I hesitate to be the party pooper about this subject (again) but it should be stated clearer that ‘Loaded Weight’ is the operative phrase when registering a van, not empty weight.
Things are often not as simple as they seem, and registering an old van is no exception. It’s easy to get the wrong impression about which weights count and what they are.
Whch brings to mind the question..
How do work out how much a whale weighs?
(Answer below)
I'm digressing.. back to the serious stuff..
A lot of people are under the impression that if their van weighs less than 750 kg when it's empty it comes under the ‘Self Assessment’ registration procedure that is available in some states.
People also believe if the TARE weight (empty weight) is less than 750 kg the van doesn’t have to have brakes.
Please be aware this is not so, or more to the point, it's not necessarily so.. It’s just not that simple.
If you read the various documents that are available it’s not the TARE weight (empty weight) that counts, it’s the loaded weight – known as the GTM (Gross Trailer Mass) that counts when registering a caravan (or trailer).
GTM is the empty axle weight plus the load.
It’s explained in Vehicle Standards Bulletin VSB-1 (from the Dept of Transport and Regional Services).
If you want to read about it download the VSB-1 bulletin here.
www.dotars.gov.au/transreg/vsb/pdf/vsb_01.pdfThe relevant part is Section 11 on page 22.
There are probably other state regulations to consider as well, depending on where you live.
If you think about it for a minute it makes sense, it’s the total load you are towing on the highway that has the effect as far as handling, braking etc, not the empty weight of a caravan with no contents.
Consider this analogy..
Towing an empty double horse float that weighs about 500 kg is quite easy but the situation changes quite a lot when you load up two horses weighing a tonne or more.
You also need to be aware of the towing capacity of your vehicle.
Failing any different advice from the car manufacturer (who may set a lower figure) the maximum allowable weight any vehicle can tow without brakes is 750kg (that’s total weight, not TARE weight)
Any van or trailer that's more than 750kg without brakes makes the rig unroadworthy.
This applies in all states with all types of towed things, and there are no exceptions.
Any van or trailer with a GTM over 750kg’s has to have brakes fitted and usually needs to be presented for registration with a valid weigh bridge certificate.
You van may weight (say) 650kg’s empty but by the time you fill a water tank, add a gas bottle, a spare wheel, an annexe, bedding, clothes, food, pots and pans, and all the other paraphernalia it could well be 1 tonne or more.
Guessing the weight is fraught with danger and accounts for many older vans having a figure on their registration papers that is anything but accurate.
I'll disbelieve any weight figure stated on a rego label of a van over 15 years old until I see the weighbridge ticket or (better still) load cell readings.
Guessing weights and using the ‘Self Registration System’ on vans whose weight may be getting close to 750kg TARE weight may be a short term gain as far as registering the van but could bring you grief in the long term.
As well as the grief if you end up in a prang, if you wish to claim on insurance be aware that insurance assessors are very aware of towing regulations and you could end up with a reduced claim or a rejected claim.
If there are injuries arising from the prang you may also face charges under road traffic regulations for driving (towing) what is effectively an unroadworthy rig.
PedantJimSigningOff
About the whale..
You take him to a whale weigh station..
. You will need to buy a compliance plate from them, $4.50 and attach it to the drawbar. If you do not have any gas appliances plumbed into the van thats it, nothing more to do, but if it has gas appliances you need a gas certificate as well, easy as 
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