Payload Scam: Hymer now, who´s next?

[PaulW2]

remember I said the society. Not the manufacturers.

Just follow Germans around Europe keeping to all of the speed limits. Whilst the French, Spanish and Italians wheelspin past.

We just follow orders?

And those of us who give orders? What orders do they give?

(Actually, many Germans of course don't follow orders/rules at all.)

 

[Brains]

These are the acronyms that the NCC use to inform us about payload. ALM, MTPLM, MRO, CL, MAL, TW, ULW. They need to forget all those and settle on just one. Whether new or used, vehicles for sale by dealers should display just one weight. FW. the Forecourt Weight. What it weighs NOW on the Forecourt.

That also needs a standard amount of fuel, gas, etc.

Otherwise you'll have them removing the batteries, awning, cassette, matrasses, draining the sump and filling the tyres and water tank with helium.

I agree on a single 'OTR' standard, but I'd not trust the dealer (or the manufacturer) to provide it.

An actual weight provided at the MoT certificate would be a start.
And every motorhome would have to have an MoT before the first registration is granted.

I seem to remember there was an issue in NI where the ramps used did not conform to DVLA standards and all had to be replaced, I'm sure a modern vehicle ramp gives a very good indication of weight.

 

[MisterB]

.... and filling the tyres with helium.

If they used hydrogen to fill the tyres, the tyres could act as a secondary fuel tank and you could remove the need for LPG completely, thus saving even more weight?

 

[Brains]

If they used hydrogen to fill the tyres, the tyres could act as a secondary fuel tank and you could remove the need for LPG completely, thus saving even more weight?

Why stop there, you could fill up all the tanks with hydrogen!
(drinking water tank, grey water tank, diesel tank, gas bottles, radiator etc)

Massive weight saving ! and secondary fuel!
What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Roby2008]

And this one!

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/letter-from-carthago-overweight-van-issue.293098/

Why stop there, you could fill up all the tanks with hydrogen!
(drinking water tank, grey water tank, diesel tank, gas bottles, radiator etc)

Massive weight saving ! and secondary fuel!
What could possibly go wrong?

The new Hindenburg line of MHs ........

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[Googlebot]

Caravans have the same issues. You get 140KG in some of them, that’s about usual and very very difficult to stick to. Put movers on and that’s about 30KG gone immediately.

Bailey had the debacle with the Alko axles as well. They all sagged and ended up with wheels rubbing on the arches, new axle or 1.5K refurbishing your own.

Mine was done under warranty where thankfully I had sense to empty the lot before taking it in. They weighed the van before approving the warranty repair. There were hundreds of owners who lost out and ended up replacing at their own cost even when under warranty as they were a few KG over.

It’s also worse with caravans being maximum technically permissible laden mass. It includes the nose weight of about 90KG which then takes payload off your car of 90KG. Effectively, you lose 90KG of payload somewhere.

I agree with Jim, standard definitions instead of smoke and mirrors would be very helpful.

Our Exsis is supposed to be 2900KG empty. With 4 of us and the dogs, we haven’t a chance of keeping it legal so I had to uprate.

 

[pagey]

Mine is supposed to be 2960k according to the coc , it came out of the factory with a bike rack and an awning it's going for a mot next Wednesday and it will be weighed it now has 2 la batteries and a solar panel there is about 15 ltrs of derv in it and no water and its completely empty no tools,clothes pots pans etc

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Mine is supposed to be 2960k according to the coc , it came out of the factory with a bike rack and an awning it's going for a mot next Wednesday and it will be weighed it now has 2 la batteries and a solar panel there is about 15 ltrs of derv in it and no water and its completely empty no tools,clothes pots pans etc

Let us know.
Mike.

 

[Bernie P]

I weighed our A Class Rapido (plated at 3500kg) on our first weekend away. Me, Wife, Dog, full fuel, 20L water and kit/food for a weekend. Came in at 3560kg! Up-plated it to 3700kg. Good job we never used it in it's designed 4 berth configuration!

I took our new PVC (plated at 3500kg) straight to the local builders merchant on the way home and weighed it as delivered but with a full tank of fuel, no water, gas, passengers. Came in at 2980kg. We've weighed everything that goes in the van (even the dog) and have it on a spreadsheet which we check regularly. Reckon we have about 105kg spare in worst case condition.

Note just checked my spreadsheet and in worst case condition the two of us plus dog use about 413kg. So the 400kg guide weight given above is pretty accurate.

 

[TrudeandDall]

It's challenging to find 3.5t plated motorhomes that have a real-world useable payload. A touring couple needs around 400kg and so many vans just don't have enough.

And there lies the problem Jim.
MH manufacturers have to build a MH that has all of the kit that todays customer requires. They use a chassis/van that is built to carry this level of kit, but then have to derate the MH in MGW to comply with an EU/UK licence law that does not allow drivers who passed their driving test in the last 25 years or older people who, for what ever reason do not have the medical status to drive the heavier MH to actually use the weight the MH is capable of carrying.
MH manufacturers are between a rock and a hard place - the root cause of this issue sits firmly with the Driving Laws.
Hopefully in the not to distant future, the driving laws will change to allow either the reinstatement of a C1 licence when passing a B test or better still uprating the B licence to 4250kg as is often talked about on this forum.

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[OldAgeTravellers]

Only sent mine last Friday, last time I uprated a van paperwork came back in 2 weeks but they got it wrong and took 4 months to get it corrected.

I sent mine off to DVLA six weeks ago, the upgrade has just appeared on my DVLA Driver & Vehicle record as now 4,800kg so just on the six weeks, we are travelling so can’t receive the new V5 unfortunately. Hopefully they will accept a print-out of the DVLA page in the unlikely event I get a pull in Spain or France. Interesting the Previous V5 didn’t have the max permissible mass filled in but they have now done both Revenue weight and MPM at 4,800kg.
Was the earlier statement that in the UK there is a 5% allowance, correct? As that would mean we are allowed up to 5,040kg in the UK. Much more wine and beer.