Taking our Caravan to a Weighbridge | Over or Under?
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Taking our Caravan to a Weighbridge | Over or Under?
In this video we look at the weight of our caravan.
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We have always wanted to know what the weight of our van is. So in this video we decide to go to the weighbridge. We thought that we would do this as a subjective test and with all our usual travelling gear we walk you through what we have in our caravan normally. We then went to a Trading Standards weighbridge to undertake the test.
Here we look at MTPLM, Payload, Nose weight and try and bust all the other myths around safety and weights whilst towing. For answers around nose weight we use the below item.
Why not have a look and see what you think.
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Wow, a real eye opener, going to have to look at ours more closely, thanks for this, good job.
Thanks Pete..we were very surprised and thought be were running at around 1730-1740kg with the awning in. It just goes to show how much things add to the weight. 😊
Great video, and food for thought. It’s definitely something we must do
EXCELLENT! I once spent an entire week trying to sort an overweight caravan to and fro the weighbridge. I would strongly recommend people do what you did, but ALSO weigh it empty as defined by the NCC's definition of MIRO. And therein opens another can of worms... the MIRO definition. Well done for taking this on.
Thanks Andrew..a very important exercise it turned out to be too. Hopefully we can all be safer when towing 😊👍
Thank you so much for posting this really informative video. We are collecting our first caravan in March, Its a new coachman. On the strength of your info I calculated some of the extras we had added - motor mover/solar panel, then added the weight of awning and other stuff. It didnt leave a lot. We have contacted our dealer today and he has arranged with coachman to have ours up plated. Thanks again, great info.
Thats a really good idea and I am glad it’s hopefully helped a few people with their payloads. Enjoy your Coachman and happy touring 👍
Something we haven’t done yet but definitely need to, great vlog, thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome and thank you for watching 👍
Karina and Jules great road safety advice, your proactive stance will make many people think about their van and possibly prevent an accident. I’m surprised you were over, I’d have lost money betting on you. Well done Guys.
Thanks Colin..we were surprised too as we thought we were around 1730-1740kg, just goes to show how your weight can be so much over. We have taken a lot from this and glad we took the opportunity to visit the Weighbridge. 👍
An excellent informative video. Something for everyone to think about and make sure we all stay safe and legal. I’ll definitely be looking into checking our caravan weight following your important advice.
Thanks for watching..it proved an important thing to do. We are glad we went to the Weighbridge 😊
Hi Folks - my wife and I are buying our first ever caravan this year. I am a complete novice. Found your blogs and you are doing a great job. With your police background you are covering areas that are very important. Your blogs are really helping me through this whole process as I feel I have information on hand that I didnt have before - so, a big thank you guys and keep the vlogs coming they really are very helpful.
Thanks Nigel, if you ever need any advice then you can contact us through our website. We are always happy to help! Enjoy your touring 👍
we did exactly the same as you when we exchanged caravans a couple of year ago and were shocked to find our mptlm for our van was plated at 1710 kg the van weighed in at 1700 but we didnt have our awning or chairs in so we had to have ours up plated which cost us £50 which give us an extra 90 kg so now 1800kg mptlm as we coudnt carry those in our car as like you, we have a lge dog who travels in car so no room there must be loads of people that are way over the limit as it was a shock to us and we dont think we carry much compaired to others we have seen , glad you have highlighted this
Thanks Colin..yes you just don’t realise do you. All our stuff goes on our back seats in the Rexton and on top of our dogs travel crate. 👍
Excellent video, as you know we have used a weighbridge previously and like you were surprised at the result. We now weigh everything that goes in our caravan to ensure that we stay within our limit and any changes are recorded on a spreadsheet. You have raised a really important safety issue and I hope that caravanners take up your challenge
Thank you Ann..we have had a few conversations with you about weight. I’m glad we went for a weigh in 👍
An amazing video, such an eye opener! I don’t caravan yet, but research is continuing. Currently I’m a camper with a huge tent and a XL roof box on an estate car.
Because of this I’m also still very aware of weights and how to load the intervals of the car and what to put in the roof box.
It’s definitely a challenge!
Thank you again!!!
Thanks Harvey 👍
Love your reviews. So helpful.
Thank you 😊 Karina
Thanks for a good eye opener guys well informative as usual 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks Gail..just goes to show 😊
Excellent content and thank you very much for covering this topic. We are buying an Adria Adora Tiber and found this very interesting watching your weight which looked pretty minimal.
Thank you 😊
Hi just watched your video. I will be checking our caravan and changing what we carry IF we are over the weight our caravan is allowed. Thanks so much for your video. A real eye opener. Cheers Paul 😉👍
Thanks Paul and Sarah 👍
Great video and great to raise awareness! We weighed ourselves when we first got the Pulse and thankfully were under but it always something to be mindful of. Unsure if its slightly different in terms of a motorhome but we also had to consider the maximum weight of the rear axle and garage, we were under our overall weight but over on our rear axle which required moving stuff around. We did similar and put our chocks up front behind the seats fr travel to reduce the rear axle weight!
Thanks guys...😊👍
This was brilliant!!! I wouldn’t have put you over as your Caravan was pretty empty. This has really made me think about our van now. I wonder if anyone will take you up on the challenge 😂 A very good vlog about safety. Can’t wait to watch your travels this year.
Thanks Sam 👍
Wow that was so interesting 👍. We have just in the last few weeks taken delivery of our new caravan and am glad to say we did order it with the uprated plate, it didn,t give us that much extra payload but at least we have the vehicle's maximum available from the start.
That was probably a good idea Nigel. Enjoy your new caravan 👍
Thanks for this. Our Commodore arrives in the next few days and a visit to the local weighbridge is on the cards. It was a real surprise to see how light you travel and reach your MTPLM so quickly. We will have a look at our inventory very carefully!!
