Gross weight

[HaylingIslander]

My question is, do people actually weigh their motorhomes?

We have a Knaus Sun Ti 700 MX (3860 kgs) which we bought last summer and we are about to go on a 6 week trip to France/Spain/Portugal.

We took the van to the weighbridge the other day and weighed each axle. We are over on the rear axle but under on the front which actually made our gross weight fine. The van is pretty much packed but missing clothes and fresh food - clothes will be at the back of the van.

We took everything out of the garage this morning and weighed each item, discarding a few things!

I don't understand why motorhomes have garages if you don't have the payload to put anything in. We see motorhomes with garages and bikes on the back - they have to be overweight!

Our insurance states that the cover is not valid if the van is overweight.

Do people not worry about weight? Do you go on the gross weight or on each axle weight?

I would really appreciate any help on our problem.

Many thanks.

 

[10tenmen]

What are the axle weights first, the law states if stopped and weighed you could be fined for the rear axle being over. Try to move heavy items forward.

 

[Tiger Bear]

We are new owners, bought the van at the beginning of December, but weighed it three times in the first five weeks; twice before we actually camped in it. Sad I know, but I was just curious, and the weighbridge is quite close to us.

The last time I weighed it was on the return from our first overnight trip, and I had just filled the fuel tank, and I filled the water tank before we left the campsite. Onboard was a full crew compliment: the driver (me), the navigator (our kitty), and the gaffer. Our lass's wheelchair was also in the garage. Both axles were well within their limits, and the van weighed just a smidgen over 3500kg. I recently had it replated to 3650kg, so I know I have another 150kg to play with.
More recently though I have been thinking about what else we may carry; a power bank, and perhaps a solar panel for it, an air fryer, a TV, a full larder, and enough clothing for a longer stay. And I thought that the extra 150kg may well soon get used up.
To be fair that did cause me some lost sleep, for five minutes or so. What I intend to do is have a weigh-in, when fully loaded, ahead of our next trip. Just so long as each axle is under weight I won't be worried if the total van weighs a little over the 3650kg. If push comes to shove, and we do get pulled over, it's easy enough to drop 140kg of fresh water, or leave our lass on the roadside.

 

[DerryW]

My question is, do people actually weigh their motorhomes?

We have a Knaus Sun Ti 700 MX (3860 kgs) which we bought last summer and we are about to go on a 6 week trip to France/Spain/Portugal.

We took the van to the weighbridge the other day and weighed each axle. We are over on the rear axle but under on the front which actually made our gross weight fine. The van is pretty much packed but missing clothes and fresh food - clothes will be at the back of the van.

We took everything out of the garage this morning and weighed each item, discarding a few things!

I don't understand why motorhomes have garages if you don't have the payload to put anything in. We see motorhomes with garages and bikes on the back - they have to be overweight!

Our insurance states that the cover is not valid if the van is overweight.

Do people not worry about weight? Do you go on the gross weight or on each axle weight?

I would really appreciate any help on our problem.

Many thanks.

If your fresh water tank is over or behind the rear axle try dumping a few litres of water, you can always top up as you go on route, no big issue. Also you might want to get yourself a couple of those large IKEA type bags for some of your contents such as clothes and move forward.

 

[bigtwin]

. We are over on the rear axle

It usually is the rear axle that folks struggle staying legal on.

The van is pretty much packed but missing clothes and fresh food - clothes will be at the back of the van.

Difficult to avoid loading up the rear and difficult to find storage space over the front axle.

We see motorhomes with garages and bikes on the back - they have to be overweight!

Yes, many are.

Do people not worry about weight?

Responsible owners do.

Do you go on the gross weight or on each axle weight?

If you’re over on any of the plated weights you could get fined.

It’s always good to go, at least once, in full holiday (worst case, full tanks etc) trim to understand if you have anything to play with, or to find out that you’re overweight (and have to slim down).

Ian

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[andyelbac]

We are new owners, bought the van at the beginning of December, but weighed it three times in the first five weeks; twice before we actually camped in it. Sad I know, but I was just curious, and the weighbridge is quite close to us.

The last time I weighed it was on the return from our first overnight trip, and I had just filled the fuel tank, and I filled the water tank before we left the campsite. Onboard was a full crew compliment: the driver (me), the navigator (our kitty), and the gaffer. Our lass's wheelchair was also in the garage. Both axles were well within their limits, and the van weighed just a smidgen over 3500kg. I recently had it replated to 3650kg, so I know I have another 150kg to play with.
More recently though I have been thinking about what else we may carry; a power bank, and perhaps a solar panel for it, an air fryer, a TV, a full larder, and enough clothing for a longer stay. And I thought that the extra 150kg may well soon get used up.
To be fair that did cause me some lost sleep, for five minutes or so. What I intend to do is have a weigh-in, when fully loaded, ahead of our next trip. Just so long as each axle is under weight I won't be worried if the total van weighs a little over the 3650kg. If push comes to shove, and we do get pulled over, it's easy enough to drop 140kg of fresh water, or leave our lass on the roadside.

Why did you fill the water tank before you left the campsite? (just curious). We just leave enough water to use the flush and dump the rest at the campsite before we leave
Thet saves about 80 odd kgs that I don't have to worry about nor pay fuel to lug around. Do you fill up the tank before you leave FOR a campsite also? Again, we just have enough to use the flush and then fill up on site. Once there you can be as overweight as you want....no one's asking!

