SMALL SUV MOBILE DETAILING SETUP: LOAD AND SPACE WORKSHEET
Detail Compass | 2026-11-01

Use your own door-jamb label, equipment manuals, tape measure, and a scale.
A positive margin is an initial screen. Check the gross vehicle weight
rating, each gross axle weight rating, tie-down ratings, and the loaded scale
weight separately.

1. Vehicle
Year / make / model / trim: _____________________________________________
Placard line "combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed":
  __________ lb   Read on (date): __________
Gross vehicle weight rating: ______ lb   Front / rear axle ratings: ______ / ______ lb
Cargo tie-down points and their rating (owner's manual page): _____________

2. Payload check
Driver and passengers on a normal workday:         __________ lb
Cargo budget = label figure - people:               __________ lb

Item                              Weight (lb)   Source / date
Planned water (US gal x 8.34)     __________    ________________________
Empty tank, pump, and mount       __________    ________________________
Extractor                         __________    ________________________
Vacuum                            __________    ________________________
Power station or other power      __________    ________________________
Bottles, towels, and pads         __________    ________________________
Hose, reel, and fittings          __________    ________________________
Crates, bins, and straps          __________    ________________________
Recovered water or capture gear   __________    ________________________
Other                             __________    ________________________
CARGO TOTAL                       __________

PASS: cargo total is at or under the cargo budget.
FAIL: cargo total is over the cargo budget. Lower the planned water first, then
remove gear, then drop a passenger on wash days. Rerun the check.
Margin = cargo budget - cargo total: __________ lb   Result: PASS / FAIL

3. Space check (rear seats up)
Floor length, seats up: ______ in   Width between wheel housings: ______ in
Rear opening width (lower): ______ in   Rear opening height: ______ in
Liftover height: ______ in

Item            Footprint (L x W, in)   Height (in)   Position on floor
Tank            ____________________    _________     ____________________
Extractor       ____________________    _________     ____________________
Clean bin       ____________________    _________     ____________________
Dirty bin       ____________________    _________     ____________________
Vacuum          ____________________    _________     ____________________
Power station   ____________________    _________     ____________________
Hose reel       ____________________    _________     ____________________

Open width beside tank = wheel-housing width - tank length: ______ in
Open floor behind tank = floor length - tank width: ______ in
Every item clears the rear opening? ____
Every listed item has a secured spot with the liftgate closed? ____
FAIL: an item has no spot. Lower the tank size or leave it at home. Rerun.
Shutoff, hose, and liftgate release reachable with all items in place? ____
Liftgate closes on a full cardboard mock-up? ____
Tank loaded empty and filled in place? ____

4. Travel and site checks
Tank and machines strapped to the manual's tie-down points? ____
TIE-DOWN PASS: anchor rating covers filled tank + mount + straps. ____
TIE-DOWN FAIL: no rating listed or too low. Use smaller secured jugs or a
  lower fill, then rerun.
Chemicals closed and upright, stored per label and safety data sheet? ____
Clean towels sealed; dirty towels in a separate lidded bin? ____
Rear view, seat belts, and liftgate release clear? ____
Any fuel generator carried per its manual and run outdoors only, at least
  20 ft from homes and buildings, exhaust away from openings (CPSC)? ____
Local stormwater or sewer authority asked about wash water? Answer/date: ____
Open item / who answers it / next action: ________________________________

FILLED HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE - NOT A VEHICLE APPROVAL
Label figure: 850 lb (2026 Honda CR-V owner's manual figure; read your own label)
Driver: 180 lb (hypothetical)
Cargo budget = 850 - 180 = 670 lb
Planned water: 20 US gal x 8.34 = 166.8 lb
Empty tank, pump, and mount: 30 lb (hypothetical)
Extractor: 30 lb; vacuum: 15 lb; power station: 45 lb (hypothetical)
Bottles, towels, and pads: 60 lb; hose, reel, and fittings: 25 lb;
crates and straps: 20 lb
Cargo total = 166.8 + 30 + 30 + 15 + 45 + 60 + 25 + 20 = 391.8 lb
Margin = 670 - 391.8 = 278.2 lb. Payload check passes.
(Total with driver = 571.8 lb against the 850 lb label figure.)
High case: 2 people (350 lb), 40 gal (333.6 lb), 40 lb tank, 195 lb gear
Total = 918.6 lb. Fails by 68.6 lb. A 30 gal fill gives 835.2 lb, a 14.8 lb
margin: too thin without axle scale readings. Fix: carry one person on wash days.

Space example (hypothetical tank 28 x 18 in, 12 in tall, about 26 gal by volume):
2026 Subaru Forester (Subaru spec sheet): floor 36.5 in, wheel housings 43.3 in
  Beside tank: 43.3 - 28 = 15.3 in. Behind tank: 36.5 - 18 = 18.5 in.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport 1.5L standard (Ford spec sheet): floor 35.6 in, 41.4 in
  Beside tank: 41.4 - 28 = 13.4 in. Behind tank: 35.6 - 18 = 17.6 in.
Hypothetical 24 x 16 in extractor fits the strip behind the tank in both.
Tank and extractor fit on paper only. Place the vacuum, power station, bins,
and hose reel, then confirm with a cardboard mock-up and the liftgate closed.

No axle weights, tie-down ratings, or scale readings are in this example.