MIRO?

[sosij]

Hi, I've just tried our newly purchased Reich CWC

The van is basically empty, apart from 4 x aluminium chairs, 2x aquarolls, 1 x wastemaster, a sun canopy (lightweight aluminium poles) a couple of Calor lite cylinders (one empty, on 2/3 full) plus some pegs and other bit's 'n bobs in the front storage lockers.

It has a 110 volt battery and a motor mover fitted, the water system & toilet are drained

All this tallied to 1330 kg (including a 78 kg nose weight) which is quite depressing as the MTPLM is 1457 kg - so only 127 kg left for the awning, food, booze, clothes, and everything else.

If that CWC is accurate (and I have a nasty feeling it is) then we have previously been towing substantially overweight (which might explain why it's never felt particularly stable on the back of our Tiguan)

The Baley figure for MIRO is 1222 kg - but what does that figure include? - does it count the battery, bottles, water, etc?

I know that the important figure is the weight when loaded for real world use, but I'd like to know what MIRO includes - particularly as Bailey also quote 68kg for essential habitation equipment - and, again, what does EHE actually mean?

BTW, the CWC was easy to use on our single axle. I didn't use any additional bits of wood, and the motor mover made it easy to do a slow pass, or even take a reading with the caravan stationary on the scale.

I will compare the results with a weighbridge reading - but, as stated, I feel that some ruthless pruning of equipment will be called for before setting off on our travels. I have never bothered about weights before - just doing a rough mental calculation which has clearly been wildly optimistic. I'll never see another van on the road now, without wondering if the owners *really* know the total weight :lol:

 

[Sproket]

Hi sosij

The only way you can check it's MIRO is if you take it to a weighbridge due to all sorts of factors ....

Have a look here at local weighbridge listings you might find one close by to were you are, once you have got it weighed then you can mess around with your new toy ....

 

[pensioner]

I got a similar shock when I weighed the "basics" of our van, ( although I suspect somewhat smaller than yours )
when I add up the weights of battery, movers, water butts, awning, stowed table and gas, I'm left with just 30kgs for everything else.

 

[sosij]

I got a similar shock when I weighed the "basics" of our van, ( although I suspect somewhat smaller than yours )
when I add up the weights of battery, movers, water butts, awning, stowed table and gas, I'm left with just 30kgs for everything else.

Hi P, if you have a Bailey they will sell you an max weight upgrade for £60 + p&p. The 'kit' (as Bailey insist upon calling it) comprises a replacement caravan weight sticker and a replacement NCC certificate - which, together, impart new and significant strength to the existing Alko chassis, thus enabling it (in our case) to carry 1500kg instead of 1457 kg :lol:

A bit of a swizz to pay £66 for a paper exercise, but I might allow myself to be fleeced in order to 'gain' the extra payload.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Oh Boy! where to start?

Hi, I've just tried our newly purchased Reich CWC

The van is basically empty, apart from 4 x aluminium chairs, 2x aquarolls, 1 x wastemaster, a sun canopy (lightweight aluminium poles) a couple of Calor lite cylinders (one empty, on 2/3 full) plus some pegs and other bit's 'n bobs in the front storage lockers.

I'm sorry but that is not an empty caravan, and it might surprise you how much your 'extras' actually weight especialy those you list further down.

It has a 110 volt battery and a motor mover fitted, the water system & toilet are drained

I hope its not 110 Volts!! I suspect you mean 110AH which reflects the amount of energy it can hold.

All this tallied to 1330 kg (including a 78 kg nose weight) which is quite depressing as the MTPLM is 1457 kg - so only 127 kg left for the awning, food, booze, clothes, and everything else.

If that CWC is accurate (and I have a nasty feeling it is) then we have previously been towing substantially overweight (which might explain why it's never felt particularly stable on the back of our Tiguan)

Unless your measuring device is supplied with a certificate of calibration from a NAMAS test hous, you cannot assume the CWC is accurate. You have seen the recent thread from Surfer who seems to have found out that his CWC is not perhaps as accurate as he'd thought it should be. Though the errors he has found may be down to the problems of using CWC with a twin axle caravan.

The Baley figure for MIRO is 1222 kg - but what does that figure include? - does it count the battery, bottles, water, etc?

