Motorhome weight (1 Viewer)

[MaureenD]

Hi
We have a Burstner Delfin Performance weight 3850KG. My husband is 70 next year and we don't think he will get a license owing to the tablets he takes.
Is it worth getting it downgraded to 3500KG. We have been to a weigh bridge and had it weighed and it came out at 3100KG which will give us a payload of 400KG. We have noticed in the MMM mag there are quite a few M/homes will less than that payload.
Maureen

 

[Larrynwin]

To some degree it will depend on what you had onboard when you went to the weighbridge. If you were both inside with perhaps much of your needs for travelling including adequate fuel then 400 kg spare is useful. As far as downrating I dont know the procedure. Good luck

 

[gazznsam]

i've uprated my van, not too hard but i dont consider changing a single wheel axle to a twin wheel axle that hard, others would,

but to downrate you may have to fit smaller tyres, then you just get the plate changed to show the new max weights... this is in the form of an official sticker that goes near the origional plate, that tells anyone looking that the vehicle has new weight limits,

i used Link Removed cant remember what it cost, as i had the extras of getting a twin wheel axle, larger springs, getting my new diff changed over to the new axle, making the wheel arches wider and so on,

and of course it's a modifcation, so you must tell the insurers, didnt make a differance to my premium, but they need to know anyway as it's an alteration from standard specs.

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[The Wallace]

but to downrate you may have to fit smaller tyres

Anyone else heard of this??

 

[gazznsam]

it's to stop you being able to carry more weight, prolly not needed when dropping a few hundered kilo's, but going down a ton as most downrates do, it may well be part of the requirements.

you often see artic trailers with tiny wheels and tyres on them, they carry things like feathers, foam, and other very light stuff, so to ensure they can not carry heavy stuff which commands a higher tax, they have to fit lower load rating tyres.

but ask the bloke at svtech, they do vehicle re-ratings every day, so know what will be needed, hopefully the OP's case will just be a paperwork change, so they can sell the van one day to someone who may want to take advantage of the higher payload of the 3.85 ton chassis origionaly rated at, and thus just needs to get the paperwork reversed.

but as has been mentioned, dont start any downrating stuff untill you are 110% sure you will have enough payload, you need to weigh the van in full holiday mode, that's cupboards full of tins and other foods, fridge full, water tanks full, waste tank can be empty as you dont usually drive with a full waste tank, of if it is the fresh tank will be empty having been thru the taps and into the waste tank.

make sure you have all the clothes for a winters trip, even tho it's summer now, a few string vests, speedo's and a bikini for the wife weigh a lot less than parkers, thermal undies, snow boots etc

And of course get the weigh ticket with you both sat in the van, along with the dog/cat/gold fish if they usually travel with you too, also dont forget to put bikes on the back if you use them, or anything else you hang off the back... granny scooter or likewise,

My van can weigh as little as 3.7 tons, but only with the gas, water, diesel, gas oil and toilet tanks empty, fridge and cupboards with very little in them and no scooter or owt on the back rack,
but my usual running weight is 4.1 tons with no scooter anymore, was 4.3 with the scooter on the back, but i now use a trailer as i had a bad experiance with one of those easy lifter things.

 

[vwalan]

i think you will find its only a voluntary exercise as its to be used private and will be plating excempt. years ago you had to raise the bump stops on the rear suspension .when i built my artic i was told no tec stuff info is needed because its private pulling a living van. i just had to get the local dvla out to verify the change. ring sv,tec cant remember the no. but i think you need to speak to gareth marsh. gazzman may know different. be carefull though if you down weight you might regret it later.

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[pappajohn]

If you were both inside with perhaps much of your needs for travelling including adequate fuel then 400 kg spare is useful.

but extremely unlikely......that would mean 800kg > 1000kg normal payload...far too much for a 3850kg van.

i would think around 500kg/550kg payload would be a max.
on a eurovan fully loaded in winter camping mode will be near the limit.

 

[Kon tiki]

My van came plated as 3500kg even though I asked for 3850kg. As the V5 would be sent to my house I was given the new uprated plate to take to the DVLA for them to change it. They accepted the change & I got a refund on the road tax, the new log book came a couple of weeks later. The only thing that changed on the new plate was the MGW the axle weights were just the same as the 3500. The payload for my van from the specs is 865kg, I haven't had it on a weighbridge yet but I am not too worried about being overweight.
I kept the old 3500 kg manufacturers plate so I don't see why I can't just take that into the DVLA to downplate it but only if I wanted to pay more road tax

 

[haganap]

hi Maureen and I hope you are well.
Im going to give you the reply not many on other forums would give, stick me neck out and stand for the abuse.
Before anyone starts,. scotjim (ithink) done a poll on this a while ago and the result was amusing.

Ok, my van is a 3.5 weighted van. when I weighed it in winter prior to our skiing trip I found I was already over weight by 200kg and I ain't even put Nikki the kids and there clothes in. Although I did have a full tank of water and fuel.

