Stopped by the police

[Pausim]

That could well be the case especially with the larger coachbuilts and A Class MHs where the 3500 Kg MAM is always going to be very tight. I understand that some manufacturers have been reducing the weight of the furniture but there is only so much that can be done before it becomes too flimsy.

I have seen figures showing that the MIRO difference between a 5.4 m Ducato PVC and 6.4 m PVC is an additional 280 Kg. Presumably due to all that extra steel body and more furniture. On paper, very popular 6.4 m PVCs already have quite tight payloads. Add lots of bells and whistles, plus 4 occupants, the available payload becomes inadequate so 6.4 m vans are more likely to be overloaded unless a lot of care is taken. 5.99 m Ducato PVCs are the sweet spot for 3500 Kg.

It surprises me how heavy PVCs are. The 6.4m A Class Carthago Compactline has a MIRO of 2795kg, which seems to be less than your 5.4m PVC. I guess it is in the lightweight construction used but there is nothing flimsy about the Carthago finish.

 

[Yorick]

To stop everybody moaning. There are approx
135,000 police in the UK. Of them only 2,653 are traffic police.

So 98% of the police ARE out catching real criminals

 

[The Wino]

To stop everybody moaning. There are approx
135,000 police in the UK. Of them only 2,653 are traffic police.

So 98% of the police ARE out catching real criminals

I see people speeding and overweight as real criminals as they're breaking the law what other definition is there?

 

[Pausim]

I see people speeding and overweight as real criminals as they're breaking the law what other definition is there?

When I was 17 and got a speeding ticket my friends father called me “The Criminal”. When I called round he would shout out “Doug The Criminal is here for you”.

 

[Larrynwin]

To stop everybody moaning. There are approx
135,000 police in the UK. Of them only 2,653 are traffic police.

So 98% of the police ARE out catching real criminals

That’s good we need plenty of coppers stopping nasty name calling non crime hate incidents.

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[Tony50]

That’s good we need plenty of coppers stopping nasty name calling non crime hate incidents.

Like limey , honky, or (alien as you called by in USA, ) I can take that as I don't subscribe to the Wok community

 

[Nanniemate]

To stop everybody moaning. There are approx
135,000 police in the UK. Of them only 2,653 are traffic police.

So 98% of the police ARE out catching real criminals

Or dancing the macerainer at the Notting Hill Carnival dambed if they do, and dambed if they don't

 

[Blaydon]

I’m sure we would all feel really angry if we were to be pulled over by some “nothing better to do” cop, and then having time taken out of our holiday time to go to a service station to be checked. We would then feel very upset if then “ nothing better to do” officials have the cheek to tell us, with so much experience, Motorhomer, that we need to dump our important holiday kit in order to lose weight.
But…
How are you going to feel if you run down a child on a crossing because your overloaded van can’t stop in time? How angry are you going to feel when you have to spend a day in court to defend your decision to take that extra stuff you might have needed? How upset are you going to feel every day when you sit in the driver‘s seat as you remember what you did?

We have all seen van drivers who think they are on a race track. Or vans sagging on their springs.
Might I suggest that Police checks are there to prevent accidents and educate drivers rather than have to deal with the consequence, including telling families that someone won’t be coming home.

We might remember that payloads regs are there for a reason. So we need to pack light, only carry things that do more than one thing, and stick to the law. Then the Police Checks are just an excuse to stop for a tea and wee break and nothing to get upset about.

 

[The Wino]

I’m sure we would all feel really angry if we were to be pulled over by some “nothing better to do” cop, and then having time taken out of our holiday time to go to a service station to be checked. We would then feel very upset if then “ nothing better to do” officials have the cheek to tell us, with so much experience, Motorhomer, that we need to dump our important holiday kit in order to lose weight.
But…
How are you going to feel if you run down a child on a crossing because your overloaded van can’t stop in time? How angry are you going to feel when you have to spend a day in court to defend your decision to take that extra stuff you might have needed? How upset are you going to feel every day when you sit in the driver‘s seat as you remember what you did?

We have all seen van drivers who think they are on a race track. Or vans sagging on their springs.
Might I suggest that Police checks are there to prevent accidents and educate drivers rather than have to deal with the consequence, including telling families that someone won’t be coming home.

We might remember that payloads regs are there for a reason. So we need to pack light, only carry things that do more than one thing, and stick to the law. Then the Police Checks are just an excuse to stop for a tea and wee break and nothing to get upset about.

I've got no problem with being checked if it's a random selection of people or targeted based on the most likely vehicle type to be overloaded.

 

[Sapper520]

I've got no problem with being checked if it's a random selection of people or targeted based on the most likely vehicle type to be overloaded.

I don’t have a problem being stopped in our van, car or on our motorcycles, I don’t see any inconvenience in it at all……but then again, I do understand fully why it’s done.

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[dulvil]

I have been stopped on my motorcycle 3 times by the police for a full check, vin chassis number etc
All 3 times in France never in uk
I didn’t moan as they would have caught the thief if he had pinched my bike

 

[Tio64]

Hi all, can anyone recommend a weighbridge they've used in the West Mids/Birmingham area, please?
There are 2-3 local to us but are either in a quarry or a scrap yard.

Many thanks.

 

[TonyEmm]

Had my motorhome down graded to 3500 it was 4250 just so my wife could drive if I load it 750 over the 3500 now this does not make it dangerous just if my wife’s driving she needs a c1 licence

So plated at 3,500kgs, how much payload do you have left? I’m guessing not a lot, if any!

WEIGHTS & VIN PLATES!

The information here is based on a motorhome conversion of a commercial chassis but it holds true for virtually any vehicle.VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number.It's a unique 17 digit number which includes coded information such as Country of Assembly, the Manufacturer, the Body Style...

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[buttons]

I wonder just how many accidents or injuries are caused by overweight motorhomes.

Just one would be one too many.

 

[Peregrinator]

You are absolutely right except in the case of some PVCs , and I presume others but I only know about PVCs, to up-plate to 4250 it’s purely a paper exercise. So one day my van is safe at 3500 and then the next day it’s safe with 750kg more stuff in it just because of a bit of paper. Some rules are silly but I am very law abiding and stick to them.

Don't think you would get just paper exercise if it hadn't already the right tyres & suspension, for my motorhome paper exercise was ok to uprate from 3.5t to 3.750t, but to go higher which I did in the end, I also had to have Air Assist and I already had the tyres.

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[TR5]

Is that normal for Police? when I was recently stopped in a lorry it was Vosa.

VOSA was disbanded in March 2014.

 

[jongood]

Doesn't matter what wrapper you put them in they're widely referred to as VOSA in the commercial world.

 

[JockandRita]

Doesn't matter what wrapper you put them in they're widely referred to as VOSA in the commercial world.

Agreed John. They now call themselves DVSA. I preferred VOSA myself.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[DannyKus]

Few usual comments about a waste of police time and why aren't they out catching criminals. In my opinion making the roads safer is never a waste of time, and there is always the chance that one of those MHs or caravans may be on false plates and stolen. I think that falls into the category of catching criminals.