Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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I was told the 10% was to allow for a rain soaked load gaining weight during a trip......
- Thread starter Josho
- Start date
I was told the 10% was to allow for a rain soaked load gaining weight during a trip......
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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driving back from Southend the other day I was stopped at lights, a tranny recovery truck came from the left and joined the road, he had a transit on the back! the rear was inches from the ground, he must have seen the police car next to me and pulled straight into a petrol station, when the lights changed where did the police car go, yup, straight on.................
Cato
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0 - 10% is a £60 fine, but the inspectors have a discretionary 5% tolerance. So I guess it's like the Police with speeding, if they're in a good mood and you cooperate you have a little leeway. If they aren't and/or you get a little fractious the limit is the limit.
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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Ok, some pictures of my tranny, built it to recover or transport BMW's for my workshop, maybe used it twice a week, made it tax deductible 
, the rest of the time I used it for attending motorcycle rallies all over Europe, Denmark to Estonia to southern Italy to Poland, and around four times to Latvia, taking spares and equipment to SPA, Silverstone, etc. when my mate is racing, took five of us to Le Mans plus mopeds, tents, etc. well used, now you may know that all double cab Transits have a flat roof, except I bonded an LDV roof on top to provide two sleeping spaces, cut a hole in the roof above the rear seats, as for the extended wheelbase, required to have that much overhang, I did not want to do the usual cut and weld the chassis to extend it, with the flex it usually cracks, if the German get a hint that it has been chassis welded for you ze war is over! impounded! so I reinstalled the rear springs upside down with an extra hanger in the middle, hung the axle off the rear of the springs and added air bags, no cutting and welding, only had to drill a couple of extra holes in the chassis, uses mainly standard components and confuses the ++++ out of anyone who looks at it!
The alloy lower sides are the ramps, with the adjustable beaver tail and the ramps II can load cars with very low front spoilers and very low exhausts, with the beaver almost on the ground get the car onto the main floor, as the exhaust starts to touch raise the beaver, the tramp bars were needed as the axle wound up the rear springs,
The frame for the body and beaver were made from pallet racking beams, call me tight! the ram and pump came with it as it was a tipper, the LDV roof cost me £100.00, just bought another for a trailer rebuild to carry my 1923 Matchless car.
fitted a Mk7 front end, really easy, made it look younger for European police, don't like getting pulled up, always seems to cost me money
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, the rest of the time I used it for attending motorcycle rallies all over Europe, Denmark to Estonia to southern Italy to Poland, and around four times to Latvia, taking spares and equipment to SPA, Silverstone, etc. when my mate is racing, took five of us to Le Mans plus mopeds, tents, etc. well used, now you may know that all double cab Transits have a flat roof, except I bonded an LDV roof on top to provide two sleeping spaces, cut a hole in the roof above the rear seats, as for the extended wheelbase, required to have that much overhang, I did not want to do the usual cut and weld the chassis to extend it, with the flex it usually cracks, if the German get a hint that it has been chassis welded for you ze war is over! impounded! so I reinstalled the rear springs upside down with an extra hanger in the middle, hung the axle off the rear of the springs and added air bags, no cutting and welding, only had to drill a couple of extra holes in the chassis, uses mainly standard components and confuses the ++++ out of anyone who looks at it! The alloy lower sides are the ramps, with the adjustable beaver tail and the ramps II can load cars with very low front spoilers and very low exhausts, with the beaver almost on the ground get the car onto the main floor, as the exhaust starts to touch raise the beaver, the tramp bars were needed as the axle wound up the rear springs,
The frame for the body and beaver were made from pallet racking beams, call me tight! the ram and pump came with it as it was a tipper, the LDV roof cost me £100.00, just bought another for a trailer rebuild to carry my 1923 Matchless car.
fitted a Mk7 front end, really easy, made it look younger for European police, don't like getting pulled up, always seems to cost me money
.
Ashley Burton
Member
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@Matchless What a vehicle!
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
- Messages
- 2,965
- Location
- Essex UK
if the middle rails on top of the chassis stick up they will not be supporting the floor,
build it as light as possible, VOSA will easily nick you, and me, for overweight but not for a light weight build, unless it cracks but we ALWAYS over engineer these builds!
