Uprating etc.. (1 Viewer)

ShiftZZ

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Had an MOT yesterday and after taking everything out of the van the previous day, I happened to ask the garage did their equipment weigh the van they said that their breaktesting machne did.
As a matter of interest I asked for the weight and remember the van has been plated to 3850.
They cam back and said that it was 3700 :eek:
Thats with a full tank of LPG 1/2 a tank of diesel 1/2 fresh water. and nthing else...

Thats a worry,150kg for fuel and everything else..

Plan of action...
Off to get the van weighed on Monday then decide what to do.

Questions..
How do I work out the axle weights? Is that on the existig plate?
How hard is it to increase the plate weight? Simple form filling?
Will I need to change the suspension/tyres etc.

Wish I never asked now...

There is very little that can be removed from the van and adding two funsters will reduce the spare payload .

Suggestions sensible ones please..

Oh yes the original spec for the van suggested that the unladen weight was 3100 goodness nows where the 600kg has appeared from? The only mods are sat dish, Galsow 11kg x2, two solar panels. )



Just seen this on another forum
"Just had my Rapido 786F weighed, fully loaded with a 13kg and 6 kg gas bottles, 90% water, full fuel tank etc.
gross weight 3400kg
front axle 1500kg
rear axle 1900kg "

I am really confused now,
 
D

Deleted member 29692

Deleted User
You don't know how accurate their machine is. A trip to a real weigh bridge is probably in order. Try and find one that can weigh each axle individually as well weighing the van.

Your questions:

The axle weights are on the plate. Yours will probably be 1850 front and 2000 rear

Depending on what chassis you have you might not be able to increase it any further. 3850kg is the upper limit for a lot of them.

Air suspension and tyres will probably get you more on the rear axle but not necessarily increase the maximum total weight.


If you get it weighed properly and confirm that weight a phone call to SVTech needs to be your next step. They will be able to tell you your options.

Yes, I know there are others and SV are expensive and all of that. I'm not interested in that debate again. What they do have is the breadth of knowledge of motorhomes to be able to give you your options straight away over the phone without having to research it.
If they tell you that you could go to whatever weight use whoever you like to actually do the exercise.
 

laneside

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Sounds a little like our Rapido 791 FF, even when I had bigger tyres and air suspension fitted and uprated to 3850 Kg all I could put legally in the huge garage was 40 Kg.

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Techno

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Oh yes the original spec for the van suggested that the unladen weight was 3100 goodness nows where the 600kg has appeared from? The only mods are sat dish, Galsow 11kg x2, two solar panels. )
Rapido are infamous benders of the truth
 
D

Deleted member 29692

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The plated gross weight will be less than the total of the maximum individual axle loads, in order to allow for uneven loading.

Not necessarily.

Mine is 3850 gross, 2000 rear, 1850 front.

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D

Deleted member 29692

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In that case you will find it very difficult to use all of the GVW without overloading one or other of the axles. Usually it will be the rear!

I wouldn't try and run it right on the limit and I'd be concerned if it was.

If it was actually running at 3850 it would, IMO, need to be plated higher than that.

Anyway if I needed to I can get the rear uprated by a further 200kg. (y)
 

pappajohn

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At the last MOT on our 7500kg RV, I asked if he would note the axle weights during the brake test.

He swore the tester had just been calibrated

Rear axle....a little over 2000kg :ROFLMAO:
Front axle ...640kg :eek:

The front mounted V10 engine weighs more than that and the four rear wheels alone total 200kg :LOL:

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Techno

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In that case you will find it very difficult to use all of the GVW without overloading one or other of the axles. Usually it will be the rear!
That depends on the van
I'm allowed 2100 front but cannot go over it unless I deliberately add weights(we are under 2000 fully laden)
I'm 2400 rear but cannot go near it without breaking 4250 gross.
Any extra weight is required at the back so uprating to 4500kg is a no brainer allowing me to use the full 2400
 
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Abacist

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When did you last have a damp check? Is it possible you are carrying around an unknown quantity of unusable water? I hope not for your sake. Allowing 100 kgs for your extras that makes the overweight about half a ton subject to the accuracy of the scales or about 20% overweight!
 
