Weight worries Advice please...

Vanterrier

Vanterrier

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We set off on tuesday morning with full tanks and "stuff" for a 4 week tour so I popped into the local weighbridge and confirmed my worst fear... i am overweight! 3540kg so not too bad for a 6.3M PVC. But still overweight.
I dropped half the fresh water right away =35kg and let fuel consumption do the rest for day 1.
Now I am on a mission to shed the kgs...
Watch this space...
What are your weight saving ideas?
K;)
 
Had the same problem last year while preparing to go to Spain. Never thought about it before, but got a shock when I went on the weighing machine.

Off came some of the things we don't use, like sat dish, windout awning, changed the bike carrier for a lighter one. Took everything out the van and weighed it and put it on a spreadsheet. Went back to the weigh bridge, driver, passenger, dog, 75% fuel, no water and weighed again to get the payload. Then back to the spreadsheet and threw out some more stuff, bought lightweight crockery added it up and went back to the weigh bridge - Success!!
 
Alugas cylinder, single 14 kg gives best weight per litre carried. LiFePO4 batteries, half the weight of lead acid. Lightweight semi flexible solar panels, significantly lighter than traditional glass ones. Magnesium framed e-bikes. Sadly not the cheapest options but I reckon about 40 kg saved.
 
My weight based specification is...
No wind out canopy
Removed towbar already
Have 20lit underslung lpg
Have new LAGM160 battery
Have fixed weight wife ;)
Steel wheels incl. Spare
Light alum chairs and brolley
Wooden ramps - ripe for replacement
Toolkit with some duplicates... again some small saving there.
Too many 2lit drinking water bottles
Guinness already downed ;)
Probably need fewer clothes.
Keep suggestions coming in case I am missing something obvious.
K ;)
 
Vanterrier said:
We set off on tuesday morning with full tanks and "stuff" for a 4 week tour so I popped into the local weighbridge and confirmed my worst fear... i am overweight! 3540kg so not too bad for a 6.3M PVC. But still overweight.
I dropped half the fresh water right away =35kg and let fuel consumption do the rest for day 1.
Now I am on a mission to shed the kgs...
Watch this space...
What are your weight saving ideas?
K;)
Click to expand...
I don't know were your going but they have been many over here the last few weeks my son was with them for an hour last week incase there was any problem's he said there was only one lorry driver they had to restrain but the rest where ok with it
 
Also how you devide the weight over the motorhome is important.
Its possible that you perfectly have 3500kg , but rear axle is overloaded , and that is also not allowed.
Example: 3500kg total , front 1500kg and rear 2000 kg on Max permissable axle weight of 1900kg.
So then you cant use the, already small payload totally.
 
The two max permissable axle weights will in almost every case add up to more than your max total weight , to allow for some leeway in where the load is distributed . depending on where you are traveling , it is not always necessary to fill fresh water and fuel to maximum .
 
But then even this often is not enaugh to stay below max rear. This because of how a motorhome is build( kitchen and or watertank in rear fi)
Front , because of the lower weight, can do with lower pressure . In case of CP tyres advice of motorhome- maker is often on 80 psi or 72 psi , wich then makes your expensive luxury motorhome have the comfort of an old army truck.
Often on front 58 to 50 psi is completely safe for the tires, and gives better comfort and gripp. But first let me calculate that safe pressure.

Sorry for spelling errors, English is not my native language.
 
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Just a suggestion. When home find a flat area (lawn?) and lay out everything you have in the van.
Bet you will be amazed. We did and found stuff neither of us admitted to buying.
 
No bikes to worry about.
Bought the van recently so no real clutter.
Looking for a source of lightweight water ;)
K;)
 
Now I am home I can get started on shedding weight...
My heavy wooden ramps weighed 6.5kg so I thought they were an obvious candidate. I searched for Milenco 4 level plastic ramps and was shocked to read that not only are they around 70 quid but are 7.6kg a pair!!! So, out came the drill and some time and a lot of sawdust later my trusty blocks are now around 5.5 kg and my wallet remains the same weight ;)

Next is the old warning triangle which is heavy and in a thick plastic case. On the look out for something lighter ( or maybe get the drill out again ?)

K ;)
 
Now I've arrived at my ideal set up so I really ought to take the Moho to a weighbridge for peace of mind either way. There are some handy online calculators that show the effect of reducing weight on the front axle by adding weight behind the rear one, in my case adding a 170kg scooter. Also there are online calculators for ideal tyre pressures based on a fixed load which most motorhomes are rather than running standard van tyre pressures.
 
Got stuck in today and shed:
Lengths of hose... never used as the 10 lit watering can is used.
Clothes airer.
Various tool stuff like charger ropes and bag.
Warning triangle. Will buy new lighter one.
Sun umbrella.
2 lit elsan blue - we use non bio liquid these days.
Few duplicate spanners and stuff.
Drilled loads more holes in wooden ramps.
Total weight 13.5kg!!!

Changed drinking water plan as we dont drink from on board tank but were carrying too much so...
Mineral water 6 bottles max - was 8
Tap water 2 bottles max - was 3
Thats another 6 kg

19.5 kg shed so with fewer clothes - we take far too many, and keeping an eye out to never have both fuel and water tanks full at same time I reckon I should be ok from now on.
It will be interesting to get weighed again at the start of our next trip.

K ;)
 
If you wild you really need to keep as much water as you can carry. If you just travel to sites you just need enough fir a brew. :)
 
nabsim said:
If you wild you really need to keep as much water as you can carry. If you just travel to sites you just need enough fir a brew. :)
Click to expand...
Mostly wild so like to have two days supply on board. Thats 75% full which is my new target on fillups.
K;)
 
Looking at the weigh bridge ticket again I can see that I was heavier at the front... 1840kg front 1700 kg rear. And all of the weight saving I have made so far is from the rear, although the water savings are actually between the axles but the rest is from the contents of the boot I.e. Behind the rear axle. So I cannot see the front axle weight changing which means I will probably always be lighter at the rear axle.

K :unsure:
 
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