I looked at the vehicle identification plate on my Hymer motorhome, to try and work out what it all means and how much stuff I can cram in before going overweight.
How Can I Work out the Payload for My Motorhome? In simple terms some easy maths and taking your motorhome to a weighbridge. The numbers on the Vehicle Identification Plate will help you to make the calculation.
Working out the payload for your motorhome can sometimes seem like taking on advanced calculus or string theory. Let’s try and demystify the whole process.
What is Payload for a Motorhome?
The payload is pretty much everything other than the motorhome itself, although even that isn’t entirely accurate.
The payload is not your fresh water, your fuel, you, your passengers or the dog. All of those are considered as part of the motorhome weight. The payload is when you start to add stuff.
Adding payload to your motorhome includes all your food, clothes, books, shoes and of course, beer and wine.
Individually an item doesn’t appear to weigh much and that is true. It is when you start to add all those items together that you can end up exceeding the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of the vehicle.
Considering what we all like to take from home, it is easy to add many kilos to your payload weight. Do you need to have three different pairs of sandals? Each? How many maps and guidebooks will you start with and can they be downloaded to your laptop or tablet?
Let’s look at the starting point for working out just how much, or little headroom you have for your desired payload.
Motorhome Vehicle Identification Plate Explained
This typical plate shows everything you need to know.
- Model Number
- Serial Number
- Manufacturer’s Name
- Approval Number or Building Stage
- Manufacturer’s Vehicle Identification Number
- Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM)
- Total Towing (Train) Weight
- Front Axle Load
- Rear Axle Load
- Third Axle Load
You may find additional blank areas or sets of numbers at the top right of the plate, as not all manufacturers follow an identical layout.
Items one to four in this example are self-explanatory, so let’s explore the rest in turn.
5. Manufacturer’s Vehicle Identification Number
This is the number that, in this case, Hymer, allocated to the vehicle build. This is not the same as the ‘VIN’ number shown on your V5C document.
6. Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM)
This is often referred to as the gross vehicle weight.
In the sample plate pictured above, the maximum authorised mass is 3,200 kilos.
MAM is the maximum total of everything. The van, the driver and passengers, water, fuel, clothes, food, right down to the last pen and pencil. Everything.
Exceeding the MAM will affect your overall control of the motorhome, could put a strain on the suspension and, perhaps more importantly invalidate your insurance. The last part may not only result in a fine and points on your licence but make you personally liable for any accident with your insurance company refusing to pay.
There is one very simple way to know your current MAM and that is to visit a weighbridge (see below).
Once you know the actual MAM, you will know whether you can add an extra pair of sandals, or if you are going to need to drastically prune what you have in the van.
7. Total Towing (Train) Weight
This is the highest figure shown on the plate, in the example 4,500 kilos.
What this means is the maximum weight of your motorhome and any trailer you tow. So, is the solution to being overweight to shift stuff into a trailer? Well, maybe, but you will still need to be inside the MAM for the motorhome whether you have a trailer attached or not.
And not everyone wants to tow a trailer down those charming narrow roads in Cornwall. You know, the one where the double-decker bus coming the other way and YOU have to reverse up the hill with the trailer. Trust me, I have seen this attempted.
8. Front Axle Weight
9. Rear Axle Weight
One of the most common questions on motorhome weights and payloads, is why don’t the front and rear axle weight add up to the same as the maximum authorised weight?
Our example plate shows 1,650 kilos for the front axle and 1,750 kilos for the rear, a total of 3,400 kilos, whereas the MAM is 3,250 kilos. Huh?
There is a good reason why these weights don’t seem to add up and it all about weight distribution.
For each axle, there is a maximum weight, which can be determined at the weighbridge.
The front axle is, logically, all to do with the motorhome engine where most of the mass is found, along with the driver and passenger. Do you store five kilos worth of maps in the door pockets?
For the rear axle, this clearly weights the rear end of the motorhome. If you have a rear garage on your motorhome, is it very easy to stuff it with everything from bicycles to tools, ramps to awnings and every imaginable ‘spare’ you think you just might need one day.
Oops, you are overweight. The solution here is to leave some stuff at home. If the rear axle is overweight, then look to redistribute items inside the habitation area, perhaps in those always awkward to use under-seat storage areas.
If you were overweight anywhere when you visited the weighbridge, have a sort out leaving those extra sandals and other unnecessary stuff and home, re-distribute the weight more evenly and the re-weigh your motorhome.
10. Third Axle Weight
This is blank in the example, as my Hymer has just the two axels. If you have three axles, then you need to take that into account when making your calculations.
Motorhomes and Weighbridges
You should be able to find a weighbridge not too far from home. Some are run by the DVLA, others by local councils with some commercially run.
Whatever the case, the cost to weigh your motorhome will vary from free up to about £20, with £10 being fairly common.
The procedure runs something like this. Before you leave home, fill the fresh water tank and ensure your fuel tank is pretty full. Take the family and dog, or whatever combination of drivers and passengers you normally travel with.
Whether you are loaded up with all those bottles of wine makes no difference although it is best to weigh the motorhome with everything on-board as if you were off on a trip.
At the weighbridge, detach a trailer if you have one and drive on just the front axle. A weight measurement will be taken but remember the driver does need to be in the motorhome.
Secondly, drive the whole vehicle on and take a second measurement.
You now have two figures and can calculate a third. Here is an example:
Front axle 1,725 kilos, total weight (MAM) 3,515 kilos. Rear-axle 1,790 kilos, which is the total (MAM) weight, less the front axle weight. If any of the results exceed those on the plate, then you need to take some action
If you have a trailer, then attach it and weight the combination as a total (Train weight)
How did you do? A bit heavy? Time to dump some unnecessary payload and reweigh.
How Do the Police View Overweight Motorhomes?
Being overweight is an offence and you can receive a fine and perhaps points on your driving licence. Your insurance premium will also be affected, as you will need to declare the points to your insurance company.
The chance your motorhome weight will be randomly checked is negligible, but should you take the risk? For your own safety and the safety of others in your van and on the road or pavement, well no, not really.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Does my driving licence cover me for a motorhome over 3,500 kilos?* If you have C1 on your licence, then yes. C1 covers between 3,500 and 7,500 kilos MAM. However, if you took your test on or after 1 January 1997, you will need to take an additional test. More on driving licences can be found here.
What if my Motorhome exceeds 7,500 kilos?* Over 7,500 kilos, your licence needs to include category C, which is not the same as C1.
* Licence requirements can change, so check the current regulations at the DVLA website, especially if you want to tow a trailer.