Is Our New Camper Overweight? We check to find out!

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Күн бұрын

We thought it was about time to see if our new Westfalia Sven Hedin was overweight or just how close we are to the 3500kg registered max weight it is.
Come and join us to see as we use the Reich Caravan Scale to find out!
You can find the details on the scale here: reich-easydriver.com/en/produ...
A really big thank you to Wandahome at South Cave who couldn't have done more for us over the last year and in preparing our new camper. Check out their website if you'd like to see more details, wandahome.online
Keep a look out for our other new videos coming to the channel soon and a BIG thank you to all of our wonderful subscribers - we have been blown away by how many of you are now following what we are doing. We can’t wait to share more content with you.
Take care, sit back and grab yourself some Campervan Time !
Check out our merchandise shop at: shop.campervantime.co.uk
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Contact: contact@campervantime.co.uk
#campervan #weight #motorhome
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Пікірлер: 56

@california_clarky 2 ай бұрын

It would be interesting if you could do this exercise at the weigh bridge and then compare the accuracy of the scales

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Good idea

@tripswithgriff 2 ай бұрын

Get it on a certified weighbridge asap if I were you. Then get it up plated to 3900kg - it's an easy paperwork exercise and takes a few weeks. We just did it to make sure no issues asnifnyou had an accident and we're over weight they could throw the book at you, especially if anyone was injured. Just not worth the risk when you can drive c1 anyway.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately Sarah doesn’t have C1 - she was too young to take her test before it was removed as an entitlement

@stevezodiac491 2 ай бұрын

Simple solution is to get a camping trailer. Put a lot of the extra gear in there. Mind you Sarah might not like it lol.

@ChloeGirlDoggie 2 ай бұрын

This video came out just after we checked the weight of our '88 Westy fully loaded! Always good information to keep in mind.

@janetbowen7854 2 ай бұрын

Thank you, we will get our campervan weighed at a weigh bridge, we're 204 4MO, LWB T6.1 with a Fiamma awning, we're both of an age we could up plate as we have C1 on our driving licences.

@stephenrussell6074 2 ай бұрын

If you fill the spare space in the van with Helium balloons, around 4 cu m you can reduce the weight by almost 4.5 kg which is quite a lot of extra food.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

I like that idea 😀

@Pdevantier 2 ай бұрын

Hallo.. I like the videos and I have been following since the good old cali days..yes weight is an issue to be careful about.. I have a cali. And I had it on a weight recently.. it was ready to travel. I pack light (old soldier) me, full diesel tank, to gas bottles, some clothes and food.. and other lightweight accessories. 2750 kg! And my limit on registration is 3000 kg! Ps. No water in tank.. But hey it’s a clever device you tested..

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Good spare payload there 👍

@andyelliot3428 2 ай бұрын

That looks like a really useful gadget to own. Will go find some other reviews on accuracy. Also, regarding the continual challenge of keeping weight down, we found outside chairs from Helinox (Helios Sunset chairs) - super light, super compact and comfortable. Quite pricey but worth it (we have a VW T6.1 T28 conversion so payload is limited).

@claretaylor7434 2 ай бұрын

Great video thank you. We've often wondered about the weight of ours. 😊

@travellingtaylors8352 2 ай бұрын

Svtech seem to be the go to company to upweight to 3700-3900kg. Costs approximately £360

@travelcampervansandmore 2 ай бұрын

Great tool. Be aware though you could be overweight under 3.5T. A bit concerned about my Columbus too!

@andyblake1849 2 ай бұрын

Oooh, bit tight eh, be interesting to see how accurate it is & compare when near a weighbridge.

@JayneHughes1203 2 ай бұрын

Be interesting to see if there is a variation with the weight given by that tool and an actual weigh bridge. Just to ensure it's giving you a correct result . Interesting topic though, and something we all need to be aware of. As we use ours as a day van as well asxa mobile office, we store a lot of unnecessary items in the garage unless we are going camping. I'd be very interested in knowing how heavy our CV20 is fully laden for a holiday.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Yes we need to get to a weigh bridge at some point.