Thanks Bri, enjoy your new Commodore 👍
Very interesting and well presented. I agree with you wholeheartedly. A lesson to us all. When we were in Cromer in the spring and a ‘ family’ caravan turned up and they started to unload and it went on and on and on... bikes, barbecue ( the very largest size) tables , seven full size recliner chairs, windbreak and no end of children’s toys and just when we thought they had come to the end, they remember the paddling pool !!! I can’t imagine how far over weight they would be and must be quite unstable !! But sadly not only them if they are involved in a RTA
Hi Pamela, I dread to think how much all that weighed..looks like our pedal bike idea might have to be re-thought after this! Thanks for watching 😊
Can't thank you enough for the effort you went to here, excellent video. We've been totally anal with our accessory list, weighing what will be going in to the nearest gram! We have EXACTLY this caravan that we're picking up July 2020, but have already up-plated to 1800kg. Usual cost is £80+vat, but as ours is brand new dealer kindly did it for nothing for us.
Thank you for your lovely comment 😊 We were genuinely shocked at how much we weighed and if a bought new again I would definitely go straight to a weigh in so I knew my weight.
I had a message from an Alpina owner this week who had weighed his empty and he only had 70kg of actual payload. He has gone back to Adria to follow this up.
Im sure you will love your Isonzo, ours has been excellent and so solid compared to other manufacturers . Enjoy your summer and look out for us! Thanks Karina
Great video. Thanks for highlighting this. Something I will certainly look to do. Fortunately we have an Eriba which has a very healthy payload that can take a fair amount. Even then we are careful. Most caravans don’t have anywhere near our payload - it’s surprising when we walk around the NEC shows to see absolutely huge caravans but with payload limit of around 150kg. Sounds a lot, but duvet, some coats, tins of beans and soup, bottles of squash, plates, pots and pans, TV, a cadac, wastemaster, water container, wheel lock, hitch lock, motor mover and it soon meets and exceeds that limit.
I’ve been shocked at caravan sites just how much people have unloaded out of their caravans, from huge awnings to full wooden garden sets for sitting around.
Thanks for commenting Neale, yes it is pretty astounding how little we should really be carrying in our caravans. You will certainly have a healthy payload in your Eriba 😊👍
very informative my bailey 3 years ago and new to caravanning I did take to have it weight measured. 2 years ago new bigger van and accessories bought adds weight. I consider u travel light and food items add weight considerably. I keep nose weight at 98 but again that guage is heavy. am I right in saying its ok to put more stuff in car then? thank you for this very important fact and take the weigh ticket with you on your travels it shows you are aware and care. take care guys my first outing not until march 3rd just local after van been serviced
Thanks Andy, it’s ok to put it in the car as long as you don’t go over the gross vehicle mass. We have a GVM of over 2800kg and a kerbweight of just over 2200kg. Our awning will certainly stay in the car now! We are booked for a service in March and are looking forward to lots of trips this year 😊👍
Fantastic video, thanks
Thank you Paul
Great video and thought provoking, I hope people take up the weigh bridge challenge 👍
Thanks Martin, hope all is well with you and the family 👍
Great video I've watch it twice now.. it's making me think for my next new van which has only 156kg pay load compared to my out going van which has 270kg pay load, a big difference
Thanks Peter, yes that is a big difference indeed, I think you will be more mindful about it too. Enjoy your new caravan 👍
Great video on a very important issue, will be looking for our nearest weigh-bridge having just purchased our first caravan. 👍
Thank you for watching, it is a good thing to do, we were quite surprised 😳😊
Hi, if you do up plate your caravan I’d be really grateful if you could share how you go about it? I’m also thinking about doing this but don’t really know where to start.... Thanks for the video, Andy
Thanks Andy, yes we will, it should be straight forward (famous last words) 😊👍
Wow that’s an eyes opener, we carry about the same and have a solar panel and motormover. Will definitely be heading to the weight bridge 👍🏻
Thanks for watching...let me know how you get on 👍
Hope you don't mind but I have put the link to this video on my latest video for beginner caravannera as it stuck with me and I think all caravanners should watch this video. A real eye-opener.
Hi, just want to add our thanks regarding the weigh in vlog. We took our Knaus 690, MPTLM 2000kg.....shock result 2170kg. Base weight is 1610kg. Were busy clearing out!
Thanks Nigel, well done on going to the weighbridge. I bet you were shocked, it just goes to show. As we said, we didnt think we carried much. At least now you dont need to worry about being over, once youve had a sort out. Thanks for watching 👍
Hi Guys. We took ours last year just before our summer holiday. We were over by 60Kg's. We removed a lot of the rubbish in there that we had never used! Mainly Freddies toys! It is an eye opener and I think everyone should do it. I also think you are right about the insurance not paying out! Great informative video!! Keep em coming!!! 👍🥋🦕🦖
Thanks Gareth..all of Freddie’s dinosaurs 🦖 will have weighed a tonne! Thanks for sharing about your experience 👍
Hi guys,
Very interesting, and a bit scary!!
I shall be going to a weighbridge when I get a minute.
All the best,
Black Country Dave.
Hi Dave..yes quite a lesson learnt on this subject. Hope all is well with you 👍
Thanks for doing this..very valuable for everyone. Thumbs down no doubt from people who wouldn’t dare go near a weighbridge! Maybe a few more of us might go do it now, you just don’t realise. Thanks guys and may see you at the nec.
Thanks Louise..hopefully see you at the show 😊
Hi Guys thanks for that. Gave us food for thought and we going to make some changes to reduce our pay load. P&J 👍
Hi guys, thanks for that video were just back today after being away am already thinking of going back to the storage yard now and heading straight to the weighbridge would hope it was under but looking at what yourselfs carry its got me worried a tad😱👍
Hi Iain, for the sake of £10 and an hour of your time its work a visit. At least we know where we are at now and if anything happens we wont be worrying about our weight. Enjoy your touring 😊👍
Weighting my sheets and my pepperjack cheese including sauces and plates and BEAKS and curry jar. Scorching hot lately isnt it and my eyeliner is smudge. Trying to grow a fringe but cant afford it. Strap up the microwave with a couple of pegs. Popping down to NEXT to meet kateeja for a coffee. She had a new job in b&q . Great video karan. Informing and informative
Interesting. We carry near enough the same as what you carry. I think I will have to consider checking ours, and putting a few bits into the car. 👍🏼
Thanks for watching Paul and Bianca 😊
Excellent and informative video Karina and enlightening.
