Uprate motorhome - any negatives
When we go camping, like to cover all the what-ifs, so, our motorhome is always over-full.
So, after head-in-sand for a few years, visited weighbridge yesterday and surprise surprise, somewhat over where we should be ............ and that was without my co-pilot! Seriously considering up-rating to give and extra 250/300kg.for food, wine and of course my wife.
Has anyone done this, are there downsides, such as where you can/cannot go, ferry/tunnel prices, speed limits here and in France etc.etc.
Information would be most appreciated
Comments
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Once over 3500kgs it tends to open your life to lots of different rules and regulations but not many of them insurmountable and some with ways around. These range from speed limits, not being able to overtake on some autobahns to the need to have different toll methods in the likes of Austria and Switzerland which are not quite as straightforward as buying a vignette. On a Bailey motorhome Facebook group I belong to several owners have uprated their weight allowance. There are firms that specialise in dealing with this. As will be pointed out by those with greater technical knowledge on the subject than me you do have to watch your axle weights to make sure any extra weight does not go over the design weight of the axles. Have you explored removing weight from the motorhome? We all tend to carry things "just in case"?
David
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As has been intimated, you may hit your axle limits before you reach any increased payload. It's surprising the number of roads that have a 3500Kg limit. I'd explore ways of putting your MH on a diet first assuming you aren't ridiculously over the limit. As has been mentioned on other threads, many 4 berth vans will struggle with a 3500Kg limit once you start putting kit into it.
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if you're overweight on the MTPLM without OH, and you haven't said if there was full water, fuel on board....or all the other paraphernalia we all carry, you are also likely to be well over on the rear axle....
depending on the chassis (3.5t or 4.25t) there will be only certain things that can be done.
what van do you have? what's its MTPLM? did you weigh each axle, what were the weights?
if the numbers are as iffy as you say, and it's in the light 3.5t chassis, your options might be limited. extra payload can't just be conjured up out of thin air.....
some manufacturers have been recently large (over 7.5m) vans on 3.5t chassis (license friendly?...) but are all but impossible to run sensibly at that weight....
a bit more info on model, weighbridge weights (including axle weights) and what was/not included would help....
good luck.
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1. It's unnecessary. Just reduce what you carry!
2. Raising the Maximum Permissable Weight does not increase the axle loadings so by itself, it may not achieve your objective.
3. Whilst I have never come across a road in Britain limited to 3,500 kgs that I wanted to drive a motorhome on, parking restrictions are common.
4. Tolls may be based on weight - it would cost me double to go through the Mersey Tunnel.
5. Licence implications including those that apply when you reach 70.
6. Not all garages etc have a lift for a vehicle plated over 3500kg so servicing may be an issue. Minor irritant at worst.
7. The time/cost of downplating if you sell the vehicle to someone restricted to 3500kgs - gets more likely as the years pass because of the licence issue.
I uprated using SVTech. I needed to carry 3 passengers occasionally plus water and an extra battery. Two years later I'm down to no more than two passengers and can get away with one battery; I could downplate.
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I agree with the points made by others. In fact, there aren’t many positives.
I think, TH, you just need to be ruthless about the amount of stuff you carry. Why take 3 saucepans if you only ever need 2 and do you really need to carry extra crockery in case folk drop in? They can bring their own. Along with thousand of other MHers, we managed it and life onboard is far simpler without the cupboards stuffed to overflowing and gear littering the floor.
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I too agree with what previous posters have pointed out, it doesn't seem a worthwhile exercise.
Also agree with TW above in that you'll have to be ruthless and throw out a lot of stuff. We go abroad twice a year for around 6-7 weeks. When we first went we took lots of clothing, but soon realised that we just didn't wear even half of it, so now the wardrobe is much more user-friendly! Also, as far as crockery and cutlery and glasses are concerned, if people come to us or we go to other people, it's customary to bring your own, we don't carry spare 'just in case'.
Go through the van and be very critical, you may be quite surprised
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yes, there is that stupid anomaly still in the uk tax system.....heavier vans being cheaper to tax than light ones.....
however, the advantages, for us, of being 'light' are sufficient to keep us from getting fat.....I could uprate, have plenty of axle capacity, but I already run nicely under 3.5t when fully loaded.
..but we prefer not to be speed restricted....sometimes we like to get a move on and can do car speeds when desired...
we like to pop into continental towns which are often restricted to 3.5t...
then there is the 'interesting' debate regarding tolls....we like being class two....
in the OPs case, I'm beginning to think this might be one of those large vans produced on 'impossibly light' chassis which is going to be marginal even when lightly loaded with Mrs OH and a tank of water.
id be interested to get more make/model info....
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