I have recently down plated my Hymer Exsis I 678. from 3850 Kg to 3500 Kg. It was a easy paper exercise via SV Tech (See other threads). When we first purchased the van in 2019 we knew we may need to down plate, due C1 licence / health issues. ( The DVLA's incompetence & delays in these matters are also covered in other threads )
Whilst I can just live with the reduced pay load it is very tight. Thus I am still looking for any tips to save weight. I am sure this will be useful to many other Funsters in the future, who may face the same problem.
We were lucky enough to be able to buy our new van to our spec, with some weight saving in mind.
With Hymer & many other makes you get a basic model, to which you add the options you require to make up the van of your choice. Most of these options add weight, thus reducing usable pay load. Clearly one's individual needs & choices will differ to others with different requirements. We could have ordered the Exsis I 588, which is a lighter base van. The 588 is a fantastic unit, but we preferred the 678 layout & are willing to make some compromises to have the van layout of our choice.
In our case we wanted the following essential things. that reduced the usable payload.
Large Fridge freezer,
Full cooker,
Solar panel,
Awning. We did not use the Hymer standard option but ordered a 1 meter shorter one to be fitted by the dealer.
Second habitation battery. (fitted by me after purchase)
External gas point. (this save the need to carry an additional gas canister for the bbq ).
There were several items on the option list we did not order. Whilst desirable were not essential.
Metallic paint, this surprisingly, adds 30 Kg to the weight.
Fog lamps.
Driver's side (passenger in UK ) automatic step.
There were several things we did order & now wish we didn't, as are not used.
Carpets
Wooden shower tray.
The one big weight saver was that we transferred the two large SafeFill gas bottles from our first van.
Given that TV streaming is now quite possible all over France & Spain perhaps we did not need the 85 cm dish we transferred from our previous van.
I have gone through all the "Stuff " we normally take with us & saved an additional 80 Kg, this included the extra table & 2 chairs. Also removed the front bed mattress & slats as this is not used normally. It is amazing how much unnecessary stuff that accumulates over time. We still have one electric bike, 2 tables, 2 chairs, bbq, awning ground sheet, tools & leveling blocks.
With all this, fully laden with food, water, dog & SWMBO we are approximately 3470 Kg, as I said before very tight.
I am going to replace the 2 x 95 Ah Gel batteries with one 110 lithium battery, saving some 30 kg.
I still need to find other savings if we can, I am thinking of using plastic bottles for wine & spirits.
I will not appreciate any one suggesting, I go on a diet to loose weight, no matter how true that my be.
We insisted that the van was weighed before we took delivery. We were lucky it was slightly lighter than we estimated by a few Kgs. We used a spread sheet to add the weight of all option items to the base weight of the van. As it happened it turned out to be quite accurate.
I appreciate that not everyone will be able or want to purchase a new van. But if payload is particularly important, you can take some of these factors into consideration when looking at used vans. You can insist the van is weighed as a condition of purchase, as the manufacturers published figures cannot be trusted & the possible number of options that may be on your particular van.
Any other tips & Ideas will be most helpful.
Whilst I can just live with the reduced pay load it is very tight. Thus I am still looking for any tips to save weight. I am sure this will be useful to many other Funsters in the future, who may face the same problem.
We were lucky enough to be able to buy our new van to our spec, with some weight saving in mind.
With Hymer & many other makes you get a basic model, to which you add the options you require to make up the van of your choice. Most of these options add weight, thus reducing usable pay load. Clearly one's individual needs & choices will differ to others with different requirements. We could have ordered the Exsis I 588, which is a lighter base van. The 588 is a fantastic unit, but we preferred the 678 layout & are willing to make some compromises to have the van layout of our choice.
In our case we wanted the following essential things. that reduced the usable payload.
Large Fridge freezer,
Full cooker,
Solar panel,
Awning. We did not use the Hymer standard option but ordered a 1 meter shorter one to be fitted by the dealer.
Second habitation battery. (fitted by me after purchase)
External gas point. (this save the need to carry an additional gas canister for the bbq ).
There were several items on the option list we did not order. Whilst desirable were not essential.
Metallic paint, this surprisingly, adds 30 Kg to the weight.
Fog lamps.
Driver's side (passenger in UK ) automatic step.
There were several things we did order & now wish we didn't, as are not used.
Carpets
Wooden shower tray.
The one big weight saver was that we transferred the two large SafeFill gas bottles from our first van.
Given that TV streaming is now quite possible all over France & Spain perhaps we did not need the 85 cm dish we transferred from our previous van.
I have gone through all the "Stuff " we normally take with us & saved an additional 80 Kg, this included the extra table & 2 chairs. Also removed the front bed mattress & slats as this is not used normally. It is amazing how much unnecessary stuff that accumulates over time. We still have one electric bike, 2 tables, 2 chairs, bbq, awning ground sheet, tools & leveling blocks.
With all this, fully laden with food, water, dog & SWMBO we are approximately 3470 Kg, as I said before very tight.
I am going to replace the 2 x 95 Ah Gel batteries with one 110 lithium battery, saving some 30 kg.
I still need to find other savings if we can, I am thinking of using plastic bottles for wine & spirits.
I will not appreciate any one suggesting, I go on a diet to loose weight, no matter how true that my be.
We insisted that the van was weighed before we took delivery. We were lucky it was slightly lighter than we estimated by a few Kgs. We used a spread sheet to add the weight of all option items to the base weight of the van. As it happened it turned out to be quite accurate.
I appreciate that not everyone will be able or want to purchase a new van. But if payload is particularly important, you can take some of these factors into consideration when looking at used vans. You can insist the van is weighed as a condition of purchase, as the manufacturers published figures cannot be trusted & the possible number of options that may be on your particular van.
Any other tips & Ideas will be most helpful.