I’ve considered taking ours but the local council ( Tameside) don’t have a public weighbridge. However I’ve found another so will be off to check !
It’s surprising just how little one needs to carry and seeing a large van like yours it’s easy to keep throwing stuff in the van without thought to weight.
Fortunately there are only 2 of us so stuff can go in the car but I could see it being an issue if one had kids and a dog to take in the tow car AND trying to find room for chairs , awning. Aquaroll , Quality Street etc.
Great vlog and start to the new year
Regards
HOWARD
Ps: Did you keep it on the weighbridge and take things out to get down to correct weight ?
Thanks Howard..yes thankfully we have a big backseat and can put stuff around Fudge in the boot. The Quality Street would be upfront with us!
We knew the weight of what we took out which was the awning 28kg, awning carpet 5.2kg, vango chair x2 at 6kg each, hose 4kg, toilet chemicals and bucket with shampoos and cloths 4kg =53.2 kg
To weigh again would have been another fee and we were happy with the weights of what came out. If we ever get another caravan we will weigh from new and then go back once bits are loaded in.
Thanks for watching and commenting 👍
@@HereWeTow so everything you had taken out went in the car? Great vid 👍
Yes once the bits were taken out they went in the car after that.
Yep... our experience mirrors yours. We took our Swift caravan to the local weighbridge and were 20kg over the max (up plated weight... ours isn't up plated 😱). It's easy to get drawn in by the storage especially in fixed bed caravans with big fridges full of food and motor movers. I consider myself very safety conscious so I'm glad it wasn't just us. This was a great watch!!!
Thank you Mark, it was certainly an eye opener and quite a surprise. Thanks for commenting about what happened to you with yours 👍
Oh dear . I've got 4 battery's and 2 gas bottles plus awning. Looking for weight bridge tomorrow. Thanks for this video.
Thanks for watching and good luck on your weigh-in 😊👍
Thanks for that Karina, l know this post is 2 years on, but did you feel the need to up-plate your caravan? Think l will visit a weighbridge after our next holiday thats coming up at the weekend, I’m not sure where my nearest one is so will check and gave you my findings afterwards. My Caravans payload 160 kilo and combined cannot weigh more than 1799kilos. Paul and Linda.
Morning, we sold our caravan not long after but we would have up-plated. I think if your car can match it then the bigger the payload the better, not so you can carry more stuff but so you know you are keeping within the legal limit. I will be interested to hear how you get on 😊
Good video. I've weighed everything going into my van but as you say it all depends if the Miro is correct in the first place as that is what I am working off.
Thanks Dan 👍
Concerned at your findings I took mine to get weighed... Surprisingly and Happily I was 80kg under my MPTLM. Now onto my next challenge of putting the awning and bedding back in the caravan and loading it adequately.
Thats reassuring to know James. Well done for taking it to check it, it will hopefully give you the peace of mind that you know you’re under. Safe travels and thanks for your comment 😊 Karina
Hi, great thought provoking vlog. We were already nervous of or weight and have taken the alternative route of weighing every item we take into the caravan. This means we strictly control what’s in the van when towing. So bedding, cooking utensils, cups and plates, protective throws for the seats, toiletries and towels remain in the van. Clothes, food and drink, awning, chairs and Cadac all stay in the car. Our user payload is 161 Kgs. What is surprising and maybe not really considered my most people is the weight of some other fixed weight items not included in our MRO. Our battery weighs 25kgs, the motor movers are 37kgs, waste master is 5.5kgs and the Aqua Roll is 4.1kgs. We’re still trying to find out how much the ATC weighs. So that “forgotten” weight total is 71kgs of our 161kg payload, not far from half the spec. We can up plate the van by another 28kgs for £50 which we intend to do. Cheers from Al and John 👍
Thanks Al and John, nice to see you’re taking your payload seriously. 😊👍
Thank you Karina & Jules and, wow, what an eye opener that was! One of the most captivating, interesting and educational videos I have seen since I started caravanning, not even a year ago, so thank you for that!... 👏🏻👍🏻
It is also a bit scary and although I consider up-weighting a no-brainer and we had it done form purchase, we’ve also added a number of weighty items including; solar panel; motor-mover; air-con; always-on Fiamma Canopy; second, smaller, SafeFill; and, next week we are adding the E&P system; plus up-rating our leisure battery & solar charge controller - rather scary... 😳
I will be finding out where out nearest ‘official’ weighbridge is and taking your gauntlet challenge after the E&P system has been fitted!
We also tend to leave more stuff in the ‘van than you have and the car is generally rather full as well - we may have to re-think our travelling light logic... 👀 ✅
Thanks again for taking time out to ediucate your public guys and, yes, safety first, always so...
PLEASE Take The Weighbridge Challenge Everyone... 👍🏻 👏🏻
Cheers for now, Rog... 👍🏻 😉 🐍
Thanks for taking the time to make comment Rog. Karina wanted the levelling system but its a big expense, it certainly makes things easier though. I hope you take the challenge and enjoy safe towing and lots of trips this year. Hopefully we will get to meet up too 👍
Here we Tow - Thanks Jules and you’re very welcome, love what you guys do for #Caravanning and our community! The E&P system is not inexpensive, but we’re not getting any younger and it just means our next house will have its budget cut by the cost... 😝 🤑 😳
Hi great subject I probably told you before we are getting a new coachman 545 2020 (thanks for your reviews)next week
I will take on the challenge on the way home from the dealers I find out we’re the weigh bridge is and I let you both know
It would be interesting to see what you weigh new Dave. Enjoy your new Coachman, we are excited for you 👍
Hi Karina that’s an eye opener we don’t carry much like yourselves you would never thought that you were over we need to do the challenge and go to a weigh bridge Fab very interesting video 👏👏👍
Thanks Liz! We look forward to seeing your weight..it’s been an eye opener for us. Thanks for watching and commenting 😊
When I get a new caravan I will get it up plated as it will be used for both pleasure and business. I hope to say hi to you both at the NEC on the 21st of February.
