Swift MH weights

Perhaps you should have posted that to BB not me

Mind you like everything else on this forum even the smilies are somewhat indistinct!

May be the conversion that was being "lived in" on test at Ferry Meadows that was part of a range being introduced as in the words of the tester "basic (cheaper) to premier (all the bling and pricey)"where there were not any water tanks on the basic,is an attempt to get more to take up the lifestyle and keep within the weight limits

I have a 2016 Swift Bolero 684 lounge 7.1m long MH plated at 3500kg. I have 3 factory fitted extras consisting of tow bar, second leisure battery and bike rack. All of these extras are behind the rear axle as is the 100ltr fresh water tank and the under bed storage area. The large Dometic fridge freezer sits over the rear axle as does the slot in cooker. Gas bottles ( 1x11kg and 1x6kg) are behind the front axle as is the waste water tank. The Alde boiler is also over the rear axle and the spare wheel is right at the back of the van.
With the van loaded for an extended camping trip (6 weeks with me, the wife and cat), full tank of diesel and water, empty waste tank, 2 bikes on the back and nothing on the tow ball I am over weight on the rear axle and 60kg over 3500kg. The van can be replated to 3700kg but that wouldn't solve the rear axle overload so would be pointless. The standard Bolero 684 has a half dinette layout so that it can carry 2 rear passengers and is plated at 3700kg so I would think that the rear axle overload on that would be significant if loaded the same.
All I carry under the bed is 2xhigh back chairs with seperate foot rests, 1x canvass chair for the cat, 1x wind break, 4x levelling blocks and a few other bits and bobs that individually don't weigh a lot.
The barbie has now been assigned to the shed along with the 907 gas cylinder, we didn't use it that often so no big deal. A couple of other weighty items that where under the bed have been relocated to the front storage areas since the visit to the weighbridge and I am fairley confident that travelling with an empty water tank will keep me legal. To be sure I need to revisit the weighbridge but that isn't easy in my area but will make the effort at some point.
Towing a car on an A-frame doesn't add much weight but a trailer is an absolute no no. The car does allow me to carry some stuff in the boot though, just like a caravanner, which is what I am when towing. 

To keep within the plated weight of our friends motor caravan they carry quite a lot in the "tender"with the rear seats folded down so even when on site they have only a two seater car so if going out with any of us ex motor caravan owners (two couples)we tuggers tend to be the transport of choice especially as one of us has a seven seat Sorento.  

If you have, or can acquire, a C1 licence entitlement, getting a motorhome and its axles uprated can be either a paper exercise or require changes to your van's configuration such as fatter tyres and bigger wheels. Firms like SV Tech give advice on what can be done and what needs to be done [if anything] whilst there are driving schools that can help you get a C1 licence. I had my van uprated to 3850kg so I can carry extra passengers and water; it cost me £312 including VAT. I left both axles at 2000kgs.

Some uprates may require semi air suspension fitted.

A, my van came on an AL-Ko chassis, which seemed to give me automatically an updated 3650kg plate...

it also came fitted with the 16" larger/wider tyres which gave me an updated 3850kg plate.

however, for a number of reasons, i wanted the van to run at the original weight of 3500kg....thats whats on the V5...

if, for whatever reason, i require extra payload (we have two extra belted travel seats) i could easily swap it back (to either) with no physical changes required.

PeeGee, you have first hand experience of a manufacturers 'brochure world' mentality against the real world....

a few years ago, a version of your van (and ours) came out with an across the rear washroom (a la caravans) at 7.70m....this van is still on the 'list' and can still be had (virtually unusable) at 3500kg.

now, Swift have really gone for it, adding yet another half metre to bring in a few vans at 8.11m (a whole metre longer than yours) and still have a version in the brochure at 3500kg....

no doubt, pretty soon, there wil be a van (from Swift?) with a negative payload, freely available with a 3500kg chassis

I know this is a Motorhome thread but the same "miss-selling" goes on with Caravans.  Many new vans have a payload of circa 150kg out of that you need to allow for the leisure battery and almost certainly a mover as most new vans are far to heavy to move by hand, this leaves you with a usable payload of circa 100kg.  If you are a family of four and travel with the rear car seats in use and cannot therefore stuff everything in the car I would say it is virtually impossible not to overload the van.

I was in a dealers (who will remain anonymous) a few weeks ago and a couple were looking at a motorhome. I am not sure what make or model it was but they were very conscious of the big 70th birthday on the horizon and wanted to stay under the magic 3.5 tonnes.

We were all sat in the waiting room and conversation opened up around the van they were looking at and how they would spend most of the time in Europe. It then moved onto our experience of traveling in Europe and if we have ever been stopped to be weighed.

The conversation stemmed from a concern the customers had raised with the salesman around payload, or rather the lack of it. The salesman informed then that overloading was not an issue in Europe as no one is ever stopped and if you are it is only a matter of a 30Euro fine so load it up and don't worry too much about it.

I explained he would be very foolish to adopt that approach and his insurer would certainly not have the same opinion. I never saw them again so not sure if the sale went ahead.

Shocking sales tactics

When I went to my local quarry and had my new to me van weight checked it came in at 3200 with minimal stuff in it.  The chap at the weighbridge told me that he had had people coming in to have their vans weighed who did things like removing seats and anything else they could.  They then sold their vans with a weighbridge cert showing a completly inaccurate unladen weight.  Be careful out there.