Over the last few years, I have learned so many new skills while converting our Crafter van, I also had the opportunity meet so many amazing, friendly, like minded people, and we have embraced the van life scene and all it has to offer.
This last year I have tried to address the elephant in the room, talking about the subject no one else was talking about, overweight campervans!
We have been lucky enough to be approached to talk at the biggest Van life events of the summer of 2023, this is due to our videos we have released on the subject.
For my sins I drove 44 ton trucks for around 10 years, something I had dreamed of doing since childhood, carrying heavy loads responsibly is something you learn along the way, a kind of learn while your earn situation for me, mess up your loading of a truck and you find out the hard way, our friend VOSA are keen to point out any of your errors, and punish you accordingly, van converting scene is similar to the truck driving one with a few transferable skills, correctly loading your vehicle is one of those skills.
Straight away it became clear our van build was going to be overweight, that meaning over the maximum permitted weight advised by the manufacture.
Knowing this I had to look at what options were available to me, from past experiences, I knew that I would need to upgrade my vehicle’s ability to carry the additional weight, with that in mind I then set about researching how to legally change the amount of weight our van could carry.
This took a while to figure out, the internet is a wonderful thing, when you know what you’re looking for, but even then, it’s a minefield of disinformation and opinions.
I had lots to learn! Like how the up-plating process works, understanding vehicle weight plates, suspension upgrades, tyre loadings and wheel ratings
Armed with my new found knowledge, I started approaching specialist up plating companies to discuss our options, yes they do exist! because believe it or not lots of people find themselves in this position, from a coach built motorhomes the size of a house, with a garage space big enough to store many of the latest toys that money can buy, but only have the payload or carrying capacity of a week’s shopping, or a lorry that simply needs to carry heavier weights, these up-plating companies cater for all.
Initially I contacted the go to guys SV tech who have a proven track record in up-plating motorhomes and campervans, during our initial discussions it was obvious that I would not achieve the weights I was looking for, SV Tech worked to a model, a model that they would not and could not deviate from, this was very disappointing, I need to start thinking outside of the box
I started my search, I had heard on the grapevine of a small company in the Southeast of England, who could provide individual engineering assessments, after a few days of trawling the internet and company house website, I eventually tracked down the owner’s son, who informed me that his farther had recently passed away, they were in the process of winding up the business, and unfortunately could no longer offer this service.
I didn’t let this put me off and continued with my search, I eventually found an engineer on the internet, I started by sending an email to the company asking if they could up-plate my self-built VW Crafter, they responded with a detailed reply that answer all of my questions and much more, finally, our search was over!
His name is Dee Thorn from van weight engineering (VWE), and over time he has proved he was truly the right man for the job!
In the weeks that followed, between us we set about trying to create a van that could run at 4900kg, a real heavy weight in the self-build van world!
A fact that a lot of people don’t know, is the Mercedes sprinter and the VW Crafter are one and the same vehicle, both built by the Mercedes-Benz group, and when they roll off the production line they are down plated to 3500kg, so they can be driven on a B1 licence in Europe, rolling off the production line they can carry 3900kg, so can be up-plated with a simple paperwork exercise.
The very first step in the up-plating process is to record our vans existing set up, the make, model, size, and type, along with wheels, tyres and what suspension is currently fitted, also you’re required to give a small brief on what you have done to your van, listing any conversions you have undertaken, it’s all very simple
The engineer will put all the information into the sausage machine, and out the other end pops your van weight projection report, more simply put, what weight you can carry, reading all this information It didn’t take long to realise the figure of 4900kg I wanted, was no longer achievable.
The maximum permitted weight (MAM: maximum allowable mass) a vehicle can carry is affected by a number of items and equipment, the wheels, tyres, suspension, axels, brakes, and steering.
