payload

[jordano]

hi i have an autotrail cheyenne 635 year 2000 could someone please tell me where to find the weight and payload plate i have looked everywhere wonder if it has been removed would like to fill all my details in the handbook

[Brambles]

Have you checked under the bonnet nest to the catch and original plate, in the driver or pasenger seat step footwells, habitation door entrance on steps or at side, if that all fails check inside front over head lockers. It will be some where. Normally autotrail fit under the bonnet I believe.

[Brian Kirby]

Hello and welcome. You should find the VIN Plate as supplied by Fiat under the bonnet, on the front cross member, beside the bonnet catch. It contains the VIN (vehicle identification number, or chassis number) below which will be four further entries, probably numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. 1 is the maximum allowable mass of the vehicle (its MAM) in kg, in other words its maximum permissible laden weight. (It will be the second biggest number.) 2 is its gross train weight (GTW), which in UK is the limit for the actual laden weight of the vehicle itself, plus the actual laden weight of any trailer it is towing (outside UK this can be the sum of the MAMs of both tow vehicle and trailer). (This will be the biggest number). 3 is the maximum permissible load on the front axle, (the lowest number), and 4 ditto for the rear axle, (the second lowest number). All of the above are absolute limits, which it is illegal to exceed.

 

The payload, at its simplest, is the difference between the MAM as shown on the plate, and the unladen weight of the vehicle. Anything that is added to the vehicle as a fixture (awning, bike rack, additional habitation battery etc) increases the unladen weight, and correspondingly reduces the payload. All unfixed items carried, including driver and passengers, then count as payload. As payload varies according to the actual specification of the vehicle, it cannot be generally stated. It relates to that specific vehicle only.

 

There is a legal definition of "unladen weight" that requires the vehicle to be emptied of all loose equipment (jack, spare wheel, tools) but also all fuel, so that it only contains what is fixed to it, plus engine oil and coolant. (Not hugely practical, but it is relevant to whether it can legally be driven at 60 MPH on roads subject to the national 60MPH speed limit. If its unladen weight exceeds 3,050kg, its maximum speed is limited to 50MPH on all such roads, and to 30MPH on all roads subject to a 40MPH limit).

 

So, more useful as a starting point is to take the van to a weighbridge and weigh it in "ready to use" condition. This would include the jack, spare wheel, tools, a full tank of fuel, a full water tank and, if separate, toilet flush tank, full gas cylinders, but empty waste water tank and toilet cassette, and nothing else in the vehicle. The difference between this weight and its plated MAM, will be your basic payload. Anything you add, including yourselves, pets etc, will then count as payload.

 

(There is an industry definition (code of practise) of mass in running order (MIRO) that is similar, but is intended only to provide a reasonably level playing field in arriving at payload for marketing purposes of new vehicles. It is not mandatory, and various manufacturers play games with interpretation to gain paper advantage over their competitors. I think the method described above is more useful, and easier to understand, as it is particular to your vehicle.)

 

The rationale is that at some time it is likely you will drive with all reservoirs full, even if they will be less than full almost all of the time in practise.

 

The most critical test, however, is to load the van fully with everything you would take with you when travelling, including reservoirs as above, but with all occupants, pets, books, games, bikes etc, the lot! Then, re-visit the weighbridge and re-weight not only the whole vehicle, but also each axle in turn, and then check the results against the MAM and the maximum permissible load on each axle. If all are below the limits you are "street legal". If any exceed the relevant limit, you must reduce or rearrange the loads inside the vehicle until they conform. Hope this helps.

[jordano]

thanks for that Brian will get started next week