Maximum user payload
Comments
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if you have a motor mover then a set of plastic ramps will be much easier. Just put one next to the tyre that needs raising and get the mover to move it up till level. You'll have to hold the ramp in place at first as the mover will make it turn. Also you have to ask how many times you need to level your van? We had a steel one but one plastic ramp is all I carry now. so it worth the extra weight? Or carry that in the car when travelling?
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I would carry more stuff in the car before I would remove our mover!
Without the mover the caravan would be on the road! We have the van at home, would not comtemplate storage, plus nothing suitable nearby anyway, so without the mover we would not be caravanning.
To fit on the drive so we can actually get into the van, it has to go hitch first, plus with hitch first the drawbar goes up the side path, thus leaving enough room to get the van on the driveway, which is only 5 cm longer than the van. It also has a 10% upward slope.
We had one of the original Carver movers on our previous van (1998) and this allowed us to return to caravanning after 15 years. Otherwise our only option would have been to have a MH, which at the time we could not afford.
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I would think the reason is either the axle/chassis cannot take more weight, or the load rating of the tyres is insufficient.
If down to the tyres, they could be changed to ones with a higher load rating.
If you have already filled a roofbox, do you really need so much stuff with you? Could you swap the awning for a smaller porch one? Could you have chairs that weigh less and take less space. Do you carry a table for outside? If so could you get a smaller and lighter one, or use the caravan table? If you always use an awning and usually eat in it, could you do without the caravan table....they are often rather heavy.
We are just 2, so always leave our (very heavy) table behind, we use the fold out one, which can work for 3 people at a push. On ours, the children could be in the front corners and still leave room for 2 adults in the usual places.
Is there anything in the van you could remove? We removed the upper bunk in our previous van. If you have bunks, could you do without the ladder?
I would start by removing the spare wheel and carry it in the car. Is it in an underslung carrier? Remove that too.
Clothes......you could pack each person's clothes in a lightweight fold up bag and have them in the car, then when you get to your site, transfer to the caravan .
What about gas bottles? A lighweight refillable will save weight and mean you only need carry one bottle.
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All very good points. Also check what is included in the MIRO, is it two gas bottles or only one? Only using one will save quite a few kg. Also don't travel with full water tanks (heater and flush)
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We only eat in the awning so maybe the table inside can go as I do not think we will ever use it as we have a dinette too so that would be used inside anyway. It probably weighs more than our awning table too! I will look into that one.
We have a 6 berth and the dinette bunk we have taken out to add 15kg on.
I wouldn't want to compromise on the awning as we do use this as living space with a 1 and 3 year old when we are in or around the caravan :-)
With the chairs, that is an option so will need to look how much we would save on that, same as the spare wheel - it is underslung. Also we already have a Calor lite.
Funny, Elddis have just emailed apologising for information they have given being incorrect. I am waiting for clarification but may have just gained 22kg!!
My husband is also on his way to a weighbridge as I write this so fingers crossed!!!!
Thank you for the tips, they are really helpful.
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Is the Elddis make up of the MIRO known?
I ask as I know that despite the EU trying to standardise this a few years back the UK industry body the NCC decided on something of a free for all with for example unbelievably removing the battery from that. Such things as the quantity of water in tanks/boilers etc plus the EHU lead, gas bottle allowance and a step could be included.
Instead of using the EUs system they made it here a minefield in I assume an attempt to give the impression of lighter vans than they are.
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This is one thing they replied to today to confirm what was included. We were not aware the battery wasn't included until around the time I started this discussion. Dealers are not very helpful with this and someone like myself who has never owned a caravan before would be none the wiser. It came fitted so I assumed it was part of the caravan... but like you said no it isn't!!!
My husband has been to the weighbridge this afternoon so we have an accurate figure to work from now and we have removed the spare wheel, caravan table and a couple of other bits.
What with Elddis being incorrect with info they gave (this has shown in the weighbridge figure) and removing things, we are now 64kg below the MTPLM so much better than the 6kg as of yesterday!!!! Progress has been made!!!