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ShiftZZ

ShiftZZ

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When did you last have a damp check? Is it possible you are carrying around an unknown quantity of unusable water? I hope not for your sake. Allowing 100 kgs for your extras that makes the overweight about half a ton subject to the accuracy of the scales or about 20% overweight!
Had the van checked this week nothig out of the ordinary . I suspect the data supplied at the MOT was wrong..

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Lenny HB

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For a start you don't say what chassis and size tyres you have, that will give a good guide to see if you can uprate.
As you are already plated to 3850kg it is unlightly you will be able to increase this if you are on the light chassis but there is a very slim chance your van is on a 4250kg chassis that has been down plated as I said very slim chance.

As others have said before you do anything talk to SV Tech, I jumped the gun on mine and fitted wider tyres with a higher load index to take the real axle increase, then I spoke to SV Tech and found out that the Al-Ko AMC chassis is limited to 2000kg on the rear although it can be increased by fitting air assist which is expensive for an Al-Ko chassis.
 
Jul 29, 2013
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Yes air assist for our Alko 4250kg maxi chassis is ÂŁ1600 + VAT fully fitted don't know if that will give me increased GVW though as we don't need to uprate.
 
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ShiftZZ

ShiftZZ

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From another site..
2003 Rapido Le Randonneur 786F
Motorhome Type: LowProfile
Base Motorhome Chassis: Fiat
Engine Capacity (CC): 2800
Length: 6.22
Width: 2.21
Height: 2.77
Unladen Weight (Kg): 3100
Gross Vehicle Weight (Kg): 3500
Payload (Kg): 400
Double Bed: Y
Number of Berths: 4
Number of Belted Seats: 4
Fresh Water Tank Size: 140
Waste Water Tank Size: 110
Fridge: Y
Fridge Size (Litres): 135
No. Of Gas Lockers: 2
Gas Locker No.1 Size: 7
Gas Locker No.2 Size: 7
Fuel Type: TurboDiesel

So if the UW was 3100 and all thats been added is a sat dish awning and galsow that would never be 600 kg?

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vwalan

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From another site..
2003 Rapido Le Randonneur 786F
Motorhome Type: LowProfile
Base Motorhome Chassis: Fiat
Engine Capacity (CC): 2800
Length: 6.22
Width: 2.21
Height: 2.77
Unladen Weight (Kg): 3100
Gross Vehicle Weight (Kg): 3500
Payload (Kg): 400
Double Bed: Y
Number of Berths: 4
Number of Belted Seats: 4
Fresh Water Tank Size: 140
Waste Water Tank Size: 110
Fridge: Y
Fridge Size (Litres): 135
No. Of Gas Lockers: 2
Gas Locker No.1 Size: 7
Gas Locker No.2 Size: 7
Fuel Type: TurboDiesel

So if the UW was 3100 and all thats been added is a sat dish awning and galsow that would never be 600 kg?
in truth only a fool would buy a m,home with only 400kg payload with that many berths and seats .
it should be unlawful to sell one like that as well.
 

Lenny HB

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From another site..
2003 Rapido Le Randonneur 786F
Motorhome Type: LowProfile
Base Motorhome Chassis: Fiat
Engine Capacity (CC): 2800
Length: 6.22
Width: 2.21
Height: 2.77
Unladen Weight (Kg): 3100
Gross Vehicle Weight (Kg): 3500
Payload (Kg): 400
Double Bed: Y
Number of Berths: 4
Number of Belted Seats: 4
Fresh Water Tank Size: 140
Waste Water Tank Size: 110
Fridge: Y
Fridge Size (Litres): 135
No. Of Gas Lockers: 2
Gas Locker No.1 Size: 7
Gas Locker No.2 Size: 7
Fuel Type: TurboDiesel

So if the UW was 3100 and all thats been added is a sat dish awning and galsow that would never be 600 kg?
As you said it was plated at 3850 you must have another plate somewhere, what does it say in your V5.
If it is a Fiat chassis and not Al-Ko don't think you will be able to increase it above 3850kg.

I reckon the 3100 is MIRO not unladen weight, the MIRO should include a driver at 75 kg, 20Lt of water, 90% fuel, 1 gas bottle but what it includes can vary between manufacturers especially of your year. The MIRO will have a tolerance of 5% so it could be 3255kg and be within spec then you need to add on any extras, your sat dish, awning & 2nd gas bottle will add about 75kg so it could be 3330kg.

