Guest Mike C Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Having contacted both Fiat and Swift I am unable to get any sensible answer about the GVW of my Swift Sundance/Fiat Ducato 15 2.3 JTD Medium Wheelbase. Fiat quote 3300 kgs and Swift 3400kgs and both insist they are correct. As far as I can establish the Chassis Cab is ordered as a standard 3300 kgs. There is a 3500 kgs option on this vehicle but I have been informed by Fiat that my vehicle is definitely the 3300 kg specification. Do any of you knowledgeable guys have any idea why Swift can quote a GVW 100 kgs greater than Fiat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David Powell Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Hi Mike...Junes MMM page 260 sez 3400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David Powell Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Hi Mike...Junes MMM page 260 sez 3400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris Posted May 26, 2005 Share Posted May 26, 2005 I will get back to you on this but what year is your van. My cousin bought hers and there was a big discrepency. Turned out it was first models of Sundance and payload was wrong and they changed it for later models as its a 6 berth. To cut this short her dealer paid for air suspension because he sold it to her at wrong weight. Also turns out chasis and van do not match on warranty dates either. Will contact her later to see what payload discrepency there was Cheers chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted May 26, 2005 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Motorhomes based on the Ducato 15 chassis more often than not have a GVW of 3400kg. The Ace/Swift/Bessacarr brochures show 3.4t for models on this chassis, as do the brochures for Auto-Trail, Avondale, Lunat, (to pick just a few UK makes) and a whole raft of 'foreign' marques. The 100kg step-up from the standard 3300kg is probably to do with Fiat's "Camping-car Package" being fitted (Michelin XC Camping tyres + a mild suspension uprating). (God, Mike, you do worry!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike C Posted May 27, 2005 Share Posted May 27, 2005 Thank you all for the replies. Dave, Thanks for the reference this confirms what is in the Swift specification. Chris, The Sundance is a 2005 590RS fitted with Michelin XC Camping tyres. Thanks for your assistance. Derek, Believe it or not I do not worry but like to make sure that I understand as much as possible about the Motor Caravan and any other related subjects. Well thats what I believe. The problem came from being unable to get an answer to the question from either Fiat (One phone call waste of time and two e-mails unanswered) or Swift (one phone call "will phone back" never did and two e-mails confirmed receipt but no answer to the question). As usual it is better to post a question on the forum and get an answer that way. Fiat say that my vehicle is standard and does not have the camping car package but who believes them when the person answering the question did not even know what a camping car package is. I will go with the Swift 3400kg as the vehicle is plated at that value but I would still like to find out what exactly has been modified/fitted to give the increased weight. I will continue chasing Swift until I get a satisfactory answer. Regards, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted May 29, 2005 Share Posted May 29, 2005 Mike: You may need to be patient with Swift. At one time I wanted to find out the technical differences between an 'ordinary' Ducato chassis and a 'maxi' version on the same wheelbase. I asked Swift because I knew their Kon-Tiki 600 was available in 3400kg or 3850kg formats. Time passed and I had pretty much given up hope, when Swift suddenly responded sending me pdfs of the relevant parts of Fiat's workshop manual. So, even if you don't get a quickie answer, you may get the information you want eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tim Nelson Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Mike, Mel Eastburns article "It ain't heavy - Its my motorhome" MMM Aug 2004, gives the definitive answer to your problem. The Vehicle plate will give you the GVW (Now called the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM)). The plate is usually found in the Engine Compartment or the drivers foot well. This plate gives the legal MAM and Axle weight loading for the vehicle. Hope this helps the Article is well worth a read for all the "nitty gritty" on weights et al. Regards Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike C Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Hello Tim, Thanks for the information, I have read the Mel Eastburn article. The vehicle is plated at an MAM of 3400kgs. What I am trying to establish is what has been added to increase the MAM by 100 kgs from the Fiat quoted 3300 kgs, the standard weight for this Chassis Cab. Have been unfair to Swift the reason I did not get a reply to the E-mails is that they are on shutdown until next Monday. Regards, Mike C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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