3500kg, just! Uprate? Pros and cons. (1 Viewer)

[rolandrat]

You only have to see some of the LARGE motorhomes entering Saumur in France that have to go over the 3.5t0n limit river bridge to access the local camp site. They don't seem to bother about the weight limit. Also the tour and service buses that go over it as well to enter the town. I'm not aware of anyone that's been penalised for using it.

 

[Jaws]

I have been all over Europe, including Poland etc.. The only place that is a reall pain is Austria cos of the go box thing..
However............

For 5 years we went to and through Austria in the Miller which was plated at 4.1 tonne and always just bought a vignette ..
No one is really interested as long as you appear to be playing the game ( cannot get away with it in the Chieftain... 6 wheels and 29ft long is a bit of a give away !! LOL !!! )

 

[mentaliss]

tolls in euroland don' look at weight they go by single or twin wheels STAN

and wot papa said

Beware the french are installing the so called weight tube from early 2015, you will drive over it as you enter the toll booth, the weight of your vehicle will be instantly logged even if the toll is not manned.. they are even considering installing it on the 'N'...easy money

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[maison]

Some years ago we were en route to the ferry Plymouth/Santander when a policeman stepped out in front of us on the A38 near Exeter racecourse.

He must have had a death wish as 3.5 tons doesn't stop that quickly.

He said that DVLA
Were checking for overloaded caravans so he was surprised they wanted to check us.

We were well within the limits but that evening, when we arrived on site at Plymouth and decided to go for a walk, the van alarm operated and would not stop. A check showed that when the Police had checked the MGW on the plate under the bonnet they had broken the micro switch on the alarm. It was difficult to find a company that could repair the damage within the the two hours we had the following morning.

Moral:- you can always take a chance but don 't complain if plod is carrying out a spot check.

 

[Mike B]

whats you wieght now, (not a rude question)

as yours is a merc and im not sure what it was, what was it before as well please

Was 3850kg, Now 4000kg

 

[mitzimad]

I might be thick but what's the size of the wheels got to with it, iv got a tranny on 14s

fiat have two chassis systems the normal vans are rated up to 3.5 tonnes and aree difficult to uprate the maxi chasis has better springs brakes and suspension and can be uprated easily the maxi chasis are always on 16 inch wheels to allow the uprating

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[vwalan]

reimo did, possibly still do sell all you need to uprate fiat etc range air suspension different rear brakes and wheel cylinders . this is all for the german market originaly .if your interested try giving them a google .
the kit came with a german tuv certificate . thats all that was needed to change uk vehicles . this was for early vehicles to up to 3850. later ones didnt need as much . cant find the sheets of info. but will try tomorrow.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

fiat have two chassis systems the normal vans are rated up to 3.5 tonnes and aree difficult to uprate the maxi chasis has better springs brakes and suspension and can be uprated easily the maxi chasis are always on 16 inch wheels to allow the uprating

The Fiat camper chassis on 15" wheels can be uprated to 3700 as a peper exercise but can also go to 3850 with higher load rate tyres and air assist at the back. We did the 3850 as this allows 2240kg at the back instead of 2000kg. Done by SV tech very quickly - shame about the two months and numerous complaints/re submissions it took the DVLA to change the V5c. It is this that the VOSA or whatever they call themselves go by.

 

[Scout]

Was 3850kg, Now 4000kg

did you have to install air suspension?

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[MitchandJenny]

"Thickness" is dependant on the subject and your knowledge about it..!!

( Sorry CHASER, 2 posts got in between us ) I think its the tyres, not the wheel diameter..

 

[Mike B]

did you have to install air suspension?

No, no changes to the MH at all, purely a paper exercise.

 

[Cobweb]

Hi
When we bought our Rapido 997 it was plated 3500 . We soon realised that for us to go away for extended trips we would be overweight and we replated to 3800. In the beginning of our very first trip to the continent we went to a weighbridge with half a tank of water and full tank of fuel and were 3780 ! The previous owner must have been illegal most of the time !
Having said that we have never been stopped in the UK or the continent .

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[DuxDeluxe]

Hi
When we bought our Rapido 997 it was plated 3500 . We soon realised that for us to go away for extended trips we would be overweight and we replated to 3800. In the beginning of our very first trip to the continent we went to a weighbridge with half a tank of water and full tank of fuel and were 3780 ! The previous owner must have been illegal most of the time !
Having said that we have never been stopped in the UK or the continent .

Nothing new there, then. Rapidos are notorious for being economical with the payload truth. A few bits and there you go........ Had exactly the same experience with Pilote

 

[ericonabike]

I went through same thought process as op. My conclusion some 18 months after uprating to 3850? Just do it. Gives you peace of mind that, within reason, you can't overload it. There are no practical issues, as previous posters have pointed out, assuming you have the correct licence and that you're not approaching 70. When you come to sell it, the weight will reduce the 'pool' of potential buyers, which is why manufacturers stretch every sinew to keep weights below 3500, even when this means a silly payload. But other than that, no problem.

 

[TerryL]

[QUOTE="
If the authorities are looking to weigh campervans then they will be looking for the 15" wheel variants with the tyres almost touching the bodywork won't they? I am amazed at the number of "professionally made" vans that are on 3500kg, 15" wheel chassis with very little leeway to uprate.

Lets face it, there are a huge number of campervans out there rolling along at way over the safe weight and they are not difficult to spot. I am looking at being slightly over the weight my paperwork says, but still well within the capacities of the suspension, brakes, vehicle and tyres."

/QUOTE]

There are several places round the UK now that have sensors embedded in the road which automatically weigh passing vehicles and take a picture. Aimed at overweight trucks but they don't differentiate and your registered weight is on the database they use - and you'll probably get done for no (i.e. invalid) insurance too.

