Weights

[headlight]

I only have the Fiat plate on my 2006 Swift Suntor 590RL 2.3L (Ducato 15 JTD MWB), no converters plate.
The Fiat plate says
3400kg
5400kg
1. 1750kg
2. 1900kg
My V5 says 3400kg gross
The van was weighed with the results being front axle 1361kg, rear axle 1587kg and overall weight 2948kg giving me a payload of 452kgs.
Wheels are 15' alloy with 215/70 R15 C109/107 tyres.
My question is could the van be up plated without any modifications from 3400kg to say about 3,600kgs ?

 

[pj650]

If you phone SV Tech and give the information you have quoted in your post, they will be able to tell you if you can increase your gross vehicle weight and by how much.
We used them some years ago and they were very good. Also if you can go above 3500 kg gross vehicle weight you will pay less road tax.

 

[headlight]

I have spoken to SV Tech and they said I had to fill in an online form including pictures as they couldn't advise over the phone.
Van weight engineering told me the same.
Problem is my computer is so old it won't let me fill the forms in as it says the format is not supported.
Before I go to the hassle of using someone else's tech to try and do as I've been told I thought I would see if up plating with no modifications is possible as I think I have read on here of it being done ?

 

[Itsmcb]

I recently went from 3400kgs to 3500kgs and could have gone to 3550 without any suspension modifications. However I had to change tyres from 215.70.15 to 225.70.15 to achieve even the 3500

 

[Lenny HB]

With those axle weights you should be able to go to 3650kg without any mods.

Best to load the van up fully as you would for a trip and get it on a weighbridge. If the rear axle is near the limit not much point in uprating unless you spend some money to increase the rear axle load as there is little option for moving weight forward.

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[headlight]

Lenny HB I take it that you mean the axle weights on the Fiat plate ?

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny HB I take it that you mean the axle weights on the Fiat plate ?

Yes.

 

[Minxy]

You've got:

front axle max: 1750kg, actual 1361kg (389kg spare)
rear axle max: 1900kg, actual 1587kg (313kg spare)
actual overall weight: 2948kg
MAM: 3400kg
max payload: 452kg

Did your weighbridge figures include any 'touring' stuff, eg full water, full fuel, gas bottles etc? If not you need to account for them and where they will place the weight, eg on front or rear axles. Then you'll have a better idea of what's left on each axle for all the other stuff you will be taking with you such as any other kit, bikes, toys, food, drink, clothes, crockery, pots, pans, cutlery etc), basically in full touring mode including people. Again you can weight this kit and get an idea where it will 'sit' in the MH to allocate the extra weight onto the appropriate axles.

At present you appear to have 452kg payload but the question is does 313kg on the rear give you enough capacity for everything you want to stuck at that end? The reason for the question is that it's often difficult to move sufficient weight forward to use the full MAM of 3400kg as there's often not enough places to store stuff up front and much of the MH equipment etc tends to be towards the rear.

What I'm getting at is that even if you do uprate to 3650kg (the max of both axles) it won't give you any more carrying capacity on the rear axle other than what's spare now, ie 313kg, so in order to get a usable capacity it may entail putting on bigger tyres and also some sort of suspension upgrade/addition. SVTech or Van Weight Engineering are the only ones who can realistically answer your question and then you can decide how you want to proceed.

 

[1967bowesj]

headlight
get the form filled in and send it to sv tech, they cost more than van weight but in only my opinion they know more about what is possible and are very helpful.
the initial form is free and nothing costs till you tell them to go ahead.

ps
again just my thoughts but you will need higher load tyres and possibly semi air or rear.

 

[headlight]

My V5 and my Fiat plate give 3400kg gross but the axle weights on the Fiat plate which is the only plate on the vehicle (no converters plate) are 1750kg and 1900kg which comes to 3650kg ?

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[donkey]

I only have the Fiat plate on my 2006 Swift Suntor 590RL 2.3L (Ducato 15 JTD MWB), no converters plate.
The Fiat plate says
3400kg
5400kg
1. 1750kg
2. 1900kg
My V5 says 3400kg gross
The van was weighed with the results being front axle 1361kg, rear axle 1587kg and overall weight 2948kg giving me a payload of 452kgs.
Wheels are 15' alloy with 215/70 R15 C109/107 tyres.
My question is could the van be up plated without any modifications from 3400kg to say about 3,600kgs ?

Swift often 'hide' the converters plate behind the driver's seat, worth a look.

Geoff

 

[stevewagner]

My V5 and my Fiat plate give 3400kg gross but the axle weights on the Fiat plate which is the only plate on the vehicle (no converters plate) are 1750kg and 1900kg which comes to 3650kg ?

