Weighbridge extortion!

[Guest Frank Wilkinson]

Before setting off for a few days in York to test my new Lunar Telstar (huge success by the way apart from the site flooding eventually!) I thought that I would follow the advice given to me previously and in his latest excellent thread by Brian Kirby (may God bless and preserve him!) and have my motorhome weighed.

I deliberately did this on my way to York as the 'van would be fully loaded and I even filled up with water and filled the fuel tank.

I've a generous 750kg margin so was fairly confident of being OK by the way.

So I duly roll up at the weighbridge run by my local council, where I'd already ascertained that it would be £10.00. I told the young chap in the kiosk that I'd like to roll on the front wheels and check the front axle load, then go forward a few feet to weigh the whole 'van and then another few feet to weigh the rear axle load.

"No problem mate" says he (why do they always call you mate?) "that'll be thirty quid".

It appears that this is treated as three separate weighings at a tenner each! I told him quite politely where he could stick his weighbridge and drove off.

This afternoon I phoned another public weighbridge run by another council (Manchester) to be told exactly the same thing. However, they were completely different in that they told me that if I wasn't bothered about a printout they would do it for nothing! I was never offered this option by the jobsworth at Bolton.

I shall phone them at Bolton on Monday morning (I can't get them this afternoon) and see if they'll do the same, but I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think that I need a printout do I? I'm only doing it to make sure that I'm under the limit so that if ever I'm stopped I can be confident of being legal. Or should I try to find someone who'll give me the three weights at a sensible price and get the official printout?

Oh, and by the way, in case you're wondering why I want all three weights, I'd like to email Michelin and get the best tyre pressures for my 'van and for this I need axle weights apparently.

[Supertractorman]

Frank,

 

Don't think you would need print outs if you are only trying to confirm your loadings are correct. A lot of small weighbridges are manned by Operators happy to have a "drink" on Saturday mornings.

 

David

[Brian Kirby]

Frank

Look for a builder's, or scrap, yard, where they weigh bulk deliveries in/out.  It is quite normal for them to take two weighings, first the laden/unladen vehicle arriving and second the unladen/laden vehicle leaving.  The weight of the delivery being the difference between the two.

Explain what you want, but you do only need two weighings to achieve this.  Weight 1 is with the van on the platform (the whole van), weight 2 is with the front wheels just off the platform (the rear axle load).  If set up for a delivery, the weighbridge will then calculate weight 3 (the front axle load), which is 1 - 2, and print it all out nicely for you.  Handy, because you then have a record, and can prove you tried if challenged.  Our local weighbridge (builders yard, electronic load cell platform) charged £7.50 + VAT last year.

[Derek Uzzell]

Frank: If you measure your motorhome's total weight and, separately, the weight on the front axle, then subtract the latter figure from the former you can derive the weight on the rear axle. OK, I know that's ****** obvious but, if one is going to be charged a wallet-busting price on a per-measurement basis, there's no point wasting money. I weighed my own motorhome on a 'DIY' public French weigh-bridge at a fee of 2.10 Euros per measurement (and begrudged the cost!) and the equipment provided printed tickets in quadruplicate for each weighing.

 

It's quite likely that the tyre pressures Michelin will advise as being appropriate to the axle-load data you give them will differ significantly from the pressures recommended in your Telstar's documentation. Assuming you then chose to follow Michelin's advice, a print-out of the weigh-bridge measurements would strengthen your position should you ever be challenged over why you were using 'non-handbook' pressures. The chances of such a challenge happening have got to be pretty minimal but, if you are the worrying type, you may want to worry about it. I keep weigh-bridge print-outs, plus my e-mail correspondence with the tyre manufacturer, in the front of my motorhome's handbook - that way there's less chance of losing them.

