Mickydripin Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Hi Brian. I would like to thank you for the great advice and just in case I forget any of it I will take it with me when I go to see my solicitor next week. Regards Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Hi Judgemental Thanks for your support god knows I need it at the moment. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 Mickydripin - 2009-03-26 9:55 PM Hi Brian. I would like to thank you for the great advice and just in case I forget any of it I will take it with me when I go to see my solicitor next week. Regards Mike. Hope it is of use, Mike. However, don't stick it up his/her nose, because I am working from memory of events quite a few years back, and it is highly possible the law has changed in the relevant areas. Remember, I'm not a lawyer, and never have been. Notwithstanding, I believe the general principles remain sound, even if the terms, or the actual laws, have changed. Your solicitor should recognise the concepts therefore, but may get a bit ratty if s/he thinks you are placing amateur punditry above his/her advice. I think they are all reasonable points to raise with him/her, but tread soft - you need to keep him/her on your side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hi Brian. I will not stick it up his nose but quite honestly I feel like sticking something up his backside as this has gone on since last march and it seems that I am going around in circles. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I put our Compass Suntor 115 on a weighbridge to-day fully loaded as per long trip full fuel tank 2 full gas bottles full water tank and full toilet flush tank food clothing etc 2 people and grossed at 2910kg our gross permitted weight is 3000kg which gives us 90kg spare we were thinking of fitting a bike rack ,so by doing so and loading 2 bikes we would still be just under permitted weight not a lot to spare if we want to bring some booze back from France although we can always dump the water once loaded for home I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 A recent customer weighed his van with just himself and his wife on board and it was 20KGs over MTPLM!! No water or any other item in the van, not even a full fuel tank and they are not overly large people, I'd say they're probably closer to the average weight of 75KGs each than most motorhomers I've met. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I just happened to read this thread and am amazed at the charges for weighing M/H's, mine costs me nothing at a local respectable scrap yard. although I do put a bit of change in the tea fund if i take in any scrap Possibly one needs to shop around for the best price as there are more weigh bridges than most people think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Hi Dave I notice that you come from Shropshire Not a million miles from where I purchased my van I hope that customer did not buy from the same place as I did as he will not have much joy from them. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 trooper - 2009-04-10 7:32 PM I just happened to read this thread and am amazed at the charges for weighing M/H's, mine costs me nothing at a local respectable scrap yard. although I do put a bit of change in the tea fund if i take in any scrap Possibly one needs to shop around for the best price as there are more weigh bridges than most people think. Mine was weighed for the cost of a bottle of French wine @ 1euro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 As an added incentive for getting your Motorhome/Caravan weighed, On the west side of Dumfries on Friday 10th, on the A75 police were pulling in EVERY Motorhome and Caravan, checking them over I couldn't see if they had scales there or not, but they were certainly looking them over and maybe just giving advice ?, it has been suggested its because so many first timers are buying secondhand caravans and motorhomes and just filling them with anything they think they need regardless of weight, Don't be one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 kelly58 - 2009-04-10 4:53 PM I put our Compass Suntor 115 on a weighbridge to-day fully loaded as per long trip full fuel tank 2 full gas bottles full water tank and full toilet flush tank food clothing etc 2 people and grossed at 2910kg our gross permitted weight is 3000kg which gives us 90kg spare we were thinking of fitting a bike rack ,so by doing so and loading 2 bikes we would still be just under permitted weight not a lot to spare if we want to bring some booze back from France although we can always dump the water once loaded for home I suppose. I hope that you also weighed the individual axles Kelly. With only 90kg spare you very well might be over on one or the other if carrying bikes, especially the rear. