Payload of MH (1 Viewer)

[diane taylor]

I’ve read that before you go to Europe you must empty the MH, take it to a weigh station to weigh it, then pack it again, weigh it again and then you’ll know the payload. Seems very onerous. What do people think?

 

[Carpmart]

It’s important (to most of us) that we know what we can legally carry and remain the correct side of the line legally.

You don’t need to empty it, indeed leaving it full and ‘ready to travel’ will tell you where you are in the real world.

Knowing what you MH weighs gives you choices about how close or indeed over that legal line you wish to go.

Also, if you know you can’t reasonably run legally, you have the option to increase the weight of your Motorhome. This can be done quite easily in many cases. Worth exploring if you’re tight on capacity.

 

[scotzsue]

Not just before going to Europe, it is an offence to drive an overweight vehicle.
Ditto Carpmart s post
you need a C1 licence if increasing legal weight above 3.5
some motorways have inbuilt weighplates, used mainly for wagons, but can be utilised for any vehicle. In the case of accident your insurance may also be invalid.
This is one area where dealers in fact anyone selling tend to gloss over.
Do hope your motorhome fits the bill for you.

 

[rb62]

If you click on the highlighted 'payload' in your thread it tells you what it is,you shouldn't exceed your MAM wherever you are!

 

[Brains]

Much easier to fully load the van, clothing, food, fuel, dogs, deckchairs, kitchen sink, people and even half a tank of water, and then drive to your local weigh station (Usually found at the municipal dump) and get the overall weight.

They may tell you for free, or charge £5-15 for the info.

What you then need to do is:

Find out what the official capacity of your motorhome is, there is a silver plate somewhere, post a photo, many here can translate it for you.

Then tell us the letters on your driving licence (if you passed after 1997 or are over 70)

Then other suggestions, if needed, will follow.

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[Verteuil Man]

You should know the payload of your motorhome. The payload is the same whether you are in Europe or the UK. Look at the VIN plate on your motorhome and deduct the MIRO (ex works/unladen weight) from the MPLM (gross weight). This in theory is your payload. You should also add a few extra kilos for the driver (if over 75kg), passenger/s, LPG cylinders if over 1x6kg and a full tank of fuel (only half allowed for in MIRO). That is your payload. By all means weight it but you should get a good feel for cloths etc. A litre of water is 1 kg. It soon mounts up.

 

[mikebeaches]

As said above, it's not just going to Europe. Your van needs to remain road legal in the UK too and that means not exceeding the maximum specified for your van.

The time to weigh it is when it is loaded in the fashion it is intended to be used, so you can be clear which side of the law it is.

 

[Revolvor]

As Carpmart says, you don't need to empty it. Better to include most of what you usually take. Make a note of the basic contents and amount of fuel and water when you had it weighed.

I produced This spreadsheet which is in Resources which allows you you enter the actual weighbridge weight and then to see what the effect of adding or removing items will have on the individual axle weights. (You need to enter the weight and location of items added/removed) By using the spreadsheet it is possible to simulate the effect of differing fuel or fresh water loads, for example.

Knowing the actual weight also allows you to determine the correct tyre pressures

 

[andyelbac]

You also need to consider the effect of weight behind the rear axle, especially if you have a garage loaded up. I didn't realise until recently (thanks to the forum), that 1kg stored 1mt behind the rear axle actually puts more than 1kg on the rear axle. I can't remember the exact formula but it's important to know. But as previous posts, load up as if you are going on a long trip, keep a speadsheet and take a trip to the weighbridge. Also make sure that the weighbridge will give you not just overall weight but both axels as well (not all do). It's no good being under your total allowable weight if your over one of the axle limits. I'm think I'm righ in saying that you are not driving illegally if you are overweight but solely for the purpose of taking your vehicle to a weighbridge? More knowledgeable people than me can confirm that.

 

[DDJC]

Get semi air rear suspension, pump it up and you look empty to les Gendarmes et La Carabinieri ...

(No, I'm kidding. Weigh it full like everyone says.)

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[Lenny HB]

Get semi air rear suspension, pump it up and you look empty to les Gendarmes et La Carabinieri ...

(No, I'm kidding. Weigh it full like everyone says.)

We have full air van rides level at the same height regardless of load.
We have a few hundred kilos spare anyway.

 

[DDJC]

We have full air van rides level at the same height regardless of load.
We have a few hundred kilos spare anyway.

Great! Two hundred kilos? Can you follow me in the summer and carry all the crap that I always take but never need?

 

[Just smiffy]

For a direct answer to your question, you do not have to weigh your van/motorhome before you go to Europe….

 

[Verteuil Man]

No. You should already have done that if you were not sure. Weight it as it is now including axle loading.

