derk Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hi, I recently purchased a second hand motorhome from a southcoast dealer.At the time I explained that I needed a fairly substantial payload as I would be taking some heavy stuff to greece ( batteries and boat anchor chain). However when I weighed it with nearly full water tanks and driver and passenger ( but nothing else on board)I was only 50Kg under max weight. I have since re plated adding 100kg to the allowance and if now weighed with empty tanks I have 200kg spare which may not be enough. The dealer tels me not to worry about going over weight as this is normal practice and 10% tolerence is applied if weighed. I am traveling to greece via the venice ferry in April. I am new to motorhoming, is he correct in that I am being too cautious and should not worry as it is normal motorhome practice to be overweight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I would be exceedingly wary. You would probably be prevented from moving your 'van until it was within the plated weight limit. Your insurance would be void as the vehicle would be technically unroadworthy. There are many other factors that would come into question too. Back to the dealer and chew his bits off! Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Well yes and no really. Yes it does seem to be "normal practice" for some motorhomers but I would say no you're not being too cautious. How you will be dealt with if found to be overweight will depend largely on how much overweight the van actually is. A few kilos and they are unlikely to bother you other than suggest you look a bit closer at what you carry. A hundred kilos or more over and you might get a fine or more likely you will be made to redistribute your load or jettison goods until you are within the stated limits. More than 150 Kilos over and you are unlikely to escape a fine. Of course the way its dealt with might be totally different abroad. What you have to remember is that an overloaded vehicle is potentially very dangerous, the rakes might not e able to stop you within a safe distance or you might have a blowout because of the overloading. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 You will almost certainly invalidate your insurance if you knowingly travel overweight too .... What about investing in a trailer instead???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hi Coming off the boat in Cherbourg last year a lot of motorhomes were weighed on a portable weight machine on the way out and any that were over were made pay a fine and unload their overweight. Regards, Brendan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 derk - 2009-02-02 7:31 PM I am new to motorhoming, is he correct in that I am being too cautious and should not worry as it is normal motorhome practice to be overweight. I repeat for those who may not have read before. It is my belief that a large proportion of motorhome salesmen would not be employed in the car trade because they are too dodgy! From your post it would seem that your dealer has supplied a van not to the spec you asked for, and is now encouraging you to break the law. You say you specificaly asked for a substantial payload, where you told what the payload for the van was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 How many times do people need telling! NEVER EVER TRUST A SALESMAN *-) Do your own research and act accordingly...only view models interested in armed with real facts not hearsay or supposition. treat all saleman as pests and keep at arms length until deal needs doing......only when you are sure its correct for you There is always the option of a trailer to get you out of trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 If caught you will not get away with 10% over, you might and it depends on the circumstances be lucky with 3% but dont depend on that! Don't forget they will then go through the M/H with a tooth combe. In exeptional circumstances they can now confiscate the vehicle (an accident causing serious injuries or death due to overloading) + imprisonment. DON'T DO IT!! Not worth the risk. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hi, they do sometimes check the axle weights with little portable scales, if you are overweight you will get a fine and also remove items until under the allowed weight, I think that in 2010 there will be more checks on weight as new EU laws make it harder for some to drive motorhomes over 3.5ton. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little-jack Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 You say a south coast dealer.... that wouldnt be east sussex would it, by any chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 derk - 2009-02-02 7:31 PM Hi, I recently purchased a second hand motorhome from a southcoast dealer.At the time I explained that I needed a fairly substantial payload as I would be taking some heavy stuff to greece ( batteries and boat anchor chain). However when I weighed it with nearly full water tanks and driver and passenger ( but nothing else on board)I was only 50Kg under max weight. I have since re plated adding 100kg to the allowance and if now weighed with empty tanks I have 200kg spare which may not be enough. The dealer tels me not to worry about going over weight as this is normal practice and 10% tolerence is applied if weighed. I am traveling to greece via the venice ferry in April. I am new to motorhoming, is