The weight of your van will affect the speed limits and the class of licence you require to drive the Motorhome.

Motorhomes are one of the few vehicles on the road that spend their lives in a very near to fully loaded state. The only variation is the number of passengers , quantity of water on board and personal items we have stowed in the garage and lockers. It is very much like a fire engine , complete with all their escape equipment, Breathing sets, not to mention the water !

Thus there is not a lot wiggle room on the 3500 kg vans for your full wardrobe of clothing and months of your UK favourite food supplies.

The Manufacturers ( Dethleffs ) work very closely with the base vehicle manufacturer ( Fiat, Ford, Mercedes) and depending on how well equipped your van is on the day it leaves the factory, that will be the weight/s used for the axle limits, unladen weight and Maximum weight. The will appear on the Dethleffs Plate and these weights will supersede the base vehicle plated weights .
The real excitement starts when you load up with food, water, gas cylinders, clothes, passengers and other occupants. This also includes additions you may have put on post Isny, i.e. self levelling legs, air suspension, an additional TV, microwave, inverter and additional batteries .

Example : A different brand of van) , one owner loading the van with 2 months worth of large dog food tins  for two dogs  because he may not find a Lidl’s in EUROPE.  Surprise !, when he had to call for help to rebuild his under bed storage area as the weight had caused extra strain and pulled some joints away , causing the bed to collapse .

Hence the only way to know ‘How much does my van weigh’ is to go to a certified weigh bridge in the van,  and weigh the front axle, the full vehicle, and rear axle . Exceeding the axle weights alone is a European legal requirement .  Not many of us can afford the cost or aggravation of getting ex factory uprated springs , chassis reinforcement  and adapted suspension fitted. Also remember the additional weight , including the trailer weight, ( Train Weight) could jump you into  full HGV class of licence ( out of C1 class) and lower speed limits.

Then starts the legal aspects of Speed limits and Licence classification. (no, we have not gone there yet!)