 

[Lenny HB]

Great! Two hundred kilos? Can you follow me in the summer and carry all the crap that I always take but never need?

Got enough of that of my own Payload is 1350 kg only got 250 to 300 kg spare.

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[Tricky One]

You also need to consider the effect of weight behind the rear axle, especially if you have a garage loaded up. I didn't realise until recently (thanks to the forum), that 1kg stored 1mt behind the rear axle actually puts more than 1kg on the rear axle. I can't remember the exact formula but it's important to know. But as previous posts, load up as if you are going on a long trip, keep a speadsheet and take a trip to the weighbridge. Also make sure that the weighbridge will give you not just overall weight but both axels as well (not all do). It's no good being under your total allowable weight if your over one of the axle limits. I'm think I'm righ in saying that you are not driving illegally if you are overweight but solely for the purpose of taking your vehicle to a weighbridge? More knowledgeable people than me can confirm that.

As a retired HGV1 driver, weight displacement certainly is an important issue. The temptation is to put everything in the Garage, but really, more that is placed between the axles while in transit, will not only lessen the chance of overloading but also improve the handling on the road. I have a 2011 Autotrail Savannah, which is over the 3.5 and the overhang from the rear axle to the back is quit considerable. I feel that a longer chassis would have made all the difference, also rear end swing would have been less of a problem.
As regards travelling to the weighbridge I guess is one of these grey areas, like going for an MoT without tax. What I would say though, is having weighed the vehicle and found it to be overweight, it would then be an offence to drive it onto the highway again. You would have to adjust/remove the load until it conformed to be safe to proceed. So if in doubt it would be a good idea to have your car follow you. I think also like the MoT it would if possible, be wise to pre-book the Weighbridge so if challenged you would at least have proof that it was the only intended journey and not an afterthought on the way back from an excursion.

 

[tonyysue]

Get semi air rear suspension, pump it up and you look empty to les Gendarmes et La Carabinieri ...

(No, I'm kidding. Weigh it full like everyone says.)

But that has worked for 25 years!

 

[john prince]

Does anyone know of a weighbridge in / near Southampton that I can get my Burstner Nexxo , (6.2m) weighed?

 

[Verteuil Man]

Google is your friend

Find a weighbridge

Find your nearest weighbridge if you need to weigh your van, lorry, trailer, tractor or other vehicle

www.gov.uk

 

[Brains]

Does anyone know of a weighbridge in / near Southampton that I can get my Burstner Nexxo , (6.2m) weighed?

As a rule of thumb the local municipal dump is the first place to look
As they weigh vans coming in with rubbish and leaving empty and then charge per kilo on the difference.

(The trick is for you and the passenger to be out of the van on the weighbridge on the way in, and both inside the van on the way out)

https://www.tj-waste.co.uk/
is one of several in your area

If you go to google maps and enter 'weighbridge southampton' you get several options.

They may weigh the van for free
But if you want a print out, then they charge between £5 and £15.

It's worth doing the job properly and weighing the entire van and then getting the front axle weighed and the rear axle weighed, as it easy in a motorhome to be underweight overall but overweight on the rear axle which then effects handling.

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[Mleabon]

As a rule of thumb the local municipal dump is the first place to look
As they weigh vans coming in with rubbish and leaving empty and then charge per kilo on the difference.

(The trick is for you and the passenger to be out of the van on the weighbridge on the way in, and both inside the van on the way out)

https://www.tj-waste.co.uk/
is one of several in your area

If you go to google maps and enter 'weighbridge southampton' you get several options.

They may weigh the van for free
But if you want a print out, then they charge between £5 and £15.

It's worth doing the job properly and weighing the entire van and then getting the front axle weighed and the rear axle weighed, as it easy in a motorhome to be underweight overall but overweight on the rear axle which then effects handling.

Just to add you need a flat weighbridge to measure the axle weights. My local dump has one with a ramp up and down which is no good.

 

[hja]

We weighed our new van on the way back from a trip away, as there are no public weighbridges near us, in our part of Lincolnshire.

 

[TonyEmm]

You should know the payload of your motorhome. The payload is the same whether you are in Europe or the UK. Look at the VIN plate on your motorhome and deduct the MIRO (ex works/unladen weight) from the MPLM (gross weight). This in theory is your payload. You should also add a few extra kilos for the driver (if over 75kg), passenger/s, LPG cylinders if over 1x6kg and a full tank of fuel (only half allowed for in MIRO). That is your payload. By all means weight it but you should get a good feel for cloths etc. A litre of water is 1 kg. It soon mounts up.

