# Went to the weighbridge today !!!



## yeoblade (Apr 4, 2014)

So with my 7m Autocruise Starblazer Xl Garage being plated at 3400kg I thought I had better check the weight,as I have a Honda 125 to go in the garage once I have fitted the rack.

With Me, a mere 74KG 
25kg solar roof panel
1 bike
1/4 tank water
Empty waste, loo
5/8 tank diesel
No food, just normal cooking and eating stuff

It was 5kg under the 3400kg  :scared:

So the wife can't even get in it!

How can the MH builders make a van that can't carry 2 people? This van is an 04 model which I bought last November so I guess the previous owners have been driving overweight most of the time (Unless they were single!)

Fortunately it does have Air suspension fitted and talking to SVtech it should be a paperwork exercise to uprate by 300kg to 3700 (and £300) which will be enough for the :scooter: and food and:dog: oh and my wife.


Has anyone been stopped and taken to the weighbridge, UK or overseas?


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## yorkslass (Apr 4, 2014)

fortunately I have never been stopped but it seems to be more likely now than in the past. I have noticed that when you look at vans at shows ,the dealers put loads of info but seldom include the payload,wonder why?


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## steco1958 (Apr 4, 2014)

Give this number to the wife :

0845 345 1500 

It's the number for weightwatchers


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## yeoblade (Apr 5, 2014)

steco1958 said:


> Give this number to the wife :
> 
> 0845 345 1500
> 
> It's the number for weightwatchers



Not sure they could get here down to 5Kg 

So it seems getting pulled for a weight check in a MH is quite unlikely. But many drivers must be inadvertiently driving overweight judging by my weighbridge experience.

I was once pulled into a Dept of Transport in a Astra estate car, when I got to the weighbridge they asked what I was doing there, they told me to drive on as the police must mistakenly have thought it was a van.
I've hear they have purges in France and if overweight you have to unload till your OK before being allowed to drive on (after paying the fine) Is this true?


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## baldybloke (Apr 5, 2014)

I am lucky! My camper is a converted Xlwb Iveco minibus, with tail lift and coach seats it weighed 3410Kg, gross 4500Kg, the coach seats have been removed, the tail lift has been removed and the conversion was carried out using lightweight materials, so I reckon I have over 1000Kg payload, possibly in the region of 1300Kg, (though as yet I have not actually weighed the van).

In all honesty I cannot foresee me loading the camper with anywhere near 1000 kg!


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## Siimplyloco (Apr 5, 2014)

baldybloke said:


> SNIP
> 
> In all honesty I cannot foresee me loading the camper with anywhere near 1000 kg!



We have a 1225 kg payload, but we went to get some gas yesterday with the Hymer stripped out of easy chairs, scooter, scooter rack, portable kitchen, barbecue and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all, and no water in either tank, and the thing went like a racehorse! God knows what it all weighs...
John


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## wendywo (Apr 5, 2014)

This payload thingy is a real pain.. I have been looking at loads of motorhomes over the last few months and it surprising how many people have no idea about what the payload of their vans are ?? ..even the dealers say things like " well that depends on what the previous owner has added to it":rolleyes2:   and "well once you have it loaded take it to the weigh bridge"??? no help at all so I think they know some of them have low payloads and just do not want to say......   I wanted to keep as small as possible but ended up buying a 4.5ton Hymer to get a good payload ...Its bad the builders of these motorhomes don't have to allow for a reasonable pay load..... I had not given it a thought until I came onto this site and it was pointed out to me...I bet there are a lot of people out there driving over weight.


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## Val54 (Apr 5, 2014)

On our last van, Hymer B514 we had an uprated chassis so we were never going to get close to the limit, even loaded with wine!! So when we changed to a Chausson last year our new limit of 3500kg became more of an issue. On our first loaded trip out we used our local sand quarry weighbridge and were surprised at how close to the limit we were. The result was I bought a Reich weighing gadget off eBay and we have been refining our running trim so that we know where we are up to with or without electric bikes etc etc and fully loaded with tanks full. We are much more conscious of loading limits and no longer use glass bottles for example when plastic will do. For the first time last year we brought back wine boxes not bottles which makes a lot of difference in weight and the choice of wine in boxes is now much better. Once we finish playing with the Reich scales we will sell them on, job done.


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## hpold (Apr 5, 2014)

Don't worry about just keep travelling the weight goes down as you eat the food just enjoy life you are only here once  . If it looks a low just put some more air in the tyres .


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## lebesset (Apr 5, 2014)

yeoblade said:


> Not sure they could get here down to 5Kg
> 
> So it seems getting pulled for a weight check in a MH is quite unlikely. But many drivers must be inadvertiently driving overweight judging by my weighbridge experience.
> 
> ...



they only seem to do this in the summer in france
if you are less than 5% over you will get away with it , just rapped on the knuckles
of course , with a new government things could change ...it's a nice little earner


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## Mastodon (Apr 5, 2014)

We started out at 3500kg and found that with fuel, water and gas tanks full, we were very close to the limit ( too many toys). After upgrading to 3900kg we have a reasonable margin now, however much of the increased payload is on the front axle, which is effectively unusable. Putting an electric bike on a rear rack may only add 30kg, but the rear axle loading will increase by more than this, so beware.


