Bennyy Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Hi all, I've never had a motorhome but me and the wife have the itch. My slight worry is the weight of the motor home, as I can drive up to 3,500 kg. It only needs to be 2 birth and I fancy one of the small coach built ones. Is it doable? What weight home should I be looking at? Any advice would be much appreciated. Benny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Yes, it is doable is the short answer. You need to understand MIRO [Mass in Running Order] because that will determine the loading margin i.e. how much you can put in the motorhome. Our two berth motorhome had an original MIRO of 3050kg when factory fitted options were included. With our kit on board, we tend to be just over 3,400kg. However, we travel light. It is usually the amount of kit you add to a motorhome such as extra battery, solar panel, bike rack/bikes, scooters, mobility scooters, electric bikes etc etc that tends to take you over the limit. You also need to consider axle loadings because whilst you may load up within 3500kg, you have to ensure you do not exceed the loading on each axle. For example, I can load my front and rear axle up to 2000kg each, with a maximum of 3500kg overall. I run at 1560kg front axle and 1850kg rear axle. If I loaded my rear axle up to 2000kg, I would be overweight at a total of 3560kg. Best thing to do is decide how you will be using your motorhome. Then take it from there. Everything else will fall in place as you gather knowledge. You don't need to know everything on day 1! You shouldn't have a problem finding a good two berth motorhome under 3500kg that suits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyy Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Brill answer, it's much clearer now. So ideally I want to be looking at a 3000kg motorhome so I can load up another max 500kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 No You will be looking at 3500, which is the total weight when loaded of the van. we have a 3400, and go away for 3 months , so manage (just) to stay in weight. Any extras like awing, bike rack will have to count . I guess you will look for a second hand to start with?, so get it weighed before you add, water, fuel food, etc, as they all count in full payload Don't be afraid to ask on here any questions, no matter how trivial they may sound to you, we have all been there, buying first van Good luck on your search PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Yep. A MIRO of 3000kg is a good pointer with a bit of wiggle room if you travel light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Yes, there are plenty of compact coachbuilt motorhomes plated at 3,500kg, so if the unladen weight is 3,000kg or less (and plenty are less), you should be OK. But as already mentioned by another poster, that's provided you don't load it up with too many heavy accessories. Edited to add, the image in my avatar is a Chausson Flash S2 - 2 berth, 5.99metres long and weighs circa 2,700kg empty - so plenty of spare weight capacity. (I must change the avatar, because the van has just been changed and we now have a 6.4 metre Rapido V68 panel van conversion - but still plated at 3,500kg. Need to go to the weighbridge with it, but believe it's around 3,000kg unladen). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 You should find plenty with a max weight of 3500kg, though some show 3300kg, with an optional upgrade to 3500kg for very little cost. This is what we did, and although you don't get the full 200kg extra, due to some increases involved due to the upgrading, you would end up with probably an additional 150kg, It is interesting to see how many how start out at the 3300kg, which in reality gives a fairly inadequate amount for actually using. Beware however if looking at new motorhomes, as the manufacturers have different ways of showing the 'unladen' weight, and what is included in this. When we bought our present Burstner, the brochure showed clearly what was 'built in'...ie driver and passenger up to 75KG each, what %age of water, fuel and gas, plus various other things. It also gave weight 'penalties' for any options added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Bennyy - 2016-07-09 10:23 AM Hi all, I've never had a motorhome but me and the wife have the itch. My slight worry is the weight of the motor home, as I can drive up to 3,500 kg. It only needs to be 2 birth and I fancy one of the small coach built ones. Is it doable? What weight home should I be looking at? Any advice would be much appreciated. Benny Then, I'd suggest buying this book: http://tinyurl.com/pvxmruf Written by motorhomers for motorhomers it contains a wealth of information and could easily save you making expensive mistakes as well as answering most of your questions (and a few you haven't yet thought of!). You're right to be cautious regarding weights, it is a bit of a minefield. As others have said, you should have little difficulty finding a suitable van at 3,500kg Maximum Allowable Mass (MAM) but it will depend on how, when, and where, you intend using it, and for how many weeks you expect to travel. As others have said, the most often quoted figure is Mass in Running Order (MIRO), which is the weight of the van before you add anything to it. However, there are differences between manufacturers as to how this figure is calculated: for example, amount of fresh water included, whether with fuel tank full or 90% full, with gas cylinder/s full or 90% full, whether of steel or aluminium, whether one or two cylinders are included. The book will help you through that maze, and many others. Your available payload will roughly be MAM minus MIRO, but remember that it includes driver (check data for older vans as the MIRO for these is likely to have included an allowance of 75kg for the driver, that then needs to be adjusted for the driver's actual weight) and all passengers. Be aware that most vans have options, both for the conversion and the base vehicle, and these generally increase the MIRO, so reducing payload. Also be aware that many owners add accessories, such as bike racks, roll out awnings, etc. If these are fixtures (i.e. rigidly attached to the van) they also become part of the MIRO, so payload will, again, be reduced. It is surprising how much weight just two people add to a van when food, liquids, clothing, footwear, toiletries, maps, books, cameras and computers, camping gear etc. are all added up. I would suggest that for flexibility you should aim for a payload, after the weights of all options and accessories have been added into the MIRO, in the region of 500kg. This means that your van needs to be 3,000kg or less when weighed empty (i.e. as you are likely to find it on a dealer's forecourt). Don't accept assurances on this, just ask the dealer to take it to a weighbridge to verify its weight, making sure you have a rough idea of how much fuel is in the tank. You may have to pay for their time and the ticket, but that will far cheaper than getting a van that doesn't work for you! Most fuel tanks have a capacity in the order of 80-90 litres, which will weigh about 70-75kg. Most fuel gauges are a little inaccurate, but should give a fair indication of the quantity on board (probably not much, dealers tend to leave as little as possible on board :-)), so if it is showing near empty you'll need to increase the weighbridge figure accordingly before calculating the remaining payload. Finally, do make sure you first drive anything you are considering buying. If possible, I'd suggest you try hiring something as close as possible to what you think you'd like. It is surprising how initial impressions (and ambitions :-)) change once you begin using one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyy Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Thanks all for taking the time to reply, very helpful it's much clearer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 A point to add regarding Brian's post. Many dealers appear reluctant to give details regarding available payload (this maybe lack of knowledge or fear of losing a sale) & supplying a weighbridge ticket. (although things do seem to be improving). When requesting a weighbridge ticket to support the information & the dealer has not already gone down this route, as a guide the cost of a weighbridge certificate, is insignificant & in my area is generally around £10, which should easily be absorbed by the dealer. Remembering that each axle needs to be weighed individually. If any Dealer is reluctant to obtain & supply a certificate, either make the weighbridge ticket a condition of purchase to show that the payload meets your requirement, or look for an alternative vehicle/dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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