Motorhome weight limits

[romany]

Having spent a few weeks looking at different small motor homes and looking at reviews there seems to be a general acceptance that on some it would be wise to increase the MTLMP above the normal 3500 kg to 3650 or even more on some

Although it seems to be a paper exercise is it wise, after all you then have to have a C1 licence and in many eu countries you are more restricted on which lanes you can use and the speed you can do.

What are others views on this

 

[Just smiffy]

Two big pluses with Motorhomes...

Layout....

Payload....

 

[Diggerdi]

Depends on a lot of factors. In our case, we have a Pilote P650GJ, 3,500 kg with a payload of 680kg. It's 6.5m, with a fair sized garage. It's fine for the two of us, but we do travel pretty light. We don't have bikes or a barbecue. We went to a weighbridge fully loaded and had about 160kg to spare. Extras we had fitted were a solar panel and 2nd leisure battery and we have 2 x 6kg gas bottles.

 

[pappajohn]

If you think you need more than 3500kg then it's far easier to buy one already over that weight.
True, it mostly is a paper exersize, but you have to have the correct papers unlike going the other way and downplating in which you simply change the weight on the V5 and send to DVLA with a cover letter.
You will need a cert of conformity to show the van is capable of a higher weight without mechanical changes, which may cost if you don't have one... Failing that you need the services of someone such as SVTech who can provide the paperwork for a large fee... 2 to 3 hundred quid.
But it may need heavier tyres, springs or air suspension to comply.
Then you have to re-tax it.
To take the C1 test will cost between £750 and £1000 as you can only use a professional vehicle (has to be a 5 ton box van with tachograph) and they will sell you a course.

 

[Allanm]

A large number of motorhomes are built to be under 3500kg to take advantage of the largest market, in a lot of cases, this means the payload can seem reasonable, until you have the extras added and this eats into your payload, leaving you a vehicle that could be overweight as soon as you get into the drivers seat.
Our van was sold as 3850 kg giving us an ( on paper) payload of around 800 kg. They also supply a sheet showing the weights of all extras that could be fitted, allowing you to work out what your payload should be.
With the extras we had fitted, we are left with around 700 kg, which is fine for us.
But, with a heavier vehicle you do have some restrictions, none of which have ever bothered us.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[romany]

If you think you need more than 3500kg then it's far easier to buy one already over that weight.
True, it mostly is a paper exersize, but you have to have the correct papers unlike going the other way and downplating in which you simply change the weight on the V5 and send to DVLA with a cover letter.
You will need a cert of conformity to show the van is capable of a higher weight without mechanical changes, which may cost if you don't have one... Failing that you need the services of someone such as SVTech who can provide the paperwork for a large fee... 2 to 3 hundred quid.
But it may need heavier tyres, springs or air suspension to comply.
Then you have to re-tax it.
To take the C1 test will cost between £750 and £1000 as you can only use a professional vehicle (has to be a 5 ton box van with tachograph) and they will sell you a course.

I'm ok for the C1 as I passed my test in the 70's, I agree with you if I wanted a heavier van I would buy one that was.
Personally I can't see the point for my wife and I as we don't carry much and I prefer not to sit in a queue of lorrys because I'm to heavy to be allowed to overtake

 

[gus-lopez]

unlike going the other way and downplating in which you simply change the weight on the V5 and send to DVLA with a cover letter.

By all accounts not that simple any more.They won't let @GWAYGWAY down plate without being able to prove that the van he uprated will now work at the lower weight? Which he can't.

 

[Lenny HB]

Bought a 4500kg van with 1350kg payload last year best thing we ever did. A few restrictions abroad is a small price to pay for not having to worry about what you carry. Fully loaded with full tanks we still have 500kg spare.

 

[romany]

My present MH autosleepr excec 2002 has a max of 3500 and to be honest last time I weighed it fully loaded with every tank full and fully fitted for 4 week tour through Holland ,Germany, Denmark. it weighed in at 3440 kg

 

[Wagoneer]

It depends a lot on the layout and how you can optimise the weight distribution between front and rear axles.

A front lounge layout will generally shift more weight to the rear and overload the rear axle more quickly.

A rear lounge layout will generally concentrate the big load items between the two axles.

I don't see much point in upgrading to 3650 or 3850kg if the permissible axle loads remain the same (ie. Paper excercise). The rear axle permissible load can be upgraded from say 2000kg to 2240kg but this costs money with suspension mods and tyres with a higher load index.

