We use essential storage to run the site. With your permission, we use Google Analytics to understand site use and improve our services. We do not use analytics to collect the details you enter in calculators or forms.
Privacy Policy
ClearPath is an Australian vehicle, modification and towing advisory service that helps identify potential problems before they become expensive mistakes.
Assess the complete setup — vehicle, passengers, luggage, accessories, modifications, caravan, actual load and questions requiring independent verification.
Weight and loading guidance · ACT/NSW preparation guides
Choose the closest starting point. One-off prices are in Australian dollars. See the assessment details before payment — or try the free towball leverage calculator below.
Before you commit
Compare a proposed vehicle or caravan against the passengers, luggage, accessories and towing work you actually expect it to carry.
Avoid buying a combination that only works on the brochure.
Assess a purchase — $99Before you build
Assess how a canopy, bullbar, winch, drawers, batteries, fuel tanks, suspension changes and other additions may affect the complete vehicle.
See payload, axle and approval pressure points before fitting parts.
Assess modifications — $149Before you travel
Review the tow vehicle, caravan, towball load, passengers, cargo and actual loaded weights as one connected combination.
Understand towing, payload, GVM, GCM and axle considerations together.
Check my setup — $99Towball weight does not simply add the same number to the rear axle. Because the hitch sits behind the rear axle, it acts as a lever - removing some load from the front axle and transferring extra load onto the rear.
The towball sits behind the rear axle, so its downward force acts through the vehicle wheelbase as a lever.
Try your approximate figures for a quick illustration. The Detailed Weight Distribution Calculator & Report - $29 adds the complete load-position, axle, GVM, GCM and towing picture.
Estimated front axle change
-112 kg
Approximate load removed from the front axle
Estimated rear axle change
+412 kg
Towball load plus the transferred front-axle load
A 300 kg towball load with this geometry removes about 112 kg from the front axle and adds about 412 kg to the rear axle.
Static conventional-hitch illustration only. Not an actual axle mass or stability assessment. Weight-distribution hitch forces and gooseneck couplings are not modelled. Measure axle weights with the setup as used.
A Ford Ranger may appear capable of towing a 3.2-tonne caravan. Add a canopy, bullbar, winch, long-range fuel tank, drawers, recovery equipment, passengers, luggage and towball load, and the real decision becomes much broader.
ClearPath assesses how the parts work together, where payload or axle pressure can emerge, what assumptions need confirmation and when engineering or another qualified professional may be required.
Complete decision model
Vehicle + accessories + modifications + caravan + actual load + questions to verify with an authority
The report can flag questions for the relevant authority or authorised certifier; it does not determine every approval requirement.
Vehicle, passengers, luggage, accessories, modifications and caravan considered as one decision.
Payload, GVM, GCM, towing and axle considerations explained with sources and stated assumptions.
See what appears workable, what may not, what to confirm and when professional advice may be required.
Review a representative ClearPath report showing how vehicle, load, accessories, modifications and towing considerations are brought into one structured decision.
ClearPath report preview
Vehicle payload
Calculated & explained
Accessory impact
Compared
GVM / GCM
Calculated & explained
Axle & towing effect
Calculated & explained
Plain-English findings
Clear margins, pressure points, assumptions and what to check next.
Choose the help you need
Start with the Risk Scan for a preliminary vehicle setup check, choose the $99 assessment for a vehicle-and-caravan decision, or use the Complete Vehicle Build Assessment when accessories, modifications and broader build planning must be considered together. Prices are in Australian dollars.
$49
A preliminary vehicle setup check covering vehicle-only payload, GVM and axle observations.
$99
A detailed automated assessment of your vehicle and caravan, including payload, GVM, GCM, axle and towball observations.
$149
Planning a touring or towing build? Assess the vehicle, caravan and accessories, payload and modification-planning questions before ordering parts.
We reference Australian-market manufacturer specifications and road authority guidelines for GVM, GCM, axle loads and towing capacity.
Your inputs are run through fixed, transparent calculations — not guesswork. Payload, GCM, towball leverage and axle distribution are computed the same way every time.
Results are explained in language you can act on — what passes, what needs attention, and what to verify next.
ClearPath founders
Practical touring and vehicle experience
Ian and Sandy created ClearPath to turn complex towing and vehicle-weight information into practical decisions for Australian owners. Their experience across mechanical work, heavy-combination vehicles, steering, suspension, touring and towing setups shapes every assessment. ClearPath independently explains the numbers, identifies pressure points and gives customers a clear next-step plan. Formal engineering certification remains separate where it is legally required.
Choose the pathway that matches your decision: buying a vehicle or caravan, modifying your vehicle, or checking a towing setup. The $49 Risk Scan is a preliminary check, the $99 assessment covers a detailed vehicle-and-caravan decision, and the $149 advisory includes modifications and broader build planning.
ClearPath can bring together vehicle specifications, passengers, luggage, accessories, proposed modifications, caravan figures and actual loads to identify payload, GVM, GCM, axle, towing and potential approval considerations.
Automated reports are normally available in your ClearPath dashboard within about one minute after the required information is submitted.
ClearPath helps you understand the decision before you spend money. We do not sell vehicles, caravans, suspension kits, GVM upgrades or accessories, and do not receive commissions for recommending them.
Ready to make the complete decision?
Assess a purchase, proposed modifications or the complete loaded towing setup through one independent ClearPath journey.
Identifies where formal engineering or certification is the appropriate next step · independent advisory