@peterlukaszewski 2 ай бұрын

You might want to compare your gizmo against a weighing station so you can factor in any deviation in the event your scale shows a bit high. In my reckoning (I don't know if it's true) you might be getting a bit of extra weight by doing each wheel separately.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Good point, will check it out

@robww5921 2 ай бұрын

So I've just been doing mine and at same time a massive debate on the FB group I'm on. You have 4 belted seats. If pulled over, they can apparently take weight of van, add on 75kg for each passenger regardless of whether in or not, add up for a full fuel tank and for full and gas water tank. Up to discretion of person who pulls you over. This has got me thinking now as I have 5 belted seats. Was never planning on camping with all 5 - just around town etc but not camping equipment etc. so now looking into how we get upgraded licence and how right van to be safe!! Ahhhh

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

It’s a complicated area !

@ianhewlett647 29 күн бұрын

The police or dsva will weigh you as is, ie everyone travelling with you in the vehicle. I have used those weigh pads and compared to professional ones they are pretty accurate especially if you perform to the test three times as suggested. You can send them away to Reich to be recalibrated too.

@duncangibson9235 2 ай бұрын

Have you both got C1 licenses? I’d be looking to upplate to 3.88t which is just a paper exercise. My BoxDrive came on 3.88t plate and we’ve got 550kg of payload (it’s a 4x4 chassis though so weighs a tad more than yours).

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately Sarah doesn’t have C1 - she was too young to take her test before it was removed as an entitlement

@carlfraz1869 2 ай бұрын

Hi to you both, I did express my concern having found we were also such a heavy build. Not sure what your front axle is? Ours is 2.1 tonnes which allowed us to up plate to 4.2T. Seriously don’t muck about trying to weigh things to the nearest gram, you will be over!! Just up plate it to give the comfort you need. Fully loaded we are LWB at 3750kgs. So a spare 450gs we will never need. If you can only get to 3900kgs at least you can take chairs food clothes etc. You can’t go off grid camping without water!!! I assume you guys have C1 driving licences!!!?

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately Sarah doesn’t have C1 - she was too young to be able to pass her test before it was removed as an entitlement

@dcrilley9624 Ай бұрын

The payload on a SH Special Edition looks to be about 300-330kgs with the options individually weighed. Camper Sales in Burgess Hill usefully weigh all of the SE tackle in their PDF's for each vehicle. Circa 300kgs is not enough for comfort and peace of mind. I am surprised it is this low given the absence of a spare wheel, the omission of any second bed, the absence of a pop-top and Westfalia's supposed capability for using innovative, lightweight materials in their modern van conversions. If the Camper Sales figures are right, the vehicle needs up plating and Sarah will be better off doing the extra bit of work needed to secure the higher class of licence.

@CampervanTime Ай бұрын

It’s worth remembering that Westfalia quote their base vehicle weight including a 75kg driver, full water tank (100L/kg), 90% full of diesel and a gas cylinder and hook up extension cable as that’s what they class mass in running order. If comparing with others worth checking what their inclusions are just to compare like with like.

@clivebaker9720 2 ай бұрын

Just a thought but what about the calibration - guessing its accurate from purchase but after some use ?

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Good question. Doesnt say anything about that in the docs.

@paulowen4512 2 ай бұрын

I wonder about the accuracy of your scales... perhaps it would be good to confirm these impressions with a weighbridge or a set of racecar weight pads. It certainly scares me a little that your Westfalia is so close to the limit. Our Grand California 600 comes with 4motion in New Zealand, so there's a heavy driveshaft and diff to account for as well. VW NZ quote a 699kg payload and a Gross Vehicle Mass of 3880kg so it seems there's obviously a bit more load freedom with this down under model.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Yes we will look to get them checked vs a weighbridge

@andrewstevenson6540 2 ай бұрын

I wouldn't panic just take what's required for specific journeys. I've seen loads of 3500kg Transit pickups that must be 5 tons and towing trailers 😂 Slow up for speed bumps and big potholes and you'll be alright 👍

@carlfraz1869 2 ай бұрын

If you are caught overweight and involved in an accident you have no insurance as it is voided and you get points on your licence. I am sure they are not going to risk their new pride n joy at significant cost to them and run it illegally as per the Transhits you refer to which probably have no MOT, no Road Tax or insurance anyway!

