Please educate me on allowed Van weight. (Payload? Weight? Kerb Weight)

FrankFalcon

Hi all

I am hoping somebody can educate me here on van weights.  So, a couple of years ago I bought a Peugeot Boxer (L2H2) Panel Van and had it professionally converted to a campervan.  Next year we want to travel to France & Spain in the van but after reading some literature I am led to believe that if you are stopped by the police in France you must know the dimensions (Height, weight etc) of your van.  So, the official dimensions of the van (before it was converted) are as below:

Vehicle: Boxer 335 2.2HDi 120 L2H2

Load Volume (m3) 11.5

Gross Payload (Kg) 1575

Gross Vehicle Weight (Kg) 3500

Kerb Weight (Kg) 1925

So, as I understand it... The van unladen is 1575KG (Gross Payload) and I am allowed to put 1,925KG of weight in the van (because 1575KG + 1925KG = 3500KG) to stay legal? Please tell me if I have this right.
What is Kerb Weight etc etc?

So, today, I went to a local weighbridge and had the van weighed with me in the driver seat.  They told me it is 3240KG.  Does this mean that I literally only have 260KG left before I exceed 3.5KG and the van will be overweight?  If so, what are the UK penalties? If you are 1KG over is it the same as being a ton over?

I am a bit worried because if I add my wife, that's another 60KG before I put any Water in the van or my back rack on.

Thanks in advance all.

DullGreyGuy

Kerb weight is how much the van weighs with its standard options and a full tank of fuel, it won't include the weight of any fitments you've added to it

Gross Payload is the maximum you can put in the van but that will in principle also include extras you've added to the van

Gross Vehicle Weight is the maximum weight all in that the vehicle can safely operate at 

In the UK exceeding the maximum mass is a tiered offence based on the percentage you are over weight, starts off at £100 and no penalty points up to £300 if dealt with as a penalty notice, if it goes to court instead then things can go up much higher. 

Nobbie1967

Not quite, kerb weight is the unladen weight, gross payload is how much extra weight you can add with loads and people. Sounds like you’ve added a lot of weight during the conversion. Being overweight is a yes/no offence so technically a kg overweight gets you a penalty, but the fines are graduated. Not sure about the rules in France though. 

Car_54

As above. The kerb weight and payload are now irrelevant since you've added fittings, the only relevant limit is the GVW. That can't be exceeded legally, either here or in France.

So yes, your conclusion is correct, you don't have much weight to play with.

BTW the term Gross Vehicle Weight is long obsolete. It was superseded by Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), and later by Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM). However the principles, and the numbers, are unchanged

FrankFalcon

Thanks guys...
So, as I understand it...
My van was weighed this morning at 3240 KG.  I add my wife (60kg).  A full tank of fuel (60kg), Fill Water tank (60kg)  and 2 bikes at a combined weight of 70KG.  This adds up to 3490.  I have 10KG left to play with.
Thanks guys

mr_stripey

FrankFalcon said:

Thanks guys...
So, as I understand it...
My van was weighed this morning at 3240 KG.  I add my wife (60kg).  A full tank of fuel (60kg), Fill Water tank (60kg)  and 2 bikes at a combined weight of 70KG.  This adds up to 3490.  I have 10KG left to play with.
Thanks guys

leave the wife at home. Use the spare weight for beers

Goudy

At this point you only need to worry about GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight). Which for the 335 version of this van is 3500kg.

If you are stopped and weighed, it's the GVW value that decides on if you are ok or not.

But your assumptions are right.
Kerb Weight (van and tank of fuel without any cargo, passengers or optional equipment) plus Gross Payload gives you your Gross Vehicle Weight.

Fines in the UK as already mentioned are graduated, but fines generally start at 5% (though I expect they might start lower if you have a bad attitude).
5 to 9.9% is £100
10 to 14% is £200
15+% is £300
30% or more and it's usually a trip to court with a possible dangerous driving charge.

With the above you will get either a prohibition notice (can't drive until the weight is reduced) or a direction to drive notice (so you can drive somewhere they say is safe to unload).

In France things are a little different. 
Up to 5% and it's a minimum fine of 135 euro and a max of 1500 euro.
Over 5% and they will confiscate it.

teaselMay

I'm surprised at that weight with a commercial conversion. Mine is a long high transit with a 15 m3 load volume. For longevity and cost I used repurposed wood, pine not thin laminated ply etc, and spruce cladding on the walls. It's a rugged old thing that works well for us. Loaded up, full tank of diesel and everything we take away it's 3.05 tonnes.

Check your most recent MOT brake check document if you have one that'll give you the axle and wheel weights too, it's important that it's not just below maximum overall weight but that none of the wheels/axles are over laden

Herzlos

FrankFalcon said:

So, today, I went to a local weighbridge and had the van weighed with me in the driver seat.  They told me it is 3240KG.  Does this mean that I literally only have 260KG left before I exceed 3.5KG and the van will be overweight?  If so, what are the UK penalties? If you are 1KG over is it the same as being a ton over?

The police can weigh the vehicle and prevent you moving it until it's under 3500kg. If you're lucky that's just a case of emptying a water tank or it may mean that your wife needs to get a taxi.

They may let you off with 1kg if you pass the attitude test, but I wouldn't rely on it.

Your other option would be to offload some weight (bikes, water, etc, not the wife) onto a small trailer as your van will presumably be able to tow at least another 1500kg.

Mildly_Miffed

FrankFalcon said:

Thanks guys...
So, as I understand it...
My van was weighed this morning at 3240 KG.  I add my wife (60kg).  A full tank of fuel (60kg), Fill Water tank (60kg)  and 2 bikes at a combined weight of 70KG.  This adds up to 3490.  I have 10KG left to play with.
Thanks guys

10kg for all your clothes, food, stuff...

70kg for two bikes? Armour plated?

Empty the water tank, and fill it when you arrive at the campsite.

Remember, that's 10kg until your van is illegally overloaded.

A trailer's great, but remember that you want about 75kg of noseweight (weight down through the towbar), which counts towards the van's weight.

Goudy

A couple of EBikes and a suitable rack to carry them could add that.

What and how many leisure batteries are you using?
Lead acid weigh a lot, you could save a bit of weight by using LiFepo4's but you'll need to look at the charging system as well.