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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A genuine MPV, what do I replace it with! maybe a race car transporter / motorhome? I like / need to take at least three motorcycles to a rally, one for me, one for my mate and one for spare, when I go to Poland or Latvia I try to squeeze four in to help with fuel costs,
I built it 8 years ago, done about 70,000 miles in it, total to date 220,000,
Last edited:
Shox Dr
Chief Engineer to Carlos Fandango
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A mate is a Bank manager for local canals. They replaced the lads vehicles with small pickups. Once they had put a handcrank crane in the back and a few tools and two blokes, there wasn’t enough left to carry a pump, or genny.
They ended up needing two vehicles to do the simplest of tasks, as they couldn't lift on their own
thats exactly right , over the weight is over the weight , your journey stops at the plates.
They persecuted 7.5 toners off the road ,, so the next target is 3.5 toners , the 5 ton bracket seems so small they didnt bother to catch breath there ,, 3.5 will cover it all ,, watch out anything with twin wheels.
For the amount of grief it takes to own a 7.5 toner you may as well run 18 tons and be done with it.
8ob
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There is a percentage for open top trucks that carry sand or any other bagged material that may absorb rain as it was not exceeded at the time of loading.
More blurb
(2)In any proceedings for an offence under this section in which there is alleged a contravention of or failure to comply with a construction and use requirement as to any description of weight applicable to a goods vehicle, it shall be a defence to prove either—
(a)that at the time when the vehicle was being used on the road—
(i)it was proceeding to a weighbridge which was the nearest available one to the place where the loading of the vehicle was completed for the purpose of being weighed, or
(ii)it was proceeding from a weighbridge after being weighed to the nearest point at which it was reasonably practicable to reduce the weight to the relevant limit, without causing an obstruction on any road, or
(b)in a case where the limit of that weight was not exceeded by more than 5 per cent.—
(i)that that limit was not exceeded at the time when the loading of the vehicle was originally completed, and
(ii)that since that time no person has made any addition to the load.]
8ob
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Woody.v8
Blue gluer
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Some things just don't make sense
Like for recovery use you are exempt from tachograph use within a 100km radius from your base , so for me I could do say Coventry to Preston all day and night with no breaks
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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- Essex UK
Some things just don't make sense
Like for recovery use you are exempt from tachograph use within a 100km radius from your base , so for me I could do say Coventry to Preston all day and night with no breaks
and that is why the AA can only move you 60 miles on one of those tow dollies, then you wait for the next guy to turn up, and maybe the next,
stuvy
Member
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Ok, some pictures of my tranny, built it to recover or transport BMW's for my workshop, maybe used it twice a week, made it tax deductible
The alloy lower sides are the ramps, with the adjustable beaver tail and the ramps II can load cars with very low front spoilers and very low exhausts, with the beaver almost on the ground get the car onto the main floor, as the exhaust starts to touch raise the beaver, the tramp bars were needed as the axle wound up the rear springs,
The frame for the body and beaver were made from pallet racking beams, call me tight! the ram and pump came with it as it was a tipper, the LDV roof cost me £100.00, just bought another for a trailer rebuild to carry my 1923 Matchless car.
fitted a Mk7 front end, really easy, made it look younger for European police, don't like getting pulled up, always seems to cost me money
as previously mentioned Iv seen this in the flesh at beaulie and it’s a weird but cool looking vehicle
only problem with a 7.5 tonner is although you gain more space you gain extra fuel costs compared to the transit
Woody.v8
Blue gluer
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That's true but the trouble with most 3.5 ton vehicles if you put anything other than say a polo or micra on you're overweight
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
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If I was going to pick up say a 5 series BMW I would empty the double cab, usually the seats are removed anyway, but one toolbox for whitworth, one for metric, 3/8" socket set, 1/2" socket set, jump leads, large plastic box of useful bits, fluids, tow rope, more straps than Kim has on her truck, reflective AA jacket, reflective vests, water, spare fuel, straight 40 oil, multigrade oil, blue paper roll, wood blocks, inverter, sleeping bags, pillows, maps for every country, town in Europe, take that lot out and run with low fuel and we were good to go, ish..... would not pick up seven series or X5 way too heavy,
Matchless
I started with nothing, still have most of it left
- Messages
- 2,965
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- Essex UK
Main issue with a 7.5 or bigger is the need for an operators licence, that plus a tacho plus with an older / heavier 7.5 not a much larger payload,
Weird is good, I have had various police look at it whilst I have been on a trip, I think they did not pull me because it is so weird it must be approved! coming out of Poland into Germany with four bikes, loads of gear, camping equipment, etc. well loaded I was circled by German VOSA for 1/2 an hour, behind me, along side me, in front of me, scratching heads, then went off and pulled an artic... made me sweat a bit,