Oh brilliant, look forward to meeting you 👍
Very good video. Did you empty your fresh and grey water tanks?
Yes Wayne, we don’t have water tanks on the caravan, just a 10 litre tank for the hot water. There was no water in that or the toilet flush. Thanks for watching 😊 Karina
Well, finally got to get our Twin axle Alpina Colrado to the weighbridge, having got it at end of January this year.
We had 4WD motor movers and battery fitted as extras by the dealer prior to delivery, which significantly affects remaining payload.
Removed spare wheel to be carried in the car. Also changed out dining table for a lighter alternatve and took out the wheel brace and steady winder.
In the front locker is 2 x 6kg calor propane bottles, 2 x aquarolls, wastemaster, mains cable, toilet fluid, water and waste kit for serviced pitch, chocks and levellers and a battery drill with spare battery and charger. This ended up giving us a nose weight of 85kg.
We carry 4 x directors type chairs for outside dining along with 2 x relaxers and footrests, which, along with a rotary airer, all fit under one single bed.
Bedding consists of 2 x single duvalays and spare covers. Towels and basic toiletries went in the washroom.
Kitchen equipment was kept to the minimum we were happy with along with tea, coffee, sugar and condiments, allowing for a quick and easy getaway when required. Other than that, a rechargeable hoover and a 28” TV completes onboard items.
Everything else, such as awning, clothes and food will travel in the tow car.
Keeping within the MTPLM of 2000kg always looked like being a challenge, we did weigh most of what we put in and estimated the rest, lo and behold the weighbridge was, would you believe it, was 2000kg! It was actually hovering between 1980 and 2000kg, so allows us to put some milk, bread, butter, cheese and ham in the fridge for rest breaks en route, but that is it.
The question is, how do other caravans of a similar size also invariably sport aircon, sat dishes and auto levellers?
Must be a lot of overweight caravans on our roads network either due to ignorance of the load limitations, or just as likely, a could not care less attitude.
Thanks to you both for bringing this issue to attention, food for thought indeed.
Thanks for your fantastic update about your weighbridge visit. Im really pleased to hear that you are bang on with your MTPLM. With regards to other people with air con units etc, I suspect many may well be overweight. The weighbridge is a real eye opener. I hope you enjoy your Adria once we are back out touring. Safe towing 😊 Karina
Excellent video and well executed and explained.
This does catch out allot of us caravaners having worked for Vosa for many years doesn’t come as a shock to me.
Think this is. allot worse for the Motorhomes pay loads are allot less.
I no that you can increase your axle weights on some caravans but very surprised how easy it is with out applying for a notifiable alteration.
I will contact DVSA to see why and how they can with out altering braking systems or suspension.
Could be that the caravan has a secondary plate somewhere given nothing has to be altered?
If I find anything out I will let you no.
Well done great advice could save someone picking up a heavy fine.
Thanks NG and it just goes to show how you can be over without realising, even when you think you know the weight of what’s in and on your caravan.
Gosh that was eye opening .. I did take mine to my work weigh bridge ... we were a lot more than 50kgs over and the caravan had no clothes. I now carry the waste and water hogs in the car, the awning (if we take it) in the car, the chairs in the car, a tool bag, 90% of food and the electric cable in the car along with mum's crystal glasses and all the dogs stuff. The BBQ also comes in the car. We do travel with clothes in the caravan, plates, kettle and a lightweight set of small step ladders under the bed. I'm getting my new caravan up-plated and I had the caravan store canopy removed. I think the battery, mover and gas bottle weighs a lot more than you'd think. Also I generally take the wine boxes rather than bottles .. they tuck under the seats in the car a lot easier. To give you a laugh .. my mum thinks I'm over reacting but I lost it with her when I found she'd packed a ceramic napkin holder :)
😂 I love the bit about your Mum. Yes,its quite a shock when you go for a weigh-in! Well done on checking and reducing your payload. Enjoy your summer touring..Karina 😊
Brilliant.
We did ours last year, our weighbridge did it as a double weigh, 1st the car and caravan, then the car on its own.. Take the 2nd from the 1st and it gave us our caravan weight. We were slightly over which we corrected straight away. We can't up plate as its to old and not an option so we watch what we have in it.
Glad you went to do it and now you know what you weigh 😊
Shocking to believe u were over weight by 50kg when u barely had anything in the van that has surprise me a really good info will b checking mine thanks .kev
Thanks Kev..just goes to show, we were surprised too 👍
Gosh I need to look at what we got in are caravan and get ours done
Towing a overloaded caravan and having an accident can effect your tow vehicle insurance as the insurance can use it as a contributor to the accident . A very interesting video .
Thanks David 👍
My goodness you hardly have anything in your caravan we are shocked. When we had our Bailey caravan we had lots more than you guys have. Now we have a MH and going to have it weighed in a couple of weeks. We live in NZ. Very interesting thank you.
Thanks for watching from NZ..😊👍
I would suggest a lot of Caravans AND Motorhomes are over weight. When we weighed the Bailey Autograph we borrowed it was 30kg over, but that was with full water tanks - 70kg.
Thanks Bob..it’s very interesting and eye opening too. Just goes to show how easy it is to weigh more than you think! Being over on a 3.5t MH could mean you’re driving otherwise than in accordance with your licence and that is a serious problem!
What is actually done to the caravan brakes and suspension when it gets up plated, when it only cost up to £50
Nothing is done to them as they are already rated to carry what the chassis or tyres can take. The cost covers the new plate, which is in reality a sticker that goes over the other one, and the new documentation. This reflects it was been up plated to the higher MTPLM. Some caravans cannot be up-plated as they are already at the limit of the chassis. To find your chassis limit check your caravan chassis, ours can be seen on the A- frame. You can upgrade your suspension separately if you like, some people add shock absorbers. Thanks for watching
Worth considering the weight of everything which seems to be supplied on Amazon maybe plastic plates, cups, utensils and kettle.