 

A small point, but perhaps worth highlighting - do ensure you give Michelin exact details of the tyres your motor caravan is fitted with (eg. Michelin XC Camping 225/65 R 16 CP). Tyre manufacturers know a lot about tyres, but little about motorhome models and, if you just told Michelin you had a Lunar Telstar with 'camping' tyres, you wouldn't get much useful feed-back. (Stating the obvious again I'm afraid!!)

[Guest bil h]

Anyone travelling north on the A23 in Sussex at the top of Hancross Hill can be weighed for nowt at any time of the day (or night).

 

There's no one about you just drive on and press the start button.

 

Its all electronic, you just roll along slowly and all three weights are given on an automatic display.

 

Make sure you are travelling NORTH cos its on that side or you will have a few miles to go south before you can cross over

 

bil h

[Miami]

If you are travelling on the A417 past Swindon towards the M5 there is a weighbridge there on the left called Thamesdown Recycling.

We had ours weighed on front and back axles and the the overall gross weight. We got a printout and it all cost £4 only. Very nice young lady who was extremely helpful.

[foxy]

West Yorkshire Trading Standards, Gildersome, Jct 27 M62 have a do it youself weigh bridge for no charge 24/7.

 

Foxy

[Dave Newell]

I use my local scrapyard weighbridge and as I don't need a ticket (more to come) they don't charge me. What is the point of a printout anyway? All it proves is that at the time of the weighing your vehicle weighed what the ticket says! There is nothing to say you didn't weigh the vehicle and then go home and load it. The only time you are likely to be challenged on this, certainly in the UK, is if you get stopped and weighed by the MfT in which case your printed ticket is superceded by theirs.

 

So somebody, please, explain to me the necessity for having a printout. I just don't get it!

 

D.

[Mickt]

Hi Derek, can you tell me the email address for Michelin re tyre presures as when i have tried to contact them in the past i have had no reply. Thanks in advance

[Guest Frank Wilkinson]

Mickt - 2007-01-14 5:49 PM Hi Derek, can you tell me the email address for Michelin re tyre presures as when i have tried to contact them in the past i have had no reply. Thanks in advance

This is the one that I was given. If you read it carefully it does invite you to contact them.  There's a contact button at the top of the page.

http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/auto/auto_cons_bib_press.jsp

[Mike Chapman]

Hello Frank,

 

Just a few comments about the Weighbridge operations and charges.

 

Not all weighbridges give accurate readings if used for weighing individual axles as the positioning of the vehicle on the weighbridge and therefore the amount of weight off the weighbridge can distort the reading. This is because the whole vehicle weighbridge needs the vehicle to be centrally placed in relation to the load cells. For vehicles in the 3500 kg group this variance is however likely to be quite small.

 

To get accurate axle weights needs either a drive over weighbridge or drive over axle weigher. The latter are used by many transport companies to check their vehicles axle weights as they leave a depot fully loaded.

 

There are also individual wheel weighing devices available to the public and costing approximately £100. These record up to four individual readings and an overall total for the vehicle (Assuming four wheels). These are similar to the weighing devices used by the vehicle inspectorate for roadside weight checks. I am desperately tring to remember the name of the manufacturer and will post the name on here when found.

 

As far as charges are concerned the operative may have no choice in deciding what to charge if a ticket is issued and some weighbridges automatically produce a ticket. This is implemented to avoid fraud by the operatives especially where cash sales are concerned. Each weighbridge ticket will have a value and the operative will have to balance the books at the end of the day. In such industries as gravel extraction, waste landfill operation etc., the charge will be calculated according to the load type and weight by double weighing and charging the difference. The weighbridge software may not allow the operative to modify this routine. Having said that £30 does seem a bit (a lot) steep.

 

I have found that the Council run weighbridges are some of the most flexible and I have not yet paid for a weight ticket(s). Phone first and arrange to get a weighing done outside their busy times.

 

For weighbridges see website www.chrishodgetrucks.co.uk

 

 

Weighing device is Reich Weight Control unit see website www.reich-web.com

 

Regards,

 

Mike.