Our Motorhome Uprate Experience - Increasing our Payload
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- We had a shock when we learnt we had 350kgs less than we thought we had. The plate on the engine stated 3850kg but the V5 3500kg. We used SV Tech to assess the work we needed for the Uprate (£260+VAT) and to prepare the paperwork. They were very knowledgeable and efficient :) We had Semi Air Suspension fitted to the rear of our Motorhome by SAP in Doncaster.
We literally received the new Plated weight 2 hours before we were due to leave for our mini tour of Northern Spain. Talk about cutting it fine!
The whole process is relatively straightforward but I would give yourself a couple of months rather than the month we did it in! :)
#Motorhome #Uprate #Payload
Really usefull, thanks both, we’ve had it added to our van also. I’ve not had the weight re done though as I already have 800kg payload. We put it on to increase ground clearance as we had lost the pipe work on the bottom a few times after purchasing. It’s worked really well at that, but also adds loads of stability to the ride. Thanks again, all the best, Tony and Julie.
Thanks 😀 for us the stability was an unexpected bonus 😀 cheers...Andy&Michelle
A great insight to weight upgrade and showing how easy it is to do. Thanks for sharing this
Thanks David, we though it would be useful to share what is involved with uprating
The 3.5 Tonne (3,500kg) weight limit on some motorhomes leaves a ridiculously small payload on what is a large leisure vehicle. We opted for the heavier chassis and slightly longer van which has a limit of 4,250kg and a payload of over 900kg so it’s not likely we will ever exceed that. As long as you have C1 on your licence all is good. Thanks for sharing your experience 👍🏻😄 Trev
Thanks Trev, yes we have the pleasure of being old enough to have a C1 on our licence :) Being Newbie's we didn't even think the payload would be an issue...you live and learn!
We
Did exactly
The same uprate
On our motorhome - SV Tech were excellent I have to say 👍
Yes SV tech were really helpful, so pleased that we used them :)
Thanks for sharing that. When you said you were getting it done I was interested in seeing it. We have full air suspension on our car and it’s great! That was about £1500 factory fit. I was expect yours to cost more than it did, so good value IMHO. Graham
Thanks Graham, it was a great thing to get done, both for the extra payload and the better handling :)
It's what we did a few yrs ago with our motorhome, but luckily it didn't cost us anywhere near what you paid, fitted the air suspension myself..took a couple of hrs and cost less than £200, 2 new tyres £250, and a guy who does the paperwork for your upgrade cost about £149..
You must be very hands on with vehicles, its definitely not something I would attempt! 😀 Cheers..Andy
Thank you for the video insight...We currently have our 3500kg motorhome booked in to have full vb air suspension fitted with the automatic leveling and can't wait. I have also made an enquiry to svtech, and have been told that we can uprate by 400kg once it has been fitted.
This uprate is vital due to having a large rear garage, but not having the allowance to fill. It.
It is, also important to understand that the majority of these coachbuilt motorhomes come with insufficient suspension for the weight they carry without any extra load... Suspension almost on the bump stops without passengers and only carrying essentials.... It's no wonder you get a bumpy, hard ride, and I think the air suspension is needed for not just enabling extra weight, but for ocerall comfort, and safety.
Yes, we had the same problem, a large rear garage and virtually no allowance. The added bonus with air is better handling 😀 not a cheap upgrade but we were very pleased we had it done, Cheers...Andy&Michelle
I'm in Spain at the moment and when I see what people are pulling out the back of those 3500kg motorhomes is ridiculous!!!, I'm sure half of them are unaware of the very low payload they have to play with,,, that's why I went 4,250kg having 900kgs is excellent never need to even think about the job!!!
So yes a wise decision 👍
Agree how unaware some people are about payloads, we were one of those people two years ago when we bought our first Motorhome!
alf uckett just read your name.. 🤣🤣🤣 👍👍👍 Michelle and Andy
We had full air put on our Carthage @ SAP. Great team there 👍.
MotorhomersRus MotorhomersRus they are great aren’t they. Are you pleased with the full air? 🚐👍🏼😁
Extreme Motorhoming Adventures
Yes luv it.
It’s a first time for us and was a lot of money but we wouldn’t hesitate to add it against a new MH 👍
How strange ! I watch your videos on my tv but not signed in , and so just checked on my phone and am not subscribed ?? And yet I swear I subscribed ages ago , no wonder I wasnt getting any updates , so sorry guys , subscribed again! Lol , great video very informative 👍😃
The Frenchies Motorhome channel Hi guys 👋 Awww.... no worries, really appreciate your support and subscribing 🚐👍🏼😃
Looking forward to your adventures for 2020 both 🤩 Happy New year ! Michelle and Andy x
Hi, Great video and thank you so much for all the VERY helpful information. 🤔
Thanks, pleased it was helpful. It was something we thought about for a long time and were happy with the results. More payload and a better ride😀
Good job and clearly well worth it given how close you were to the previous limit, good decision... 👍🏻
Hope you enjoyed the holiday after that, even without the extra spending money... 🤷🏼♂️ 🤪
Cheers for now, Rog... 😉 🐍
The Venomator Thanks Rog, yes definitely pleased with it getting done. Don’t have to worry now 👍🏼 The Northern Spain tour after was spectacular and great fun 🚐😃☀️ Michelle and Andy
Looks like a good upgrade! Have fun on your trips! 👍👍😎 ~Maverick
We are pleased with it, more options to take extra gear on our trips now :) Cheers
Really useful, love what you do. no mention of the tyres you upgraded too, you also used SV tech for the assessment any reason why you did not use them for fitting the air suspension rather than opting for SAP in Donactser? Thanks
Great to hear you found it useful👍 it was SV tech who recommended SAP to me, I'm not even sure if SV Tech provide the fitted service. Cheers...Andy&Michelle
@@ExtremeMotorhomingAdventures Thank you...since called SV Tech, they are really set-up for Paperwork, can supply DIY kits but like you said recommend SAP. I called Mick at SAP really helpful... Just need to wait for my paperwork from SV Tech. Thank you for your help
thanks for sharing this experience, just one question. You received you new plate on the day of your trip what did you do with the V% as SVTECH will send the paperwork for you to send I assume that was in the envelope. Did you send the v5 of and the paperwork before your trip or take it with you just incase you got stopped.
