Could a car take 1/2 a ton in the back?

ozvaldinho

You could take out the spare wheel, jack and toobag and keep the fuel level down. The worst that can happen is that VOSA would make you offload one of your lardy mates.
VOSA do have a number of automated drive-over weighbridge type thingies installed under the road near their testing stations, if you trigger one of those you'll get pulled over further down the road. I doubt very much you'd ever get pulled by VOSA in a car. Enforcement of commercial vehicles starts when you're 5% over the vehicled MGW, to allow for changes in the mass of the load.

mrbadexample

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

VOSA don't issued FPN's

Yes they do. Either £60, £120 or £200 for an overload.

mrbadexample

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

VOSA won't give you 5% free.

Yes they will. Verbal warning, no fixed penalty, no prohibition.

mrbadexample

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

FPN for excess weight only applies to commercial vehicles, ie car derived van and above. Use one of them for a car and they go not guilty you’ll look a prat when they walk out of court a free man.:rolleyes:

If nothing else, you can be prosecuted for overloading the tyres. In any vehicle. :whistle:

mrbadexample

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

Ok I'll admit defeat on that, must means the WIM's is up an running as type approved.

Nothing to do with WIMS. Since June, VOSA have been dishing out fixed penalties for all manner of offences.

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

They never used to before the FPN's

Actually, yes they did. At least for the last 6 years that I'm aware of.

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

That's not a straight excess load offence and if I recall didn't I say excess weight in a car is a dangerous condition offence?

I was just pointing out that regardless of whether a prosecution could be taken for axle / gross overloads or dangerous condition, overloading the tyres is a separate offence.

As far as the OP's concerned though, VOSA almost never stop private cars. It's the police he'd have to worry about, so your advice given regarding fixed penalties would still be correct, I'm sure.

Rolandtheroadie

The golf thing was just what I'd come up with as a comparable.
It's borderline no matter what way I was to do it. Unless I just dust off the trailer. It would be equivilant to Lands End to John o Groats distance wise so didnt fancy that sort of distance with a trailer on. (ok, I really mean trailer speeds).

ozvaldinho

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

Only when stopped by the police. VOSA won't give you 5% free.

I was told this by a VOSA office who stopped me. It's because liquid loads change mass according to the ambient temperautre.

scbk

Also if it starts raining your load increases

computershack

ozvaldinho wrote: »

I doubt very much you'd ever get pulled by VOSA in a car.

Plenty of people have thought that and found to the contrary, especially shed towers.

Enforcement of commercial vehicles starts when you're 5% over the vehicled MGW, to allow for changes in the mass of the load.

Source? I know drivers done for 500kg over which on a 44 tonne artic is a lot less than 5%.

Kilty_2

Why would you dangerously load a car towards/beyond it's weight limits when you can hire a van for next to nothing per day?!

Wouldn't like to stop it quickly with half a ton in the back.