I started to panic, I phoned svtech to ask them what I needed to do to uprate. they said, I needed to do nothing more than send them a cheque for 250 of my hard earned pennies to go up to 4200t. That means my van is capable of that on the (same tyres, I too have never heard that one) with the same running gear. I rang because of my safety concern only to beinformed that I did not need to make any mods and it was just a paper exercise. I therefore opted to take my chances. In the event that I am stopped, weighed, and then forced to unload some kit then Ill take my chances. When I looked in to the likelyhood of this happening it was very small, not impossible just small. The fact is I recon 90% of motorhomers have never been to a weighbridge, 40% of them wouldnt even know what payload meant, yet you hear more about people claiming to of been gassed than you do of being stopped and left at the side of the road.
Worse case scenario is you get prosecuted for being overweight, with your payload that will be available and with only being two of you, I doubt it will be by much, probably only by enough for a jobsworth to give you a telling off and for you to have to dump your water.

so I would downgrade and live with whats left, sorry for the lengthy reply, but it is something I have done an awful lot of researching since I visited the weigh bridge.

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[Wildman]

Hey Paul, you not looked at the latest MOT papers properly, they include axle weights and gross weight checked at MOT time so take care now.

 

[Kon tiki]

I think you are missing the full impication of being overweight, in the event of a serious accident your insurance could be invalid if it was shown you were overweight. Most vans are capable of being uprated over 3500 without any modification, I believe they use the 3500 weight for the reason that anybody who can drive a car can drive up to that weight both here & in Europe. When you get over that weight you are limiting who you can sell to.

 

[gazznsam]

i can assure you that in the event of a motorhome accident, they will try and weigh it, we had an accident which was in no way related to the vehicle weight, but one of the things the assessor tried as part of the 'get out of paying' game was want the van dragged to a weighbridge and weighed,

luckily for me i get a weigh ticket before i go on a big trip, we were off to scotland that year so i had got one about 20 minutes before the accident, and that was accepted as proof we werent over weight.

but if we were overweight, we wouldent have our van now and it wouldent have been repaired by the insurers, and i doubt i'd be driving anything as my licence would still be overloaded with points and my bank account empty from the fine.

overweight vehicles is a big and serious thing, and they do check, if your ever near nottingham you better hope the weighbridge isnt open as you pass, as they have pulled me in there so many times i almost know them by first names,

no probs for me, i just go on the bridge, get told the van is 4.2 tons or so, pop the bonnet and show them the uprating plate, and i'm let on my way, but as i leave the compound i pass the line up of motorhomes that have been impounded for being overweight,

you dont get a simple 'empty the tanks and you can go on your way mate' option, the vehicle gets a prohibition order put on it, which means it cant be moved on it's own wheels till the defect is rectified,
if it's just a drain the tank situation and make the passengers walk home, they may let you arrange a transporter to take it to a dump station and back (they aint gonna let you dump owt down their drains and have the enviroment agency on their... or rathe your back too thats for sure)... at your cost of course and RAC etc wont touch you as you've broken their T&C's by driving a vehicle not complying with road laws,

then you have a re-weigh, and if you've sorted if you may just get a few points and a fine,
if you can't reduce the weight easily, then they keep the vehicle till you can arange to get it sorted,

btw, the 250 quid you pay gets you the entry into the database that shows your vehicle has been uprated according to the tests they did on a vehicle before, at one time they would have done all the braking efficiancy tests, chassis loading, bearing and so on tests to prove that if anything happened to cause an accident, the van being uprated wasnt the cause of it,
then you get the uprating certificate and the plate for the engine bay, and if requested the braking efficiancy charts etc,
send a copy of the certificate to your insurers, and at next mot time ensure they enter the correct weight for the brake tester and vehicle gross weight, oh and when you re-tax the van as a PHGV, you'll find the price has gone down,

by how much depends on the age, my van being 13 years old is on the old engine size tax rates, being over 1500 cc's means it's top rate, so it goes down by a tenner for being a PHGV,
but newer vans can go down by a few hundered quid for tax rates.

Obviousely it's up to the individual to decide if it's worth having the vehicle uprated or not, but driving overweight is one of the most common things people get done for in commercial/large vehicles,
and more and more motorhomes are sold with such puny payloads, vosa know all about it and will and do check motorhomes out at the roadside checks,
and as we all should know with english laws, ignorance is no excuse, just 'cos you didnt know a law exists dosent give you a reason to break it.

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[haganap]

Like I said,
I would await the back lash.

And I am not going to get in to an argument but I am one of the honest brigade.

So just to take up some points.

Gazzsam, thanks for the warning, but I assure you im no idiot, I have been through what your saying and you have told me nothing I dont know. The only difference is I actually know, many don't or would not admit to it.
My point is my Vechile is only overweight on a technicality and nothing more. It can go to 4.2t without even a change, so if its not dangerous to be overweight just illigal.

