Know your weight / payload – easy!!

[747]

Weighing devices (of all shapes and sizes) have to be accurate through the full range.

 

ie: 0 to whatever.

 

Simple rule of thumb for motorhomes.

 

If you have 4 wheels - you could be overweight on the back axle (rarely the front)

 

If you have a Tag Axle - you are probably overweight on the front axle.

[pepe63xnotuse]

This old thread,mentions tolerances on weighbridges..some being as much as +/-50kg

(..but at what weight, I'm not really sure..)

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=23759&posts=13

 

No idea how "accurate" the thread is though..?

(..maybe only, +/- 50% ? (lol) )

[Derek Uzzell]

I believe weighbridges have a certain maximum permitted level of inaccuracy according to the weighbridge type. This may be quite large (up to 60kg?), but its importance will tend to become less significant the heavier the vehicle being weighed is.

 

However, this maximum does not mean that all weighbridges are equally inaccurate. For example, the weighbridge mentioned here is claimed to have only a 20kg tolerance.

 

http://www.guildford.gov.uk/weighbridge

[Basil]

Been using one of the origional ones of these for three years plus now, more than satisfied and worth every penny of the £99 it cost. I got ours from

 

http://www.campervanstuff.com/shop_stuff/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=1002

 

though I see that their prices have risen to a perhaps more unacceptable level to when we got ours!!

 

Bas

[pepe63xnotuse]

Derek Uzzell - 2012-04-20 9:36 AM

 

.....For example, the weighbridge mentioned here is claimed to have only a 20kg tolerance.

 

http://www.guildford.gov.uk/weighbridge

 

If that 20kg ,is when weighing "48 tonne lorries" then that's good...If it's when weighing a Caterham-like track day car,then not so good.... (lol)

[Steve928]

pepe63 - 2012-04-20 10:12 AM

 

Derek Uzzell - 2012-04-20 9:36 AM

 

.....For example, the weighbridge mentioned here is claimed to have only a 20kg tolerance.

 

http://www.guildford.gov.uk/weighbridge

 

If that 20kg ,is when weighing "48 tonne lorries" then that's good...If it's when weighing a Caterham-like track day car,then not so good.... (lol)

 

There's a good page explaining weighbridges and calibration here:

http://www.metrologycentre.com/codes/weighbridge.html

 

If I understand it correctly (which isn't at all guaranteed..) then up to a weight of 500 x the tolerance you are allowed only an error of 1/2 that tolerance.

 

So a calibrated weighbridge witha tolerance of 20kg must be +-10kg from its stated minimum capacity up to 10 tons.

 

 

 

[tonyishuk]

twooks - 2012-04-19 10:36 PM

 

n

BUT - don't understand comment about 'being a car'

suggest you check threads on VED licensing

you should have body type - motor caravn

and class is ????? err can't remember off-hand - but isn't diesel car!!

suggest you read up and get it re-classified

 

:D

 

I was thinking "car" in the sense that with a 3500kg VED I am not restricted to lower speed limits and weight restrictions (entry into roads etc) as I would be be with a 3800kg VED.

 

Mind you driving a 3.5 ton vehicle @ 70 mph gets me jittery !

 

I just feel happier knowing that @ 65 mph (ish?) and maybe a bit more, if there is a Police car behind me with NPR fitted. it is not saying I should be travelling @ 60 mph max and making Mr Plods day.

 

I would imagine that, unless you get pulled over for something silly, there is no way Mr Plod could tell the difference between a 3500kg or a 3800kg on the road. That is until he reads the VED disk (if you have one :D ) or pulls up the bonnet and looks at the plates.

 

Rgds

[pepe63xnotuse]

Tony..

Be aware that when it comes to speed limits,it's the UNLADEN weight that counts and not the gross 3500kg figure..

 

Once over 3050 kg unladen,restriction come into play(...so you may already be "restricted", speed wise?)

 

http://www.motorhomeplanet.co.uk/motorhome-speed-limits/

 

Steve..thanks for that "weighbridge" link ;-)

[tonyishuk]

Good point re unladen weight.

 

Pleased to say that Rapido quote a kerb weight in there technical specs so have worked back from that.

 

As an after thought , just makes Mr Plods job even more difficult, unless he has the kerb weigh / unladen weight information to hand ?

 

Rgds

 

[Basil]

pepe63 - 2012-04-20 11:23 AM

 

Tony..

Be aware that when it comes to speed limits,it's the UNLADEN weight that counts and not the gross 3500kg figure..

