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.

 

[Tiger Bear]

Think a view could be taken with 140 litre puddle on the tarmac that you were driving with 140kg of additional weight when stopped.
Only those they can afford not to have had a valid insurance policy in place if involved in an accident would drive over the legal permitted weight of the vehicle of course. I personally like my house too much.

Your post appears to imply that I would be prepared to travel 140kg overweight. At no point did I write that.

 

[Minxy]

Think a view could be taken with 140 litre puddle on the tarmac that you were driving with 140kg of additional weight when stopped.
Only those they can afford not to have had a valid insurance policy in place if involved in an accident would drive over the legal permitted weight of the vehicle of course. I personally like my house too much.

Insurance doesn't work like that, so long as the policy had been taken out you would still have third party cover so the only possible loser would be you with no cover for yourself/vehicle.

Being overweight, and that it also was a contributing factor to the accident, would be very difficult to prove unless the vehicle was substantially overweight and even then it may not be so simple as I doubt that it would be weighed anyway.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

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.

In defence and up to a point, but my Honda Wave scooter won't fit in a side locker, nor will my essential 2mt long play boat. Yes,my garage is full,but it's organised, and stays that way or else it just won't repack, everything is packed into flexible square tubs, [ two previous items omitted] and have their own carefully organised colour coded tubs. It works for us and I have seen a similar mindset with others as opposed to the scatter gun loading technique.
Mike.

 

[Lenny HB]

That would be useful, thank you.

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[pandas]

Your post appears to imply that I would be prepared to travel 140kg overweight. At no point did I write that.

Sorry didn’t mean to imply anything just put two and two together when you suggested you could always dump 140 Litres of water if need be as well as other options.

 

[Pausim]

would be very difficult to prove unless the vehicle was substantially overweight

In normal circumstances I agree. However I had to give evidence at a Coroners Court following a fatal accident and the vehicles involved were removed and examined forensically for faults. Fortunately for the innocent driver they found no faults that might have contributed to the accident.

 

[Rickd]

I'm looking to weigh my van in the Bradford area of West Yorkshire. Unfortunately the local council weigh sites don't do individual axle weights. Can anyone recommend anywhere that would local please?

 

[pandas]

Insurance doesn't work like that, so long as the policy had been taken out you would still have third party cover so the only possible loser would be you with no cover for yourself/vehicle.

Being overweight, and that it also was a contributing factor to the accident, would be very difficult to prove unless the vehicle was substantially overweight and even then it may not be so simple as I doubt that it would be weighed anyway.

I would personally be more careful about what comments I post: fatal accident, every aspect including weight would be factored in - potential custodial sentence if you were driving a vehicle that was not legal including bald tyres, no MOT, weight, drink drive and so on.
Perhaps the message is not about you are unlikely to be caught more about it’s wrong to do it in the first place. Sermon over.

 

[DerryW]

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.

Never thought of it like that, but agree. On our first and previous MH We had a place for everything nice and neatly stored away, however, that goes out the window at the first stop, after that it was an absolute nightmare trying to find stuff never mind getting it out.

Bit more organised with this one, probably down to ditching all the “just in case” stuff we used to take on every trip, that never saw the light of day. We’re still a fan of the garage for storing/hiding the 2 bikes table and chairs, if nothing else.

Understand the attraction of individual side lockers. If and it’s a big If we decide on a new MH at anytime we will definitely look at ones with side lockers.

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[Tiger Bear]

Sorry didn’t mean to imply anything just put two and two together when you suggested you could always dump 140 Litres of water if need be as well as other options.

Thanks for clearing that up.
No! The option of dropping our lass off may appear above dumping water, depending on how many times she had chowed at me beforehand.

 

[Minxy]

I would personally be more careful about what comments I post: fatal accident, every aspect including weight would be factored in - potential custodial sentence if you were driving a vehicle that was not legal including bald tyres, no MOT, weight, drink drive and so on.

Nothing wrong with my comments, I would hope that everything was checked in those circumstances but it doesn't mean in the vast majority of accidents the weight would be one of the things checked unless it was apparent it could be a major factor (obviously looked to be overweight).

Perhaps the message is not about you are unlikely to be caught more about it’s wrong to do it in the first place.

Definitely agree with that which is why we've never done it, always make sure we're below the max for weight and axle loading and when too close for comfort (although still below) uprated and added additional suspension aids etc as required.

Sermon over.

Amen to that!