Hi Jason, This was about 3 years ago now and I'm just racking my brain to try and remember what we did about the V5. I don't remember going to the post office so I'm fairly sure we just took the documentation with us and the posted it off to DLVA when we returned home. If the plate had come sooner I'd have taken a photo of the V5 before sending it just in case. Cheers...Andy
Thank you for uploading this, I have similar concerns about my payload. Would you know if this upgrade will work on any motorhome plated to 3500kg ( alko chassis )? and does it increase the payload on the rear axel only or equally front to back? I'm hoping to have a small motorcycle in the garage, but with a large overhang this may not be possible!
Hi Jon, the best thing to do is to contact SVTECH, they don't charge anything for giving you the options based on your vehicle specifications, this is the guy I communicated with gareth@svtech.co.uk our uprate increased the back axel to 2240kg. Hope you get sorted, if you have any more questions feel free to ask Cheers...Andy
Interesting, I must take ours to a weighbridge at some point. I'm thinking of doing a DIY air suspension install too 🤔
Now a DIY install would make a good VLOG! :)
@@ExtremeMotorhomingAdventures it would, I believe it's a relatively straightforward install on the old Sevel chassis.
Bit puzzled by this. If the vehicle was plated at 3850 but the V5 said 3500 surely it was an error on the initial registration? However I agree with you re the benefits of the semi air suspension. I’ve got the Dunlop system in my m’home and it makes a huge difference to the ride. I also plan to uprate the rear tyres this season.
Hi...we thought the same and sent off photographs to DVLA of the plate but they didn't accept it because all the paperwork stated 3500kg. In the end we are pleased to have had the work done, as you say the difference to the ride and handling makes it worth the expense. Cheers...Andy&Michelle
I'm sorry to sound so clueless, but what exactly is the issue here? What constitutes "payload"? Is it people, and the two electric bikes I've currently got attached to the back of my Gloria? And plates, bedding, beer in the fridge etc.?
Fancy McDancy Hi 👋 Not heard from you in a while! Hope your well 😃
Payload is the difference between the maximum weight of your motorhome and what it actually weighs before you've added your passengers and accessories- bikes, crockery gas bottles etc. . Subtract the latter from the former and you have your payload. This is the maximum weight you can add to your motorhome. You also need to be aware of rear and front axle maximum weight.😉🚐👍🏼
And, sorry for all these questions, can air suspension be used to level out when stationary on a sloping site?
Fancy McDancy not really. Full air suspension is required to do this correctly 👍🏼. We had rear air assist fitted to give the back axle a “ boost” meaning a smoother ride on uneven road surfaces. Plus not go over the axle limit ... Hope this makes sense!! 😉😊Michelle
Assuming your licence has also have the upgrade to go over 3500
Yes - exactly, thankfully (or not) we are old enough to have the C1 on our license which allows us to drive up to 7.5 tons :)
And, gawd's troof, what are PLG and PHGV??!!
Fancy McDancy PLG is Private light goods vehicle and the other Private heavy goods ( I believe 🤔😬) Someone correct next if wrong please! 🚐🚐
Weight problems........You two don't look fat? tubby maybe? Still if you have to increase the suspension you will have to stop going to all those restaurants.........oop's best wishes Ken and Christine xxx
Peggy and The Green Family KEN!!! Tubby? .... 🤣🤣🤣 Soooo cheeky! It’s meant so that I can continue to keep my “ Gin Palace” filled up at all times 🍸🍸🍸 Ha ha.. 👍 I had best get my trainers on and go for a jog around the village to lose some of these extra pounds I’ve gained 😂😂 Thanks for watching both x Michelle and Andy x
Now 'Katie' has been enhanced with implants... perhaps you should consider calling her 'Jordan' 😉
The Magic Rat 😂😂😂 Brilliant!
Hi could you share the details of the company you used for your suspension
Hi, there’s more detail in the video description but it was SAP in Doncaster , a company called SVTEC assessed my needs and handled the paperwork…Cheers
What brand air asst did you get?
Hi, we used a company called SV Tech for the semi air assist. I wasn't aware of a brand. They are very helpful and give free advice if you are thinking of uprating, Cheers...Andy
Didn't know you could do that
Yes, useful to know if you find yourself close to your limit, there were other options to give us even more payload like front suspension and brakes upgrade but we didnt need it
Nice vlog but please less music while talking it spoiled the vlog
Thanks for the feedback Jim, we'll bear that in mind on our future videos 👍
Music. Ffs. Just spoils it all
Thanks Freddy, we do appreciate honest feedback it even when its delivered as straight as that😀...Andy