Weighbridge - Weighing Back Axle

March Hare

March Hare

Joined
Jul 14, 2019
Posts
412
Likes collected
610
Location
UK
Funster No
62,410
MH
Hymer MLT 570
Exp
Our 1st Motorhome
Hi,

We want to get our MH weighed, and also to get the front / back axle weights.

The high-tech weighbridge near us is still closed due to the CV as they're waiting to have a contactless payment setup installed.

Our alternative is to use the County Council's Weighbridge but it's not so advanced and to get the axle weights it will involve driving the MH forward and back off the weighbridge to calculate the axle weights.

Is this a reliable way to get the axle weights please?
 
Manic said:
Get total weight and one axle, that’s all you need. Take one axle off total, job done.
Click to expand...
Get gross weight and both axles, then you can gauge the accuracy of the bridge. Most register in 20 kg increments and are most accurate with the applied weight centred on the plate, which is nothing when weighing a 30 tonne tipper or a 36 tonne artic, but can make a not unsubstantial difference to your calculation of the unweighed axle, particularly if the discrepancy between the weighed axle and gross adds up to around 40 kgs!
 
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March Hare said:
Hi,

We want to get our MH weighed, and also to get the front / back axle weights.

The high-tech weighbridge near us is still closed due to the CV as they're waiting to have a contactless payment setup installed.

Our alternative is to use the County Council's Weighbridge but it's not so advanced and to get the axle weights it will involve driving the MH forward and back off the weighbridge to calculate the axle weights.

Is this a reliable way to get the axle weights please?
Click to expand...
Yes.
Phil

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Simply: front on, note weight. Whole van on, note weight. At your leisure subtract one from t'other for rear axle weight. As already mentioned the rear wheels should be on ground that's level with the bridge when weighing the front.
 
Hi everyone, thanks very much for all your replies and advice - much appreciated thanks!

We’ll go ahead and use the Council’s weighbridge next week. I’m hoping that they will just charge once for the different weighs to allow for the axle weight calculations, as they charge £25 per weigh - otherwise it might work out a bit expensive. But at least we’ll get the weights confirmed!

Thanks again! 👍
 
That is extortionate to have a vehicle weighed! I suggest you ring round and see if you can find another - if you have any industrial estates, docks or the like round you they may have one. We use the one at our local docks FOC.
 
Thanks NS & MG, we have quite a few weighbridge near here (Northumberland / Newcastle / Gateshead / Durham), and the normal weighbridge charge is around the £5 mark. Unfortunately the two nearest to us are both “raised“ weighbridges (rather than level with the ground around them), so reading the advice above these wouldn’t be suitable to get accurate axle weights.

The most high tech weighbridge is in Gateshead and is about £5 but unfortunately it’s closed at the moment due to CV. However that’s a good idea ref trying at the docks, I’ll give Port of Tyne a call to see if they would let us use their WB.
 
Dont use the VOSA one in Wellington Somerset, its £10 per axle, plus £10 for overall Gross =£30.00, Robbing B####ds, once bitten, once shy. We only have a single tracked narrow road gravel pit one near us, meet an HGV coming the other way, and you are in stook!:eek::eek::eek:
I am always envious of you northerners when I hear how cheap some weigh bridges are up there.
LES
 
You know you can buy your own for about £150.
Google "Reich"
I only charge 10 euros at aires 🤗
 
TinaL said:
Dont use the VOSA one in Wellington Somerset, its £10 per axle, plus £10 for overall Gross =£30.00, Robbing B####ds, once bitten, once shy. We only have a single tracked narrow road gravel pit one near us, meet an HGV coming the other way, and you are in stook!:eek::eek::eek:
I am always envious of you northerners when I hear how cheap some weigh bridges are up there.
LES
Click to expand...
I think I mentioned it before, but contact R Collards - they have lots of weighbridges around the Surrey/Hants/Berks area.

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There used to be one on the northern side of the Humber on the run-up to the Humber Bridge going South, it was FOC to use but they took it out a couple of years ago, shame as I was a good way to check on our way down to Folkestone for the chunnel.
 
suavecarve said:
You know you can buy your own for about £150.
Google "Reich"
I only charge 10 euros at aires 🤗
Click to expand...
If I had no choice but to pay £25 per weight I'd buy one and then rent it out! :giggle:
 
Why not wait for the cheaper Weighbridge to open up again.
 
Manic said:
Why not wait for the cheaper Weighbridge to open up again.
Click to expand...

Hi Manic, Thanks for your reply - unfortunately at the cheaper weighbridge (different Council), their issue is they’re waiting for the Council to install a contactless payment system, and currently they’re not able to give an ETA. So rather than waiting indefinitely we thought we’d look at alternative WB’s that we could use. We want to understand what the axle weights are before we proceed with possibly uprating our MH.
Thanks again! 😊
 
suavecarve said:
You know you can buy your own for about £150.
Google "Reich"
I only charge 10 euros at aires 🤗
Click to expand...

