Delica - the next challenge - help please me re weight issues

colinmd said:
We're still working in the dark here, but after reviewing the photo's in your profile, i'd say you will need to put as much stuff as forward as possible.
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Further to this post I should maybe offer an explanation.
Although the front axle has a lower limit there is likely to be a lot of weight from the conversion on the rear axle. Plus when putting stuff 'forward' it is usually between the axles (unless it's in the overcab which is not recommended), having as much of the mass as possible between the axles is always a good plan.
 
hairydog said:
A tester cannot fail a tyre for simply being old. There is no legal age limit.

A tester can fail a tyre for having hardened and developed cracks through age.

How long a tyre lasts depends on lots of factors, not least how it is used and/or stored.

If you leave tyres in bright sunlight, it can die of old age in a couple of years.
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indeed hairdog - the very first tyre i replaced in April this year (before my long trip) was my spare on the roof - it had not been covered up and was utterly degraded and incapable of use. i will get a cover for my new spare tyre.
 
ricc said:
before you go drilling holes in the table , bear in mind bed slats are real wood, the table top could well be some sort of chip board...basically sawdust and glue , which is nowhere near as strong , a chipboard slat is a lot weaker than a pine one.


id say when loading get heavy items as far forward as possible. if the van looks level its less likely to be picked for weighing at a roadside check.
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A very valid point there. The slats I have are ply and meant as bed slats, so are also slightly curved which also adds extra strength and would be stronger then a flat ply plank of the same thickness.
(FWIW, From IKEA out of their Bargain Corner section and cut down to suit gap)
 
Blimey, I hope everything was well strapped down, it was lurching like a trawler in a force ten gale. Looked pretty neat though.
 
izwozral said:
Blimey, I hope everything was well strapped down, it was lurching like a trawler in a force ten gale. Looked pretty neat though.
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This was an identical van to mine - He has cut away a lot of the bottom rear of the habitation box so that he can have more ground clearance, and increased the distance from the ground to top of the wheel arch, strengthened the suspension in some way and put in bigger tyres - as you say - plus all the heavy gear he has added to it - i doubt he has any payload at all now. But this van has allegedly been to south america.
 
wildebus said:
A very valid point there. The slats I have are ply and meant as bed slats, so are also slightly curved which also adds extra strength and would be stronger then a flat ply plank of the same thickness.
(FWIW, From IKEA out of their Bargain Corner section and cut down to suit gap)
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i cut down some identical slats from an old bed and made a very similar, shorter device which i use for a leg rest in the van for the evenings. it also provides a handy shelf when i have removed the big heavy table in the evenings. Mine does not slide as smoothly as yours though !!! and it occasionally collapses as i sawed a couple of slats the wrong size - but it was my first attempt.
 
delicagirl said:
i cut down some identical slats from an old bed and made a very similar, shorter device which i use for a leg rest in the van for the evenings. it also provides a handy shelf when i have removed the big heavy table in the evenings. Mine does not slide as smoothly as yours though !!! and it occasionally collapses as i sawed a couple of slats the wrong size - but it was my first attempt.
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It's not a jiggy-jiggy type of bed then?
 
delicagirl said:
i cut down some identical slats from an old bed and made a very similar, shorter device which i use for a leg rest in the van for the evenings. it also provides a handy shelf when i have removed the big heavy table in the evenings. Mine does not slide as smoothly as yours though !!! and it occasionally collapses as i sawed a couple of slats the wrong size - but it was my first attempt.
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Slightly modded mine now - I have 1/3 of length as a solid ply sheet at the rear, and the remainder is the slats that pull out to forum the bed, and push back in and on top of the ply sheet out the way.
Changed it as I found I always had the mattress and duvet folded over and laid over the back anyway, so thought may as well have a permanent (but removable) base for that part.

The key part for sliding is making all the edges slightly rounded and no sharp bits so they slide without snags. I'll take and post a "Mk 2" video with my current setup if it is of any interest?
 
That back axle will be severely tested too, better put chocks on the wheels for good measure.
 
Slats are very good for beds but if your table top is dual purpose and you use it for both then David's suggestion is a good one. A ply top and bottom with timber ribs between can be very light and strong. Roughly how big width x length x thickness is it?

Pleased to see that you are getting there with your van weight issues, a bit sad that the GVW and payload is not a little more for you but you will save on diesel running lighter :)

I did try to reply to your PM of the 14th, pressed the send button (I thought) but can't find it in my sent folder so I suspect I failed the technology test too!
 
hairydog said:
Yikes! I hope yours isnt like that. Did you see how the ns front wheel lifts off the ground at the slightest bump. That van isnt fit to drive on smooth roads, let alone a slightly bumpy track.

If yours is like that, you need to move the weight lower and further foward to make it stable. But I suspect yours will be much better than that, now youve rrmoved the excess weight.
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that is quite a steep track but nevertheless - it shouldn't wallow like that. The guy driving it was a plonker of a dealer from Yorkshire.

I took my van to a 4WD driving school a year ago and she said she would not allow me to drive on their steepest angled-sloping track as I was way too top heavy because the centre of gravity was too high. She said I am fine in steep gradients (and I found a fair few of those in Eire and Scotland this year and was fine) - but advised me not to go down angled rough terrain and to not put ANYTHNG else on the roof (my spare wheel cannot go anywhere else other than the roof.
 
hairydog said:
I suggest slats all over. The primary reason to use slats instead of a board is for ventilation. Letting the underneath breathe lets moisture escape. Unless well aired, bedding you slept in/on can go mouldy in time.

Yes slats are lighter, easier to stow away and (if springy) more comfortable, but the primary advantage is ventilation.
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I sleep over the cab on a memory-foam 2" mattress on top of upholstered cushions. But the table becomes the middle of the downstairs bed if I sleep downstairs in the winter.
 
David I am not worried about my vehicle nor my life and I would thank you not to continue with this theme. I have consulted experts who made the van and who are plating the van to a safe weight and I have weighed everything I am going to weigh. So further to your earlier suggestion, I agree with you that you "keep out of it". Thank you.
 
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