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelling Tyke Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Yes now! I got our Bessacarr E605 (3400 Kg max) weighed When "ready to go" with full fuel, water, 2 x Bp light gas cylinders and all of the items considered "needed" for a long trip - it weighed in at 3300 kgs. I weigh @ 76 kgs so that left 25 kgs for my wife. I had assumed quite incorrectly of course, that we would be well below the 3400 Kgs - after all manufacturers would have taken all this into account! There was a tow bar fitted so this came off. It weighed in at 55 kgs so my wife could at least accompany me now. :-D Deciding this wasn't good enough Wilma has been replated to 3700 kgs. Air-Ride suspension fitted along with tyres that are rated at 1000 kgs. We haven't increased our load except for two bikes but I feel much happier now. I believe that the manufacturers and sales teams should highlight the payload situation - we would have still bought Wilma, but being aware of limitations would have been nice. Buyer beware - oh yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan k Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Only just adequate, we weighed our van as we set off for a month in France last August. We weighed in with 3/4 fresh water (sits over rear axle) and 2 bikes in the garage at 3500kgs cf our plated weight of 3850kgs. BUT our rear axle was right up to the limit and the 300kg spare was on our front axle. i was able to redistribute a bit of stuff out of the garage and had to carry the wine home under the table and in the front seat boxes with a nearly empty water tank. Our local trading standards office has a free 24 hour free weighbridge at Gildersome just off the M62 near Leeds where the A62 crosses. There's no ticket but it weighs individual axles and then adds them up. Its to encourage truckers to check their weight. So I'm very careful about how much we carry and where it goes. I've even thought about moving the bike rack from the back wall of the garage to the front, or moving the leisure battery to a side locker to improve matters. At the moment we'll just be careful alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmover Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hello Dave, On the subject of pay loads?, I place a lot of the blame on the manufactures, and dealerships, by providing misinformation, both in Motor Home brochures and verbally when buying a new M/H. However your fellow scribes in Motor Home magazines are by far the biggest miscreants, by not putting the ones they road test over a weighbridge and checking the manufactures published data. No time I hear you say!!, then why bother testing in the first place. Testers should also have the M/H,s put on a hoist so they can check underneath for anything untoward and while there on, check the roof area of the van on test and report on the tidiness and integrity of any mastic joints, roof lights, vents, etc. For who,s benefit do they write these articles for? manufactures and dealers or the people who pay £3-20 for the mag to glean some trustworthy information?. Em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 On the one and only occasion I was asked to test a new motorhome I did put it on a weighbridge and found it was woefully tight on realistic payload and that although it was supposed to be uprated to 3850KGs nobody had attached a plate to the vehicle to say so and it would therefore be considered a 3500KG vehicle if stopped and checked. There is no real need for any magazine tester to check each vehicle, we simply take the manufacturers figures and publish them. Any prospective buyer is completely responsible for making sure that the vehicle he/she is buying is suitable and that means checking that the published weights are as accurate as can be expected. You'd also like tester to raise the vehicle on a lift (I think that's what you mean by a hoist) and check underneath and then climb on to the roof for an inpsection, why? Did you do those things when you bought your motorhome? D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Dave Sorry but I think earthmover has a point I am in trouble as you know with my motorhome weights but when I was looking for a new motorhome I read all the motorhome Mags that I could lay my hands on. If I am right these new motorhomes are on a free loan to the testers so that they can be assessed by the magazine writers they know all the good and bad things to look for and yes far from telling us about all the nice places that they have visited and weather the nobs on the cupboard are plastic or wood they do have responsibility to give us all the facts. If the testers went a bit further and had a look under and over and not just the inside the vehicles then that would give us the buyers a more informed decision what to buy. Saying that I thoroughly enjoy My MMM magazine and they all do a great Job and the information in it is first class. