranges, from 150kg to 199kg. The mainstream. Most family and couples tourers sit in this band, and most 4WDs handle it with room left in the car's payload.

Somerset-15

Skyline 16F

OP2

Skyline 17.6

XH16L

Nano 12

Venus 16

Discovery 13HX GT

Pilbara 15+

Pilbara 15

Innovation

Pilbara 153

Ascot

Pilbara 15S

Pilbara 15S+

Defender 15

Nomad

Scout-11

Scout-11B

XC16

Scout-X

Wollemi All-Road

Adventure

Nano 16F

Venus 19 Off Road

Venus 19

Venus 16 Off Road

Trekka Platinum XT

Camper

Warrior

SRC Touring Range

20 Series SuperX

Road Owl

Revivor

Excalibur

17HR

Runaway S 15'6

Sovereign

Traxx

Lowdown 13 Escape

Lowdown 13 Bunk

Runaway 15'6

VZ4800 HR Quad Next Gen

HKC Xplorer 2.3 Family

Yamba 15

Rapid

Starcraft

RX16

Lost Trak 16

Explorer FF

Explorer FF (Limited Edition)

Elite X

Kakadu 13 Couples

Kakadu 16 Couples

Buckland

Family Fortune

Tandem Axle Caravan Series

Iridium 13 Gen II

Jackaroo 17'6 Full Ensuite

Stockman 22' Club Lounge

Drover 22' Club Lounge

Tvan Inspire MK6

VZ4800 HR Twin Next Gen

Rebellion 16

Compact Club 20'1

Yamba 15S

Ourea Royal Family

Drifter 17'6 Single Axle

Jackaroo 16'6 Full Ensuite

Stockman 22' Bunk

Drover 22' Bunk

SRP Pop Top Range

1800 - 1860 Series

Scout-15

SC14 Club

Innovation RS Off Road

Scout-15B

Scout-15C

Airlie 16 Twin

Boab Series

Lost Trak 16 Family

CrossTrak Hybrid Caravan

Suit of Armour 19.6FT

XT10E

Track 4 Series 2

Grand Duke

Tvan Lightning MK6

Gaia Family

Tvan Firetail MK6

Gaia Club

Tvan Murranji MK6

The Commander

15 Elite Triple Bunk

Tarwarri Escape

OZ Classic

Manta Ray Expedition

Trakmaster Explorer

Scout-X Plus

Scout-14

Barossa 11

Tarwarri 18

Retreat Escape

Ceduna 17F Twin MK4

Infinity 15 Bunk

Ocean Breeze 18FT

Zodiac Onyx 23

Ourea Family

SC-FF6

Ourea Royal Family +

The Family Getaway

Horizon 19

Discovery 15HFX

R-Pod

Wild Camper

Dream Cruise 19.6FT

Big Red

Rebellion 16S

Apollo

Frontier 14A

Fury 14A

Classic 19'6

Nullah Family

Peregrine

Illawarra 19ft

Quantum Plus

Bushmaster 19ft

H16

Little Hutt 18'6

15 Elite MK III

Artemis Family

Little Villa 18'6

Eros

XH17.6i

Kakadu 18

Plenty-X Double Folding

Hermes
C3 Hybrid

Ceduna 15FRS Club MK4

OP4

Outback 21'6 Family

Outback 19'6 Twin Bunk

Outback 18'6 Bunk

Infinity 15 Escape

Stealth 12

Ceduna 16R 3 Bunk MK4

Lifechanger

SC13 Lo-Rider

18 Series Tourline

Yamba 13S

SC13 Cruiser

Quantum

Trooper

13X MK II Low Down

Skyline 22F

Iridium 15 Gen II

Settler

1500 Remote Series

SC13 Lo-Rider Plus 4

Somerset-17

Voyager 20'

18 Series SuperX

Family Extreme

Terra Sportz

Sojourn Family

Chateau 20'1

11S

SCF13 Pardoo Singles

Wild

Genesis

Parkes 16R Quad MK4

Coastalor 22FT

Indigo

Hepburn

Footloose 20'8

18 Elite

Zeus

IronBark 18FT

SC-FF

Frost 13

1760 Series

SC16 Club Off Road

SCF13 Pardoo East West

Matrix

Jupiter X

Sojourn Couples

CADFL

Lowdown 17 Escape

Matrix Pop Top

SCF13 Pardoo Island Bed

21 Series Family Tourline

Mini Cruzer

Orana

Family Cruzer

SC13 Double Bunk Angle

Ceduna 16 MK3 Twin

Airlie 18 Twin

Airlie 19 Twin

Innovation Oz Pack

Ceduna 13R Twin MK4

S3

16 Cruiser FHR

15 Premium MK II Low Down

Discovery Outback

Monterey

Parkes 14R Twin MK4

Home Grown 22'6 Triple Bunk

Ridge Runner
Ball weight 200kg and over
206 ranges, from 200kg to 420kg. Larger off-road and touring vans. This is where the tow ball rating on your towbar and the payload left in your car both need checking before anything else.