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## mark61 (Apr 5, 2014)

Not just MH convertors, many trades, builders, landscapers etc will go and buy the cheapest model in the range. Theres £11000 difference between a 3T Sprinter and a 5T one


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## Deleted member 38556 (Apr 5, 2014)

yeoblade said:


> So with my 7m Autocruise Starblazer Xl Garage being plated at 3400kg I thought I had better check the weight,as I have a Honda 125 to go in the garage once I have fitted the rack.
> 
> With Me, a mere 74KG
> 25kg solar roof panel
> ...



I was stopped near Banbury Oxfordshire in August 2012 in my Georgieboy Pursut  with car on trailer 
Stroppy copper. 
 Worked out I was 70kg under the 8125train rule. So let me go 
Teamsvally police are pulling larger motor homes and checking weight and that the correct license in in use 
 I suggest you all check. It takes only a few mins and about a fiver. To know the exact total weight 
Travel over weight and pay the consequences. At your peril


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## 2cv (Apr 5, 2014)

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that 80% of motorhomes stopped in uk were found to be overweight. I think that most people give very little if any thought to the matter.


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## Obanboy666 (Apr 5, 2014)

How do you upgrade the max weight on a van ?

Has anything mechanical etc to be carried out or is it just a paperwork exercise ?

I have a Swift Sundance and only approx 390kg's allowance. What with satellite, Tv, generator etc, etc. i must be near or over the 3,500 kg limit.

Going to load up and find local weighbridge before i next venture out.


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## Wooie1958 (Apr 5, 2014)

Obanboy666 said:


> How do you upgrade the max weight on a van ?
> 
> Has anything mechanical etc to be carried out or is it just a paperwork exercise ?
> 
> ...





Ring these people :- SvTech - Special Vehicle Technology

Make sure you have your Registration Number,  VIN Number, VIN Plate details, Tyre sizes and the Load rating on them.

They are very helpful and will tell you what weight if any you can upgrade to.


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## Redjumpa (Apr 5, 2014)

I'm contacting SV Tech but I can't find my MTW (Max Trailer Weight??) that they have asked for. 
It's not on any plate or log book.

Any idea what it might be for a 1991 Hymer B544 on Fiat Ducato base?
The Gross weight is 3100kg.


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## mark61 (Apr 5, 2014)

Redjumpa said:


> I'm contacting SV Tech but I can't find my MTW (Max Trailer Weight??) that they have asked for.
> It's not on any plate or log book.
> 
> Any idea what it might be for a 1991 Hymer B544 on Fiat Ducato base?
> The Gross weight is 3100kg.



May be called a GTW on plate or operators manual.


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## lebesset (Apr 5, 2014)

the number of people who can drive a vehicle over 3,500 Kg  is steadily decreasing since the driving test limited you to that instead of the previous 7,500Kg ; the majority of people over 70 accept a downgrade rather than the hastle of medicals
if they changed it to 4,000Kg most of these problems would disappear


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## Wooie1958 (Apr 6, 2014)

[No message]


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## 77W (Apr 6, 2014)

hpold said:


> Don't worry about just keep travelling the weight goes down as you eat the food just enjoy life you are only here once  . If it looks a low just put some more air in the tyres .



Yes & no, the weight goes from your cubbords to you, then to your cassett, then you go to the shops empty the cassett & so the cycle starts again :raofl:


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## Wooie1958 (Apr 6, 2014)

hpold said:


> Don't worry about just keep travelling the weight goes down as you eat the food just enjoy life you are only here once  . If it looks a low just put some more air in the tyres .





And is your bank account available to assist anyone who gets caught and fined ?

That`s an irresponsible attitude.


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## Siimplyloco (Apr 6, 2014)

Wooie1958 said:


> And is your bank account available to assist anyone who gets caught and fined ?
> 
> That`s an irresponsible attitude.



I thought it was a responsible joke!
John


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## Col49 (Apr 6, 2014)

*Gross Vehicle Weight*

I suppose the important thing is to know the importance of unladen weight of a vehicle and the gross vehicle weight!  The first is the weight without passengers or  removable equipment you may carry! Basically what it weighed when it was new from the dealer! Unless you have fitted tons of crap this probably wont change much! The important weight is the gross vehicle weight GVW; which includes all the passengers and crap that you carry with you! This figure you should get from your dealer or the manufacturers;  because this is more likely to put you on the wrong side of the law! A couple of cans of beans won't do it; but the odd motorcycle or two might! Lets face it; if the police see the roof rack filled to the brim as if your going on a safari there much more likely to stop you! Also if the back axil is trailing on the floor; it's another give away! So get the GVW; and if you think it's over what you think you are carrying; then get the weight checked! You only need to do it once; as you're probably not going to carry anything much different each time!


