Minxy
LIFE MEMBER
- Aug 22, 2007
- 32,689
- 66,706
- Funster No
- 149
- MH
- Carthago Compactline
- Exp
- Since 1996, had Elddis/Swift/Rapido/Rimor/Chausson MHs. Autocruise/Globecar PVCs/Compactline i-138
Just over a week ago we decided to have a night away locally to do a last trip and make sure everything was working okay in the camper before our long holiday in just over a week's time, so we loaded the camper up almost in full holiday trim (but with only quarter of a tank of fuel and 50% water) and on our way to Withernsea popped to the local (free) weighbridge at King George Dock, Hull, to see how much it weighed, this was mainly so we could determine what pressure to set the tyres at but also to see how well balance the weight was in the camper.
The front axle was at 1740 kg and the rear at 1950 kg so a total of 3690 kg which was a little bit more than expected although I knew it would be over 3500 kg since we fitted a 4m awning, twin Gaslow, solar panels etc, plus of course my 'fettling' stuff. Its not a problem as our camper is rated at 4250 kg anyway but of course this wasn't the 'full' holiday trim weight so to allow for the 'missing' stuff I've added to these figures as follows - probably allowed more than needed to better safe than sorry:
Front: 1740 kg + 100kg = 1840 kg
Rear: 1950 kg + 80 kg = 2030 kg
Total weight
What surprised me though is that even deducting the weight of the extra bits we take that others probably won't IMV it would be a bit difficult to keep the PVC below 3500 kg unless very lightly loaded so it makes me wonder what weight other Globecars built on the extra long Maxi Heavy chassis are running at 'in reality'. Anyone else weighed theirs in full 'holiday trim'?
The front axle was at 1740 kg and the rear at 1950 kg so a total of 3690 kg which was a little bit more than expected although I knew it would be over 3500 kg since we fitted a 4m awning, twin Gaslow, solar panels etc, plus of course my 'fettling' stuff. Its not a problem as our camper is rated at 4250 kg anyway but of course this wasn't the 'full' holiday trim weight so to allow for the 'missing' stuff I've added to these figures as follows - probably allowed more than needed to better safe than sorry:
Front: 1740 kg + 100kg = 1840 kg
75 kg = 75% fuel (90 litres) as our tank is a long range one and takes 120 litres)
10 kg = maps, other bits of kit (electronics etc)
15 kg = food/drinks etc in forward cupboards and shoes which we'd forgotten to put in!
10 kg = maps, other bits of kit (electronics etc)
15 kg = food/drinks etc in forward cupboards and shoes which we'd forgotten to put in!
Rear: 1950 kg + 80 kg = 2030 kg
50 kg = 50 litres of water (100 litre capacity)
30 kg = extra kit/food/drink in rear (dog food, biscuits etc plus some 'human' food stuff for us)
30 kg = extra kit/food/drink in rear (dog food, biscuits etc plus some 'human' food stuff for us)
Total weight
3690 kg + 180 kg = 3870 kg
It may seem a lot for a PVC but as its built on the extra long Maxi Heavy chassis with the 150 bhp engine, heavier suspension, uprated brakes etc, so it already starts off heavier than a lot of other PVCs anyway, then of course we take an inflatable kayak & bits to go with it, bikes (the bike locks alone are flipping heavy!), snorkelling gear and all sorts of other bits and bobs (which actually DO get used ), not forgetting that we have 3 dogs so need their food, toys, beds, toys, blankets ... and yet more toys. All of this adds to the weight especially the dogs who together weigh about 40 kg and their stuff/food probably adds another 20 kg so at least 60 kg in total just for them.
What surprised me though is that even deducting the weight of the extra bits we take that others probably won't IMV it would be a bit difficult to keep the PVC below 3500 kg unless very lightly loaded so it makes me wonder what weight other Globecars built on the extra long Maxi Heavy chassis are running at 'in reality'. Anyone else weighed theirs in full 'holiday trim'?