“Ten Things to Consider When Travelling Horses”
“Ten Things to Consider When Travelling Horses”
About Darlene
– If you would like to know more about Darlene then have a look at her
First interview (210) http://horsechats.com/DarleneSvamvur
About This Episode
“Ten Things to Consider When Travelling Horses”
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“Ten Things to Consider When Travelling Horses”
Introduction:Why am I so passionate about this topic? First floating experience v second floating experience.
1) Your Vehicle
Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) – The GVM is the maximum weight that a vehicle can carry including its own weight, any added accessories, luggage, fuel, driver and GVM also includes the Tow Ball Download.
2) Tow Bar Download (TBD)
The amount of weight on your tow bar is crucial to safe and efficient towing and needs to be mentioned here. Any quality tow bar will have a placard or similar showing the maximum tow bar capacity (kg) and maximum tow bar download (kg). Make sure the tow bar you choose is designed specifically to suit your vehicle and your towing capacity requirements.
3) Your Float
Tare Trailer Mass or Weight (TARE) This is the weight of an empty trailer. The term ‘trailer’ covers everything you can tow or ‘trail’ behind a vehicle, from a single-axle box trailer or camper trailer to motorcycle and horse float. If it’s a camper float, its Tare Mass unlike a motor vehicle does not include fluids like water tanks, LPG tanks, toilet systems. Also known as Dry Weight for obvious reasons
4) The regulations
– safety chains, couplings – weight ratings including tow ball
5) Service your float
– braking systems, tyres, wheel bearings, unhitched handbrake, floors
– Putting them together – this is the important part
6) Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) – This is the maximum axle load that your trailer is designed to carry as specified by its manufacturer – YES THEY HAVE A LIMIT TOO. It is the combined weight of your trailer/float and its load but does not include the Tow Bar Download. The GTM is usually displayed on the trailer or in the owner’s manual.
7) Gross Combination Mass (GCM)
This is the maximum weight allowed for your vehicle and trailer combined, as specified by the tow vehicle’s manufacturer. This is where you have to pay close attention to your vehicle’s GVM and your trailer’s GTM, because those two figures determine the GCM and one directly affects the other.
At its Kerb Mass of 2500 kg the manufacturer says it can legally tow another 2500 kg, but that towing weight decreases in direct proportion to how much the tow vehicle’s weight increases. So if you loaded up the towing vehicle to its GVM of 3500 kg, that would only leave a towing capacity of 1500 kg to meet the GCM of 5000 kg. If the tow vehicle’s GVM dropped to 3000 kg, its towing capacity would increase to 2000 kg and so on.
8) Training Horse/s
– Training them to self-load, stand (benefits).
– No right or wrong way – but make it safe. (self-correcting errors)
9) Driving (Understand how it feels back there)
– Before every journey check your lights, brakes, indicators, connection points, doors, latches and horses secured – You are driving, you are responsible for checking before setting off (same rule applies if someone else is towing your horse – it doesn’t hurt to have a second set of eyes check things over)
– Prepare
– Corners
– Accelerating
10) What to do when something goes wrong
– Severity – blown out tyre / horse going down / accident / floor collapsed
– How do you prepare for this? Run through scenario’s / who would you call / travel with a first aid kit, extra ropes, cutters, tyre changing things (i.e. your float tyres could have different size bolts to your cars so don’t presume your car one will fit your float)
– Dismantling it – can you do this, generally and in an emergency?
Time Stamps
01:00 – Background
03:20 – 1) Your Vehicle
05:00 – 2) Tow Bar Download
06:10 – 3) Your Float
07:32 – 4) Your State Regulations
08:55 – 5) Service your float
11:23 – 6) Gross Trailer Mass (GTM)
12:45 – 7) Gross Combination Mass (GCM)
15:50 – 8) Training Horse/s
18:19 – 9) Driving
21:15 – 10) What to do when something goes wrong
24:06 – Summary of Points
26:55 – What would you do differently for the second time if you knew above
28:00 – Links: See details below
28:58 – Contact: see details below
Links
Where to check your vehicle loads if you don’t have the manual
https://www.redbook.com.au/
Article that helped with the technical descriptions
https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-advice/vehicle-weights-explained-tare-kerb-gvm-payload-and-trailer-figures-37482
Darlene’s Contact Details
Phone: 0439 314 483 or +61 439 314 483
Email:
Facebook: Darlene Svamvur
Music
BenSound.com
When Darlene is a return guest on Horse Chats, what question would you like to ask her?
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