Good on you guys raising this issue, it certainly is worrying to think the weight that the caravan manufacturer says is the MIRO is it actually accurate. I've just looked up for our nearest weighbridge in Nottingham which I knew from years ago we had 2 within 5 miles of home only to find that today we don't have any. The closest one to us were told is Warwick yes Warwick, don't think I will be going there to do that so it's a case of putting all the items we take in the van when taking it out into a large IKEA bag and weighing so we know our payload, I don't know how else we can try to load the caravan safely and if we use the plate on our van and add the payload to the plated MIRO then were 34kg light of our MTPLM, but is my MIRO correct is now what I ask myself. Thanks again for the vlog it really does raise awareness and something if you have a weighbridge close by go and use it
Thank you for your comment, it is difficult when some weighbridges are few and far apart. 😕
I live in Norfolk. The availability of public weighbridges is similarly limited in the county but, there is a local Scrap Metal Yard which has a weighbridge which I am able to use. Maybe a Google Search, or ringing your local Scrap Dealers may help you locate a weighbridge closer to home than Warwick?
I've actually been able to source 3 weighbridges that are owned by private companies but do appear on the county council website. So goes without saying i will take on this challenge and get it weighed and report back with results
I've always felt the payload is worrying low on many caravans, and there are so many variables. The water heater alone holds 5kg of water. Add clothes, food cutlery and crockery and you will have almost certainly used up the payload.
Absolutely Phil..it’s easily gobbled up! Thanks for watching
Hi to the lady doing the vlog & Hi to your hubby, thanks for sharing a very useful & interesting vlog really helpful tips 👍 Please can u tell me in your opinion Which one would you both prefer a Motorhome or caravan ??? I would be very interested to know your opinion all the best Lin 👍❤️
Hello Linda 👋 We loved our caravan and it suited us for the time we had it. Having moved to the Motorhome we find this much easier and more enjoyable for what we are doing right now. It is hard to say if someone else would enjoy a motorhome over a caravan as it depends on what they like to do on their holidays. We made the right decision for us, have a nice weekend 😊 Karina and Jules
We are only just about to dip our toes back in after 20 years away from vanning, but I can remember people using the caravan as if it were a trailer, i.e. oh look there is a space, what can we put in it? Everything but the kitchen sink would be pulled out!
Im sure you will enjoy getting back in to caravanning, we have found we have met lots of new friends and had some great trips. Thanks for watching and commenting 😊
We up-rated our Bailey from 1450KG to 1500KG as the weigh bridge result was 1465KG and that was with no food, clothes chairs etc. Other than equipment, the Caravan was empty. I created an Excel spreadsheet that I use to record the weight for food / clothes and various equipment. The spreadsheet then helps me decide if the kit goes into the caravan or the car. It’s a constant battle but if you want to stay legal and more importantly safe, it’s a must in my opinion.
For anyone else with a Bailey who’s interested we paid £65 to up-rate it.
Thanks for the comment Nick, think we will look at an upplating after this as it’s been really eye opening.
Hi Korina & Jules - we loved the idea of this video so much that we did exactly the same as you. It is so important to make sure that you are towing the correct weight. We made a video of our experience - if anyone would like to watch it to see what happend then look for "Crafty Caravanners to to the weighbridge". Thanks again Here We Tow - valuable lesson learned our end!!!
Thanks Karen 👍
Hi i found an easy way to calculate how much all our caravan stuff weighs, using a digital bathroom scales i weigh all our luggage in a collapsible crate and add it all together i also keep it well under the max pay load. Just incase as Karina you just explained the miro could be over from day one.
Thanks Paul 👍😊
I have weighed the caravan two weeks after we bought it in 2018 it was 40kgs over weight(mtplm). solar panel, motor mover, battery, awning, mattress topper, two gas bottles. moved the awning , one gas bottle and two chairs to the car, matress topper stayed at home, that saved 50kgs. travel with everyting in the car now. was a bit bothered about the gas bottle in the car so leave it at home now. would be interesting to see someone check weigh their MIRO before anything put in/on their van
Thanks Tommo..just goes to show how easy it is to go over. Thanks for sharing your experience. In future we would weigh from the offset when empty for our own knowledge of its weight. 👍
@@HereWeTow yes I don't we have the payload the manufacture claims, like all claims take with a pinch of salt and publish your results
I didn't expect that, I would sum up what you carry in the van as very basic, I am sure most people would pack more into it.
I do wonder though about the car, I wonder how close you are getting to it's maximum loading weight, if yours is (I took an estimate for SUVs from Google) 75k and most of the heavy stuff is in there already, you have added another 25-30k with just the awning etc. So I wonder if that weight is creeping up to the maximum too.
What I couldn't work out is whether the towing weight goes down if your actual loading weight goes up.
It all gets so confusing, pass me one of them fudges to help me think, I saw them you can't deny you have them now.
Thanks Rob, yes it was an eye opener. Our Rexton has a gross vehicle mass of just over 2800kg and kerb weight of 2200kg. That gives us over 600kg in payload so we wont reach that with the two of us and the dog, plus the awning etc. Makes you wonder how a family would manage.
Thanks for watching 👍
Hi just to update your challenge on caravan weights today we picked up our new 2020 coachman VIP 545 we added a motor mover, solar panel, battery nothing else in the caravan the gross weight 1560kg
miro weight before the listed extras 1442kg
mtplm 1597kg
So my payload will be 37kg looks like tow car will be fully loaded
Dave
Well done on going to get weighed. Just goes to show how these things add up. We went away this week and kept the bits in the car. We hope you enjoy your new Coachman, safe towing and all the best 👍
oh dear just remembered I wanted an a/c unit fitted from a&e leisure that's another consideration …….
