Pay load, just weighed everything!

Cliffdale

Cliffdale

Joined
Jul 4, 2016
Posts
1,291
Likes collected
5,881
Location
Cornwall
Funster No
43,906
MH
V-Line 636 Sport
Our hab check insisted on emptying the van. As I put it all back on board again, I weighed every bag carried over to the motor home.
This included all pots pans, tools, ramps and to include an awning weighing 24Kg the total was

154.8Kg

To this I have yet to add two people at 150Kg
Full tank of water 100Kg
Fuel 50Kg
Clothes (guess 40Kg)
food 30Kg
gas system 52Kg when full.
2nd battery 25Kg

Overall, travelling around 555.8Kg

Pay load on the Autotrail is around 750kg so plenty to spare.
Next trip, I am going to check the total on a weighbridge.

Hope this might be of interest to some!
Cliff
 
@Cliffdale think you forgot the alcohol (if you imbibe that is), but you could allways leave out the water ;)
 
Cliffdale said:
Our hab check insisted on emptying the van. As I put it all back on board again, I weighed every bag carried over to the motor home.
This included all pots pans, tools, ramps and to include an awning weighing 24Kg the total was

154.8Kg

To this I have yet to add two people at 150Kg
Full tank of water 100Kg
Fuel 50Kg
Clothes (guess 40Kg)
food 30Kg
gas system 52Kg when full.
2nd battery 25Kg

Overall, travelling around 555.8Kg

Pay load on the Autotrail is around 750kg so plenty to spare.
Next trip, I am going to check the total on a weighbridge.

Hope this might be of interest to some!
Cliff
Click to expand...
I'd check your fingers as your adding up is 46kgs under. :LOL:
601.8kgs(y)

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solar panel, bike rack and other ancilliary items added over the years ?
Were they taken into the starting weight ?
 
Cliffdale said:
Fuel 50Kg
Click to expand...

Hi Cliff. Interesting exercise you've been through. On the fuel weight. Our Fiat has a 90ltr tank, diesel weighs .833kg/ltr so a full fuel tank weight is 75kg. Guess your tank is only 60ltr?

Mick
 
tuscancouple said:
Hi Cliff. Interesting exercise you've been through. On the fuel weight. Our Fiat has a 90ltr tank, diesel weighs .833kg/ltr so a full fuel tank weight is 75kg. Guess your tank is only 60ltr?

Mick
Click to expand...
No not quite.

I allowed that pay load quoted on the van is inclusive half a tank of fuel, and one person. I really over estimated the allowance of fuel.

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Cliffdale said he included two people at 150Kg.

Well that reinforces my thoughts. Time to change my wife to a more petite one!
 
Sorry but it doesn't work like this. Just weighing everything and saying it is under the payload. You have to work on axle weights. Standard chassis have a 2000kg limit so you can be over weight just by packing it wrongly. If you have a long overhang you can soon overload the rear axle by placing heavy items at the back or on a rack. Two bikes at 25Kg each and a rack at 25Kg does not necessarily = 75Kg load if its 2m from the back axle. Its all to do with levers and weight is actually transfered off the front axle to the rear axle. Only way to be positive is a weigh bridge fully loaded with all passengers etc.
 
I would have a full fuel tank, then as you drive the weight is going down and less water, you can fill with water when you get to destination.
 
QFour said:
Sorry but it doesn't work like this. Just weighing everything and saying it is under the payload. You have to work on axle weights. Standard chassis have a 2000kg limit so you can be over weight just by packing it wrongly. If you have a long overhang you can soon overload the rear axle by placing heavy items at the back or on a rack. Two bikes at 25Kg each and a rack at 25Kg does not necessarily = 75Kg load if its 2m from the back axle. Its all to do with levers and weight is actually transfered off the front axle to the rear axle. Only way to be positive is a weigh bridge fully loaded with all passengers etc.
Click to expand...
Couldnt agree more.
Also back to my point about solars etc. They may be factory fitted and they may have even told you that was part of your weight when giving you the figures.
History of dealers and lies about how much weight you have to play with are here all the time.
I think it was last year a member bought a brand new van with something like 300 kgs of payload. He bought it and went to the weighbridge and had 20 kgs left without anything being in there. I cant remember the exact figures but it was pretty dam close to that if i remember correctly.
There was a bit of toing and froing with the dealer and following advice on here i think he got a full refund.
At this stage i would say you have an idea as to how much weight you have to play with but you could be a long weigh aweigh (sic) from being accurate.
Somebody will remember the link and put it on here for you. It was eye opening

Hope your weight is good though
 
QFour said:
Only way to be positive is a weigh bridge fully loaded with all passengers etc.
Click to expand...

This is the only way to be sure.

Mick

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QFour said:
Sorry but it doesn't work like this. Just weighing everything and saying it is under the payload. You have to work on axle weights. Standard chassis have a 2000kg limit so you can be over weight just by packing it wrongly. If you have a long overhang you can soon overload the rear axle by placing heavy items at the back or on a rack. Two bikes at 25Kg each and a rack at 25Kg does not necessarily = 75Kg load if its 2m from the back axle. Its all to do with levers and weight is actually transfered off the front axle to the rear axle. Only way to be positive is a weigh bridge fully loaded with all passengers etc.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this

Looking at my figures, I weighed items into the boot at 83Kg. This includes the 24Kg awning.

