Watch your weight

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Discussion

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Thursday 25th July 2019
quotequote all
On a recent extended driving trip in France we were pulled over twice by the gendarmes in random laybys for a weight check. This involves us driving onto scales and then they checked the VIN plate of the vehicle. The V5 registration document, my insurance and my license to prove I could drive that weight. As I am 53 you have what is called grandfather rights which means I can drive anything up to 7.5 tons without an additional license. Our van is rated at up to 4.5 tons.

Apparently the fine is very high if you are over weight so just a word of warning if you are in any way unsure go to a local weighbridge.

We managed to establish in our poor French that they are doing this a lot more nowadays

oblio

5,396 posts

226 months

Thursday 25th July 2019
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Thanks for this...good info.yes

I'll share it across some MH forums if I may...


Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Thursday 25th July 2019
quotequote all
oblio said:
Thanks for this...good info.yes

I'll share it across some MH forums if I may...

Yeah sure. Also make sure you have all of your documents with you as they were very interested in my license

Evolved

3,553 posts

186 months

Thursday 25th July 2019
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Another reason to avoid the French! biggrin

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Thursday 25th July 2019
quotequote all
Luckily everything was in order and correct. So we were waved on our way no problem

Fast and Spurious

1,295 posts

87 months

Thursday 25th July 2019
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Evolved said:
Another reason to avoid the French! biggrin
Quite difficult when driving in France.

oblio

5,396 posts

226 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Thanks and Im glad it worked out for out Mr L thumbup

It seems it is widespread. One response on a MoHo forum from a member there....

"They collared me last year, weighed both axles, it looked as though I
was I was 1.2 tonnes overweight, whereas I knew I was 1.9 tonnes
underweight. Which they didn't seem to think was credible, spent
quite a bit of time looking at the VIN plate before they embarrassingly
realised that my van just happened to look very similar to a much lighter
MGVW model. But I couldn't laugh could I! They showed me an A4 sized frontal
image of my van and very crisp and clear it was too, could easily identify the driver
and passenger. It's those light coloured gantries right across the road here and there
festooned with a dozen cameras that click you."

smile

JapanRed

1,559 posts

110 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Thanks for this OP. We are planning to go to France next year so useful to know. I gained my licence after 1997 so earlier this year did my B+E test. My online driving licence states

“You can drive vehicles up to 3,500kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) with up to 8 passenger seats and a driver with a trailer weighing up to 3,500kg”

Does this mean my car (BMW X5) fully laiden with passengers can weigh up to 3500kg, plus my caravan (also fully maiden) can also weigh up to 3500kg?

Sorry if this sounds daft. I knew I needed to do my test but haven’t really been 100% sure on what it allows.

EDIT:
To update this I’ll add the spec of both car and caravan.

X5
kerbweight 2185kg
85% Kw 1857kg (not sure what this means)
Max towing limit 3500kg

Caravan
Unlaiden mass 1584kg
Max laiden mass 1900kg.

So presumably I can load 316kg of gear into the caravan to stay within the 1900kg weight?
What’s the maximum load I can put in the car?

Edited by JapanRed on Friday 26th July 10:00

chasingracecars

1,696 posts

96 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Nope it’s upto the MTPLM of the caravan which is never much more then it weighs empty and the max weight of the car in question.

JapanRed

1,559 posts

110 months

Friday 26th July 2019
quotequote all
chasingracecars said:
Nope it’s upto the MTPLM of the caravan which is never much more then it weighs empty and the max weight of the car in question.
Sorry, is the MTPLM of my caravan 1900kg then?

Rosscow

8,723 posts

162 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Yes, the MPTLM of the caravan is 1900kg.

But the maximum weight of your car will not be 3500kg - that's the just the maximum weight you are allowed to drive on your license.

So for example, if your cars MAXIMUM gross weight is say 2700kg, and your caravans MPTLM is 1900kg then the maximum train weight will be these two added together - 4600kg.

Rosscow

8,723 posts

162 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Look in your car handbook - it should give you the maximum gross weight allowed.