😂😂
I took our Coachman 460 to the local weighbridge. Was not happy with how much they told me it weighed. So I took it to another, the difference was 40 kg. They told me it was made to weigh lorries 20 to 30 tonnes and I should expect to see a 40 to 50 kg variation on results. Two years later, I bought another new Coachman 520. I asked the dealer to weigh the caravan with just the battery and motor mover on. Their scales were bought especaillly for weighing caravans ( they have bought these scales to check Bailey damaged axle problems ). The out come to all this is, now I know exactly what my van weighs and I will never run it overloaded.
I wonder if many dealers have electronic three plate scales and could weigh customers vans at annual service time.
Thanks for commenting..it would be good to have a weight from the start 👍
What about the weight difference of your mattress upgrade?
Yes we had already added that within the payload we thought we were carrying. It does raise a good point about adding mattress toppers too.
Here we Tow we use the Duvalay Toppers, so need to be conscious of the additional weight
It all soon adds up doesn’t it 🤔 Thanks for watching
Hi there, interesting video. Have you actually weighed all the items individually and made a spreadsheet? You do not seem to be carrying very much to take you up to your max upgrade weight, Interesting to know what the MIRO was claimed by Adria to be and what it really is?
Thanks John..I think MIRO is probably not near the manufacturers stated number and that could be the case with many caravans. It was certainly an interesting trip to the weighbridge. Have a lovely weekend.. Karina
@@HereWeTow Hi Karina As this is printed on the side of the caravan is not this a legally defined weight, if this is not correct shouldn't the purchaser have some redress on the manufacturer?
I have seen a man with a Motorhome trying to pursue this channel legally. Part of the issue would be you would have to take in to account any extras fitted at the factory and a motormover so weighing your caravan in a basic miro state may not be that easy. It isn’t something I have seen people talk about much in the industry now you raise it as I think we all focus on our mtplm. You make a good point.. Karina
@@HereWeTow Hi Katrina Yes I agree that factory fitted extras can make a difference, but usually things like motor movers are fitted buy the dealers so can be allowed for by the customer, I really cant see why the big manufacturers don't install a weighbridge at the end of the production line to check and verify the weight so the customer has a defined starting point when loading his van. I have taken due diligence and weighed every item I have in mine and put it on an excel spreadsheet so I can refer back to it at any time, but if the MIRO starting weight is wrong it makes the whole thing A nonsense! Perhaps a subject for investigation, are some manufacturers more guilty than others in this dark art?
My friend has a spreadsheet too as they had the Bailey collapsed axle problem and used it to argue their case to have it replaces.. more of the dark arts that you refer too. I don’t think the industry looks too closely at things that aren’t in their interest. I wonder if car manufacturers weigh all the cars coming off for kerb weight.. I would hazard a guess they dont but its a great point you have raised. 😊👍
That’s interesting. We are definitely on the limit. Our chassis limit is 1500kg and our MTPLM is 1499. So no chance of uplating. If I was you I would uplate 100% do it, if we could I would. Maybe we’ll go to a weighbridge. I’ll post the results. I think I know the result. Cheers Oliver
Thanks Oliver 👍
There a very helpful weigh bridge just down from Lady Bailey Oliver, need to call before arriving, LB has the contact number
Didn't see your fire extinguisher or fire blanket. Perhaps they were in the car? Informative video.
Thank you for watching and commenting
I would say the majority of mohos and caravans are used overweight
I’m very conscious when going to events with Aileen what to carry ..but I got ours upgraded which helps too
Think upgrading is a good idea, not a reason to carry more but to make sure you’re within your MTPLM. Glad you’re already thinking about your weight. Thanks for watching Bob 👍
Here we Tow wish I watched my weight lol
Also it's a good idea to weigh your car to get the actual kerb weight, which are notoriously understated by manufacturers, I took my Mondeo to a weighbridge, published kerb weight 1572kg, actual kerb weight 1720kg
Heck that’s certainly a difference..thanks for watching!
Good interesting video. You were overweight on the van but don’t have hardly any clothes in there or any food drink nothing in fridge etc. Most people including me do put all this stuff in vans so are probably all exceeding MTPLM which is worrying really. So are manufacturers not really allowing enough payload to cover things you need.
Excellent video and very illuminating - there was practically nothing in your van so even allowing for motormovers, etc I wonder how much it really weighed empty! Also a few thoughts on the accuracy of these things (calibrated to accurately weigh massive lorries not 1.5 ish tonne caravans). When people say these bridges are calibrated to +/- 50kg per axle that means if a caravan actually weighed precisely 1750kg the result on the print out could have been anywhere between 1700kg and 1800kg and had it been weighed 3 times 3 different results might have been given! The other issue is how many significant figures the result is rounded too; yours was suspiciously round suggesting either a 50 or 100kg rounding is used but is that rounded too the nearest 50kg or 100kg or because this is safety related always rounded UP to the nearest 50 or 100kg? This will make a significant difference - I don’t suppose the weigh bridge official gave you this info (if they even had it, it might be only the weighbridge manufacturer/calibration official who actually knows)? Having said all that as you very clearly pointed out this is the best we’ve got and an official facility and if our caravans were weighed using similar equipment we wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if it came to court. What I’m saying is that just because the print out said 1800kg this time and you took 50kg of stuff out the result wouldn’t necessarily be 1750kg if you took it back or got it weighed on a different bridge .......... hence personally I try to leave plenty of wiggle room to be sure but that’s v difficult with such low payloads at manufacture. Our local weighbridge is unfortunately £30 a go otherwise I’d happily do the experiment of having mine weighed 3 times to see whether the result was at least consistent. I bought myself a Reich caravan scale, much more faff but a good indicator for piece of mind. Anyway great vid and raising a very important topic - thanks.