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## Redjumpa (Apr 6, 2014)

[No message]


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## Kontiki (Apr 7, 2014)

The Manufacturers unladen weight is pretty useless as it is only a theoretical weight, they have a fudge factor of +\- 5% so on a 3500 kg motorhome that is +\- 175kgs, I would be very surprised if any van was under weight. Why can't a new van be weighed at the factory & the 'actual' unladen weight given. This could be part of delivery paperwork. As for payload there should be some realationship to the number of passengers you can carry( number of seat belts) even if they use the 75kg driver weight.
Having gone through the exercise of uprating my front axle, due to the fact that it was on the axle limit with a full tank of fuel & a driver. I would suggest anybody buying a van insist on a weighbridge certificate, they should make note of fuel/water & waste levels, also if there was a driver in the van at the time. To me it is a reasonable request to make of the dealer. I would be willing to pay the cost providing it was close to what the dealer quotes. I think they would find many vans unsellable.


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## yeoblade (Apr 7, 2014)

Does any one know what the fine is for being overweight, I guess it varies for how much? I think for a commercial, operators licence etc it's big problem, but not such a big deal for private motorist, do you get points?

I need to know if I need to tell the missus to run (with the:dog: if we get stopped, it's the only thing I could jettison quickly!


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## hextal (Apr 7, 2014)

Nicked from VOSA (edit - now DVSA??) site - relates to goods vehicles though, can't see anything specific to private vehicles so i'm assuming it's the same.

So there appears to be a 5% allowance - whether or not that includes/excludes possible inaccuracies in the calibration of the actual weighbridge I don't know

Vehicle overweight by	Penalty
5% to 10%	         £100
10% to 15%        £200
15% to 30%	£300
More than 30%	Court summons


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## clarkpeacock (Apr 7, 2014)

yeoblade said:


> Does any one know what the fine is for being overweight, I guess it varies for how much? I think for a commercial, operators licence etc it's big problem, but not such a big deal for private motorist, do you get points?
> 
> I need to know if I need to tell the missus to run (with the:dog: if we get stopped, it's the only thing I could jettison quickly!



For trucks there is a graduated fixed penalty scheme, payable at the roadside as follows;

Up to 10% overweight   -£60 
                                                                                         10 - 15%   overweight   - £120 
                                                                                         over 15% overweight     - £200

Plus, you would be prohibited from moving until the excess weight is removed.

I guess  with VOSA and DSA merging from this month to create the DVSA, they can apply this to any vehicle they like. And of course this agency is self funding so will be looking to apply fines wherever possible.

Deep joy!


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## clarkpeacock (Apr 7, 2014)

hextal said:


> Nicked from VOSA (edit - now DVSA??) site - relates to goods vehicles though, can't see anything specific to private vehicles so i'm assuming it's the same.
> 
> So there appears to be a 5% allowance - whether or not that includes/excludes possible inaccuracies in the calibration of the actual weighbridge I don't know
> 
> ...



Beat me to it


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## hextal (Apr 7, 2014)

clarkpeacock said:


> Beat me to it



wahoo - finally beat someone


I guess there are potential other issues around being overloaded - in terms of possible insurance validity should you crash it and be very obviously overweight - though i'd imagine that unless you had something really really obvious they'd probably be unlikely to check (unless there was a fatality)


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## landyrubbertramp (Apr 7, 2014)

If you were pulled by vosa in the commercial world and you told then u were unsure of what weight u had in and u got weighed and were over expect hefty fines, the reason a lot builders etc choose 3.5 tonne but still knowing they r going to pull trailers and be overloaded is because as soon as they choose a vehicle over 3.5 tonne that is more suited with the di deception they have a huge wave if ref tape I e operators licence tach graphs etc


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## phillybarbour (Apr 7, 2014)

Most people need a payload of 500kg to meet the needs of an average user and be within the limits, 750kg is even better. Our latest van had a payload of 700kg but I still took to SVTech for a 300kg increase.


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## mark61 (Apr 7, 2014)

You would hope the ones who overload knowingly would at least drive accordingly. Some hope I know. 
The one who drive unknowingly overloaded just wonder why their brakes don't work very well, usually when it's to late.


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## yeoblade (Apr 15, 2014)

All Ok now, SvTech delivered my uprated VIN plate today so room for another 300Kg on board ( + the 5% error allowance = another 170Kg)

:dog::scooter: and wife all aboard


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## Polar Bear (Dec 24, 2014)

https://www.gov.uk/find-weighbridge


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## Greytop (Dec 24, 2014)

*Try having an accident*

There is very little chance of you being pulled in and dragged off to a weighbridge.
However try having a serious accident and see what response you get from your insurance company, you will be on your own I am afraid, Even worse were you to kill someone in an accident you would probably be looking at a prison term.


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