RTX Edge

Outrider-15

HKC Xplorer Toy Hauler

Polar 15

Skyline 20F

Nano 15

Tuscany

SC13 Double Bunk Straight

Zodiac Ruby 21

Airlie 18R Twin

15 Premium S

Little Rippa

15 Elite HR

Frost 15 Bunk

Glacier 14

Cross Country

Mt Royal

AUSRV XL13E MKIII

Glacier 14 TS

Glacier 16

Vantage

Barossa 16

15 Premium MK III

Frost 15 LK

Xpedition MkII 15ft

Frost 15 S

Pilbara 15L+

Pilbara 15L

Wollemi Off-Road Pop-Top

GT Sport

PowerBank 22 FT

Nano Hound Hauler

Ranger 19ft

Barossa 16+

Citadel 21'6

Murchison 14ft

Barossa

Outrider-15B

15 Elite Triple Bunk HR

Ceduna 15 MK3 Quad MY26

Parkes 16R Twin MK4

Silverline

Parkes 15 MK3 Lounge

Parkes 16 MK3 Twin

Ceduna 16R Twin MK4

Airlie 14 Twin

XT15 POP MK4

Airlie 20R Twin

SRT Multi Terrain Range

Ceduna 15 MK3 Quad

16 Cruiser RHR

Xtraveller 12ft

Scorpion Sting

Discovery 15HX

Jackson FF

Horizon 17.6

Nabula

Ceduna 16R Quad MK4

Chariot 20'8

C16

Zodiac Topaz 22

Little Maison 18'8

Little Cote 18'6

Xtraveller Ensuite 12ft

Yarra

Road Owl Expedition

Xtraveller Grande 13ft

15 Premium HR

Stockton X3

Barossa 15

Oasis 21'6

Silverline Outback

Ceduna 17F Quad MK4

Ironbark Series

Winton 17F Twin MK2

H16LE

CrossTrak Hybrid Pop Top

Parkes 15FRS Club MK4

Parkes 16 MK3 Quad

Ceduna 15 Quad MK4

Parkes 15 Quad MK4

Parkes 15 MK3 Twin

Fury 16C

Drifter 19'6 Cafe Lounge

Stockton X7

Stockton XE

Kruiser T-Class

Hunter

15 Elite MK II Low Down

Safari Tamer

Dargo HR 16ft Couple

Xterrain 16ft Couple

Chariot

Xpedition Plus 16ft

Dargo HR 16ft Family

Bathurst 20'8

Xterrain 16ft Family

Little Palace 18'6

Prime 20'1

Polar 18

Capital 19'6

Lowdown 17

Little Casita 16'6

Frontier 16B

Venus 17HR

Family Flair

Fury 16D

Fury 16F

Horizon 22F

Fury 16B

Suit of Armour 16FT

Drifter 18'6 Double Axle

Home Grown 22' Side Club

21 Series Family SuperX

Airlie 21 Quad

Dirt Road Xtreme

Retreat Bunk

SCF18C Warburton

SCF18F Warburton Bunks

Yamba 13

Parkes 15 MK3 Quad MY26

Ceduna 15 MK3 Twin

Raptor Series

Adventurer 48V

SC15 Lo-Rider

SC15 Electric Roof

Palatial 21'6

Little Hauss 17'6

Sorrento 18

Sorrento 18 - Two Bunks

Sorrento 18 - Couples

C18

Sirocco Grande

22 Series Tourline

Sanctuary 20'3

SC15 Double Bunk

Emerald

Gator X

13S

Expedition Pro

Zodiac Emerald 21

C3 Plus Hybrid

Royal X 22'

Royal 22'