If you want to future proof your investment, buy a van with 16" tyres.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mfw]

If you have a van at 3.5 T you can always drive it - if your license gets a medical restriction anything over 3.5 T becomes a problem - you may or may not get the c1 part back no guarantees irrespective of your age - all down to personal choice and the pros and cons between a 3.5 T van or a heavier van

 

[Pausim]

I have a 4200kg mh. However, I wonder at what point the fall off in the number of people who have the C1 entitlement will start to impact on values. Probably a good many years away yet but those of us with “grandfather” rights must become a diminishing minority at some point.

 

[romany]

If you have a van at 3.5 T you can always drive it - if your license gets a medical restriction anything over 3.5 T becomes a problem - you may or may not get the c1 part back no guarantees irrespective of your age - all down to personal choice and the pros and cons between a 3.5 T van or a heavier van

This is one of the reasons I am not to keen to upgrade the weight on the two new vans I am looking at as I am a type 2 diabetic and have had a triple bypass, so I am very aware any downturn health wise could remove my C! entitlement or even worse loose my licence

 

[Devon Sue]

I see that some of the van conversions have a weight of 3200 or so, can these be uprated to 3500?

 

[Lenny HB]

I see that some of the van conversions have a weight of 3200 or so, can these be uprated to 3500?

Vans on 3200/3300kg chassis can often be upgraded but are often on the limit on the front axle so could be an expensive job. IMO best avoided.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mfw]

There is always the option to tow an enclosed box trailer behind van and load that with whatever you want and before anyone knocks towing a box trailer there are a lot of people towing motorbikes and cars behind their vans only difference is what you put inside will probably be cleaner after a trip

 

[Pausim]

There is always the option to tow an enclosed box trailer behind van and load that with whatever you want and before anyone knocks towing a box trailer there are a lot of people towing motorbikes and cars behind their vans only difference is what you put inside will probably be cleaner after a trip

My trailer looks exactly like a VW UP on an A frame but I can put lots of stuff in it, just like a box trailer.

 

[Speve]

No ones mentioned heavier vehicle cheaper to tax only £165 instead of £230

 

[nicholsong]

Having spent a few weeks looking at different small motor homes and looking at reviews there seems to be a general acceptance that on some it would be wise to increase the MTLMP above the normal 3500 kg to 3650 or even more on some

Although it seems to be a paper exercise is it wise, after all you then have to have a C1 licence and in many eu countries you are more restricted on which lanes you can use and the speed you can do.

What are others views on this

On those points if the vehicle looks as though it could be 3500kg it is unlikely that anyone will stop one that is 3850kg. The signs are there to dicsourage 7.5t and over from using the road, not van-sized vehicles.

We are running on a 3850kg and although a big body have never been worried. We go through car toll booths on M/Ways and have never been questioned.

Geoff

 

[gus-lopez]

I see that some of the van conversions have a weight of 3200 or so, can these be uprated to 3500?

Fill it with water & diesel & it would probably need uprating to 3500kgs just to be legal empty.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mfw]

There appears to be a bit of leeway on overweight vans up to 5% overweight - my van is 3.5t and i'm running at about 3.6t - if stopped i could dump water if i had to and come back within limits - my choice and that is what i'm doing - doesn't look overweight either

 

[pappajohn]

By all accounts not that simple any more.They won't let @GWAYGWAY down plate without being able to prove that the van he uprated will now work at the lower weight? Which he can't.

As far as Im aware, if you have an official weighbridge ticket showing its at or below the weight you want it to be then that is the weight it will be recorded at.
They don't care if you have no payload allowance, that's your problem not theirs.
If GWAYGWAY contacted them again and spoke to a different desk jockey everything would be above board

A few years ago I advised a member about uprating at a local office, before the likes of SVTech were there to do it for you.. They told him it cannot be done, not possible.
Funny, because just a week earlier I uprated from 3500kg to 3860kg at the Beverly office.
I told him to go back, make sure he saw someone else and he walked out with everything sorted at the new weight.

DVLA desk jockeys don't all sing from the same song sheet.....
DVLA is not fit for purpose

 

[Pausim]

When I bought my MLi 580 with a similar spec to GWAYGWAY the dealer said Hymer would downplate it to 3500kg in the future, even though it would leave a very small payload. It has a MIRO of 3281kg. I don’t plan on doing this but it did not seem to involve any weighing, just Hymer working from their records.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

This is one of the reasons I am not to keen to upgrade the weight on the two new vans I am looking at as I am a type 2 diabetic and have had a triple bypass, so I am very aware any downturn health wise could remove my C! entitlement or even worse loose my licence

Go to the U shaped lounge and read what Grommet and I have been on about diet. Type two can be reversed quite simply but the rote of the mainstream medicine denies it. If you are an injecting insulin diabetic you will probably have lost your C1 anyway if they know at DVLC,, on metformin maybe not yet. Go and read the diet advice we have there , Grommett has don as much research as I have but he unlike me does not have to follow it but is for his future health. Mine is shot anyway so I am trying to get some back but I am a lot older.