 

[Reallyretired]

There have been many threads on water and most people do travel with a full tank for a variety of reasons. In this case I assumed they had filled the tank prior to leaving the campsite simply because they wanted to weigh it.

 

[Jim]

I don't understand why motorhomes have garages if you don't have the payload to

Originally designed as an additional locker for large but lightweight items like bicycles, rear garages have become commonplace. But now, makers are bringing vans to market where the only useful storage is in this garage. Having all of your storage behind your rear axle is not a good idea. This can mean that you may have a 400kg payload, but you have nowhere to put half of it.

I've never been a fan. Even the most organised ones end up a mess. When they are your only storage option; you start off packing them neatly, but before long, everything just gets chucked on top. You're forever shifting stuff around to reach what you need.

These days, they're sticking garages as a "feature" on even the smallest single-floor vans. It's madness. The already tiny payload is further reduced as rear axle weights are overloaded.

I much prefer a proper double floor with plenty of outside lockers on both sides of the van. Better weight distribution, better organisation. A separate locker for different items rather than one big junked-up hole that drags down the back end.

 

[Verteuil Man]

I weigh mine quite regularly at the public weighbridge at Stoke on Trent City Council yard.

 

[Puddleduck]

Always had ours weighed on the first trip of the year, fully loaded.

When we did our Italian trip we were 90kg under our max weight and within the individual axle weights. That was with full fuel, gas and fresh water. Probably the most we would ever carry as we had a load of garden machinery to help clear sister-in-law's overgrown garden. The garage had to have as much as possible taken out and moved forward to get the garden stuff in.

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[Lenny HB]

Often weigh ours when it's fully loaded for a trip, always travel with full water.

 

[Jev88]

Yes when we get a new to us MH I take it to the local seed supplies weighbridge fairly loaded so I know what I am dealing with.

Very easy to hit rear axle limit well before Front axle.

On our old MH I moved all batteries to be as close to front axle as possible and repurposed front outdoor lockers to take heavy jacks, mats, tools etc..... It's not magic but helps.
The biggest factor for us is then is having anything towed or on a cycle rack. The big overhang exacerbates any weight slung miles out the back of the rear axle.

 

[MisterB]

Don't forget the 5% leeway up to which no enforcement will happen in the UK according to DVLA website .....but make sure you understand it and it's always better to be 'road legal' as your first option!

 

[Soycd]

I weighed ours, fully loaded as we left for our two month Euro trek last year. Having up plated to 3.9 I was pretty sure we would be fine, we were. My theory was that as we always add ‘bits’ until the last moment doing it as we started the journey would give me a true weight. If we’d been over it wouldn’t be much and I’d just dump the water. I’d weighed it when it was new so had a rough idea of what we could load.

 

[Stoosal]

I would be careful of assuming there is a 5% overweight freebie!


A 5% allowance may be given before a ticket is issued, if it is the only offence, but if you are 5% over on gross weight plus over on an axle you have two offences and a warning is less likely. A 5% guidance is given before issuing a ticket not from stopping you continuing your journey.

Domestic users aren’t automatically given a leeway for warnings. A weighing authority isnt keen on allowing an overweight vehicle to drive off, so as you are aware, a prohibition notice can be issued to prevent movement until weight is reduced so you may be stuck in the weighing station until the excess weight is removed. Water is easy to dump but if you don’t have that then you will need to reduce weight to the prescribed limits before the prohibition notice will be removed. So…..assume an example where you are plated at 3650 but weighed at 3850 (5%ish). You dump 100kgs of water. You need to find another 100kgs to remove….what are you going to dump now and where are you going to put it? The prohibiting agency may not wait around for you to reduce weight so it may be some time before they are able to weigh you again to remove a prohibition notice. Not ideal if the authorised weighing officers are dealing with other matters.

Appreciate that in most cases police/DVSA are likely to try and allow journeys to continue for minor indiscretions but please don’t assume that Police/DVSA won’t enforce the regulations if they are having a dedicated day aimed at overweight vehicles etc.





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[cyberyacht]

HaylingIslander Which weighbridge did you use? They seem fairly thin on the ground in this area.

 

[Tiger Bear]

Why did you fill the water tank before you left the campsite? (just curious). We just leave enough water to use the flush and dump the rest at the campsite before we leave
Thet saves about 80 odd kgs that I don't have to worry about nor pay fuel to lug around. Do you fill up the tank before you leave FOR a campsite also? Again, we just have enough to use the flush and then fill up on site. Once there you can be as overweight as you want....no one's asking!

Just as Reallyretired wrote, I wanted to weigh it with a full tank. Yes, I know I could have emptied all the tanks and just added the 140kg to the gross weight, but that's just the way my brain works.
As I previously wrote, I will weigh it full for the first time we go on a proper camping trip, just so I know, but after that we will likely have our first night on a site and so travel empty. We will carry a container of water for flushing as we go.

 

[CAB96]

Don't forget the 5% leeway up to which no enforcement will happen in the UK according to DVLA website .....but make sure you understand it and it's always better to be 'road legal' as your first option!

And of course, be sure and understand which 5% you will be leaving by the side of the road if you do get pulled over.

Water?

Beer?

Wife?