Weigh-bridge Shock

awd motor movers would weigh about 70+kg, then the battery 35kg. completely strip the van, have nothing at all in it including battery and weigh again, then weigh everything as you put it back with the most important things first like battery/ehu cable/bedding/pots and pans etc. then when you get to mtplm stop and look at all the stuff you cannot put in. Then ring the nearest dealer and get a weight plate upgrade.

If you go to the Bailey parts website and enter your model and cris number you can order an upgrade weight (sticker) plate and a replacement cris certificate direct from them (if available)

...but a weight upgrade might have an effect on the towing ratio, or allowances, won't it..?

I thought I read that this ratio is determined using MTPLM not actual mass?

isnt it the MTPLM of a caravan that dictates (to a degree) the appropriate (or not) towcar?

not a caravanner so don't know but this seems familiar reading...

It depends on what capacity axle the body is on,  we are on an upgraded plate,same as motor caravans?

We have a 2013 Barcelona there is just me and my wife plus 2 cocker spaniels,we have an essential all wheel mover because of where we park it an essential battery we also take clothes because we are not naturists we take food because we have to eat. We take bedding cutlery a tv water  containers  plus all the usual equipment needed to caravan It is a twin axle caravan so how the hell can we be over weight?. I know that we probably are over weight every time we go away especially on our 2 week summer holiday. If I understand correctly when you have an upgrade all you get is a certificate and other paperwork there is no physical action to strengthen the caravan in any way  so in my view its a con. why is it not plated at its actual maximum capability from the start.    

It’s no con, as more to2 cars can pull it with th3 lower weight so more sales for Bailey!!

our Lunar lexon came in at 1650 mptlm when new in 2014, I asked for an upgrade and was abl3 to got to 1795 that’s an extra 150kg in payload, ours is now just over 300

Take a look in your gas locker you should see a sticker, with another mptlm printed on it.   It will also have the maximum loads the the axle has been approved to, when the manufacture got type approval for the caravan.  You should also have a certificate on conformance CoC with the same information on it.  Type approval is a legal requirement.  The NCC / Cris is not.  It is unlikely that your axles are rated to 1840kg.  But I would guess that around 90% of vans are overweight, due to the totally inadequate payload allowance that is included for marketing reasons. 

Just to add to the above reply, if there is a plate in the locker showing a higher MTPLM then the cheapest way to 'upgrade' is to simply remove the exterior label as there will still be the one with the higher MTPLM in the locker. No need to go to the dealer or beg the manufacturer for an upgrade.

We had the very same issues as the op, moved back to a caravan from a mh so did the correct thing and took it to weighbridge with the minimum things needed. We were 50kg over our weight allowance and that was after up plating it. Which is a joke as we only got an extra 35kg. It is our belief that most caravans are way overweight. We did get ours down to the allowance but the car is now full to bursting.

Thank you for the helpful / somewhat reassuring comments so far.  I have to say, I do have sympathy for the stance taken by dreamer1 although I am sure we both recognise this doesn't solve the underlying problem. As far as the car is concerned - it isn't an issue.  I tow with a VW Touareg which has a towing limit of 3 and a half tons, so the van is well within its capacity and to be honest, I don't know the van's on the back most of the time.

I am aware of the upgraded plate and thank you Lutz for your suggestion.  I will have a look this morning. However, the bottom line is that, having gone for an upgrade, stripped virtually everything out of the van (although goodness knows where I would put wastemaster, aquaroll etc etc in the car when it is already full with awning, dog cage, bbq, chairs etc), I am still probably only going to get back to conforming with the MTPLM - so where do the clothes, food etc go?

Top of the list for weight saving must be the gas bottles and spare wheel.  Lighter gas bottles and roof rack on the car (£700) for the spare wheel - where do you stop??!!

I came across an interesting comment on p.11 of the Bailey Owner's manual:

"Please note: weighbridges, although regularly checked, can give varying (inaccurate) results."

Is that a get-out clause for Bailey? (Despite my local authority Weights and Measures Dept (as was), disagreeing.

Forgive me for feeling that the situation that I (and I assume many others) am experiencing, is an absolute mess.