Knowing a little about the subject, as I had googled the life out of the subject, I had already addressed the wheels, tyres, and suspension, I had already uprated them all to carry a 5000kg load,
The engineer’s report was a bitter read, not being able to achieve the 4900kg was a blow, it took a few hours to digest the information,
the brakes and steering components did not require any improvement as they are considered acceptable for the intended application,
unfortunately, it was a different story when it came to the axels, Dee approached VW to find out what both axel on my vehicle could potentially carry, VW confirmed the axels have a maximum rating of 1800kg front, 2430kg on the rear with the correct size anti roll bars fitted, giving us a total (MAM) of 4230kg, not what we expected! However, I would still need to undertake an additional modification, we would add to add air assist to the rear axle, to achieve the 4230kg
Air assist added and photographic evidence sent to VWE along with my fee, we started the process.
VWE supply you with an up-plating pack along with a set of very clear instructions, paperwork signed, and documents updated, I posted my completed paperwork recorded delivery to the DVLA so I could track its progress.
It’s then a waiting game, the wheels of government turn slowly, apparently so do the wheels at DVLA one of their agencies, the turnaround time for the up-plating process is anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks, our V5 paperwork was returned within 4 weeks, along with a couple of surprises, the first of being my road tax was now reduced to £160 a year, the next surprise was not so good, I now owned a Private Heavy Goods Vehicle, with that comes new reduced speed limits, something I had never considered!
Being solely focused on having a road legal campervan conversion I had not considered that I was about to change how my campervan was seen, I contacted my insurance company straight away to explain what I had done, they were great and reassured me that this changed nothing for me, they also reassured me I had done the right thing by notifying them, as some insurance companies would have a different take stance on this change.
With all my ducks now aligned there was only one thing left to do, that was to fit the new van weight plate this arrived two weeks after paying VWE their fee, with strict instructions not to fit to my vehicle until I had my new V5 in hand,
Peeling the backing off the self-adhesive very new aluminium van weight plate, I placed it right over the top of the factory plate, standing back admiring my good work I took a moment, I felt very pleased with myself, I had up plated our campervan within a matter of weeks, something that six months ago I had only ever read about, Job done!
The Van Festival talks have taken me on a very different journey, I never expected to be public speaking, I never expected to be writing this article to be totally honest with you, getting the message out that overweight campervans are dangerous to the user and other road users, and are now being targeted by the Police and DVSA is an important one, more important than me being embarrassed about talking to strangers.
My main reason for me doing these talks is because of the amount of bad and incorrect information out there, on the internet and forums, remember forums are just someone’s point of view,
The rules are changing so quickly it’s hard to keep up, I get my information from research and talking with industry professionals to make sure the advice I give is accurate
While writing this article new information is coming to light about the down rating by Mercedes of parts that are fitted the Sprinters and Crafters, this news is affecting many current up-plating applications.
Early into 2013 VW announced they would not be collaborating with Mercedes to manufacture their new model Crafter, due to be released at the end of 2016, fast forward ten years to March 2023, Mercedes started to down rate a large number of suspension parts from their original 5000kg capacity to 3500kg, and here lies the problem, anyone that has fitted these now down rated parts to the front suspension, can no longer submit these part numbers as part of the evidence require to achieve the 4230kg MAM, and will have to settle for the 4030kg MAM or less if fitted with more of the affected parts, it’s not all bad news as alternative 5000kg parts are available but that doesn’t help those that are mid build
An overweight campervan is an illegal vehicle in the eyes of the law, and your insurance company, being overweight you run the risk of invalidating your insurance, having your van/home being seized there and then on the roadside, followed by prosecution & fines,
if you’re stopped on the continent this could prove even more of a costly and traumatic experience
If you have C1 entitlement on your driving license, a base vehicle with a limit over 3500kg is both better suited to a conversion build, they are also typically much cheaper than below 3500kg.
The UK government is rolling out the cheap & accurate Weight in Motion Sensor (WIMS) across roads up & down the Country, getting caught and fined for being overweight is predicted to be the new "war on speeding", so tackling an overweight campervan head on is your best bet.