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One option for those who want to lose the weight of a mover but feel they need one to access the driveway is to consider a block and tackle setup. Depending on how far you have to move the caravan, four part purchase could give you that bit of extra pull to enable you to manually move the caravan.
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Of course it is excellent advice to visit a weghbridge although I should think that the vast majority of caravanners have never considered payload. We caravanned for thirty years and never even thought about it, in fact, it was only when we bought a new motorhome 18 months ago that I went to a weighbridge and that was actually to determine tyre pressures.
As a matter of interest, our payload is quoted as not far off of 500kg. Fully loaded we have 40kg in hand BUT we travel extremely light (and our body weights are low by modern standards!). From this I deduce that the majority of motorhomes are probably overloaded and so are many caravans.
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Mine was nominally 630Kgs, so not a lot more and, like you, our BMI's are below the average. I'm glad I had the MPTLM increased by 200Kg to give me some leeway. Haven't been to a weighbridge yet as we are still sorting our stuff to go in the new(to us) MH.
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CY, small vans, like yours, carrying just a couple of people will (probably) run comfortable at 3500kg....however, its always useful to check, in full race trim, with water, fuel, both travellers, chairs, tables, bikes, food, clothes, books, crockery, cutlery etc, etc....
however, Hitch also has a small Auto Sleepers van, yet, when fully loaded, only has around 40kg to spare....
our slim 6.4m van has around 100kg spare when fully loaded as above
also, as Hitch says, this will also give you the axle weight info to get the tyre pressures where they should be...
the problem for many, is when makers only quote the MIRO yet the options list is as long as your arm...our first Carthago has around 350kg of extras....but we had a far larger payload on 4.25t, so not an issue.
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Hi,
We are having same problem with our caravan weight, after finding out that the battery isn't included in miro.
I have taken everything out of van and reweighed everything got rid of anything we don't use. This include chairs and table.
We have good payload of 200 but was 20kg over. Think tyre 21kg battery 21kg and gas bottle 11kg should already be included.
We don't have room in car for anything else as dogs in boot, wheel lock & hitch in back with cool box coats,tinned food.
Also struggle to find weight bridge none anywhere near.
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Lexi, it makes no difference to you being overweight as to whether the van exceeds its MTPLM or not.....if you're overweight it would make no difference if ALL items were included in the miro, youd still be overweight.
where the difference arises (and usually the confusion) is that manufacturers quote a 'payload' which is often misleading.
the only way to know what 'payload' you have (the spare capacity after all extras have been included is to weigh the van or get the dealer to weigh it....most have weighing pads these days.....
forget brochures, forget what the salesman said.....weigh the van (your van, not one like it) and youll have the only true measure of your spare capacity....ie the true 'payload'.
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A van may be easy to position on a pitch by hand or with car, but to, for example, get any van up a slope nose first when it cannot be towed there, will need a mover.
In my case the caravan has to go in nose first and DOWNHILL so the invention of movers has been a great improvement on the previous set up of two persons to shove the caravan "over the edge" plus a brakeperson to stop it from running away completely! The method for getting it back out was even more complicated and required a set of brothers, a couple of strops and a winch!
Perhaps the original poster could get a larger tow vehicle to carry more of the stuff without overloading.
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I brought a Reich weighing pad from Obelink so that I could check the weight of my 'van without having to visit a weighbridge.
I was quiet surprised at just how lop sided the weight distribution is in our Lunar Clubman as all the heavy domestic appliances together with the boiler, hotwater tank, toilet and battery are fitted on the off-side.
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For some reason public weighbridges are hard to find. We have one at our local council waste disposal site in High Wycombe but it is not listed on any websites; I just happened to notice it. Also, they will write the axle weights on a scrap of paper for you and only charge if you want an official ticket.
I have heard of spot checks by police on vehicle weights both in the UK and Europe but it is extremely rare and in 30 years I have never seen one. Not that I would condone breaking the law but if your calculation results in a weight slightly over then if it were me I would forget all about it and enjoy your holiday.
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