Upgrading MTPLM then downgrading

[onefulham]

Just a hypothetical question, I read how some people upgrade their MTPLM from say 3500 to 3850 whatever for increased payload and how there are companies that can do this easily and reasonably priced.

My hypothetical question is somebody coming up to 70 say and didn't want with the bother of keeping their C1 licence, is it just as easy to downgrade their MTPLM back to 3500 and still at a reasonable cost .

As I said no plan to just wonder, long way off 70 :-D OK only 13 years :-S

[Keithl]

Basically Yes but the companies offering the downplating require weighbridge certificates to prove you can actually operate the MH at below 3,500 kg.

 

Keith.

[Billggski]

I'm not sure you actually need to involve a company to downplate, if you have a weighbridgecertificate you could just alter your V5 and send both to Swansea, and then pay the extra duty.

[onefulham]

Thank you just wondered if it was possible

 

[Brock]

I understand that to downplate a motorhome, you have to follow the ‘Notifiable Alteration’ procedures (VTG10). If the new weights are within the motorhome's design capacity, it is likely to be a paper exercise.

[Derek Uzzell]

The VTG10 form does not seem to apply to motorhomes

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/677563/details-of-notifiable-alterations-vtg-10.pdf

 

On-line ‘gov.uk’ advice (and Billggski’s posting above) indicate that it should be possible to have the maximum-weight datum on a motorhome’s V5C changed without using the VTG10 form

 

https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate

 

https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate/what-evidence-to-give

 

https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate/how-to-tell-dvla

 

The advantages of involving a ‘middle-man company’ (eg. SVTech) in a down-plating or up-plating exercise is that the DVLA and DVSA seem happy to accept the company’s expertise, and that the company provides the motorhome’s owner with a ‘plate’ that can be fixed to the vehicle to show the revised weight data.

[Billggski]

When my old Land Rover had an engine change I just amended the V5 and sent it off, it came back with the new engine number and capacity, no questions asked.

I made a new vin plate for my motorhome by buying a blank Fiat one from ebay and put the data on with a Dremmell engraver.

In the old days when I was helping with racing historic sports cars (Lola, McLaren, Chevron, etc.) we regularly made new vin plates, but that's another story!

[Derek Uzzell]

As Billggski says, blank data-plates are readily available from on-line traders and it’s evidently possible to have a blank-plate ‘stamped’ with the information you want (example of advert here)

 

http://www.classic-plates.com/

 

Regarding data-plates, I’m not sure where UK ‘legality’ starts or stops with motorhomes when down-plating or up-plating is managed by the motorhome’s owner, but it must be preferable to have a plate/sticker on the vehicle showing the revised weight-data (even if that plate/sticker is homemade) than to have no plate/sticker.