 

[MisterB]

In normal circumstances I agree. However I had to give evidence at a Coroners Court following a fatal accident and the vehicles involved were removed and examined forensically for faults. Fortunately for the innocent driver they found no faults that might have contributed to the accident.

just to support the forensics 'side', i have a friend who was involved in an accident where a person on a motorbike was sadly killed ... although my friend pulled out of a junction, forensics showed that the motorbike had been travelling at over 70mph in a 30mph zone. Interestingly In context to this discussion, my friends car was examined and found to have over inflated tyres and was fined for that, although his car may have been 'illegal' he received full compensation for his car from the other persons insurance .... How that would relate to another accident though would be entirely subjective in this forum ..

it does show however that any examination will be thorough for the most serious of accidents, so its not just the weight of the vehicle.

 

[cyberyacht]

found to have over inflated tyres and was fined for that

They must have been excessively so then, I would have thought. Within limits, tyre pressures are a bit personal. Some prefer slightly below, others slightly above what a handbook might say. That's quite apart from any discrepancy from any pressure gauge used.

As for exceeding MGW, we would all be at our max if we filled with water and fuel at the same time, the figure reducing as fuel was burnt off at around 15Kg per 100 miles plus a bit more if you stop for a brew and a pee.

 

[Puddleduck]

As for exceeding MGW, we would all be at our max if we filled with water and fuel at the same time, the figure reducing as fuel was burnt off at around 15Kg per 100 miles plus a bit more if you stop for a brew and a pee.

Weighed ours with full fresh water and as full fuel as possible, lots of extras that we wouldn't normally have with us and still 90kg under MGW and axles well within max.

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[The Artilleryman]

My biggest problem is Actual rear axle weight, as we tow a box trailer (2T) most of the time, yes I know the nose weight of the trailer as I check it each time it has a change in load or position of loaded items. But what Actual rear axle weight is is another thing. Weighed fully loaded :- GVW, Front axle, Rear axle, GTW, trailer gvw. Rear axle has been uprated to 2240kg.

 

[Brianmor]

Perfick. Handy if I'm on the way to Newhaven.

There's one even nearer, we have used this one a few times £10 an axle and £10 total

EMR Portsmouth Dundas Spur Copnor,PO3 5NX​

 

[PlacidoD]

There seems to be a dearth of weighbridges in my area. Bolton MBC don't have one. I have weighed the entire van enroute to West Wales (I was way under 3,500kg) but could not check individual axles.

I do so agree about oversize garages. Mine on my Hobby T500 is more than big enough. My only problem is the very small door on the vehicle nearside. To my mind something like the garage on a Dethleffs Globebus T15 is near ideal - somewhere secure to store valuable bikes and a spare wheel. Everything else should be over or forward of the rear axle. I even take the battery out of my Ebike and stow that in the glove compartment! And I have mounted and secured the spare wheel vertically on the inner wall of the garage to help reduce the impact of the weight of that item which is the heaviest in my garage by far and now much nearer the rear axle.

Double floor storage does not allow provision for bikes. Surely they must be a magnet for thieves mounted on a bike carrier in full view? OK while travelling but not when parked up. You can fit locks but the thief will not mind causing damage in his attempt to steal. They are best out of sight!

On the same subject I find myself in two minds about batteries and electrics in a garage. That does make them far more accessible than under the front seats where mine are but weight-wise that location does make sense but it is such a pain unbolting and lifting seats when you have problems/to check wiring and connections etc . And the wiring if batteries are in the garage has to be significantly heavier gauge.

 

[bigtwin]

Unfortunately the local council weigh sites don't do individual axle weights.

None of them do individual axle weights as such. You just need to drive on to get the whole vehicle weight and then drive forward to take the front wheels just off the weigh plate and get a second weight measure. Paying for two separate weights if necessary. You then do the sums to determine the axle weights.

Ian

 

[gus-lopez]

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!

Many,including me, do not use sites so require waterfall so I can shower.

what are you going to dump now and where are you going to put it?

ring for a cab.load it in there.

Insurance doesn't work like that, so long as the policy had been taken out you would still have third party cover so the only possible loser would be you with no

Exactly & why anyone with an informed insurance can never be guilty of " having no insurance "

I'm looking to weigh my van in the Bradford area of West Yorkshire. Unfortunately the local council weigh sites don't do individual axle weights. Can anyone recommend anywhere that would local please?

find one with a flat plate that allows van to be level when only front or rear Axle alone is on the weighbridge. then add together.