@andrewstevenson6540 2 ай бұрын

@@carlfraz1869 I used to have a Swift Escape 3300KG which only had around 370KG payload. That van handled better the more weight you put in it. I always brimmed the onboard fresh water and drove the family from Scotland to Portugal and back no problem. If you resell a van that's over 3500KG potential buyers will be put off.

@carlfraz1869 2 ай бұрын

@@andrewstevenson6540 Sorry but that is just irresponsible to exceed any vehicles GVW. I am glad DVSA are tightening up on this and using WIMS to further find and prosecute people. It’s no good having a vehicle that can’t carry any load, but if you want to sell it on after it’s been up plated simply reverse the process and down plate back to 3500kgs. There is no way I would have considered running my van weighing 3750kgs without up plating it to a satisfactory limit above its current weight.

@bluemanchester4344 2 ай бұрын

@@carlfraz1869But it can be played to 3900kg so it's not unsafe. Illegal yes but not unsafe.

@pamdooner9922 2 ай бұрын

Could Sarah not take a test to get her C1? Here in France you can I'm sure

@nordnung 2 ай бұрын

Nice, what weight is written in the technical catalog from Westfalia? 3050kg?

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Need to have a look at that.

@nordnung 2 ай бұрын

@@CampervanTime For SH: Mass in running order (VO (EU) 1230/2012)* 3,002 kg Permissible vehicle weight 3,500 kg Payload** 498 kg link:www.westfalia-mobil.com/0downloaddocs/0_saisonumstellung/2022_SvenHedin_Katalog_EN_Homepage.pdf

@ianhewlett647 29 күн бұрын

Insist on an actual empty weight from the dealer before purchase so you have a good idea what you are dealing with. Too many motorhomes and campervans are way overweight.

@stephenrussell6074 2 ай бұрын

I wonder if you were ever overweight in the California. With 4WD they don’t leave a lot for payload. Especially if you have a towbar and locking diff. We up-plated ours to 3400 with the Air Suspension. Not that we intend to load it but we knew we would be close to the 3080. Why don’t you just get the payload rating increased and take away all the worries. Only a few hundred as other people have said.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately Sarah doesn’t have C1 - she was too young to take her test before it was removed as an entitlement

@stephenrussell6074 2 ай бұрын

@@CampervanTime Sarah should take the test well worth it, you will enjoy your van a lot more and it is likely you will have it a long time. Also more options in the future. About £1000 all in for 4 day or 1 week courses and having driven the MAN it should be straightforward. Definitely worth it and easier the sooner you do it.

@darrenwhyman4539 2 ай бұрын

You then have to ask yourself are my wheels strong enough ? Most even hi load are only rated at 850kg each, and I still see some vans with car wheels on 😱

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

Ours are ok to 1050kg (the OZ wheels) plus then you need the right tyre load rating too.

@richardsracingmad 2 ай бұрын

According to Westfalia you should have 498kg payload with 90% fuel, 100% water and gas cylinder, toolkit and extension cable…plus allowing for a 75kg driver. Either their figures are wrong or your scales are out I think.

@CampervanTime 2 ай бұрын

But is the Westfalia figure for the regular Sven or the Limited Edition model that has all the options on, like second battery, under floor heating, shower duck board, awning, 2nd roof light etc etc.

@bluemanchester4344 2 ай бұрын

He's added the weight of his wife, dog, large camping chairs, table and other items onboard the scales would appear to be quite accurate?

@neildean7515 2 ай бұрын

I would just weigh the basics including people travelling in Normal mode. Then simply simply weigh the spare stuff and decide what to take???

@SH-pg1wo 2 ай бұрын

Go to SV Tech and upweight it. Problem solved. C1 licence required.

@stevebennett6727 2 ай бұрын

It’s a huge problem in the motorhome and campervan world. Most 7 metre plus motorhomes will be over the 3500kg limit without loading them too much. You can update which for most is a paperwork excercise so nothing mechanical is done. It’s a bit of a farce tbh. How can a bit of paperwork make your campervan any safer? Bit of a scam really is t it? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️