I think when you look at how items add up it can take you up to the payload without realising, some weighbridges are now at a 0.25% tolerance so thats pretty accurate. Having re-evaluated our load I believe its accurate to around 20kg. Better to be safe than sorry. Dont forget many weighbridges are only weighing a few tonnes of scrap metal paid by the tonne so they have to be accurate. Also, you cannot assume the tolerance means you’re weighing more, it could be they are weighing under, in which case youre even more over than you think!🤔 Thanks for watching and commenting 👍
Regards rounding up, this was actually right at the end of the vlog, rounded by 20 but some measure in increments of 5,10 or 20kg 👍
Thx I missed that bit re rounding to nearest 20kg, as you say all depends on accuracy of particular bridge and we shouldn’t be complacent even with a result. Given how important this issue is wouldn’t it be great if the clubs worked together with VOSA to run some regional events where people could bring their caravans along, maybe get them informally inspected (most things are presumably covered during a service) and weighed and get professional advice if needed all for a fair fee. Maybe run them at or near club sites then travelling distances are less of an issue. Anyway despite spending hours weighing and spreadsheeting all of our stuff when we had our trailer tent debacle so realising how it soon adds up I was still gobsmacked that yours was over with that little stuff in so thanks so much for sharing :)
Have to say that I’ve never given this very much thought at all. Having a tow car that tows just about anything , plus said tow car will tow us all the way up to northern Portugal and back without a single wobble, I though all was well. Clearly your vblog has cast a huge shadow over that sort of blind thinking. For that, thank you so much. So we’re booked into our local weigh-bridge to see just what we do weigh, more importantly, just what we need to discard. When we travel away, we go away for 4-6 weeks at a time. In doing so, we are like the third infantry going out on military manoeuvres. Looking at your van, our Cruiser has many more cupboards, all of which have no free space at all. Opps. Thanks for a super vblog, it has certainly made me think, and I’m sure, many other caravaners.
Thanks Antony and well done on planning a weighbridge visit. It will be interesting to see what your result is, thanks for your comment 👍
Thank you so much. I have a twin axle with plenty of capacity but like most caravaners I like buying new equipment-definately going to get mine to the weighbridge ✌
Thanks Barry..let us know how you get on😊
Very apt, our twin axle has an MTPLM of 1685kg, and I've had a hell of a job trying to get the nose weight to 75kg, already replaced the two 15kg Butane cylinders (70kg, why on Earth?) with two 6kg Propane cylinders (21kg), I think the none working Motor Mover is going to be the first thing I'll be removing and not replacing, since it's mounted in front of the axles. Then the existing full sized pole awning will be taken off and sold as we'll never use it (fancy an inflatable porch instead), and there's several rolls of carpet too, those can go to the tip with the Motor Mover.
Have found a Weighbridge locally, I'll finish trimming the weight before we book an appointment.
Good luck with it all, sounds like you have a good idea of what to take off. An inflatable awning is a good choice. Let me know how you get on 😊
@@HereWeTow Well, took off the ALKO Wheel Carrier yesterday, the tyre was made 0907, and the wheel and carrier very rusty (looks like it had never been looked at), so that will all be going to recycling centre, looks like I need a new wheel and tyre stored under the bed.
Today fitted a Ko-Jack Twin Axle Kit where the Carrier used to be (there was no jacking point), and almost completely removed the none working and very rusty Motor Mover before running out of time (just one side to get off, so maybe later in the week), still have a list of jobs to sort afterwards before we undertake our first weekend away.
@Judge_Dredd Oh excellent, sounds like you are making great progress. Yes, that tyre is well past its “best before” date. 😊👍
Our lunar is twin wheeler 1325 /1600 which gives us 275
So far with all items we will be taking with us including motor mover / and shockers the weight is 139 we used boxed weights for items all listed for reference
Our vango awning is carried in car and only items that need to go in caravan is clothes bedding and towels
But I think young drivers can get confused with the weight especially combining caravan and car to only 3500kg as most think that say take awning to heavy for caravan so they put it in car
What they forget is the weight of the car including all adults children fuel & awning and the caravan has to be under the 3500kg and some definitely go over this
So would recommend that if they go to weight bridge they not only get caravan weighed but include car and family inside to check combined weight
As they would be in deep trouble
Thank you Tina, yes absolutely and then they are driving otherwise than in accordance with their licence which has serious consequences including meaning they are driving without insurance too at that point. Thanks for watching 😊
Always good to get your caravan or motorhome weighed. There will be the whingers who say it may not be accurate, this is almost irrelevant as it will give you a very good guide. Plan for the worse, hope for the best, in the worse case you can show the print out to the DVSA or other authorities. It'll show you have good intent and if dated relatively recent you are more likely to get some advice. Standing in court or talking to the DVSA "ignorance is no defence" not to mention the safety aspects.
I was pleasantly surprised when I checked our fully loaded (and up plated to 4250KG) motorhome that it and the trailer were well underweight.
Thanks Richard, absolutely and we will be taking our new motorhome when it arrives later this year. 😊 Enjoy your touring, Karina
Fluids might not be included in the MTPLM. That Alde has many litres and just as many kilos of fluids, in addition to the unit itself. Do you travel with water in your tanks? That's at least 50 kg there..
PS: don't know about your Adria, but sometimes an up-plating demands a change of axles. Could be very expensive and then only advisable to order as new.
Thank you for watching, our Adria includes the Alde fluid in the MIRO, no water in the tanks but ours are empty when towing including the flush.
We don’t need an axle upgrade for our caravan but its worth knowing for other manufacturers. Thanks for your comment 👍
Sorry, non-British viewer, your abbreviations are unfamiliar to me 😉
Thanks for watching our channel 😊
Great video. There is one more factor you should be aware of, the Australian term is GCM (Gross Combination Mass), I don't know the UK term. It refers to the total weight of the tow vehicle + the caravan +the load. Advertisements for dual cab 4x4s here in Oz state that they can tow say 3.5 tons. They take the GCM & minus the unladen weight of the truck allowing the minimum for the driver. Forget about having the van's weight at 85% of the tow vehicle. They normally also talk about the truck being able to carry say 1 ton. They don't say you can't do it all at once. So really you should also weigh the tow vehicle as it has weight limits. The authorities over here are starting to police all this.