 

Once over 3050 kg unladen,restriction come into play(...so you may already be "restricted", speed wise?)

 

http://www.motorhomeplanet.co.uk/motorhome-speed-limits/

 

Steve..thanks for that "weighbridge" link ;-)

 

Think you may be WRONG on this as the rules changed, I believe last year, to bring into line with EU. Speed limits are now on LADEN (or rather Gross Vehicle) wieght see

 

http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/DefensiveDriving/Speed/UK_Speed_limits.html

 

AFAIaA this applies to motorhomes as well it is no longer unladen weight. i.e. Under 3500GVW as car speed limits over 3500GVW restricted speeds.

 

Hence my comments about reduced speed limits if your motorhome, sorry motor caravan, is registered as a van, because vans are restricted over 2000GVW.

 

Bas

 

P.S. Unless of course it hasn't been implemented, remember lots of talk about it but can't recall seeing an outcome.

[Derek Uzzell]

Basil - 2012-04-20 2:45 PM

 

pepe63 - 2012-04-20 11:23 AM

 

Tony..

Be aware that when it comes to speed limits,it's the UNLADEN weight that counts and not the gross 3500kg figure..

 

Once over 3050 kg unladen,restriction come into play(...so you may already be "restricted", speed wise?)

 

http://www.motorhomeplanet.co.uk/motorhome-speed-limits/

 

Steve..thanks for that "weighbridge" link ;-)

 

Think you may be WRONG on this as the rules changed, I believe last year, to bring into line with EU. Speed limits are now on LADEN (or rather Gross Vehicle) wieght see

 

http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/DefensiveDriving/Speed/UK_Speed_limits.html

 

AFAIaA this applies to motorhomes as well it is no longer unladen weight. i.e. Under 3500GVW as car speed limits over 3500GVW restricted speeds.

 

Hence my comments about reduced speed limits if your motorhome, sorry motor caravan, is registered as a van, because vans are restricted over 2000GVW.

 

Bas

 

P.S. Unless of course it hasn't been implemented, remember lots of talk about it but can't recall seeing an outcome.

 

While it might make logical sense to bring the UK speed-limit 3050kg unladen-weight factor into line with the 3500kg MTPLM threshold used outside this country, I'm not aware that this has happened, nor am I aware that there is any intention that it should happen.

 

While the 3050kg threshold was well known to motorcaravanners, it was generally of little interest to car drivers and mention of it was often omitted from speed-limit summary tables.

 

I may well be wrong, but it's the sort of information I would expect to be aware of and I'm not. I can't find anything via GOOGLE that suggests that the 3050kg threshold has been altered, nor can I find anything that indicates there are (or were) firm plans to alter it to 3500kg.

 

In fact, I see that Robin Hood has covered this point on another thread

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=27328&posts=4

 

[tonyishuk]

 

Just purchased a 1500 kg Reich scale and will let all know how I get on ! Thanks for the advice from various users.

 

I took the view that if I was overweight after topping up the plonk, I would have a reasonable excuse to stay on site and drink the excess before I left :D

 

Just a note for future reference and searches.

 

The discussion about weights and speed limits is now on the thread

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=27328&posts=7

 

Rgds

 

 

[tonyishuk]

 

Searched the internet and found the cheapest at campervanstuff.com. Phoned up to place order on the Thursday. I was told that the unit was out of stock, but would have some on the monday, To my surprise the unit arrived on tuesday morning, I tend to treat delivery dates with a pinch of salt.

 

To their credit, Campervanstuff included a sheet of instructions produced by themselves, that explained some of the instructions that should have been included in the manufacturers instuctions. Such as how to put the batteries in !! Not quite as obvious as it seemed . Also what surface to use the unit on.

 

Had play with the unit today, and it seems to do what it says on the box,

 

There is litle to add to previous comments on the thread other than;

 

I swept the drive area to clear small stones where the unit was to be used, but the drive is tarmac and the surface has marked the pads quite badly. So I might try to fint a piece of flat steel to put the unit before I use it again.

 

I took a couple of readings at each wheel and the differences for each wheel varied by 15 to 25 kg, which is about 3% of the total axle weigh. This may improve on a better surface.

 

The unit is easy to use, the unit will calculate the total weight of the vehicle but for some strange reason known only to the makers, does not give a reading for the axles, but for the load on each side of the vehicle.

 

The weigh bridge is little far to check the readings, but I will load up and test again agains the weight bridge on the next trip. (when this Bl@@dy weather improves, A fair weatherM/homer , me !)

 

Rgds