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Aug 30, 2012
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That's got to be way off Dave you are only about same size as ours and we are full loaded with bikes full tanks water and fuel plus 90 pairs of Elaines shoes and enough food to feed the third world and according to the nice Spanish policman with his weigh bridge we where 3.75 ton
Got to be test centre calibration is off take it to a weigh bridge and check it
Check trading standards for your area ours has one that is free to use 24 / 7 and does axle loads just slowly drive over and axle loads come up a display
 
Jul 13, 2008
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As you said it was plated at 3850 you must have another plate somewhere, what does it say in your V5.
If it is a Fiat chassis and not Al-Ko don't think you will be able to increase it above 3850kg.

I reckon the 3100 is MIRO not unladen weight, the MIRO should include a driver at 75 kg, 20Lt of water, 90% fuel, 1 gas bottle but what it includes can vary between manufacturers especially of your year. The MIRO will have a tolerance of 5% so it could be 3255kg and be within spec then you need to add on any extras, your sat dish, awning & 2nd gas bottle will add about 75kg so it could be 3330kg.
Does the Maxi chassis not go higher than 3850kg?
 

vwalan

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there can be brake changes to be made though .
reimo used to have various different brakes and wheel cyl changes you had to make and they gave a certificate to be used in germany to allow upping the gvw . not all chassis have the same brakes or suspension . sv tec have spent ages invetigating what where why all to do with chassis numbers etc . there are others that do it but sv tec are on the ball usually.
 
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This seems to be a common problem. We have just had a couple of days in Newark to check out the van prior to an 8 week trip to Spain. Last year I had it in for MOT and put it over the weighbridge locally on returning home. No clothes, little food, no water and 1/3 fuel, 1 x 13kg, 1 x 7kg calor propane, came off at 3210. took it on the weighbridge at Newark in trim for holiday, 1 x 13kg gas,almost full water (80ltrs),, full of clothes, no roofbox, plenty of food/drink. Weighed at 3680kg. Now wonder how it has increased by 470kg, both me an wife weigh 170kg, surely food and clothes do not weigh 300kg. Emailed weighbridge and they say it is zeroed before driving on. This is a waste metals yard who, in all honesty, only need to work out difference of loaded - empty so I suppose does not need to be that accurate (weighed as a favour rather than public weighbridge). Now concerned as on ferry on Tuesday but we went last year for same time, complete with Thule cycle rack and 2 bikes and although aware, I was not worried about being overweight. Oh yes,, Autocruise Wentworth, 2 berth, plated at 3500kg, Air suspension, towbar, awning, solar panel. :cautious:
 

SandraL

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Does the Maxi chassis not go higher than 3850kg?

Our 2012 fiat maxi/alko has been replated at 4500kg. No change of brakes, but front has stronger springs and is 2300kg, rear is at 2500kg having established torsion bars are good for that weight.

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Jul 5, 2013
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Does the Maxi chassis not go higher than 3850kg?

Our 2012 fiat maxi/alko has been replated at 4500kg. No change of brakes, but front has stronger springs and is 2300kg, rear is at 2500kg having established torsion bars are good for that weight.
Same figures as on our 2015 Hymer on a Maxi chassis. Our front springs have been upgraded too. We have 3 plates on ours. One from Fiat and one from Alko, both of which are under the bonnet. The Alko one shows a GW of 4.4t. The third one, from Hymer, is on the offside skirt behind the rear wheel and shows 4.5t, because the allowable weight on the front axle has been increased.
 

Lenny HB

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Need to find out what chassis it is I suspect it's a light.
Check the Fiat plate, axle weights will give an indication on a light rear axle will probably be 2000kg on a heavy 2400kg, also light chassis has 15" wheels, Heavy 16".
 
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Need to find out what chassis it is I suspect it's a light.
Check the Fiat plate, axle weights will give an indication on a light rear axle will probably be 2000kg on a heavy 2400kg, also light chassis has 15" wheels, Heavy 16".
My 2005 Hymer B584 Classic is on a Maxi chassis but with 15" wheels presumably specified by Hymer.

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