Lost Trak 18.5

Piazza Series

Zodiac Diamond 23 Family

Gator Hybrid

Sirius

Rugrat Family

Trooper TRX

Zodiac Sapphire 23

Parkes 16R 3 Bunk MK4

Bravo

Frontier 13C

Scout-17

Frontier 13A

Dirt Roader

Frontier 13F

Rogue Couples

Home Grown 19'6 Rear Door

Omaru Couples

Mt Feathertop

Omaru Family

Xcursion 16ft

Arundel 22'6

22 Series SuperX

Summit

XH16i

Sorrento 16

Illawarra Series

Off Grid

Stealth 16

C5 Hybrid

SCF16 Sandfire GEN 2

Zodiac Opal 19

Expedition Max

Designer Series

Scout-18B

Somerset-19

Waratah Series

Eden

Toy Hauler 19

SCF22C Overlander Club

Explorer 16

SCF22F Overlander Bunks

SRL Luxury Range

Macquarie

Frontier 15T

Aussie Mate

Desert Rose

Pride Platinum

22 Premium

Airlie 23 4 Bunk

Macedon

Frontier 15F

Airlie 22 3 Bunk

Medusa S

Zodiac Pearl 18

Zodiac Garnet 21

Trooper Platinum

Frontier 17F

ERV

Wild Tribe 22'6

TE7 Triple Axle Topender

The Queen 26'1
How to check the ball weight on your own setup
Six steps, in the order that stops you finding a problem at the weighbridge instead of in the driveway.
- 1
Find your car's tow ball download limit
It is in the owner's manual and usually stamped on the towbar itself, and the two can differ. The lower of the two is your limit. It is a separate number from the braked towing capacity, and a car rated to tow 3,500kg does not automatically accept 350kg on the ball.
- 2
Take the ball weight out of your car's payload, not the van's
The weight pressing on the tow ball is carried by the car. Start from the car's GVM, subtract its kerb weight, and what is left has to cover passengers, everything in the boot, a full tank, any accessories bolted on, and the ball weight. This is the step almost everyone skips.
- 3
Treat the brochure figure as the empty-van figure
A published ball weight is normally measured on an unladen van. Load the front boot with two gas bottles, a generator and a toolbox and the real figure climbs, because weight forward of the axles presses down harder on the ball.
- 4
Weigh the real thing before you rely on a number
A public weighbridge, or a ball weight scale under the jockey wheel, gives you the figure for your van packed the way you actually pack it. Do it loaded for a trip, not empty in the driveway.
- 5
Move weight backwards before you fight the number
Ball weight depends on where the load sits in the van. Shifting heavy gear from the front boot to behind the axles brings it down. Going too far the other way makes the van sway, which is worse than a high ball weight, so this is about balance rather than minimising.
- 6
Check the van's compliance plate
The plate on the van carries the legal figures for that specific van. Where the plate and the brochure disagree, the plate is the one that counts, and dealer-fitted extras added after the brochure was printed are not in the brochure figure.
Published figures are for comparison, the plate is the law
Every ball weight on this page is the manufacturer's published figure for the range, normally measured on an unladen van. Your van, packed your way, will read differently. Confirm against the compliance plate and a weighbridge before you rely on any of it.
Will your car carry it?
Ball weight, towbar rating, GCM and what is left of your payload once the family is in the car. The calculator runs the legal arithmetic against your exact vehicle. No sign-up.
Common Questions
Which caravans have a tow ball weight under 100kg?
39 vans here come in under 100kg on the ball, the lightest at 32kg. Under 100kg is camper and small hybrid territory rather than full caravan territory, because ball weight scales with the size and weight of the van. If you need to stay under 100kg on the ball, the search is really a search for a much lighter van overall, so start from ATM and work back. The ball weights on this page run from 32kg to 420kg.
What is tow ball weight and why does it matter?
Tow ball weight, or ball download, is how much of the caravan's weight presses down on your car's tow ball when the van is hitched and level. It matters for two separate reasons that are easy to confuse. First, your towbar and your car each have a maximum ball download rating, and exceeding either is illegal and unsafe. Second, and this is the one people miss, that weight is carried by the CAR, so it comes out of your car's payload along with the passengers, the fuel and everything in the boot. A perfectly legal caravan can put your loaded car over its GVM through ball weight alone.
How much ball weight should a caravan have?
The rule of thumb quoted everywhere is around 10 percent of the loaded weight of the van. Across the vans here that list both a ball weight and an ATM, published ball weight runs from 3.2 percent of ATM up to 10.5 percent, with a median of 6.6 percent. Those are manufacturer figures measured on an unladen van, so the real share climbs once you load the front boot, which is exactly why the 10 percent rule of thumb and the brochure figure do not match. Too little ball weight is its own problem: a van that is tail-heavy sways, and sway is far more dangerous than a ball weight at the top of its range.
Does tow ball weight count against my car's payload?
Yes, and it is the most expensive thing to get wrong. The ball weight sits on the car, so it comes out of the difference between your car's GVM and its kerb weight, alongside every passenger, every bag, the fuel, the bull bar, the drawers and the roof rack. A 250kg ball weight can be most of a dual-cab ute's remaining payload once four people are aboard. Weight distribution hitches move some load back onto the front axle, they do not remove the weight from the car. Our tow calculator does this arithmetic for a specific car and a specific van.
What if a van I like does not show a ball weight?
Where a ball weight is not stated, we leave it off rather than estimate one, because on a page about what your car can legally carry a guessed figure is worse than none. Ask the dealer for the figure in writing, and confirm it against the compliance plate and a weighbridge.
Can I reduce the ball weight on a caravan I already own?
Within limits, yes, because ball weight is about where the weight sits rather than how much there is. Moving heavy items from the front boot to behind the axle line brings the ball weight down, and moving them forward pushes it up. There is a floor on how far you should take it, though: strip too much weight off the ball and the van becomes tail-heavy and prone to sway. Weigh it loaded the way you actually travel, adjust, and weigh it again. A weight distribution hitch changes how the load is shared between your car's axles, it does not reduce the ball weight itself.