The important information below is for Australian owners of the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer Couplings
It has come to the attention of www.geistowners.com that the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 coupling used predominately on the Geist caravan in Australia has not had the correct compliance. ADR 62/02 calls for such components to meet Australian
Standard AS 4177.3-2004 “Coupling Bodies for Ball Couplings.” The standard requires for the coupling to display correctly the approved towing capacity of the coupling that meets the ADR’s (Australian Design Rules). For this type of coupling 2000kgs is the maximum permissible. The BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer coupling states an incorrect rating of 2800-3000kgs and an ambiguous rating of 3000kgs under the handle.
To correct this issue full testing was carried out under controlled conditions at Department of Infrastructure Test Facility No: T2857. As a result the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer Coupling met the requirements of ADR 62/02.
To correct the incorrect stamping of the coupling all BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer couplings or derivatives of this model MUST have attached in the correct manner, an approved identification plate ensuring correct towing capacity of the coupling. In addition the VIN number of the applied trailer/caravan and batch or serial number of the coupling is to be shown on this plate. It is important an approval number also be registered on the plate that will identify back with the original testing.
www.geistowners.com commissioned the testing of the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer coupling and will issue an identification plate on a fee per plate basis. A database of known caravan/trailer VIN numbers will be made available to the Department of Transport and Roads for distribution to State Transport Authorities.
Failure to place an appropriate identification plate may lead to corrective compliance being requested by State Transport authorities at great cost and risk of insurance defaulting on any accident that may occur.
A summary of the report by the tester is sent with the identification plate to verify the testing procedure to any appropriate authority.
A big thank you to the www.geistowners.com members who pre-ordered their id plates to enable the commissioning of this compliance test to occur. Without our members none of this could have occurred and it would have meant every user of this coupling would have had to replace their coupling with a new one of lesser quality at a price of $900-$1300 including fitment. Unfortunately there is still a cost to fix this issue but it guarantees some certainty in the coupling that as a user, we believe as being one of the best in the world.
Compliance Plate for Non – members is $395
Compliance Plate for Members is $335
The Plate comes with appropriate paper work about how and where to put the plate on and a letter explaining the need for the plate
TO ORDER Your Compliance identification Plate CLICK HERE
Below are a few photos of the testing process.
