BAC Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 I am about to buy our 2nd Camper. It is a 2001 La Strada Regent L. prior to importing the camper into Ireland from the UK, I need to know that the unladen weight is >3000kg. I have asked the current owner, the La Strada club and the manufacturer in Germany, nobody seems to know! It is important as it determines import duty to the Republic of Ireland. If anybody could let me know it would be very welcome. Thanks BAC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Hi BAC It's unlikely that the unladen weight will be shown anywhere on the vehicle plate or in the documents. The owner should be able to give you the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM, or the maximum the vehicle is allowed to weigh fully laden) from the vehicle plate which will be attached somewhere on the van - usually beneath the bonnet, on a door pillar or cab step for instance). The current buyers guide in MMM gives the MAM of the Regent L as 3200kgs (Merc Sprinter with 2.2 TD engine) and a payload of 380kgs. However, even these manufacters figures can sometimes be misleading and there have been instances when even new motorhomes have exceeded their specified weights when weighed on a weighbridge. Equally, the particular van you are looking at may have accessories etc fitted that have since added to published weight of the van when new. So do be careful about where you get the 'unladen' weight figure from. The only sure way of getting the true unladen weight is to get the current owner to have it weighed (unladen) at a public weighbridge. Regards, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 BAC - 2006-12-03 6:37 PM I am about to buy our 2nd Camper. It is a 2001 La Strada Regent L. prior to importing the camper into Ireland from the UK, I need to know that the unladen weight is >3000kg. I have asked the current owner, the La Strada club and the manufacturer in Germany, nobody seems to know! It is important as it determines import duty to the Republic of Ireland. If anybody could let me know it would be very welcome. Thanks BAC Is there a definition of unladen weight that applies in Ireland? Is this motorhome specific or a general provision for all vehicles? My point being that unladen could mean something akin to mass in running order, or it could literally mean unladen, i.e. the equivalent of kerbweight. The difference between the two would be quite significant. If there is no legal definition, assume it means kerbweight. This would be the weight of the vehicle with jack, engine oil and coolant, plus fuel in the tank, but without a driver or any other added load. Thus, any gas bottle/s and fresh or waste water, awning, cycle rack etc should be emptied/removed. Quite how you can verify that yourself I'm not sure, but could you persuade your vendor to take the van to a weighbridge near him/her once you know what the legal definition is? It should cost under £10 (15 Euro to you!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 This is what the DVLA websites quotes as Unladen weight. The unladen weight of any vehicle is the vehicles own weight when not carrying any goods or burden. This is: Inclusive of the body and all parts which are necessary to or ordinarily used with the vehicle or trailer when working on a road exclusive of water, fuel or accumulators used for the purpose of the supply of power for the propulsion of the vehicle. I've had a look at the Irish government site but I can't find anything relating to importing vehicles, unladen weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Don Madge - 2006-12-03 10:32 PM This is what the DVLA websites quotes as Unladen weight. The unladen weight of any vehicle is the vehicles own weight when not carrying any goods or burden. This is: Inclusive of the body and all parts which are necessary to or ordinarily used with the vehicle or trailer when working on a road exclusive of water, fuel or accumulators used for the purpose of the supply of power for the propulsion of the vehicle. I've had a look at the Irish government site but I can't find anything relating to importing vehicles, unladen weight. The exclusion from the UK kerbweight definition needs careful reading. For a petrol or diesel fuelled vehicle it means excluding only the fuel. You can't drain the radiator and take out the starter battery and then claim the resultant weight as kerbweight! The accumulators for propulsion would apply to an electric vehicle and the water for propulsion to one driven by steam. Steam driven motorhome, now there's a thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC Posted December 4, 2006 Author Share Posted December 4, 2006 Thankyou for your comments, very much appreciated. On reading the customs information I read the following; "It should be noted that the terms Gross Vehicle Weight, Unladen Weight and Wheelbase are not defined in VRT legislation. However, the terms are broadly taken to mean the following: Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is the weight of the vehicle itself together with the maximum payload that it is designed to carry. The maximum payload means the maximum weight, however comprised, that the vehicle is designed to carry. GVW is a design characteristic of the vehicle and consequently is not readily measurable but is generally quoted in manufacturer’s literature and in the case of new vehicles will be specified in the Certificate of Conformity. Unladen Weight is the weight of the vehicle itself with standard equipment , including the fuel stored in a standard fuel tank, but excluding other consumables and loose equipment, e.g. water in fresh and waste water tanks, gas cylinder/s, additional tools and equipment, etc." In conclusion from your answers I think I will get the camper weighed at a public weigh station and hope that the unladen weight is above the 3 tonnes. Thanks for your help BAC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 However, from David Lloyd's figures for a Regent, as above, it seems highly probable you'll be disappointed. I think you're going to come in around 2,800Kg! If it's any consolation, if you were over the 3,000Kg mark unladen, you'd have no usable payload at all, so maybe paying lower tax, but for a useless van! Silver lining? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Don and Brian, Just for info, the DVLA site is not quite correct. The relevant legislation actually defines unladen weight as in the DVLA definition but also excluding any tools or loose equipment. I have always taken this to mean that you can exclude removable items such as gas bottles, but not items such as bike racks, awnings, etc. This is important because, in the UK, motorhomes with an unladen weight exceeding 3050 Kgs are subject to lower speed limits (60 on DCs and 50 on single carriageways). Incidentally, the term 'Kerb Weight' is not defined in legislation and tends to be a term used in reference to cars to mean unladen weight, plus tools, plus driver at 75Kgs and full fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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