Thread: Have I got my weight sums right?

Originally Posted by GregMilner

I remain amazed that the arithmetic surrounding this has never been seriously put to Land Rover. And if it has, where is the definitive answer from the company? Has it been published anywhere?

I really want to use a lot of expletives. Seriously. Unless you are so well over which would take immense stupidity, what does it matter? The insurance company won’t be picking up every piece of strewn debris when it rolls to prove it was a weight issue! The police likewise won’t. At best they’ll do rudimentary calcs based on the products. If your rear axle fails from overloading, well good luck claiming. LR don’t pay for much anyhow and it’ll now be out of warranty anyhow. I think too many keyboard warriors need to chill out. There are margins of error built into every product. Chill out, don’t be stupid, do your best to comply with the regs and the limits but Jesus, just have a bloody holiday. Signed, get a life Corp.

Originally Posted by GregMilner

I remain amazed that the arithmetic surrounding this has never been seriously put to Land Rover. And if it has, where is the definitive answer from the company? Has it been published anywhere?

Not sure about the "definitive" bit, but the exact question was put to LR recently with the response copied in this an another similar thread. The diabolical bit is that the "official" reply from LR is inconsistent with the Owner's manual for the same vehicle, creating a level of confusion. As yet not reconciled.

Originally Posted by DiscoJeffster

I really want to use a lot of expletives. Seriously. Unless you are so well over which would take immense stupidity, what does it matter? The insurance company won’t be picking up every piece of strewn debris when it rolls to prove it was a weight issue! The police likewise won’t. At best they’ll do rudimentary calcs based on the products. If your rear axle fails from overloading, well good luck claiming. LR don’t pay for much anyhow and it’ll now be out of warranty anyhow. I think too many keyboard warriors need to chill out. There are margins of error built into every product. Chill out, don’t be stupid, do your best to comply with the regs and the limits but Jesus, just have a bloody holiday. Signed, get a life Corp.

Some fair points. I think the point of the discussion was that some folks would prefer to know for certain than to toss a coin in the air, cross fingers and hope. As it's not rocket science, you'd think that wouldn't be a big deal in this day and age of seemingly unlimited access to information to get the correct answers without confusion or question. That the information is confusing (at best) and inconsistent (at worst) is annoying for many. The number of responses to this thread is kind of evidence of that.

For me, I am unlikely to ever get close to reaching either the GVM or GTM for my vehicle - I'd need a much heavier dirt bike and a heap of fuel cans in the box trailer for that! For others towing their home away from home around around the country, I can see that it may be a concern about nudging close to the legal limit and the subsequent implications from that.

The issue as I see it regarding the inconsistency in information (even that received from LR) is that when you start setting up your vehicle for touring by adding a bunch of accessories, you are biting into what remains of your payload. Add a fridge, some drawers, recovery gear, some basic tools and spares, throw the roof racks on and slip another spare wheel up there, a couple of fuel cans and a gas bottle or two, and you are left with potentially not too much load capacity left. Slip the van onto the hitch and that payload maybe takes another hit.

If all these things are needed for the journey, deciding what to carry in the vehicle and what sits behind it, and just where it should be in the towed device, it is little wonder the question asked gets lots of confused responses. Yes for many if you follow some sound rules of thumb and if the vehicle feels OK with the load and the trailer, sits level etc.., then it may well be all good. If a cursory glance over the spec sheet and a quick calculation sees you nudging the wrong side of the theoretical line, that "bonus 150kg tow ball weight" or "is the 75kg for a driver in or out?" can add up to a fair whack of the discretionary payload, and may be important for some.

I'm not sure it means those folks don't have a life, it may just mean they are keen to keep going with the one they have, and maybe have a caring thought for the lives of others they are passing by on the road traveled.

Originally Posted by DiscoJeffster

I really want to use a lot of expletives. Seriously. Unless you are so well over which would take immense stupidity, what does it matter? The insurance company won’t be picking up every piece of strewn debris when it rolls to prove it was a weight issue! The police likewise won’t. At best they’ll do rudimentary calcs based on the products. If your rear axle fails from overloading, well good luck claiming. LR don’t pay for much anyhow and it’ll now be out of warranty anyhow. I think too many keyboard warriors need to chill out. There are margins of error built into every product. Chill out, don’t be stupid, do your best to comply with the regs and the limits but Jesus, just have a bloody holiday. Signed, get a life Corp.

Well spoken Jeff. As a GOM (Grumpy Old Man) myself, I always appreciate the perfectly justified expressions of impatience from others of the same ilk. I'm not the least bit anxious about weight issues, I was merely undertaking an academic exercise for my own curiosity. And being a hater of ambiguity, the apparent discrepancy between what LR says and what's in the manual is particularly aggravating.

PS: I'm still under warranty:-)