Adding axle weights together nearly always adds up to more than the gross weight which you can’t go over. If you actually had 1900kg on the rear axle, you would then only have 1500kg available for the front axle.
I’ve used both SV Tech and Van Weight Engineering in the past. Both were good but VWE was half the price and I can assure you they are just as knowledgable.

 

[headlight]

So the axle weights on the plate mean I can have up to 1750kg on the front, up to 1900kg on the rear but the combined total weight must be no more than the 3400kg that's on the plate and the V5 and not the combined max axle weights of 3650kg.

 

[Lenny HB]

So the axle weights on the plate mean I can have up to 1750kg on the front, up to 1900kg on the rear but the combined total weight must be no more than the 3400kg that's on the plate and the V5 and not the combined max axle weights of 3650kg.

Yes that's right but you could uprate to 3650 without any mods.

 

[headlight]

Lenny HB Would the extra 250kgs be split equally between both axles ie. an extra 125kg each axle ?

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[Lenny HB]

Lenny HB Would the extra 250kgs be split equally between both axles ie. an extra 125kg each axle ?

The axle limits will not change.
See my post#5.

To increase the rear axle max you would probably have to fit air suspension and change the tyres.

 

[headlight]

The axle limits will not change.
See my post#5.

To increase the rear axle max you would probably have to fit air suspension and change the tyres.

Thanks Lenny I think I've got my head round it now.
Off to a weighbridge next week as I've added some stuff since it was last weighed and it is all over the back axle.

 

[The Wino]

Lenny HB Would the extra 250kgs be split equally between both axles ie. an extra 125kg each axle ?

I would have thought that the 3650 would just be the sum of the current axle loads. How much extra is spare on each axle would depend on your current axle load if you're already at one of the limits upping the total would only give you spare capacity on the other one.

 

[Stealaway]

I've always assumed that Fiat build a 3650Kg standard Ducato van and that the converters down grade them to suit the market.
Therefore all converted motorhomes should be factory safe up to that weight.

As per my 2019 model

 

[headlight]

Swift often 'hide' the converters plate behind the driver's seat, worth a look.

Geoff

Well I just found the Swift plate, in the corner at floor level behind the passenger seat behind the passenger door curtain.
It has exactly the same weights as the Fiat plate, 3400kg, 5400kg, 1750kg, 1900kg.

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[headlight]

I'm going to try and get to a weighbridge Monday morning and weigh the van before going to Vanbitz in the afternoon as it will be pretty much fully loaded.

 

[nicholsong]

I have just posted the following on a similar thread

"With all these discussions about reducing weight be a few kilos it occurs to me to say that if that becomes critical then the poster has got the wrong MH and/or the wrong licence."

 

[headlight]

I've got C1 and will have it for another 10 years.
As regards my motorhome I am limited by parking space to get anything bigger.

 

[Lenny HB]

I've got C1 and will have it for another 10 years.
As regards my motorhome I am limited by parking space to get anything bigger.

I have a 6.67m Motorhome on order with a payload of 1375 kg, there is a 6.4 m in the range with even more payload.

Edit:
Providing you order on the optional heavy chassis.

 

[headlight]

I have a 6.67m Motorhome on order with a payload of 1375 kg, there is a 6.4 m in the range with even more payload. .

I am limited to 6m where I park.
My present 590 is only 4 inches off the wall of my parking space.
6.4m wouldn't fit unfortunately.

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[headlight]

Just been to the weighbridge loaded for a trip.
Front axle 1320kg
Rear axle 1780kg
Overall 3120kg.
Plates state
1750kg
1900kg
3400kg
So I've got 120kg spare on the rear axle.
We carry a bit more stuff in the summer, probably another 30-40kgs over the rear axle so we'll still be under, albeit only 80-90kg.

 

[The Wino]

Just been to the weighbridge loaded for a trip.
Front axle 1320kg
Rear axle 1780kg
Overall 3120kg.
Plates state
1750kg
1900kg
3400kg
So I've got 120kg spare on the rear axle.
We carry a bit more stuff in the summer, probably another 30-40kgs over the rear axle so we'll still be under, albeit only 80-90kg.

If you're stopped and less than 5% overweight there's an allowance of that much so you won't be penalised so in effect you've got another 170kg to play with up to 10% over theres a fixed penalty of £100 at worst .

 

[eurajohn]

I could be wrong but I understood that it is only possible to get a "paper" increase of weight up to the manufacturers initial plated limit (total or axle) without actual modification or additions, in this case 3400Kg.

 

[Lenny HB]

I could be wrong but I understood that it is only possible to get a "paper" increase of weight up to the manufacturers initial plated limit (total or axle) without actual modification or additions, in this case 3400Kg.

His axle weights total 3650.

 

[eurajohn]

Aware of that but the gross weight is never the sum of both axle weights, is it?