Also, regarding the 3.5T restriction signs. They mean the same in all European countries, but it is what is actually on the plate, or the supplementary plate, which counts. A sign with just 3.5T on it means exactly that; no vehicles of any kind over 3.5T. If the sign or supplementary plate shows a picture of a truck, then it only refers to LGV/HGV.

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[Speve]

Hi there one thing to note on tolls is they do go on height I have an uprated Tracker FB Highline with sat dome measures around 3.2 m and always get charged class 3 by the way I uprated through SV Tech to 3850 fitted air sus to rear and new 225 tyres never over now and it's great for peace of mind.

 

[Bartyfixedit]

I have been in touch with SV tech and my the X250 maxi panel van with leaf springs is a paper exercise to 4250kg and 4500kg with air assisters on the back.
My current payload is only 200kg, I think upping it to 950kg should just about suffice.
Yippee, no more silly Diets!!!!!!!!!
Thanks all for taking the time to reply.

David

 

[DanielFord]

If it helps, we drove through Switzerland this year (our van is plated 4005kg). We stopped at border control, and it was relatively straightforward to pay the tolls. There is a form to fill in, your registration is logged into the system, you get a copy of the form to keep. We paid for 7 days and it was about 29CHF if memory serves.
The man at border control said that all vehicles over 3500 have to pay this regardless of whether using the motorways or not.

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[Peter_n_Margaret]

In Switzerland you can also buy "any 10 days in 12 months" for not much more.
Just fill in the form each day you are actually on the road. Any day parked up does not count.

 

[Jaws]

As an aside, fitting air bags to Ducato's is a REALLY quick and easy job.. Bought my kit from A.S. ( lovely folk and extremely helpful ) for about £200..
When I got the kit it had been snowing and was bloody cold.. Bit the bullet and decided to do it anyway...
25 minutes later it was all installed and I was back inside cuddling a radiator !

Quick fitting run down.
Crawl underneath with a pair of stilsons .. Put stilsons on to rubber bump stop and twist anti-clockwise.. They are just screwed in place
Squeeze air bag to compress it ( no special stuff, can be done quite easily between your hands ) and pop in to place.
They are held in place by the plates that are bolted to them locating on the various bits and bobs on both the axle and the chassis and the weight of the vehicle

Run the airlines carefully so they do not foul anything and hold in place with cable ties and p clips screwed to the floor.

Now I bought the basic kit and the air lines were terminated with a couple of fittings that had Schrader valves in them.. I drilled a couple of holes in the back of the gas locker and just left the lines in there.. Used any garage air line to pump them up.

Eventually I went posh and bought a pucka pump and control panel for the system so I could monitor what was going on and adjust as I felt it was needed, but that was a couple of years later.. the bags worked just fine without all the clever stuff and I only needed to check the pressure in the bags once every few months ( When I first fitted them I checked them all the time but soon realised that was based on paranoia rather than need ! )

 

[CWH]

Don't know about elsewhere, but in Cornwall you're not allowed in any council-owned car parks if you're over 3500. They did actually do a bit of a clamp-down & caught out (and fined & banned) a lot of horsebox owners who use the beaches for exercising their horses outside the tourist season.

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[DuxDeluxe]

As an aside, fitting air bags to Ducato's is a REALLY quick and easy job.. Bought my kit from A.S. ( lovely folk and extremely helpful ) for about £200..
When I got the kit it had been snowing and was bloody cold.. Bit the bullet and decided to do it anyway...
25 minutes later it was all installed and I was back inside cuddling a radiator !

Quick fitting run down.
Crawl underneath with a pair of stilsons .. Put stilsons on to rubber bump stop and twist anti-clockwise.. They are just screwed in place
Squeeze air bag to compress it ( no special stuff, can be done quite easily between your hands ) and pop in to place.
They are held in place by the plates that are bolted to them locating on the various bits and bobs on both the axle and the chassis and the weight of the vehicle

Run the airlines carefully so they do not foul anything and hold in place with cable ties and p clips screwed to the floor.

Now I bought the basic kit and the air lines were terminated with a couple of fittings that had Schrader valves in them.. I drilled a couple of holes in the back of the gas locker and just left the lines in there.. Used any garage air line to pump them up.

Eventually I went posh and bought a pucka pump and control panel for the system so I could monitor what was going on and adjust as I felt it was needed, but that was a couple of years later.. the bags worked just fine without all the clever stuff and I only needed to check the pressure in the bags once every few months ( When I first fitted them I checked them all the time but soon realised that was based on paranoia rather than need ! )

Being a wimp, I got the son in law to do it. Similar thing - easy fit and terminated in the Schrader valves at the back. Subsequently purchased a nicely machines manifold and gauge from Watling and terminated the thing in a locker out of the way. Pressure checked regularly but has not changed. Now very easy to adjust if required - didn't see the need for a compressor system right now

 

[Jaws]

I did not use a post compressor.. Bought one from a boot sale for a fiver.. Just one of those little emergency jobbies that would normally plug in to a cigar lighter

 

[Heyupluv]

Andy
My understanding of most mainland European countries is the 3.5 ton limit is for all vehicles except busses.
but I could be wrong and often am(my wife told me)

where is Mel (Heyuplove) when you need him

Mel

Mel you are correct....also the control technique testing station for testing over 3500... is now classed heavy goods in France (MOT) and can not be tested at normal testing station and the cost is more 100 euros, and must be done every year..NOT every 2 years like a car or a vehicle under 3500kg ... the tester said to be correct you should NOT travel on a Sunday.......!!!!????
Mel..(heyupluv)

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[mitzimad]

just a thought you may find you cant enter london lez depends on which engine is in your vanthe over 3.5 tonnes are usually a euro in front