Another weight uprating question (1 Viewer)

Mags52

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Our Autotrail Miami is plated at 3800 - we got it weighed the other day, part loaded with us both in it and it was 3760 kg.
I got advice from SVtech and they tell me the maximum plate we can get is 3900kg which will cost £120 plus vat.
We're about to leave on a long tour of Europe for the winter and will be putting our bikes on the back which will take us up to the legal limit. We can take a few things out of the van but there is nothing really heavy in there. I'm wondering - if we get stopped do they allow a percentage over the permitted weight or will we be in deep doodoo?
Would you shell out the £140 plus for an extra 100kg?
Mags
 

Puddleduck

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First I think I would completely empty the van and then put back in the things I know I will need / want - and weight them.

If there wasn't much left out from that which I had unloaded I would grit my teeth and pay the money.

EDIT: Would also check water / waste tank levels. Do you need to carry a full tank or half tank of fresh water?
 
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If you are stopped and you are overweight then you'll be fined AND you'll have to shed the weight before you can drive away! Draining the onboard tanks would be a quick & easy way to reduce the weight but you may need to get rid of more - so have a backup plan!

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Badknee

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Yes, as PD says if you've not used anything for ages then think about taking it out. Run with all tanks empty and take 5litre bottle of water for brewing up between stops, fill up when you get there. There is a leeway here but not sure how much and not sure about over the water.:)
 

MC 55 FUN

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Be aware that being overweight may also invalidate your insurance & any fine imposed could well be in excess of the cost of uprating.
 

hilldweller

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Would you shell out the £140 plus for an extra 100kg?
Mags

That could be less than the fine.

I think you should empty it, right back to as delivered, no fluids but for a little diesel. Weigh it. Then you get an idea of the scale of the problem or maybe you how much junk you carry.

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pappajohn

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Have you considered a small trailer.
I'd sooner carry an extra 1/2 ton in a trailer than extra 100kg in the van.
Inconvenient at times, yes, but to my mind worth it.
Many small trailers can be stored on end so taking very little pitch space
 

pappajohn

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That could be less than the fine.

I think you should empty it, right back to as delivered, no fluids but for a little diesel. Weigh it. Then you get an idea of the scale of the problem or maybe you how much junk you carry.
I would go for a full tank of diesel, you may get pulled leaving a motorway service station fuel stop.
 

Badknee

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I would go for a full tank of diesel, you may get pulled leaving a motorway service station fuel stop.
I think the true tare weight includes half a tank of fuel and all passengers and driver in the vehicle, as in you and the boss. (y) Then go from there. I did that and oh boy, ready for the road and were close to the limit even though uprated to the max, 3850kgs.

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D

Deleted member 29692

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I think the true tare weight includes half a tank of fuel and all passengers and driver in the vehicle, as in you and the boss. (y)

Full fuel, some water plus 75kg for the driver. Nothing for any passengers.
 
D

Deleted member 29692

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The other thing to remember when putting bikes on a rear rack is that they will put a higher load onto the rear axle than they actually weigh due to the pivot effect.

It's quite possible to put the rear axle over weight while the vehicle as a whole is still under.
 
D

Deleted member 29692

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I'm wondering - if we get stopped do they allow a percentage over the permitted weight or will we be in deep doodoo


This is for the UK only. Other countries might not be the same.

Up to 5% over, no fine, carry on.

5% - 10% over, £100 fine and you can continue your journey as you are.
10% - 15% over, £200 fine
15% - 30% over, £300 fine
More than 30% over and there's no fixed penalty, you're going to court.

More than 10% over and as well as the fine getting progressively bigger you have to reduce the weight before you will be allowed to continue.

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Mags52

Mags52

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Sorry - I don't understand the tare weight thing. Does that mean that we don't have to count the weight of passengers?
 

pappajohn

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Sorry - I don't understand the tare weight thing. Does that mean that we don't have to count the weight of passengers?
Unladen/tare weights are of no concern to VOSA if stopped.
If you are overloaded, you are overloaded.

Unloaded weights, if ever accurate, are for your convenience in working out how much payload you have.
 
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Mags52

Mags52

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We spent over £300 uprating and only gained 150kg due to rear axle limit but well worth it, also already saved £140 in road tax.
Thanks - cheered us up a bit. 100kg doesn't sound like much but at least we'll be legal and have something to wear and eat. I think we're going to go for the uprate. Have just hauled stuff out that we don't need and only saved about 20 kg. I did however find a bucket of grey water lurking in there and weighed it. Amazed to discover it weighed 8kg! Who would have thought it?
 
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Who would have thought it?

1 litre of water weighs 1kg.

If know you can get water wherever you're going and can travel empty or nearly empty you'll save 100kg plus.
 

Bart

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On a side note my current Mh's max gross weight is plated at 3500kg . Now if I was able to get it uprated to say 3800kg . Would I be legal to drive this on a normal car licence or do I need a different class on my licence in this situation.

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Lenny HB

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If you passed your test before Jan 1997, and are under 70 you should have class C1 on your licence which allows you to drive vehices up to 7.5 ton.
 

Bart

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Yip i read @Minxy Girl post on her up rating adventures :)
For me i seriously am thinking on removing our current 90 ltr water tank from our E560 and replacing it with a larger tank that will prob take us over the 3500kg ,, as our aim is to wild camp , and following our 1st trip away there to England / Scotland for 15 nights all wild camping ,, our only issue was water every 2-3 days ,, mind you there was 3 on that trip future trips will just me & Elaine.
Earlier this year i renewed my 10 year Licence and i could of swore i opted out of some class of licence thinking is was like HGV's and thinking i would never need it,, then after buying the MH and learning about weights etc , i then thought was it C1 licence that i opted out of..
Well below is a pic of my licence ,,, am i correct in saying i have a C1 licence ??
20160825_222827_resized.jpg
 

Minxy

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Yip i read @Minxy Girl post on her up rating adventures :)
Good lad ... nice to know that some people do read my posts! :LOL:
For me i seriously am thinking on removing our current 90 ltr water tank from our E560 and replacing it with a larger tank that will prob take us over the 3500kg ,, as our aim is to wild camp , and following our 1st trip away there to England / Scotland for 15 nights all wild camping ,, our only issue was water every 2-3 days ,, mind you there was 3 on that trip future trips will just me & Elaine.
That seems very drastic just to get some extra water! What ARE you doing with it all???:confused:
Earlier this year i renewed my 10 year Licence and i could of swore i opted out of some class of licence thinking is was like HGV's and thinking i would never need it,, then after buying the MH and learning about weights etc , i then thought was it C1 licence that i opted out of..
Well below is a pic of my licence ,,, am i correct in saying i have a C1 licence ??
View attachment 121505
It appears that you DO still have your C1 entitlement so no issues there ... goodness ... I've just realised you'll be 70 in 10 years! :D

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