Motorhome speed limits in the UK (1 Viewer)

[gus-lopez]

I never said it was! But if your MRO is lower than the 3.05t then you are good to go, if its just over than the 75kg for driver and 90% fluids will need working out, But as I stay slightly below the 50MPH on a roads and rarely exceed 60MPH, who wants to speed about in a MH anyway, slow and steady is much more relaxing.

You are confusing the 2, They are different things.Unladen weight is as it left the factory. MIRO is what it weighs when being used.

Where does the 'factory fitted' bit come from? And what is a factory? If a accessory is bolted on by the manufacturer of that accessory, e.g. Goldschmit jacks, are they 'factory fitted?

A vehicle that rolls off the production line has an Unladen weight. They might not note it in the UK but anywhere else it is used for initial U/L.
If you then construct a motorhome to the chassis that has nothing to do with the Unladen weight. Unless the laws have changed in the UK. Anywhere else it is the initial U/L that is on the log book.
If it is fitted by the manufacturer , i.e modified Goldschmidtt springs then it would be included. Jacks should not count as if you buy a truck then they fit a crane it doesn't count as part of the u/l.
It used to be ,but may have changed but I 've seen nothing to say it has, nothing whatsoever that wasn't necessary to the actal function of the vehicle in travelling on the road was included. Mereceds used to show the u/l of the 508 series vans without bumpers & mountings, hub caps, spare wheel, jack, to reduce the u/l.
Can't see that being allowed under the rules today re; safety etc.
The u/l weight for our crane lorry did not include the crane in the U/llw as it was added after manufacture & came in as part of the Maximum Authorised Mass.

If not and they need to be excluded from U/W they process of ascertaining that weight would be long and complex.

It is ,more or less impossible. No idea why the Uk still sticks to such nonsense.

Great respect for you Lenny HB but on this one I believe you're wrong. From The Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982:

Restriction on use of right hand or off side lane

12.—(1) This Regulation applies to—
(a) a motor car with a maximum gross weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes,
(b) a heavy motor car, except a heavy motor car constructed solely for the carriage of passengers and their effects and not adapted or used for any other purpose the overall length of which does not exceed 12 metres, and
(c) a motor vehicle drawing a trailer.

A motorhome is clearly adapted for some purpose other than the carriage of passengers, so if it's over the 3.05 t unladen part (b) applies.

Having said that, I suspect the chances of being caught are next to nil.

But it doesn't exclude under 7,5T scaffolding lorries which you used to have a hell of a job getting past in the outside lane.

 

[gus-lopez]

Yes - for example the current brochure figures (which, of course, may not be accurate!) for a Carthago C Tourer T150 on ALKO chassis, 3500 kg GVW are
Unladen weight in standard condition (UVW) 2830 kg
Weight in running order (MIRO) 3015 kg.

(Upgrading to the Fiat f40 heavy chassis, giving a GVW up to 4250kg, adds 40 kg weight, so still only 2870 kg.)

So perfectly ok for higher speed limitsas under 3.05T

 

[nicholsong]

Gus said

"A vehicle that rolls off the production line has an Unladen weight. They might not note it in the UK but anywhere else it is used for initial U/L.
If you then construct a motorhome to the chassis that has nothing to do with the Unladen weight. Unless the laws have changed in the UK. Anywhere else it is the initial U/L that is on the log book. "

On that basis the U/L of an 'A' Class would be the weight of the chassis cowl(with no cab) produced by Fiat, Iveco etc.

Could prove a useful defence for a charge of speeding based on the over 3.05t limit.

Geoff

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[duane0001]

Gus said.............

forget it, I give up

 

[Lenny HB]

Gus said

"A vehicle that rolls off the production line has an Unladen weight. They might not note it in the UK but anywhere else it is used for initial U/L.
If you then construct a motorhome to the chassis that has nothing to do with the Unladen weight. Unless the laws have changed in the UK. Anywhere else it is the initial U/L that is on the log book. "

On that basis the U/L of an 'A' Class would be the weight of the chassis cowl(with no cab) produced by Fiat, Iveco etc.

Could prove a useful defence for a charge of speeding based on the over 3.05t limit.

Geoff

It wouldn't be driveable on the road like that the unladen weight includes all the body parts as normally used.

Here is the UK Gov definition.

 

[gus-lopez]

On that basis the U/L of an 'A' Class would be the weight of the chassis cowl(with no cab) produced by Fiat, Iveco etc.

Yes my 'C' class coachbuilt had an unladen weight of 1783 kgs as shown on the log book . This is/was the weight of the chassis cab as delivered to the converters .
My pvc has an u/l weight of 1737kgs with a MIRO of 2438kgs & a MGW of 3300kgs.

It wouldn't be driveable on the road like that the unladen weight includes all the body parts as normally used.

Here is the UK Gov definition.
View attachment 443897

Yes as I said now the bumpers cannot be removed as they are part of the unitary construction & not road legal removed ,whereas years ago that was not the case & still isn't for any vehicle they can be removed from without affecting pedestrian safety.
What could be removed though is anything ancillary.
Reminds me I saw my first new shape Land Rover today.

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[Pausim]

I tink you will find they quote Unladen & MIRO.

My German is non existent but this is what I was reading.

 

[Nigel P]

Great respect for you Lenny HB but on this one I believe you're wrong. From The Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982:

Restriction on use of right hand or off side lane

12.—(1) This Regulation applies to—
(a) a motor car with a maximum gross weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes,
(b) a heavy motor car, except a heavy motor car constructed solely for the carriage of passengers and their effects and not adapted or used for any other purpose the overall length of which does not exceed 12 metres, and
(c) a motor vehicle drawing a trailer.

A motorhome is clearly adapted for some purpose other than the carriage of passengers, so if it's over the 3.05 t unladen part (b) applies.

Having said that, I suspect the chances of being caught are next to nil.

I think maybe you have misconstrued part (b), any adaption or use refers to alterations which would change it from being constructed for passengers and their effects. A motorhome remains a vehicle constructed soley for the carriage of passengers and their effects. It becomes a different matter for vehicles which are adapted for both live in and goods carrying, some horse boxes for example.

 

[bobnick]

Interesting topic. Still don't know what speeds i am allowed to do on what roads, but interesting.

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[Captain Yoghurtpot]

But as I stay slightly below the 50MPH on a roads and rarely exceed 60MPH, who wants to speed about in a MH anyway, slow and steady is much more relaxing.
[/QUOTE]
Absolutely, and I would be happy if my van could do 70mph, when needed.
What's the rush. This is a leisure activity after all.

 

[63720]

Phew, I'm just going to wing it .

 

[Cavs]

Sorry I think you are wrong a Motorhome for this purpose is the same classification as a car i.e. type M1.

And from the police website.

View attachment 443887

Lenny HB You were right and I was wrong (or out of date, if you're being charitable!). I queried this with the Police National Legal Database, which runs the 'Ask the Police' website. The regulation that I quoted (and which I knew pretty much by heart) I took from legislation.gov.uk where it does not say that it has been changed. The police database people sent me the new regulation as below, which is paraphrased on the Ask the Police website. (It's an image, so the links don't work, which is how it was sent to me.)

I'm posting this to apologise to you, Lennie, and to avoid confusion for everyone else. Thanks for the correct information. I shall now happily and innocently use the offside lane instead of queuing up behind trucks doing 56 mph overtaking one doing 55.

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