Great vid 👏 I’m at around 3.1T in MWB but this has been helpful as been thinking about trying to reclassify anyway. And eventually want to lift and stiffen the suspension which is part way to up-plating anyway.
THIS WAS LITERALLY ME for a couple days overthinking and adding everything up ahahahaha Problem with mine is I want a motorcycle in the back which is easily 200kg straight away. I'm going to build the bed high and see where I'm at towards the end. If I can't put the motorcycle in there then so be it... might be a trailer jobby or as you say upgrade it but that means doing ANOTHER licence -,-
@@09mantlek Ah it’s a bloody nightmare. I would just focus on saving as much weight on your furniture units as possible. and maybe on your garage floor and walls go with some of the lightweight durable plastics etc like in my lightweight build videos👍🏼
Evening Mark, new subscriber here (another Mark!) 👍 Browsing your vids n blogs...fantastic stuff 👌 I'm in the process of searching for a suitable van to go on some off-grid adventures with my dogs Belle and Oz 🥰. This video you've done is exactly what I've been researching before committing to buying something to suit my needs. My licence (pre 1997) allows me to drive a vehicle up to 7.5t like yourself, so all good there. My confusion lies around the vehicle classification : ~ If the van I purchase is already rated over 3.5t (fully laden) does that mean I can convert it up to a max 7.5t? There are vans out there with this rating (ex utilities vans, civil service, military etc.) ~ If I then register it as a 'motor caravan' as per DVLA guidelines, does that mean I will be breaching the 3.5t guidance? Sorry if this point doesn't make sense! Basically, I think I might be misunderstanding that if it's registered as a motor caravan then the weight, fully laden, should not exceed 3.5t? There must be hundreds if not thousands of motorhomes out there that are over 3.5t but DO fall in the category of up to 7.5t, legally (eg factory built campers, coach built campers etc.). I've interpreted it as - if you reclassifiy a vehicle to a motor caravan, regardless of its original weight limit, upsizing or downsizing, then it cannot exceed 3.5t. Hope that makes sense 🙈 Any help very much welcome. TIA M
Hey thanks. Always welcome another subscriber 🥳. On the logbook it will have a specific weight. I’m up-weighting to 3.9 for example. Just ask on any vehicle you are considering buying what it says on the logbook under “max permissible weight” and revenue weight. So let me check with the engineering company. This was something I was getting confused about too. But I think this is why Sean at SV Tech was advising me to do the application of body change FIRST before up-weighting.
The way I interpret that is 2 or more windows on at least one side. So at least 2 windows either on one side or one on each side, but as usual DVLA seem to have no clue how to clearly lay out what they want.
@@van-gabondramblinrose6398 Ah don’t get me started. “Motor Caravan” like who flippin calls it that, motorhome all day. “Awning bar”? It’s called an awning rail!!! And windows. why couldn’t they have said “You must have two windows on the side of your van. 1 on each side or two on one side” Or “You must have a min of two windows on one of the sides of your van” “You must have motorhome graphics that cover 25% of the sides of your van. They must have good contrast and be clearly visible. They could include XYZ… It must include the brand of the van builder” That would be nice everyone could have fun with that. And at least you would than know for sure.
It’s bonkers. They could. whoever was copywriting at the DVLA that day was having a bad one. 😄 You wouldn’t think the dvla would create a document that would leave so many people guessing on a number of things. Glad you enjoyed. I confused myself at least 6 times during the making of that.
So if they only allow high top vans to become registered motor homes how does one go about getting a VW Transporter T6 with a pop top registered as a motor home? I've done it in the past but the last 2 times DVLA said only van with windows but yet some conversion companies seem to get theirs passed. Plus what if I don't want gas and choose to have an induction hob with a Clayton as I do? does that mean Im being penalised? It all seems to be geared to not allowing you to register your van as a motor home.
@@oldmangolf72 yeah that’s the thing they just classify it as a van with windows. Pop tops are not included. Basically you need to be able to stand up in it. Daft I know. There’s no requirement for gas just cooking facilities, so all good there. This is new to me and I’ve always avoided it as instance companies have always insured us as a campervan being converted or campervan without any need for a body type change on the logbook. If it wasn’t for needing the more weight I wouldn’t even bother. But once I got into it, I now want to get the change 🤣🤣🤣 You can tell by my very important document shuffling that I mean “bidness”.
I've recently converted a MAN TGE van into a campervan/motohome conversion, and I've gone through the same process with the DVLA trying to get it re classified as a Motorhome, and it's came back as a Van with windows. Even the letter says its motorhome spec in side, but it doesn't stand out to authorities from the outside view as a motohome. Ffs.
UPDATE: We were successful 🎉 It took just a week. I’m working on a follow up video on the weight increase.
So that's clarified the window issue I guess!
Great vid 👏 I’m at around 3.1T in MWB but this has been helpful as been thinking about trying to reclassify anyway.
And eventually want to lift and stiffen the suspension which is part way to up-plating anyway.