Thanks Suavecarve! That’s very interesting - and very tempting tbh! Please can I just ask - do you know offhand which model Reich WB you have? Also do you find it’s accurate compared to the full size WB?

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Hi, as an alternative to a weighbridge you will find that MOT brake testers & ramps will show axle weights & total weight.
 
Don't worry about a sloping approach. You need someone to guide you, but you need to get the tyres on the off-plate axle resting on the metal frame surrounding the weighing plate, as close as possible to the plate edge without actually touching the plate. You will then be completely level and the axle being weighed will be as close as you can physically get it to the centre of the weighing plate (the reading is always most accurate withe the load centred on it).

Just look for a certified weighbridge as those that aren't checked can be very innacurate over the relatively light weight range of your average motorhome or light van.

And I wasn't joking when I said that most weigh in 20kg increments, so if you obtain the second axle weight by calculation rather than a physical weighing you could compound the error up to 2 X 20kg in the worst case. It might of course be fine, but if the purpose of weighing your van is to obtain as near accurate weights as possible, it makes sense to do it properly ;)
 
March Hare said:
Thanks Suavecarve! That’s very interesting - and very tempting tbh! Please can I just ask - do you know offhand which model Reich WB you have? Also do you find it’s accurate compared to the full size WB?
Click to expand...
It is only worth getting the 1500 kg weighing machine because it weighs one wheel at a time.
So getting 1000 kg is likely to only measure up to what you can actually weigh.
I think, if i remember correctly, it was cheapest to import them direct from the company in Germany but Amazon and Ebay need checking before taking my word for that.
All you do is drive over it one wheel at a time and either use the on board calculator or just add them up.
Possible to do 6 wheels as well.
Some people will say you need to put the opposite wheel driving over a bit of 4x2 to make it even, but i have never bothered.
Always choose a solid surface to do it on. i.e. not grass.
I had it checked against a weighbridge for curiosity value and the weighbridge was 20 kg out !!
They weigh in either 20 kgs or 10 kgs measures The reich measures to 1 kg, and some people will tell you the weighbridge is more accurate !!!
If you do a search for Recih on here there are a few threads and others have had the same experience.
 
I have a Reich one but dont take it away with me. I prefer to remain in ignorance about my weight when returning with wine :giggle:

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as Potty said , agricultural Fertiliser / grain suppliers Have them & are usually friendly and helpful
, they don’t charge me anything , I have 2 within 5 miles of me , so worth a look around you
 
suavecarve said:
I had it checked against a weighbridge for curiosity value and the weighbridge was 20 kg out !!
They weigh in either 20 kgs or 10 kgs measures The reich measures to 1 kg, and some people will tell you the weighbridge is more accurate !!!
If you do a search for Recih on here there are a few threads and others have had the same experience.
Click to expand...

How could you tell that the weigh bridge was out? If you only have two reference points it‘s impossible to tell which is the more accurate. If you went to a second weigh bridge and that read the same as your first weigh bridge, what would you conclude then? That both weigh bridges were out? 🤔

In relation to the weigh bridges 20Kg & 10Kg versus the Reich’s 1Kg, you are confusing’resolution’ and ’accuracy‘/‘tolerance’. Your 1500Kg Reich would only need a specified tolerance of +/- 2% to give a 60Kg range on your max reading (i.e. +30Kg -30Kg).

As I said, don't confuse resolution with accuracy.

Ian
 
bigtwin said:
How could you tell that the weigh bridge was out? If you only have two reference points it‘s impossible to tell which is the more accurate. If you went to a second weigh bridge and that read the same as your first weigh bridge, what would you conclude then? That both weigh bridges were out? 🤔

In relation to the weigh bridges 20Kg & 10Kg versus the Reich’s 1Kg, you are confusing’resolution’ and ’accuracy‘/‘tolerance’. Your 1500Kg Reich would only need a specified tolerance of +/- 2% to give a 60Kg range on your max reading (i.e. +30Kg -30Kg).

As I said, don't confuse resolution with accuracy.

Ian
Click to expand...
Perhaps i should have added a sarcasm emoji in hindsight
 
March Hare said:
Hi,

We want to get our MH weighed, and also to get the front / back axle weights.

The high-tech weighbridge near us is still closed due to the CV as they're waiting to have a contactless payment setup installed.

Our alternative is to use the County Council's Weighbridge but it's not so advanced and to get the axle weights it will involve driving the MH forward and back off the weighbridge to calculate the axle weights.

Is this a reliable way to get the axle weights please?
Click to expand...
That’s what I did...assumed it was OK. It was meant to be £10 but I pleaded poverty and he let me do it for free if I didn’t want a ticket...result ! Got to go again now as bought scooter and all sorts of other stuff for the garage...will dig out a pair of old trousers with holes in...

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