JapanRed

1,559 posts

110 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Thanks again for all the help. I know they are daft/newbie questions but I’d rather be certain for when we go to France. I will look in the handbook when I get home after work to confirm but I’ve found a figure of 3030kg online.

So assuming the above is correct;
3030kg max mass - 2185kg Kerbweight = luggage plus all occupants can weigh 845kg.

Max mass of car 3030kg, plus max mass of caravan 1900kg = 4930kg. I am ok to tow this on my B+E licence hopefully?

Thanks again.


Edited by JapanRed on Friday 26th July 10:39

chasingracecars

1,696 posts

96 months

Friday 26th July 2019
quotequote all
JapanRed said:
Thanks again for all the help. I know they are daft/newbie questions but I’d rather be certain for when we go to France. I will look in the handbook when I get home after work to confirm but I’ve found a figure of 3030kg online.

So assuming the above is correct;
3030kg max mass - 2185kg Kerbweight = luggage plus all occupants can weigh 845kg.

Max mass of car 3030kg, plus max mass of caravan 1900kg = 4930kg. I am ok to tow this on my B+E licence hopefully?

Thanks again.


Edited by JapanRed on Friday 26th July 10:39
That’s a seriously heavy tow car. You also can’t put all 4930kg in one vehicle. Each must not weigh more then the plated weight. So if you disconnect neither are too heavy.

JapanRed

1,559 posts

110 months

Friday 26th July 2019
quotequote all
chasingracecars said:
JapanRed said:
Thanks again for all the help. I know they are daft/newbie questions but I’d rather be certain for when we go to France. I will look in the handbook when I get home after work to confirm but I’ve found a figure of 3030kg online.

So assuming the above is correct;
3030kg max mass - 2185kg Kerbweight = luggage plus all occupants can weigh 845kg.

Max mass of car 3030kg, plus max mass of caravan 1900kg = 4930kg. I am ok to tow this on my B+E licence hopefully?

Thanks again.


Edited by JapanRed on Friday 26th July 10:39
That’s a seriously heavy tow car. You also can’t put all 4930kg in one vehicle. Each must not weigh more then the plated weight. So if you disconnect neither are too heavy.
The X5 is a big car. The caravan is 27 foot twin axle which is also big. The 4930kg includes the weight of the actual car and caravan.

By plated weight do you mean MTPM? (3030kg for car and 1900kg for caravan = 4930kg total).

chasingracecars

1,696 posts

96 months

Friday 26th July 2019
quotequote all
Yep so your car can weigh 3030kg max and the caravan can weigh 1900kg. You can’t borrow 30kg from the car to make the caravan 1930kg as that’s the maximum the caravan is allowed to take. Avoid running the caravan at max weight and the X5 at min weight as they will then be closer. You are far better running the car with max weight.

Don’t forget the tow hitch for on the caravan adds around 90kg to the car.

oblio

5,396 posts

226 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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...and the usual reminders about careful packing and distribution of the weight in the caravan and watching your speed in France etc

smile

JapanRed

1,559 posts

110 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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Sorry for hijacking the thread OP but thanks for all the replies. I’ve checked in the handbook and all sorted now.

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Friday 26th July 2019
quotequote all
Exactly the reason I posted

Watchman

6,391 posts

244 months

Friday 26th July 2019
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JapanRed said:
The X5 is a big car. The caravan is 27 foot twin axle which is also big. The 4930kg includes the weight of the actual car and caravan.

By plated weight do you mean MTPM? (3030kg for car and 1900kg for caravan = 4930kg total).
Ooh interesting. What is it? I am (still) looking to buy a massive caravan. So far my only requirement is twin axle and as large as I'm allowed to tow with a Merc GL (3500kg) on my own "grandfather rights" licence.

I had understood the max length to be 26ft unless you tow with a commercial vehicle but that may be an incorrect length associated with a poor conversion from a metric measurement.

Whilst looking at "as big as I can tow" vans, some of the new vans I saw at the NEC show earlier this year we're touted as 8ft wide. They were notably bigger inside but I wondered whether they might just be a tad too wide in the UK? I last towed a conventionally wide 26footer through Wales quite confidently but then I saw a similar one struggle through Devon which made me think again.