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Reply removed as it WILL cause offense to some! D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Mickydripin - 2009-04-17 6:32 PM If the testers went a bit further and had a look under and over and not just the inside the vehicles then that would give us the buyers a more informed decision what to buy. They do but only in Europe! You need to look at German Promobil and other Euro magazines and their associated web sites for proper in depth reviews *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 One of the most important aspects of a motorhome, if not THE most important, is that of a suitable payload for its intended use. Get this wrong and everything else is basically irrelevant. Therefore I would have thought that the subject of payload would be at the top of any tester's list for assessment and comment - but it's not. To simply rely on manufacturers published figures in a report is asking for trouble, simply because they don't all sing from the same song-sheet. As an example, ask yourself why the basic Autocruise Starburst's payload suddenly dropped by some 175kg when Swift took over Autocruise. Have Swift really built it 175kg heavier (I don't think so somehow) or did they decide to put forward a more realistic payload figure.than that given previously? Testers should look at the basics first, not the colour of the upholstery. The old saying comes to mind 'If your going to do a job do it right.' Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 I think some of the above comments are verging on the unrealistic with regard to payloads. There is really no reason for magazine reviews to double check manufacturer's figures, the manufacturer has far greater resources for weighing and allocation weights that can realistically be applied during a test. He has no excuse for getting the weights wrong, and there is a perfectly clear and sensible set of instructions for him to follow via British Standards (which follow a European Standard common to all EC countries). The problem is, that not all manufacturers follow the BS, and none, actually, have to (unless they claim in their literature to comply). However, the requirement is for gas, water and fuel reserves to be at 90% capacity, and a driver to be included at a nominal 75Kg. That is not so easy to achieve during the course of a test, bearing in mind the need also to take account of any extras fitted that may not be part of the standard kit.I know I have said this before, but if you want to see how a good manufacturer can set out motorhome weights, look at the Hymer or Burstner catalogues: not the glossy bit but the technical bit with all the weights and accessory loads all listed. Having digested those, then go shopping for your van, and insist on equivalent information from the seller for the van you want. If he can't/won't provide it, don't buy! It's all part of a process called research, and it is very desirable to carry it out before you buy, or else you risk getting a pig in a poke. Like it or not folks, the maxim is, indeed, let the buyer beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Exactly Brian, and when a newcomer to our pastime does his research you often read that he turns, quite naturally, to the leading magazines on motorhoming. What I and others are saying is that there should be far more emphasis and guidance on the more important aspects in motorhome tests. Part of this should be a comment on the vehicles real payload, in practice, as apposed to some manufacturers misleading presentation of the figures. Payload is a minefield for a beginner and they need better guidance when comparing tests of different models. It's as simple as that really. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 ron. - 2009-04-19 9:36 PM Exactly Brian, and when a newcomer to our pastime does his research you often read that he turns, quite naturally, to the leading magazines on motorhoming. What I and others are saying is that there should be far more emphasis and guidance on the more important aspects in motorhome tests. Part of this should be a comment on the vehicles real payload, in practice, as apposed to some manufacturers misleading presentation of the figures. Payload is a minefield for a beginner and they need better guidance when comparing tests of different models. It's as simple as that really. Ron Spot on Ron but the motorhome press are where the motor car press where 50 years ago - they only mention the short comings of a particular model when a new one replaces it. Pitty we can't get our own version of Jeremy Clarkson brave enough to tell it as it is - but don't hold your breath. V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Hi Vernon and Ron Yes we could do with someone like Jeremy Clarkson testing new motorhomes (and caravans dare I say) I could just imagine him tearing around a race track with all and sundry flying everywhere now that I would like to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan-QS Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Im a massive fan of Jerermy Clarkson and seeing him tear round a track in a motorhome would be great! Maybe even get the stig in on the action!! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Davenewell I got your reply before it was removed and you seamed to have taken my post personally and was very sarcastic towards new motor homers. the sort of comments you made sounded like the sort of comments that you get from dealers when they have sold you a pig in a poke and could not care less if you have any problems On your post it states that you are an expert OK great for you but almost all newcomers to this site tend to look up to you and act on your advice and help we as motor homers should use this sit to help all not to blow off at the slightest remark just because our pride has been hurt. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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