 

[romany]

On those points if the vehicle looks as though it could be 3500kg it is unlikely that anyone will stop one that is 3850kg. The signs are there to dicsourage 7.5t and over from using the road, not van-sized vehicles.

We are running on a 3850kg and although a big body have never been worried. We go through car toll booths on M/Ways and have never been questioned.

Geoff

Nothing to do with vans but I can remember asking my Spanish father in law why traffic always seemed to be going slowly near the tolls. The answer was "when we get to the toll have a look at how many vehicles have been pulled over by police for weighing and speeding or dangerous driving offences, apparently they time you between toll stations and of course if you get to the next one to early you've been speeding, simple

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mfw]

Nothing to do with vans but I can remember asking my Spanish father in law why traffic always seemed to be going slowly near the tolls. The answer was "when we get to the toll have a look at how many vehicles have been pulled over by police for weighing and speeding or dangerous driving offences, apparently they time you between toll stations and of course if you get to the next one to early you've been speeding, simple

Lot of restrictions on vans over 3.5 t speed wise and weight limits for places over 3.5 t is not allowed - a lot of people break the law and get away with it and a lot get caught - but we all know the consequences and take the chance - and i'm more likely to get caught for speeding not in the van but in a car or motorbike

 

[romany]

Go to the U shaped lounge and read what Grommet and I have been on about diet. Type two can be reversed quite simply but the rote of the mainstream medicine denies it. If you are an injecting insulin diabetic you will probably have lost your C1 anyway if they know at DVLC,, on metformin maybe not yet. Go and read the diet advice we have there , Grommett has don as much research as I have but he unlike me does not have to follow it but is for his future health. Mine is shot anyway so I am trying to get some back but I am a lot older.

The problem with Diabetes type 2 is that different things work (or don't work) for different people thats why I found the Swedish research showing that there were actually at least four types of diabetes and possible more, which would go a long way to explain why some people react differently.

It is completely wrong to say if you are type two injecting insulin you will have probably lost your C1 as long as you have not had two hypos within a certain period and you are still able to recognise the signs of low sugar and deal with it your licence is safe and that information comes directly from the DVLA.

I take metformin and Victosa the second drug a good many people can't tolerate but by taking it I have managed to stop taking two other drugs both of which i had to watch sugar levels very closely and stabilised my average blood glucose to 7.0

 

[pandas]

On those points if the vehicle looks as though it could be 3500kg it is unlikely that anyone will stop one that is 3850kg. The signs are there to dicsourage 7.5t and over from using the road, not van-sized vehicles.

We are running on a 3850kg and although a big body have never been worried. We go through car toll booths on M/Ways and have never been questioned.

Geoff

But if you are involved in an accident one of the first thing they do is take the vehicle to a weigh bridge - invalidates the insurance so maybe you might want to consider this. Plus there is some thought that the DVLA might at some point in the near future reduce the weight from 3.5 to 3 ton.

 

[nicholsong]

But if you are involved in an accident one of the first thing they do is take the vehicle to a weigh bridge - invalidates the insurance so maybe you might want to consider this. Plus there is some thought that the DVLA might at some point in the near future reduce the weight from 3.5 to 3 ton.

I think you have the wrong end of the stick.

If you look back my post no.19 was addressing Romany's post no.1 about restrictions for vehicles over 3.5t on some roads.

At 3850kg we are within authorised weight, so your insurance point does not arise. The only breach of the law would be driving down a road with a 3.5t limit, so maybe a fine if anyone stopped one, which in a van-based MH is unlikely.

Geoff

 

[gus-lopez]

when we get to the toll have a look at how many vehicles have been pulled over

Reminds me of getting to a toll just after Barcelona about 7am-& handing over ticket
Toll operator " Where have you been ?"
Me,"What ? Have you been waiting for me ?"
To; " have you stopped?"
Why isn't it allowed?"
"have you been asleep"
"Not while I was driving WTF are you on about ?"
" I will have to take your registration "
"Wtf for?"
& out he came with a pencil & paper
Me " cameras not working then ?"

Never found out what all that was about.

Plus there is some thought that the DVLA might at some point in the near future reduce the weight from 3.5 to 3 ton.

Hopefully it would be the politicians who ,stupid as most are, would have some input rather than the planks employed at that place.
Can't see it whilst in the EU & all rules are the same.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}