Is YOUR van OVERLOADED ?

Hi motherhen

Its amazing how much EXTRA sway you get when jerrycans etc are fitted to the rear of the van.

On another point .... what if those jerrycans are filled with petrol ? I wouldn't want to be in a tail-ender with it.

Mal

Malcoilm

I am pretty sure jerry cans containing petrol are a no no on the rear of trailers or caravans.

Regards
Paul H

Hi Paul

I'm sure they are but have you seen any on the backs of vans? I have.

Just like its a no no to tow an overloaded caravan/trailer.

Malcolm

I've often wondered about that when I've been on the highways behind caravans and they've been swaying and bobbing all over the place. Overloaded vehicles on the highway worry me.

hi road warrior
it worries me too and im always very reluctant to overtake them and usually choose to hangwell back
i have read recently where rd traffic police in NT and NSW are now pulling caravans over and checking the weights of the vans and towing rig and in NSW some poeple have been told to leave their van on the side of the road until they reduce its weight i read this only yesterday
i also see a lot of very obviously overloaded rigs traveling w.a roads and its about time the authorities clamped down on them
bring it on
they are putting themselves and everyone else in a very dangerous cenario they are accidents just waiting to happenand little do they realize the insurance is nul and void if you are found to be overloaded
police are also doing far more detailed investigations when an accident happens to resolve why and what can/will avoid these events
people seem to have forgotten the old rule of thumb when loading their rigs
that being
quote: it was the last straw that broke the camels back ?
some of them are doing 110 instead of 100kph which is the W.A legall towing speed
cheers barry

How right you are ozjohn

What brought me to start this thread is I am actually selling my van (see my link in signature) and have already had my van re-engineered to 2500kg with a Qld Tpt Blue Plate fitted. See my photos in the ad.

Once, when travelling from Mt Isa to Townsville, I spotted an old around 26 foot two door van being towed by an old falcon sedan with no WDH etc.Young kids running around everywhere. My wife and I said a prayer that God keep those kids safe.

Malcolm

Don't forget the insurance implications with modified vans, even if an engineers certificate obtained.

This is part of insurance info on an online site

Caravans are usually only covered if they are in their original condition and used for caravanning. If you have converted your caravan for business purposes, or the caravan has been largely modified or is used as a permanent dwelling then you will not be covered by a standard caravan insurance plan.

The link

Pedro

Excuse my ignorance, but how can you have the ATM increased above the 400 kg limit ???
Ken

Ken, I'm not sure of what you mean by the "400kg limit".

If you read ozjohn post above you will then know how to increase your ATM.

Malcolm

Hello Malcolm
I am under the impression that you can only load 400kgs of water ,personal effect and food above the tare weight of a dual axle van, so in relation to ozjohns reply it does not state how you can increase the atm to 2500kgs in this instance (load increase of 900kg)?
Ken

Hi Ken,

I have never heard of that 400kg limitation. I could be wrong - wouldn't be the first time ;-) Can you please point me to a reference?

I have three water tanks under the van. Each can be full (or empty) by a series of taps. No need to carry extra water when not necessary.

When I bought the van its weight was already OVER the manufacturer's ATM - that is why I upgraded the suspension. Now, on a single axle van it is pretty damn hard to get all the boxes ticked. But we did ... 3 tonne axle, 12" electric brakes, 10 ply tyres, springs upgraded. Being over 2000kg it also needed an electric breakaway controller (which had already been fitted by the manufacturer - go figure).

The van was then certified by a registered QT Mechanical Engineer (and I can tell you he's real fussy about doing things right). He is the one that actually fits the certification plate to the drawbar.

Malcolm

Hello Malcolm
I saw it in the caravanners forum under "caravan tare weights again" and had:

But aren't most dual axle vans just stamped with an ATM of tare plus 400kg? And if that's the case, then payload for your own goodies will be a lot less if 50kg of your ATM has gone with the spare wheel.
I have seen this in a number of posts on various forums and I have been trying to get a van that I can tow with the prado that will be within the legal ATM requirement
This subject should be straight forward but with the number of posts, still confused
Ken

One of the things which prevented me taking my ATM higher than I did was the
GTM specified on the chassis plate

So if you van had an ATM of ???? its GTM would be less so how did you get around that as I couldnt.


As far as the insurance was, my van was not modified in any way whatever.

It was just replated to take the ATM to the legal maximum which it wasnt originally, so didnt affect that at all.

Many thanks
I have just been trying to keep mine under 2500kg but did not know you could any more than 400kg,but this answers the question
Ken

hi All
When you buy a new van this is when you have to be very careful or you will be duped by the dealer as i have been.

Hello snailbait
Agree fully as most saleman are there because they can talk that much b****s** that it sounds believable
I also had been duped badly and never again
Just a pity we can't name and shame to stop honest consumers continaully being ripped off
Ken