he correct in that I am being too cautious and should not worry as it is normal motorhome practice to be overweight. DerekI don't know how you have "replated" it, since this usually requires the services of a specialist. If however, as I suspect, all that has been done is to add together the maxim permissible loads on the front, and rear, axles, then in my opinion, I'm afraid, you have wasted your money! The reason the sum of total permissible loads on the two axles invariably exceeds the plated MAM of the vehicle is because it is virtually impossible, other than in laboratory conditions, to load the vehicle to its new maximum without exceeding the permissible load on one, or other, of the axles. That is why any vehicle manufacturer's MAM is always less than the axle totals, it is not because manufacturers are stupid.You do not say what van you bought, or what extras it is carrying, but from what you say it is totally impractical for your needs. You really need to take it back to the dealer, preferably with the original plate on it, and tell him he misled you regarding its payload and the laxity of loading restrictions, get your money back, and then start again. Speak to your local Trading Standards department before you go, and explain to them, as fully as possible, the circumstances of the purchase. If you have nothing in writing regarding payload, and the dealer doesn't recall the conversation, I rather think you'll struggle if you need proof that he sold you a van unfit for your intended use.However, before you start again, do try to get a better handle on your required payload and its possible distribution. "Substantial", to a motorhome salesman, is two bars of chocolate instead of one. In this field, I'm afraid, you have to become your own expert. Very few sales staff in dealerships actually use motorhomes, other than to attend shows around the country, and they generally know little to nothing of how they work or what are their practical limitations. Most, however, can just about manage to calculate the commission a sale will earn them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 As someone has already pointed out it's the worse case scenario you should worry about. Should you injure someone whilst overloaded they, the third party, police, insurance company, etc, will take you to the cleaners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derk Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Many many thanks to all of you for your comprehensive and valued responses. I now acknowledge that I should have done my home work and been more specific on my requirememnts and talked actual numbers rather than my question of "will this motorhome be able to take a lot of weight to Greece" I blame myself for not researching properly. I got caught up in the excitement of finding a motorhome that otherwise fitted our needs exactly. To be fair,the dealer organised the re-plating which I recieved from 'SvTech converters plates' in Layland. My 'beef' is two fold, Firstly the sales person ( a very nice guy) could have interogated me as to what payload I actualy required and then checked the actual vehicle plate. Secondly is their advice ( following the re-plating exercise which only increased the GVM by 100kg) that I was being too concerned with overweight and that it was almost normal practice. I was advised that a 10% allowance is usually applied and that if stopped and weighed the worst country for this to happen is Switzerland where it would cost me 1euro per extra Kg. I would not wish to identify the dealer but it is not East Sussex as was suggested by Little-Jack. I share the same concerns as you guys in that insurance could be invalidated in case of accident ( this point was made to the dealer who responded that it would be unlikely, unless grossly overloaded, for the vehicle to be weighed. Many thanks again to all of you Derk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondo Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 As a former (now retired) professional HGV driver overloading is termed an absolute offence that is it is the DRIVERS fault.That is the courts view for commercial drivers ,how it would sit with a motorhome I think that would depend on the police and or the magistrates.Your sales man really deserves to have his hands slapped If it is meant to carry 4 tonnes DO NOT exceed it (!) (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 The problem with being stopped for any traffic offence is that it can uncover a whole host of problems when Mr Plod wants to put his mind to it. With miss (or is it over zealous) use of traffic and terrorist laws, the police can, and if so minded , can ride rough shod over sensible civil liberties. Finding a open bottle in a car (same as a M/home ?) can lead to a breath test, regardless. Stopped for speeding, a quick look at tyres and lights ? So driving around with sagging rear end ( the motorhome not the wife) may not be a sensible route to go down. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Before everone gets to hot under the collar I suggest a look at the VOSA guidelines on prosecution. www.lacors.gov.uk/LACORS/ContentDetails.aspx?id=5452 But the tyres on many motorcaravans are only just up to the job and who wants to add the last straw. Insurance companies might take a harder line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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