Elldis Awning Rail Size

cheers gatewaya89. if your up north you can pop in for a brew and biscuit. about the weight limit-you will be surprised how easy it is to go over the lower figure. leisure battery 23/25kg your solar panel 5kg. gas bottles 10kg each awning 20/25kg. bedding/food/cloths/utensils all weigh something. 2 tins baked beans 1kg. I'm going to the extreme now when I say this but when you pick up van unless they can give you an accurate weight your van is with all bits added to it ie solar panel, take it to a weigh bridge on way home and get a actual weight and then weigh everything you put in van before your first holiday and I mean everything and you will be surprised when added together just how close you are to the limits. and please don't forget you can actually overload a car as well. even toilet rolls weight something.   

forgot to add. are you having a motor mover fitted as these weight about 30kg

Hi Lornalou1

Yep SE Motor Mover fitted as well even we forgot that one! Now its funny you should mention weights because I'm guessing now but like us you probably had your license pre-97 and therefore can tow up 8,250kg MAM? rather than be limited to 3500 kg?

I tried to get to grips with all this weight stuff but using the CC matching service and others they all say Volvo & trailer no problem for Kerb weight etc etc!

Now the question I would ask if I can tow up to a combined weight of 8250Kg's(MAM ie fully loaded both vehicles) need I worry about weight? because if and when you are stopped first thing they want to see is license and that will them show them in my case however all the cat's I can drive and I am only missing PSV or HGV apart from that got just about every other one filled in including C1, C1E, BE, D1,B,B1,D1E,A! so therefore max weight and what I should be able to tow should not be a problem with this van and car combination?

Now our understanding if you passed your test after this date and you have not applied to upgrade your license then you are on a max MAM of 3500 kg, So just to make sure I contacted DVLA & Local police service to check all this out and Yep they confirmed on my license I am able to drive and tow up to 8250 Kgs combined weights, now my sums aren't that bad (That's me talking as an ex accountant by the way..lol) but the Caravan is plated at 1500kgs & the car plated at 4260Kgs now the 2 together weigh 5760 kg's and if my license allows a combined weights of 8250 Kg's I have Kg's to spare in my case 2490 kg's? And don't forget that the car plate allows for passengers as well and as there is only the 2 of us then we are already down even more..lol

So that's what they say what do reckon? I think we have this nailed with room to spare! And as for invite we may just take you up on that providing you get the eccles cakes in..lol

You say the car is plated at 4260. I would imagine that includes the towable weight as well. ie. 2260 for the car and 2000  towed trailer, so your calculations may well be out.

Hi Cyberyacht

Understand what you say is part correct and have checked with Volvo Dealership who supplied car and Yes you are right total weight for towing including the Caravan has to be no more or under 4260 Kg's but even saying that speaking to both DVLA & local traffic police officer they both confirm my license covers me to a maximum of 8250 Kgs which would be trailer and car together so as far as I can work out even if I take the 4260 and minus 1500Kg Caravan laden weight or 1430 unladen weight that takes it down to 2760 Kgs now given the plate says a total train of 4260 or a single car being 2260 then also bearing in mind the Volvo manual owners book these are "Max" loads which include 5 passengers plus luggage etc then as there is only 2 of us we would still be well under the 2260 Gross vehicle weight?Also book states tow bar Max load is 90Kg's? So my question to you is? were am I out in the calculations because if I'm wrong then the Police & the DVLA and Volvo are all wrong as well are they not? and don't forget my license allows me and I quote the DVLA here! A maximum of 8250 Kg's when coupled to a caravan now that's what they worked out from the vehicle V5 and the wights given to them both laden ed and unladen! So forgive us if we are stupid where are we going wrong?P.s Volvo book states Max weight braked trailer is 2000 for my vehicle?

Any thoughts on the above and the quotes from those in the know because even if I take 2260 kgs towing weight + 1500 kgs van we still only get to a combined weight of 3760 Kgs and that would be fully loaded on both which it will not be as there is only 2 of us in the car not 5 persons + luggage? and we can tow a combined weight of 8250 Kgs so can't see the problem? are we missing something here?

i would not worry to much about combined weight. you can be prosecuted if the plated weight of the caravan is exceeded. this is why i suggested that you weigh the van straight from the dealer and you have not added anything. this can be noted down to be kept with van for future reference. once you have the weight (empty) then take that weight and subtract it from the plated weight and you then have your payload weight, the weight that you can add to the van. weighing everything you put in and once/if you get it over that total payload weight you will have to remove something to make it a legal weight. hope thats clear. x

put all the deatils in here. http://towcar.info// i find this more accurate than any of the clubs matching services.

Hi lornalou1

Yep understood but have already been told UN-ladened weight for van will be 1342kg and the laden ed weight will be 1432 Kg but dealership are up-rating plate to 1500kg because caravan chassis can take that and as its FREE to upgrade which we have gone for! So thinking in your terms that means 1500 - 1342 will then become payload which if the old math's are right will be 158 Kg's But here's another funny the weight of van includes 2 x 6 Kg gas bottles which we are only having 1 in front locker not 2! So that means another 10 Kg saved so payload could even get up to 168ish give or take a kilo, now even if we carry the Cadac & awning in car then there is very little weight going in van (If that makes any sense)But do intend to pack up van and then drive down to get it weighed that way we will know for sure what weight we have so thank you for explanation will update everyone when weighed..lol

Hi Lornalou1

Checked that site out already rated it as "The Volvo S80 II - 2.5T aut. and the Elddis Avante 554 with a laden weight of 1413 kg is a perfect match.and thats without the Avante being up rated to 1500?

this is what my handbook says for my lunar delta twin axle

MIRO-this is the weight as it leaves the factory(inclusive of the electric hook up cable at 6kg and the winding handle at 1kg plus the following

8kg gas bottle allowance

9kg of water in the water heater

2kg of water in the flush holding tank as this is the max that thetford allow

the weight of the spare wheel at 17.5kg

as it says this is leaving the factory so everything else the dealer throws at it solar panel/motor movers etc etc comes of your payload. you are doing the right thing weighing the van from dealer and i am guessing you will be supprised as to what you have left to play with.