I know that the important figure is the weight when loaded for real world use, but I'd like to know what MIRO includes - particularly as Bailey also quote 68kg for essential habitation equipment - and, again, what does EHE actually mean?

The basis of what the MIRO included was changed a few years ago, so the age of your caravan may affect how your MIRO is calculated.

Currently the definition of Mass in Running Order (MRO) or (MIRO) on the NCC website;-

"(Ex works weight inclusive of the manufacturer’s tolerances, Unladen Weight) Mass of the caravan equipped to the manufacturer’s standard specification stated on the caravan weight plate. This now includes those items required for the safe and proper functioning of the caravan (e.g. gas cylinder, fresh water and hook up cable). Note: Dealer fitted items must be taken into consideration if it is a dealer special. "

BTW, the CWC was easy to use on our single axle. I didn't use any additional bits of wood, and the motor mover made it easy to do a slow pass, or even take a reading with the caravan stationary on the scale.

The CWC (provided it is accurate) will allow a single axle caravanner a very good chance of checking their weights.

I will compare the results with a weighbridge reading - but, as stated, I feel that some ruthless pruning of equipment will be called for before setting off on our travels. I have never bothered about weights before - just doing a rough mental calculation which has clearly been wildly optimistic. I'll never see another van on the road now, without wondering if the owners *really* know the total weight :lol:

I think many caravanners will find their own outfits are quite adrift from what they think they are, and yes I totally agree that your tehre will be quite a number of overweight outfits on our roads. It's worrying because being overweight means that your insurance may be invalidated. Where this happens it is a real possibility that the insurer may come after you to reclaim the payout they have made to a third party.

 

[sosij]

Cheers, Prof - yes, I meant amps :lol:

Re the CWC - I emptied the caravan completely. The MIRO (as originally supplied) is 1222kg, leaving a total payload of 235kg from the maximum loaded figure of 1457kg

I'm assuming that the MIRO figure for our 2011 van does not include anything except the bare van because Bailey also quote an essential habitation equipment figure of 68kg, as well as a nominal 15kg figure for optional extras. So I proceeded on the basis that the van weighed 1222 when it rolled off the production line (subject to manufacturing tolerances, obviously)

I then found out the weights of all the bits subsequently attached to the van - motor mover (41kg), battery (19kg), optional chest of drawers (18kg), even the jack brackets!, and deducted them from the 225kg total allowance.

Then I added the weight of things like gas bottle, chairs, windbreak, canopy, awning, aquarolls, wastemaster, TV, etc, etc.

The CWC was now reading almost exactly what one would assume, given the foregoing - 1415kg. Ouch.

Thus we have only 42 kg left for food, clothes, toiletries, etc

Next thing is to give Mr Bailey £66 in return for a new weight plate sticker, raising the 'official' maximum weight to 1500kg - which will then give us a princely 92kg after everything already mentioned.

I will take the van to a weighbridge (hopefully tomorrow) but, based on a comparison of the CWC indicated weight with the known weights of the various items, I will be very surprised if the bridge comes up with a substantially different figure.

I've based the loading of accessories on a worst case scenario - in reality, we may well not take everything, but it's been a salutary experience! In hindsight there is absolutely no doubt that we have been running around at times well in excess of the current MTPLM, (at odd times probably well exceeding the 1500 kg figure)

The litigious nature of the current times (driven by an official mania for raising penalty revenue at any and every opportunity) coupled with the increasing likelihood of insurance companies to seek an exemption from their liabilities, make it essential to keep within the regulations. So the CWC has, to me at least, been invaluable in alerting me to the fact that I was a fine & points waiting to happen :lol:

 

[Grahamh]

Don't forget that the noseweight should be subtracted from the MTLP and added to the car weight. Thus if the nosewight is 75Kg then you have that much additional load capacity. When we left home for our annual trip across the channel last year I went via the weighbridge. I weighed the car and van and then just the van. I was pleasantly surprised to find I was well within the allowed weight. i do try to carry as much as I can in the car tho - bikes, awning +poles+ groundsheet + BBQ etc.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

.........Thus if the nosewight is 75Kg then you have that much additional load capacity. ........

WRONG. The MTPLM is measured when the van is stand-alone and NOT connected to the towing vehicle. Therefore you cannot add extra baggage to the equivalent of the nose weight.

 

[Grahamh]

oh, wrong again:-(