Kontiki,
Thanks for the warning but my first post should of coverd it, I know exactly the implications of what Im doing, im just honest about it and know a bit about it others will never of even been to a weighbridge.:thumb:

Roger,
My van has never been weighed at MOT time. not that it would be overweight there as it would be unloaded. However you are quite right to point out axle weights because many do not even know this. It is quite posasible to be on your 3.5t weight limit and then overweight on either axle manking you illigal too.

Sorry guys, I have been motorhoming 5 years and caravaning before that. If I really did wanna worrry about it and take the added pain of doing a gazsam and visiting a weighbridge before every trip, I would of got myself another caravan.

 

[vwalan]

the real question is should the other person down weight? i would make more enquiries to dvla. regarding the medications taken .i have been involved in getting licences reviewed n changed . acting for a disabled bike charity and private individuals . you may pm me if its a bit private. ..as for driving on the public roads knowing you could be over weight is asking for trouble . it would be better to up weight in that case . as i have stated earlier some vehicle changes can be easily done on a voluntary basis no cost is involved. two years ago i converted a tipper into a shortened artic unit , using this system. down plating to allow pre 97 licence holders to drive my truck. its best to stay within the law the inconvenience n offences committed are more than just being over weight. so many things are based around you being correct. the truth is the only law.

 

[johng]

Ed, you say

I haven't had it on a weighbridge yet but I am not too worried about being overweight.

then

think you are missing the full impication of being overweight, in the event of a serious accident your insurance could be invalid if it was shown you were overweight

for what its worth, i was weighed at the MOT last month... I still have the added problem that there is no weight plate on my van.. I dont really know what to do.. if I get stopped it must be my responsibility to make sure the correct plate is there..

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[MaureenD]

Thanks all most interesting. Reasons for downgrading Hubby had a stroke 4 years ago which he made a remarkable recovery also diabetic and has angina takes 19 tablets daily. Having said that he has a clean driving license for 50 years. And at this time all is well and no side affects. we use the m/home regularly
Our 2007 M/Home suits us well as it has the two fixed single beds and a shower/toilet across the back. We also tow a small Fiat Panda on A frame and we were just worried that when he apply for his license he may not get it. Come the push I could drive it I suppose.

 

[vwalan]

hi maureen . the implications get worse . if he gets a restriction to 3.5tn towing the aframe is also out of the question. anotherfunster tony f. is in the middle of fighting dvla as he as a difibulater fitted .its very complex as to how it effects your licence. take your time n keep hassling dvla. now .good luck .

 

[ronald4874]

Motor home weights

Approx 12 months ago I posted a note on the forum re the consequencies of being over weight. In the newspaper there was a story of a UK van in Spain being pulled over and weighed by the police and found to be overweight. The police fined the culprit on the spot 3500 Euros, to obtain the money they marched him to a bank, having been payed they allowed him to continue.
I weigh my vehicle often checking both rear and front axles. To assist my total load I have removed the overcab bed and stored at home. That area I now use for such as TV, cooking tent, tables, chairs and other small items. This balances the vehicle a lot better with less weight on the rear and more on the front. As with most I know, I only carry a small amount of water and carry out checks, before our trips for unnecessay items to be left behind. Even for 3 months away we still have many lockers empty

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[ronald4874]

Motorhome Weights

Further to my earlier note on the subject I have for some time considered a change of vehicle to an A Class or low profile. The main problem with the 2 vehicles mentioned is the load carrying capacity, as I see it.
In both cases the possibility of moving loads forward onto the front axle is reduced somewhat with little or no possible storage in that area so all the weight you take is mainly over the rear axle with the obvious danger.
How do others cope with this problem after a visit to the weigh bridge. Some of these vehicles I see running along the road are obviously overweight and illegal. No Insurance or other legal requirements.
Cheers Ron W

 

[MaureenD]

Hi VWLAN
How long before the 70th birthday can you apply for the licence.
thanks

 

[Wildman]

so how about the fact it is a motorhome, we are always being told that pre 97 drivers are not limited to 7.5 ton with a motorhome and can drive an RV up to 12 ton (D1)on a car licence so how is this affected when one reaches 70 if they can ignore the weight limit now surely they can do then, the restriction is in force to stop commercial driving of larger units not private use. So come on you back room lawyers what about that one. It is time the DVLA changed the rules in our favour, just for once.

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[vwalan]

hi maureen ,cant answer that question but you can always ask dvla. tell them why its no good to try n hide anything as medical records will be looked at. as for rogers question i am persistantly in discussion with dvla about this and if you can make some proof its a minibus with over 9 seats yes you can drive it 12t up to your 70th year then u are down to 8.25 train .since 1.4 91 when separate licences were starting to be phased out they did away with the bus scheme for car drivers (not for hire /reward . you could take the hgv/psv medical pay 20 quid get a person of authority to sign to say you had previously been driving not for hire /reward and you could keep the full d /de/d1+e all restricted 101 (not for h/reward).if you didnt the you lost the right to drive large buses . as from then the standard licence only covered all vehicles to 7.5t except minibuses up to 12t. there has been lots of discusion by other clubs, arve had quite alot to say a few years ago. i can only tell you what dvla tell me.read your licence n ask dvla they are usually very helpfull