Kerbside weight or revenue weight

Dobarob
Dobarob Forum Participant Posts: 5
edited March 2023 in Towcars & Towing #1

I'm trying to ensure that calculating my 85% of the car's weight is correct. But what is the correct value to use. The log book of my car states a Revenue/Gross Weight of 1558 Kg but there is no mention of kerbside weight. Search the net suggests a possible kerbside value of 1425 Kg. But which is right?

Comments

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,856 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2023 #2

    Don't forget that the 85% is only a recommendation as a sensible ratio between tow car and caravan. My understanding is that the 85% is of the actual weight of the car.

    David

  • Dobarob
    Dobarob Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited March 2023 #3

    Thanks for that David. It does get quite confusing with kerbside weight not seeming to have a definitive definition. My V5 uses terms like Revenue Weight and Mass in Service, but kerbside weight appears no where.

    Thanks again for your help.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,134 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2023 #4

    There are numerous threads on this subject on the forum. The 85% recommendation is of the kerb weight of the car, not the gross vehicle weight. Kerb weight (more or less the unladen weight) is difficult to establish but will usually be found in the car manufacturer's literature somewhere. 

    It's to give worse case scenario, 85% of kerb weight and fully laden caravan weight.

    I'm surprised not to find this guidance in the club's Advice & Training section but the RAC state it well.

    https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/towing-capacity-how-to-work-it-out/

     

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2023 #5

    Revenue weight only has any significance for vehicles registered as commercial vehicles.

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2023 #6

    Kerbweight isn't documented anywhere. If you use the Mass in Service value on the V5c you will be on the safe side as that is almost invariably less than the kerbweight.

    The most accurate value which is close to kerbweight is "actual mass", but that is only documented as item 13.2 in the type approval Certificate of Conformity and that is rarely passed on to the owner in the UK. Otherwise, if you want an accurate value, you will just have to put the car on a weighbridge.

  • Dobarob
    Dobarob Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited March 2023 #7

    Thanks for the contributions. It is curious that everywhere kerbside weight is referred to in calculations to determine PEP, but there's no definitive documentation.

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