Thanks Bernie, yes we have MAM or GVM www.gov.uk/vehicle-weights-explained I find weights and measurements quite interesting, sad I know 😂 But it easy to be caught out and I think roadside checks are a good idea when it comes to safety and education. Have a lovely weekend 😊 Karina
Hi Katrina & Jules, just been talking with my caravan service engineer as I'm doing some work in their carpark to stop people parking where they like and I was talking about your Vlog on the weight matter. Thankfully he can weigh my van with the guage they have which is within 3% accurate, but what did get me interested was what he had to tell me regarding weights. Like you all the family that work there own Adria's and only Adria's. He was saying that the plate on the caravan might say for example MTPLM 1645kg but there is another plate on the chassis which will be up to 200kg higher approx along with this there is a weight on the tyre wall now lets say that say's 1750kg then this means you can legally load your caravan to the weight of that stated being on the tyre wall with it being the lower, if the chassis was the smaller figure then that would be the maximum you could load to. On hearing this I said is this legal and his reply was yes the police will first see your mtplm plate and then go and check the chassis and tyre walls and whichever is the smallest that will be what they will check for on the weighbridge. Our MTPLM plate on the side of the caravan is a guide only for them to see. so yes it is a great thing to do taking our caravan to be weighed, but I just felt I needed to let you know the info I have been told this afternoon so that you don't necessarily have to remove your awning and other bits you showed us in the vlog
Thanks for that, yes that’s correct, the chassis plate and the tyre load are also marked. Our tyres are rated for 1900kg I believe but to exceed that would likely be a separate offence of overloading which would be a construction and use offence.
The chassis and the MTPLM on the plate show the weight after type approval. I’m may be wrong but I believe that the plate is due to Department of Transport regulations in the U.K. and is therefore the MTPLM on this comes under construction as use regulations. An example would be a non B+E licence holder, you would go by the plate on the caravan and not a chassis plate, which could actually be much higher and therefore means you are actually driving otherwise in accordance with a licence.
I will try find a definitive answer for us 🤔👍
Thanks for your comment, it certainly can become quite complex.
Do you not find it a farce as we can have the mtplm uprated and yet there is no modification to do other than hand over a wad of money proving the chassis can take more than the mtplm on the plate. I understand though what your saying as those that passed their driving test at a certain date which escapes me( it's the age you know ) they don't get the towing allowances as us who passed our test earlier. So yes this will help the police on a initial look of driver and how old they look and the mtplm of the caravan they are towing
I'd safely say I am waaaaaaayyyyyy over weight, twin axle Sterling with motor mover, a 40kg air awning, 6 ft table, clothes for 5 people, three bicycles, couple of crates of cider, wine, cases of water, all food, the list goes on and its all in the caravan!!!!
Heck, yes I think it is likely you will be well over..it soon adds up. Try get more in the car but I guess with a family of five space will be limited. Thanks for watching
@@HereWeTow Another two bikes on the roof, Cadac in the boot along with plug in cool box, coats and various other bits n pieces! Another great video, keep it up.
We are taking ours to the local weighbridge on Thursday on the day we pick it up, it is a new van to us so will let you know
Enjoy your new caravan 🤩
@@HereWeTow so went down to the weigh bridge today, couldn’t have been more helpful, put the car on the weigh bridge, took a photo of the weight so tomorrow can put the car and van on so we don’t have to unhitch the van tomorrow
No charge - result!
Thats really helpful and fantastic they have done it like that. Enjoy your travels 😍 Karina
You didn't mention the weight of your tow car was it 85 per cent match
Yes, our Rexton has a kerb weight of just over 2200kg and a GVM of just over 2800kg so 85% is not an issue with our match. Our car can tow up to 3500kg legally.
Most people would be surprised just how much their caravans weigh! I work for an organisation that started weighing all vehicles and items of plant - many figures were shocking (Even new vehicles were much closer to max curb weights than anyone would have believed or very close to maximum axle loadings?) We ended up with vehicles that were only able to go on the highway with the driver in the front and a max of one rear seat passenger (In a 4WD seven seater) I have asked about the weights of a british made motorhome as the vehicle brand new was seriously close to its max payload as it comes out of the showroom! (received no reply from the manufacturer) If you drive a Landrover TD5 you would do well to have it weighed and get your axle weights - i can more or less guarantee most TD5 landrovers (Unless they have uprated suspension/ Heavy Duty) will be illegal and over the 1200kg max axle loading (Front axle). This applies to cars also. Well done for raising the issue.
Thank you 😊
More people would weigh their Caravans if weigh bridges were easier to find. The DVLA and Gov.uk make them very hard to find. It’s almost as if they don’t want you to find them so they can fine you.
Sometimes people forget things like towing covers, motor movers, extras added on when purchasing a new caravan etc. You would be surprised how much a few items in the fridge could weigh. We have hardly anything in our caravan and can easily get near our payload of over just over 300kg. All our clothes, food, shoes, electrical items and toiletries travel in the car. It shocks me when I see caravan youtubers (not you!j show people what they put in their caravans. It’s very good advise to use a weighbridge.
Thanks B Bud2, Yes, it was interesting to see who actually went and weighed theirs and who didn’t. It was an eye opener for us and worthwhile going to get weighed. You have a fantastic payload at 300kg 😊👍 Thanks for watching, Karina
"Cheap & naff from B&M " looooooool
Bloody hell, that's scary little stuff you had in there, and a significantly lighter gas bottle as well and still bust the limit.
I tow with a convertible with minimal luggage space, there is no way I can get extra stuff from the caravan into my car. Having said that we have a more generous 210kg to play with, but even so, my man maths adding things up in my head to make sure its under is questioned by how little you had in your van.
Yes it was genuinely quite a shock and a good vlog for us all to take on board. Enjoy your touring and thank you for watching 😊 Karina
It would be interesting to weigh the caravan empty, you don't seem to be carrying much, we have actually weighed everything that we carry, but have not checked the actual weight.
Yes it would, maybe in the future we might. If we ever change our caravan we will weigh from empty and then go back with our payload, minus motor mover and leisure battery in that figure. Thanks for watching 👍