I do plan to have the van weighed, front and rear axles when we next go out.
I do have 2 folding bikes not included in any of the above. Now its getting worrying!

I thank you all for your input. I am still very much a learner and only had a motor home for the last 2 years.
 
Cliffdale said:
Thanks for this

Looking at my figures, I weighed items into the boot at 83Kg. This includes the 24Kg awning.

I do plan to have the van weighed, front and rear axles when we next go out.
I do have 2 folding bikes not included in any of the above. Now its getting worrying!

I thank you all for your input. I am still very much a learner and only had a motor home for the last 2 years.
Click to expand...
We have all been there until we got here.
I suspect that unless any motorhomer had work experience with weights etc the thought process of checking it didnt even occur.
I shudder to think how overweight we were highly likely to have been in our first van.
I have since bought a set of weighing scales (which way 2kgs!) and take them with us.
As and when the subject raises over a glass of wine I offer fellow MHers the opportunity of weighing their van. This has been taken up twice and politely declined twice.
The decliners obviously just did not want to know and bury their heads in the sand.
The accepters were both under but heavier than they guessed.

The good news is, if you have the C1, that uprating costs can be about £150 (think its just gone up) @Minxy Girl will be long shortly with all the details and she ll remember the thread about the chap who had 20 kgs of weight left after buying a new van from the dealer and hopefully remember his name and be able to find the thread for you. You can then spend £150 on some weighing scales. Youre never going to worry about weight again. AND you will get your money back in 2 years ?? on saving paying the taxman on your VEL.
Its like replacing calor gas for LPG only a dam site easier, dam site cheaper, dam site quicker to get your money back. Otherwise you kick yourself every time you ahve to pay tax, worry every time you see a 3.5 tonne sign, worry every time the gendarmes have a road block. (maybe not worry but it crosses your mind)
 
I ve just re read your post and things might not be as bad.
Your payload may have doubled up on your calculations as your original figure might be able to include a driver at 75kgs an amount of water, an amount of diesel, the first leisure battery.
If that is the case then you can take that off the amount you have added. So only 75kgs for the weight of passengers, I think it was 40 litres of water and 90 per cent of fuel. That should give you plenty (if correct)
This is worthy of a read
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/portal/motorhome-payload/
 
I see lots of calculations being based on the manufacturers figures. My Autotrail was over 100kg heavier than the stated MIRO figures so the only way to establish the real facts is to weigh it.

Good luck.
 
Cliffdale said:
Our hab check insisted on emptying the van. As I put it all back on board again, I weighed every bag carried over to the motor home.
This included all pots pans, tools, ramps and to include an awning weighing 24Kg the total was

154.8Kg

To this I have yet to add two people at 150Kg
Full tank of water 100Kg
Fuel 50Kg
Clothes (guess 40Kg)
food 30Kg
gas system 52Kg when full.
2nd battery 25Kg

Overall, travelling around 555.8Kg

Pay load on the Autotrail is around 750kg so plenty to spare.
Next trip, I am going to check the total on a weighbridge.

Hope this might be of interest to some!
Cliff
Click to expand...
Good payload on that van,,,BUSBY. ,, .
 
We took ours to the local weighbridge on it's first trip, had around 100kg of payload left, so enough for the bikes and more fuel.
Since then we have replaced quite a few things so we'll probably repeat the exercise.
I'd echo the comments re axle weights. We would have reached the rear axle limit before the 3500kg.

No idea how useful the certificates would be, but they are a little peace of mind.
sdg.
 
As someone in the research phase of motorhoming, these threads are very useful. I would wholeheartedly support the old adage that Payload and Layout are the two most important factors - they have taken more time to consider than anything else....

Two of my relevant conclusions so far (appreciate others may come to different ones) ..are that

1) most PVC's are offered by manufacturers with completely inadequate 3.5 tonne payloads. I will have to buy one that I can update to 3.85t immediately (and I will have the option of downrating again if I need to sell)

2) I will look for a van with diesel heating fitted, or retro-fitting diesel heating (for water and cabin). Not only will it save a good chunk of rear-axle payload (40kg+?), but just as importantly, no faffing around with adaptors, refillable tanks, different pumps on forecourts etc etc
 
How do you mean? Yes we'll have to take those too - but they are the same irrespective of which van we choose...and less than 40+ Kg?

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Cliffdale said:
Our hab check insisted on emptying the van. As I put it all back on board again, I weighed every bag carried over to the motor home.
This included all pots pans, tools, ramps and to include an awning weighing 24Kg the total was

154.8Kg

To this I have yet to add two people at 150Kg
Full tank of water 100Kg
Fuel 50Kg
Clothes (guess 40Kg)
food 30Kg
gas system 52Kg when full.
2nd battery 25Kg

Overall, travelling around 555.8Kg

Pay load on the Autotrail is around 750kg so plenty to spare.
Next trip, I am going to check the total on a weighbridge.

Hope this might be of interest to some!
Cliff
Click to expand...
You need to get to a weighbridge
 

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