3,500kg or 4,050kg plating?

[Nick555]

There are 2 plating options on the 4x4 6m PVC we will be shortly ordering. Giving an approx payload of 400kg or 950kg. Carrying 2 adults + 1 cat, 160 litre freshwater laptops, clothes, food, drone & camera equipment, I think we're looking at 950kg as more sensible. My licence covers the increased plating, my wife cannot drive.

What are the plus & minus points of a higher plating for things such as insurance, road tax, ferries & anything else I forgot?

 

[kingspeed]

Hi all,
I went away for about 10 days last month. I had a scooter on a motorcycle rack, (home made) on the rear of my Bessacarr 524, and just me solo.
I was a bit concerned about the weight , my Bessacarr 3500kgs I did think I was pretty close to the max. When I got home I went to the local weigh bridge in Beccles V.C. Cookes (excellent people). They allowed me to play around empty, loaded etc.
Talk about coming away tail between the legs. 120 KGS overweight
Front axle 1640
Rear axle 1980
Gross wt 3620
I was gutted.
I have full V.B air suspension. Refillable LPG.. 3/4 water ..1/4 grey ..full fuel ..maybe enough food for just me, around 2-3 days.
I was as I say travelling alone. Just imagine all the other "stuff" i would have had on board had I been accompanied.
I am thinking ...If you are in any doubt AT ALL go to the weigh bridge. It's cheaper than the fine.

I asked a question once "what would VOSA do if they checked your weight and found you to be seriously overweight.
The reply "seriously overweight" you would be reported for the offence, and depending on how "seriously" they have the right to make you offload the excess weight on the spot . Whoops.

Happy days.

I am now in the process of up rating my motor home to 4250 kgs

 

[Nick555]

If you go to autopass Norway. You need to register the vehicle in the country, so they know what it is a copy of the v5 needs to be sent. Then you choose a company who will take payments, there are several, but for UK vehicles and over 3.5t you are limited, I went with brobizz of nice you have registered with them you will need to hire a tag from them to put in the windscreen for me I choose to pay automatically, so had to give bank details. Then if you are going to get ferries, you need to then register with autopassferje.no, and if you want discount you need to pay minimum 3000 k ( about 300£). Once you have done that if you are going to use the bridge between Denmark and Sweden you need to then register with the bridge company to get discount on that ( it's about £120 each way if you don't). There are a couple of other companies you could use but I think they are all as complicated as this. It took me over a month to get sorted
Good luck.
Ps Poland I gave up on, so not even going to Poland ( it's impossible to work out, how to register for 3.5+ vehicles).

Thank you, that's very useful.

 

[Lenny HB]

That makes sense, thanks. This is what it says.
View attachment 623703

Nope, that is MIRO & Technical MIRO.
MIRO is the base vehicle MIRO.
Technical MIRO is the base vehicle MIRO with factory fitted options.

They don't give unladen weight on the C of C just mention it on the price list.

 

[Nick555]

You haven't mentioned how old you are or how fit you are....

Forms and Medicals beckon after 70 I believe.

Thank you, I'm 63. I understand about the licence issues at 70. Sorry, but I'd prefer not to discuss my illness in a forum.

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[Jamesh]

Thank you, I'm 63. I understand about the licence issues at 70. Sorry, but I'd prefer not to discuss my illness in a forum.

No offence intended just that a medical needed at 70.

Cheers James

 

[gus-lopez]

I thought that changed a couple of years ago.
New limit came in for Motorhomes at 90 kph Spanish Motorhome association contested it and limit for under 3 5t raised to 120 kph, still 90 for over 3.5t.

yes ,you are right .they have changed it again & made it far more complicated for anyone with a spanish vehicle.
Hopefully for foreign vehicles classified as motorhomes it is under 3500kgs = 120kph on the autovia & over 3500kph = 90k.

Where it gets complicated for spanish campers is that we have 4 types of classification.
Motorhome < 3500kgs = 120kph
motorhome> 3500kgs = 90kph
Vans ( without windows) homologated with living accommodation=90kph
Cars & vans , with windows, homologated with living accommodation = 100kph
Hopefully they will excude foreign vehicles from the Van/ van with windows etc.

There is actually a 5th classification of "car with accommodation or car with accessories" that has the same car speed limit anyway=120kph.
Where it becomes stupid for me is that ,like all vans without windows, I was restricted to 90kph on autovias. Now converted to a camper the limit is still the same. So I am still in the way of lorries running using national speed limits of 100kph rather than the legal eu one of 90kph

all from here.https://bycamper.es/limite-velocidad-maxima-autocaravana/

 

[gus-lopez]

**Be aware though that in spain if the vehicle was classified as M1 , before conversion,the limits will be 120kph whereas if it was classed as N1 before conversion they will be 90kph.**

 

[WildBunch]

There is one other possible disadvantage. Whist the weight may not be a factor for the price of insurance, it may well be a factor in the cost or limitation for breakdown cover / rescue. Some breakdown companies don't like >3500 kg vehicles.

 

[Nick555]

There is one other possible disadvantage. Whist the weight may not be a factor for the price of insurance, it may well be a factor in the cost or limitation for breakdown cover / rescue. Some breakdown companies don't like >3500 kg vehicles.

Thanks, good point.

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[Cherub]

We got a pleasant surprise recently. Weighed in at 2.6

 

[hadders]

Hi all,
I went away for about 10 days last month. I had a scooter on a motorcycle rack, (home made) on the rear of my Bessacarr 524, and just me solo.
I was a bit concerned about the weight , my Bessacarr 3500kgs I did think I was pretty close to the max. When I got home I went to the local weigh bridge in Beccles V.C. Cookes (excellent people). They allowed me to play around empty, loaded etc.
Talk about coming away tail between the legs. 120 KGS overweight
Front axle 1640
Rear axle 1980
Gross wt 3620
I was gutted.
I have full V.B air suspension. Refillable LPG.. 3/4 water ..1/4 grey ..full fuel ..maybe enough food for just me, around 2-3 days.
I was as I say travelling alone. Just imagine all the other "stuff" i would have had on board had I been accompanied.
I am thinking ...If you are in any doubt AT ALL go to the weigh bridge. It's cheaper than the fine.

I asked a question once "what would VOSA do if they checked your weight and found you to be seriously overweight.
The reply "seriously overweight" you would be reported for the offence, and depending on how "seriously" they have the right to make you offload the excess weight on the spot . Whoops.

Happy days.

I am now in the process of up rating my motor home to 4250 kgs

Just did the same thing and was amazed at being hardly loaded though with full diesel and 1/2 water it sat at 3600. Just me too, not the wife and dog nooooo.

 

[2dandaddy]

You haven't mentioned how old you are or how fit you are....

Forms and Medicals beckon after 70 I believe.

Still jumping through hoops to keep my C1!

 

[TonyEmm]

Isn't the speed limit lower in the UK as well on some roads ?

See my post #27 in this thread.… Speed limits of motorhomes are dictated by unladen weights……+/- 3050kgs…..

 

[kingspeed]

Hi Hadders,
I am in the process of uprating my weight, and I have an email today that tells me I may well be able to go to 4350 because of the VB full air system that I have had fitted to the motorhome.
I, like you would never have thought I was even close to being on or over the 3500kgs, but hopefully with the help from Dee and Clair at Van Weight Engineering that should ease that problem.
I will post as soon as I have the end result for those who may be interested.

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