Hello folks
In the search for my first Eriba without travelling to the south coast I have found one locally, It is advertised as a 550 GT so I am assuming it is the Troll 550 GT with a fixed bed,
However I have now noticed it is plated at 1300 kg unlike the Leisure First model which is plated at 1200 kg. (I phoned and checked.)

My little Mercedes B180 has a maximum trailer weight of 1200 kg so can this Eriba be down plated?

Cheers

John

the car can only tow 1200kg max if you are experienced in towing, the caravan must not weigh any more than 1200kg, no matter the axle weight.
for safety should consider 85% if new to towing, https://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/85-towing-rule.html the rule that's not a rule just a very strong suggestion for clean under garments..
what does caravan weigh in mass running order with no personnel possessions, does it have any extras fitted? like a mover fitted this will add to current empty weight

If a mover fitted if reduce the axle weight will you still have enough payload for pots pans extra?
this is a balancing act.

to answer Yes it can be done via Alko consider above.

Hi Dinky
The weight given is the maximum trailer weight but the car is a much heavier than that.

I towed caravans and folding campers up to 5 years ago when the wife became to ill to manage the stress of going on holiday.
She passed in June so I just want a small caravan for me and my dog.

I know MTPLM plates can be up graded but can they be reduced given Eriba seem to give a range of MTPLM for similar van's.

Thanks

John

sending condolences to you.

very limited info on gov website https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-weights-explained

https://www.sterling-insurance.co.uk/blo...er/towing-laws/ this mentions the car max weights rather than the caravan max axle weight,
( this site does however have a picture of an Eriba Randa)

the only info can locate is for heavier vehicles pg 4 of the pdf download explains what said above much better https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/sites/d...ehicles+web.pdf

this is a website read no download
https://www.commercialmotor.com/complian...vehicle-plating

Thank you Colin. I am viewing on Wednesday and that helps a lot.

Many thanks John

Hold Hard!

There seems to be some basic basic misunderstandings here.

Firstly I believe 550's could be had with a rear lounge that could be turned into a double bed or a fixed double bed.

Secondly the van's MTPLM is the maximum it can legally be loaded to but if, as in this case, you only load it to 1200kg then that is fine, there is absolutely no need to replate it, you'll just be running 100kg below its limit.

The only issue whether at 1200kg there will be enough payload available at 1200kg

The current 550 has a MIRO of 1007kg and a standard MTPLM of 1300kg, giving a nominal 293kg payload. However speccing the van up via the options list to an average UK type spec. adds a further 90kg, reducing the available payload to 203kg, Add a motor mover (35kg) and it's down to 168kg, which should be fine. However if you're limiting yourself to 1200kg the available payload becomes 68kg and that is not a realistic amount to expect to use the van, even for one man and his dog. You have to assume that is why Hymer increased the standard MTPLM from 1200kg to 1300kg.

If you can manage without a mover you'll have 103kg to play with but that's still a bit too low. If you're dead set on a 5XX series Touring range van it might be a better plan to change the car to something that will pull, say, 1500kg before paying out £750 for a towbar and that gives you plenty of margin. .

A little more clarification required by me!!

I started out looking for a 3 berth Eriba to enable me to leave a bed made up. It also needed a shower/WC and to be light enough to tow with my baby Mercedes 180D. I have only had the car a few months buying it a week before Val suddenly died hence me not wanting to change it.

My problem has been that there are not many Eriba's to my spec and budget (about 12 grand) and they disappear rather quickly or are 200 miles away.

I spotted the 550 GT on Gumtree and it is only 40 minutes away from me so easy to view but having done more homework over the past few days I am coming to the same conclusion as steamdrivenandy, forget it or change the car!. According to what I have read on this forum it has an MRO of 960kg but I would have to check what extras it is carrying. I know it has a mover, gas bottle and battery so there is 90kg gone.

Anybody any other ideas on where to search?

Thanks

John

The items making up the 90kg in options are:

Stone guard protection 2kg
Spare wheel 20kg
Smooth body finish 5kg
Door flyscreen 5kg
Sprung core mattress (fixed bed) 10kg
Shower fittings 3kg
12V heater fan and trunking 3kg
Ultraheat 240V element 2kg
Autonomy Pack (battery etc) 30kg
Truma Therme boiler 3kg
Carpet 8kg
Total 91kg

Add in a motor mover at 35kg and you've used 126kg of payload.

One other area often overlooked is gas cylinders. I don't know what allowance Hymer build into MIRO for gas, UK makers appear to have more or less standardised on 10kg. When you consider that a full 6kg Calor cylinder weighs 14kg and many folk tote two around then that's another 18kg of payload used up. Even if you fit just one you've used 4kg when it's full.

It's really not a good idea to push the boundaries of a car's towing limit and I always like to have a van that weighs in at 100kg or more less than the car's limit. That would suggest a van with an 1100kg MTPLM and taking off the 144kg of options brings that down to 956kg without any personal items or equipment. Our own payload leaving out mover, battery, gas etc is 108kg. If you take that off the 956kg you get 848kg and that is the MIRO of the van to fit your car. If you choose to ignore having a tow weight margin and are happy to run at 1200kg, then you're looking for a van with a MIRO of 948kg.

HTH

When all else fails buy a Swift Basecamp 2!

Joking!!!

Have had a discussion with Dom Fox and will contact me in January and I will go down for a couple of days to see what is what.

Many thanks for all your comments and suggestions .

Will post when there is any progress. Must get a tow bar now.

Cheers

John

Just got off the phone to PF Jones.
Excellent company. Many thanks.

John

I did Colin but only just as it is the first "PM" I have received I missed it.

Will check things out.

Many thanks
John