The MIRO is NOT shown on the VIN plate. Neither is payload or towing limit.
what you DO get, from top to bottom is:
1. Gross train weight
2. Gross Vehicle Weight.
3. Axle weight (front).
4. Axle weight (rear)
5. If a tag axle, rearmost axle weight.

it is illegal to exceed ANY weight shown on the VIN plate.
payload cannot be calculated from the info given there, though towing limit (fully laden) can be by deducting 2 from 1.

If the gross vehicle weight isn’t being fully utilised, then the shortfall can be added to the towing limit, provided you don’t exceed GTW!

WEIGHTS & VIN PLATES!

The information here is based on a motorhome conversion of a commercial chassis but it holds true for virtually any vehicle.VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number.It's a unique 17 digit number which includes coded information such as Country of Assembly, the Manufacturer, the Body Style...

spinner28.wixsite.com

 

[TonyEmm]

(The trick is for you and the passenger to be out of the van on the weighbridge on the way in, and both inside the van on the way out)

Exactly what is the point of 2 folk being OUT of the van on the way in, and IN the van on the way out when the purpose of getting weighed in the first place is to get accurate weights?

 

[nicholsong]

Exactly what is the point of 2 folk being OUT of the van on the way in, and IN the van on the way out when the purpose of getting weighed in the first place is to get accurate weights?

I think Brains was citing the situation where the weighbridge is used for calculating the weight difference for charging for the rubbish dumped, which is the main purpose of the weighbridge being there.

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[Brains]

Exactly what is the point of 2 folk being OUT of the van on the way in, and IN the van on the way out when the purpose of getting weighed in the first place is to get accurate weights?

It's a trick I got from a builder I regularly use.

He always gets the two biggest fattest blokes on the crew to do the tip runs.

They drive to the weighbridge
Both fat guys get out (or at least the passenger does)
The staff then take the weight of the van filled with builder rubble.
The two fat blokes get back in and then dump the rubble
Then drive back out over the weighbridge, they do not get out of the van
Then then get billed, per kilo, for the difference.
It means each run they get 200kg of free rubble dumping, which soon adds up

This does not apply for the purposes of getting an accurate rate on the weight of a motorhome.
However it should be noted that that when the police weigh a van, they do it without people inside.
The police then add 75kg per person, irrespective of their actual weight.
Which depending on how fat the occupants actually are, may work in your favour, or not.

 

[nicholsong]

This does not apply for the purposes of getting an accurate rate on the weight of a motorhome.
However it should be noted that that when the police weigh a van, they do it without people inside.
The police then add 75kg per person, irrespective of their actual weight.
Which depending on how fat the occupants actually are, may work in your favour, or not.

What is behind the DVSA/police logic, when they are changing the way the vehicle is operating in real life? And what about the 3 Labradors - in or out and what weight added?

 

[Brains]

What is behind the DVSA/police logic, when they are changing the way the vehicle is operating in real life? And what about the 3 Labradors - in or out and what weight added?

Are dogs cargo or passengers ?
If they are passengers, then they weigh 75kg each.

This is a well known issue with Scouts, who are never known to travel underweight.
A minibus full of 7-10 year old Cubs officially weighs the same as an adult Rugby team.

Having said which, in 40 years of driving minibuses full of Scouts (usually with a large box trailer on the back).
I've not been pulled over for being overweight yet.

( I have been pulled over for bums being mooned at passing police cars, water pistols fired at passing police cars, opening of rear doors when a police car is behind etc......)

To be honest, I don't think the police are concerned if you are a few kilos overweight.
I think they are concerned if you are a double figure percentage overweight.

 

[Minxy]

There is no requirement for you to weight your MH when going to Europe (mainland) so I'm not sure where that's come from. It may be something to do with speeds but would be more applicable to the UK rather the Europe as UK speed limits are based on a vehicle's unladen weight whereas abroad they are based on MTPLM - don't worry about it though for your situation.

As for emptying it before weighing, that isn't a good idea as you would have to put back everything you want to take with you, including dogs, passengers, water etc and try to work out how much this things add which will affect the load on each axle depending on where they are and it wouldn't be as accurate (even using the spreadsheet above) as weighing it fully laden. It's much better therefore to load it up as if you were actually going away in it so it is in full holiday trim with you, passengers, dogs etc, basically everything that will be travelling in it and then get it weighed. You need either both axles weights or and overall weight an one axle weight as you can work out the overall and/or individual axle weights from this. It is possible to be within the overall weight but over on one of the axles (usually rear) and this is where some who only use an overall weight figure come unstuck ... you can tell who they are as the MH rear is nearly dragging on the floor!

 

[Minxy]

( I have been pulled over for bums being mooned at passing police cars, water pistols fired at passing police cars, opening of rear doors when a police car is behind etc......)

Respect ... a multi-tasking man ... how did you manage to drive and do that?