Well I finally got round to weighing the van this morning and I was rather shocked at the weight, as I had meticulously weighed everything (even down to the weight of cuttlery) that we transfered into the van when we part ex'd and I knocked up a spreadsheet to keep a tally of everything.
I emailed swift as to what is included in the MIRO and there reply was Spare Wheel, Electric Cable & Step.
Me weighing everything comes to 1282kg inc 15lts of flush tank water
Weighbridge weight (full van on bridge) 1320kg
I am just baffled to where the diffenece of 40kg has come from.
Quote: Originally posted by yodel on 03/9/2011Did you forget to add to your list the winder for corner legs, hitch lock, wheel clamp and does your van have a mover fitted ?
Hi, the hitch lock, winder and wheel clamp go in the boot when travelling also no mover fitted.
I did forget the wash room stuff that prob comes to about 5kgs inc elsan chemicals
Might be worth emptying the van to ex works and weigh it again maybe the previous owners added something to it and your not aware of any mods they did....just a thought
------------- thinks this would be really funny if it weren't happening to me.
Personally, I never weigh individual items but use the weighbridge. The trouble with weighing individual items is that if your scales are slightly out, the more items you weigh the more out you get. It's unlikely to work exactly like this, but just to give you an idea of what I mean. Imagine your scales are weighing an ounce lighter than they should be. If you weigh 60 items then you will be out by 60 ounces. I know weighbridges can be slightly out, but as you are weighing just one item, you will only be 'out' once. This is just my way of looking at it.
The other thing is, I never take for granted 'what it say's on the packet'. The weights supplied by Caravan manufacturer's are only 'typical' and should be used as a guide only. They don't weigh each individual van as they load it to be delivered to the retailers. Also, from my own experience the typical weights supplied for things like awnings, portable fridges etc. should not been taken for granted. I found there was a considerable difference between what one of our awning said 'on the label' and what it actually was in reality.
Use a weighbridge when your van is 'at it's heaviest'. It's the most accurate way IMHO.
Just an aside. If you find you need more weight than your van will 'officially' allow, it might be worth contacting the manufacturer to see if they can uprate your weight plate. This can sometimes be done as most caravans are sold with a lower weight plate than they are capable of (because lighter vans are sometimes a selling point). One downside of upgrading the weight is that it will need tp be done through a dealer and may cost you - in some cases £60-70.
P.S. Just had a look at your spreadsheet. Did you include: Clothes, other personal items, things like soap, shampoo, washing up liquid etc; Towels, tee towels, Glasses, plates etc; awning pegs, mallets/lump hammer, etc; Loo roll, kitchen roll (only light, but it all adds up);
Thats a good point, will work with the weighbridge weight of 1320kg and keep the toilet empty that should put it at 1305kg, least I shouldnt have a problem then,
When we went to a public weighbridge in Scotland, the lady there told us that all public weighbridges round the weight up to the nearest 20K, i.e. if you weigh 1365 it would show a weight of 1380. Not much use really. The commercial one we went to in Preston rounded up to 10K which is a bit better but if, like us your MPTLM is 1368 and you weigh 1365, it will say you're 1370.
Don't forget all the water in the system, in the pipes, the water heater, the loo flush, the loo cassette etc. I know that when we refill the water system after it has been drained I need about 20 litres of water to fill the water heater and the pipes, and ours is a small caravan with small pipe runs. 20 litres is 20kg.
There is probably a few kg of road muck/mud underneath too.
Mind you if it is a Swift, there is probably another 20 litres of water in the walls of the van.
Have you checked the manufacturers spec sheet, if it's anything like the lorry sheets we get from dealers there'll be a tolerence on their weights & you may just have one that's a touch heavier.
Motor mover? MIRO does not include a mover so if you have one of those that could account for the extra. Never travel with a tank of water. No need en route and anyway, it sloshes around and can skew your vans stability
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Weighed Van this morning....