The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA formally known as VOSA) have various special Weigh in Motion Sensors (WIMS) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed all over the country.
Helping them to win the fight against overloaded vehicles which pose a threat to other road users and cause considerable damage to the road infrastructure
Tips on managing your weight when building a self-built campervan
Do your homework
Be very honest with yourself, work out what you want from your van and the time you will spend in it, how much space do you need?
before you start filling that space with all the good stuff and nice to have items, take a little time to consider all the things you don’t see, insulation, electrical wiring, pipework as all add weight, or you may find yourself choosing between what to keep and what to ditch, when you have finished your build
Base line your build
Find out where your local weigh bridge is and talk to them on the phone, turning up unannounced may not be your best move, find out when they are quiet, make an appointment and then head over, going armed with pies is a great ice breaker, I’ve found this works well and have never paid to weigh my campervan unless I want a printed ticket. Once you have weighed your empty van you will know what you have to play with, a base line to start from.
Work out your payload
Armed with your empty van weight it’s now time to work out your payload. Payload is the maximum weight or (MAM maximum allowable mass) your vehicle can carry minus the weight of your empty vehicle, full of fuel, water, and people (80kg pp) and belongings, (20kg pp) you will be surprised at how little pay load you will have to play with,
Have a weight plan and stick to it!
A weight plan is the amount of your pay load you can use for all the materials and equipment you intend to use in your build, start by allocating around 75% of your payload as your weight plan,
Assess the weight of all the equipment and fixtures you want to fit in your vehicle and the items weight,
deviating from your weight plan means you will need to sacrifice weight elsewhere,
the later 25% is your contingency for those can’t live without or not thought of items, and winter clothing!
Weighing up your options
Invest in a good set of bathroom scales, weigh everything you intend to put into your van, keep an eye on the weight of your build as it progresses, this can save you having to strip your build back out, to save weight
What license do you currently hold?
If you need to stick to the 3500kg limit because of your class of license, the above points are even more critical, as you would not be able to up-plate without added cost
Excessive weight
If you find that your campervan is overweight, don't panic, but don't bury your head in the sand
The need for these special up-plating companies wouldn't exist if it was easy to keep your self-build campervans legal and below 3500kg limit,
There are lots of companies out there upgrading vehicles that aren't fit for purpose, so called "pro builders" that will leave you with an illegally overweight vehicle or with a payload that wouldn’t even allow you to carry a weekly shop!
Early engagement
If you find yourself in the position that your vehicle is going to be overweight don’t worry! early engagement with a van weight engineer is advised, it will save you time and possibly money,
Dee’s advice is free, his advice is also unbiased & informed, as a van lifer himself, he wouldn't ask you to fit anything he wouldn't fit himself. His words not mine
I Need to up-plate!
If you need to up-plate you will need to consider a couple of things, if you past your test after the first of January 1997 you will need to obtain a C1 licence, these can be earned quite quickly with some added training, vehicle speeds will be reduced on A & B roads, road tax classification will change, you may need to have your MOT completed at a class 7 station, I present mine as a campervan at a class 4 station and have never been refused yet, but this is another bone of contention with a lot of people
The up plating processes
If you decide that up plating is what you would like to do the process is very simple, initially you will need to contact one of the up-plating companies out there, find the one that best suits your needs
They will then ask you for key information, this usually comes in the format of a spreadsheet and is quite easy to fill out
You may also have to supply photographic evidence of any modifications you may have undertaken; this information will support you application.
The engineer will then contact you with a proposed weight you may be able to achieve, you may need to make upgrades to your vehicles before progressing, when your happy you pay your fee, currently around £280,
The engineering company will process your information and produce a report, this along with other documents will be posted out for you to sign,
Once signed you post it along with your V5 to DVLA and wait.
In the meantime, you will receive a new aluminium weight plate, and instructions not to fit until you receive your updated V5
When you V5 arrives, apply your new plate, you have now successfully up plated your campervan.
Sam
The Crafty Blinders
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