THIS WAS LITERALLY ME for a couple days overthinking and adding everything up ahahahaha
Problem with mine is I want a motorcycle in the back which is easily 200kg straight away.
I'm going to build the bed high and see where I'm at towards the end.
If I can't put the motorcycle in there then so be it... might be a trailer jobby or as you say upgrade it but that means doing ANOTHER licence -,-
@@09mantlek Ah it’s a bloody nightmare. I would just focus on saving as much weight on your furniture units as possible. and maybe on your garage floor and walls go with some of the lightweight durable plastics etc like in my lightweight build videos👍🏼
Evening Mark, new subscriber here (another Mark!) 👍
Browsing your vids n blogs...fantastic stuff 👌
I'm in the process of searching for a suitable van to go on some off-grid adventures with my dogs Belle and Oz 🥰.
This video you've done is exactly what I've been researching before committing to buying something to suit my needs. My licence (pre 1997) allows me to drive a vehicle up to 7.5t like yourself, so all good there.
My confusion lies around the vehicle classification :
~ If the van I purchase is already rated over 3.5t (fully laden) does that mean I can convert it up to a max 7.5t? There are vans out there with this rating (ex utilities vans, civil service, military etc.)
~ If I then register it as a 'motor caravan' as per DVLA guidelines, does that mean I will be breaching the 3.5t guidance? Sorry if this point doesn't make sense! Basically, I think I might be misunderstanding that if it's registered as a motor caravan then the weight, fully laden, should not exceed 3.5t?
There must be hundreds if not thousands of motorhomes out there that are over 3.5t but DO fall in the category of up to 7.5t, legally (eg factory built campers, coach built campers etc.).
I've interpreted it as - if you reclassifiy a vehicle to a motor caravan, regardless of its original weight limit, upsizing or downsizing, then it cannot exceed 3.5t.
Hope that makes sense 🙈
Any help very much welcome.
TIA
M
Hey thanks. Always welcome another subscriber 🥳.
On the logbook it will have a specific weight. I’m up-weighting to 3.9 for example. Just ask on any vehicle you are considering buying what it says on the logbook under “max permissible weight” and revenue weight.
So let me check with the engineering company. This was something I was getting confused about too. But I think this is why Sean at SV Tech was advising me to do the application of body change FIRST before up-weighting.
@@ahoyleisurethanks for the swift response Mark.
Great Video, glad you got it all approved, from a budgeting point of view whats the cost including the engineers input?
it’s was £336 inc vat for the weight engineers 👍🏼
@@ahoyleisure Thanks for letting me know, I will be in touch at some point for a Clayton.
The way I interpret that is 2 or more windows on at least one side. So at least 2 windows either on one side or one on each side, but as usual DVLA seem to have no clue how to clearly lay out what they want.
@@van-gabondramblinrose6398 Ah don’t get me started. “Motor Caravan” like who flippin calls it that, motorhome all day.
“Awning bar”? It’s called an awning rail!!!
And windows. why couldn’t they have said
“You must have two windows on the side of your van. 1 on each side or two on one side”
Or
“You must have a min of two windows on one of the sides of your van”
“You must have motorhome graphics that cover 25% of the sides of your van. They must have good contrast and be clearly visible. They could include XYZ… It must include the brand of the van builder”
That would be nice everyone could have fun with that. And at least you would than know for sure.
Great video. I took it as 2 or more windows on one side. They could make it clearer.
It’s bonkers. They could. whoever was copywriting at the DVLA that day was having a bad one. 😄 You wouldn’t think the dvla would create a document that would leave so many people guessing on a number of things. Glad you enjoyed. I confused myself at least 6 times during the making of that.
Lol, its clear you weren't thinking about weight before installing 70kg to the interior roof! thats mad
Going for that strong galleon ship vibe. Swashbuckling while the wheels are buckling.
So if they only allow high top vans to become registered motor homes how does one go about getting a VW Transporter T6 with a pop top registered as a motor home? I've done it in the past but the last 2 times DVLA said only van with windows but yet some conversion companies seem to get theirs passed. Plus what if I don't want gas and choose to have an induction hob with a Clayton as I do? does that mean Im being penalised? It all seems to be geared to not allowing you to register your van as a motor home.
@@oldmangolf72 yeah that’s the thing they just classify it as a van with windows. Pop tops are not included. Basically you need to be able to stand up in it. Daft I know.
There’s no requirement for gas just cooking facilities, so all good there.
This is new to me and I’ve always avoided it as instance companies have always insured us as a campervan being converted or campervan without any need for a body type change on the logbook. If it wasn’t for needing the more weight I wouldn’t even bother. But once I got into it, I now want to get the change 🤣🤣🤣 You can tell by my very important document shuffling that I mean “bidness”.
I've recently converted a MAN TGE van into a campervan/motohome conversion, and I've gone through the same process with the DVLA trying to get it re classified as a Motorhome, and it's came back as a Van with windows. Even the letter says its motorhome spec in side, but it doesn't stand out to authorities from the outside view as a motohome. Ffs.