What's the ideal weight capacity for a motorhome?
When embarking on a motorhome adventure, it's essential to consider the payload capacity, a critical factor that determines the safe weight you can add to your vehicle beyond its empty weight. The payload includes people, water, fuel, luggage, and extras like awnings or satellite systems.
To better understand the terminology, here are some key weight terms:
* **MAM (Maximum Allowed Mass)**: The total maximum weight the vehicle can legally weigh when fully loaded, including the motorhome itself, passengers, fuel, water, and supplies. * **MRO (Mass in Running Order)** or **MIRO**: The weight of the motorhome when leaving the factory, including some fuel and possibly a driver, but not necessarily all extras.
The payload capacity is calculated by subtracting the MRO from the MAM. For example, if the MRO is 3,000 kg and the MAM is 3,500 kg, then the payload is 500 kg (the weight you can add).
When selecting a motorhome, it's crucial to:
1. **Check the payload carefully** because everything you add—people, equipment, water, fuel, and optional upgrades—subtract from this. 2. Be realistic about what you will carry; many motorhomes end up overweight because people underestimate the weight of their gear and extras. 3. If you buy a new motorhome, ask the dealer for the exact MRO and MAM figures to calculate the payload accurately, or get the vehicle weighed at a weighbridge for exact figures. 4. Remember that some manufacturers may list optimistic payloads by minimizing what is included in the MRO.
Choosing a motorhome with a higher payload than you expect to need is safer and more practical since it prevents illegal overloading and helps ensure safe driving conditions.
In summary, always consider the payload as the critical figure—it indicates how much you can safely carry after accounting for the motorhome’s base weight. It's better to have a comfortable margin rather than pushing the limits of allowable weight. This ensures legality, safety, and a more enjoyable travel experience.
A quick visit to the weighbridge can be a smart travel decision to ensure the motorhome is not overweight. Prioritising payload alongside layout, brand, and gadgets when choosing a motorhome makes sense.
Subscribing to Motorhome Matt's newsletter offers regular updates on motorhome-related news, reviews, and features. If you already have a motorhome, regularly weigh it fully loaded to ensure you're not exceeding the payload. Reducing the weight of a motorhome can help stay within payload: travel with part-filled water tanks, use lightweight gear, rationalise kit, pack sensibly, and consider payload upgrades.
The payload includes the weight of passengers, kit, clothes, food, pets, paddleboards, e-bikes, and other items. So, when planning your next motorhome adventure, remember to prioritise the payload capacity for a safer, more enjoyable journey.
- When choosing a campervan for your holiday, ensure you meticulously check the payload capacity, as it determines how much additional weight you can add, including people, gear, water, fuel, and optional extras such as awnings or satellite systems.
- To calculate the payload capacity, subtract the MRO (the vehicle's weight at the factory, including fuel and a driver but not all extras) from the MAM (the total maximum allowable weight for the vehicle when fully loaded).
- To make an informed decision, consider a motorhome with a higher payload than you anticipate requiring, to prevent illegal overloading and ensure safe driving conditions.
- Prioritizing the payload capacity is essential in ensuring a safer, more enjoyable motorhome touring lifestyle, and should be considered alongside the motorhome's layout, brand, and features.
- To stay within the permitted payload, adopt practical tips like traveling with part-filled water tanks, using lightweight gear, rationally packing and organizing your items, and considering payload upgrades.
- If you already own a campervan, regularly visit a weighbridge to ensure it's not overweight, and consider unconventional options like RV home-improvement projects, such as reducing weight by downsizing appliances or opting for more energy-efficient home-and-garden solutions.
