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Are you Overweight ? |
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This is an area of
Motorhoming that is often overlooked yet can have dire consequences
not only being fined for breaking the law but also driving a vehicle
classed "in a dangerous condition" due to the effect of the overload
on the brakes, steering, tyres and road holding. |
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Weight: Your van will almost certainly come from the manufacturer/converter with a note of its load carrying capacity. In the case of my Autosleeper Talisman this is a seemingly impressive 680kg. However before loading it to the gills with "essential" holiday items it is important to realise that this only takes account of the weight of the vehicle with body and all standard auxiliary equipment necessary for the normal operation of the vehicle plus the weight of the following items: Engine coolants (oil and water), at least 90% of the fuel capacity, Spare wheel, small tool kit. You now have to
consider the weight of "essential" items such as yourself,
passengers, clothing, bikes, drinking water, toilet water etc. Below
is an approximate guide to the weight of some of these items: |
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| Guideline Weights: | ||
| Bicycle 13kg | Motorcycle 75kg | Adult (average) 75kg |
| Towbar 12kg | Awning 25kg | Child (average) 40kg |
| Gas Cylinder (full 6kg) 13kg | Water 10gal 45kg | Bike Rack 7kg |
| Top/Back Box (Loaded) 75kg | Water 15gal 68kg | Bedding for 4 16kg |
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So we can immediately see
that 2 Adults, 2 Children, bedding and drinking water (15Gal on the
Talisman) adds up to 314Kg. Add in 2 gas bottles and some toilet
water (3 Gal) and we're at 360+ Kg without any crockery, pots and
pans, food, back box, bikes, clothing, books/magazines etc.
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Distribution: Distribution of load is another area that needs consideration. Not only should heavy items be kept as low as possible to minimise body roll but Axle loading is very important. If you hang heavy items (e.g. Bikes / Scooter ) off the rear of the van they are a long way behind the rear axle which has the effect of moving the centre of gravity towards the rear of the vehicle and lightening the front. This can cause a significant reduction in traction (resulting wheelspin) especially if climbing steep gradients, and the lighter front end makes the van more prone to wandering (imprecise steering) at speed. . |
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How to
Check: There is only one sure-fire method of checking your van's weight and distribution, and this is via a public weighbridge. The addresses of these can be found in the yellow pages and the cost is usually about £5 . You need to load the van fully as though you were going on holiday, complete with passengers, then have each axle weight measured individually. This will give you your axle loading, and adding them together will provide the Gross vehicle weight. |
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