Is your Campervan illegal?

Watch the video here or read below.

Are illegal Campervans still being sold? Are you driving a campervan that is breaking the law? A campervan that is NOT built to regulation?

How is your weight, wheels, tyres, kitchen units, speed, pop top, your luggage and more. Can you tell me everything I discuss you have 100% right, legal and within regulation?

I made a previous video pointing out some issues and I have seen changes, positive changes, which is amazing. BUT there are still problems you need to be aware of. With things many people are still doing, that could lead to a big fine or possibly something MUCH worse.

Some will say they already know it all, brilliant. But please don’t ignore it. I know some do and it’s not fair on other road users or even pedestrians on the road side if you loose control.

Some will say I must be fun at parties, but if this helps, imparts some information on someone that wasn’t aware and perhaps prevents an accident then I have succeeded in my goal

Let’s get straight in with what i have noticed a change with.

One of the common problems has been wheels and tyres. Wheels are not as easily spotted, especially as there are also cheap copies on the market now. Which like a lot of copied products, are far from the quality of the original product they have been copied from.

You need to be buying from a reputable supplier.

Wheels have to be load rated and this does vary from vehicle to vehicle.

You can see here on a VW Transporter plaque, what the max weight of the vehicle is, but also the max axle weights. It’s this that shows us what the minimum rating should be.

Half the maximum axle weight is the MINIMUM load rating the wheels and tyres should be.

So if we are talking Transporters we can see on this table here, what the minimum rating should be.

So your T32 VW Transporter needs to have a minimum load rated wheel of 860KG.

Be VERY careful, as some conversions have been fitted with under rated wheels. It’s not the easiest thing to check if already fitted, as it’s found stamped on the inside of the wheel.

Until recently some commonly used wheels on VW Transporters were actually suitable.

Some campers may use large car wheels. Are they correctly rated?

Incorrectly rated tyres are a common problem and is more easy to check, as it’s on the outside of the tyre wall.

I’m pleased to say, I have seen an improvement in this.

There appears to be fewer vans with under rated tyres. People are becoming more aware. Thank fully.

This has been a problem and you may well have seen pictures online of people suffering blow outs due to the tyres not being up to the task of a heavy van or campervan.

The load ratings of the tyres need to be adhered too and on screen is again the minimums.

I would say this is mainly for safety. Having a blow out, can be a frightening and dangerous experience.

Not something you want to happen, especially when it could have been prevented.

Furthermore, you could be in trouble if stopped. Someone was telling me vans were being pulled over by VOSA and fines issued in North Devon, during the summer.

Unfortunately this isn’t something that is checked on a Class 4 MOT, which I mentioned in a previous video.

Just buy the right wheels and tyres. Simple.

This is something that has improved though. I’m seeing less under rated tyres now, which is great news.

With a lot of these things, people aren’t aware things need to be a certain way, hence I’m just raising awareness, so people can spot these things.

We often put our trust in professionals, we expect them to do things right, yet worryingly, the less reputable don’t even know themselves.

Some are not aware of rules and regulations though. A concern in itself.

Gas regulations are something often overlooked and it is quite complicated and not exactly straightforward, BUT installing appliances in accordance with the instructions would be a good start. The distance above your hob generally should be 500mm, 50cm as shown in the instructions. Measure yours. Is it? If it isn’t, have you got a test certificate? Have you got proof the test has been carried out and signed off as compliant?

I do know some with measurements less than this have been tested and passed, but only a few.

Additionally, how about rubber hoses, storage of gas bottles, drop out vents, etc etc. Many aren’t done properly. BUT again, i am pleased to say, these are definitely improving.

Word is also spreading in regards to the drop out vent, often seen in the passenger step, as it’s being fitted in more conversions. That being an NCC requirement and adopted by others.

Along with the air vent in the pop top. Something i saw a few weeks ago, that they had been refused a habitation certificate, because their poptop didn’t have one. Not something I’d heard of before, especially as it’s only a relatively recent requirement.

Again though, a lot of pop tops have these now, so a step in the right direction.

So the newer converted vans are improving, they aren’t all there yet, there is still a huge difference in quality, but that’s another story. It does seem though that many of the potentially illegal aspects, broken rules, against regulation aspects are getting better. Part of this is down to you. I know YOU have been asking questions. Querying builds, looking closer at what things are. And I’m so pleased about that.

Let’s keep going.

There are still things we as owners are doing wrong though and we need to change, not all of us obviously and some may again not be aware. A few things here, firstly weight.

A big one and varies from van to van. I will keep this simple as there is wide variance from camper to camper dependant on the base van, model, spec etc. On the VW Transporter vans they are name T28, T30, T32 etc and this refers to the maximum weight of the van.

A T28 has a maximum weight of 2800kg. This means the van and everything in it, cannot legally weigh more than that.

When you add a camper conversion to the base van, there is a lot of extra weight. The seat bed, pop top, kitchen units, fridge, hob sink, water tanks, gas tanks and that’s before you add you luggage, awning, food, drink, pots, pans and other things you may take. Perhaps your paddleboard, bike, golf clubs, bucket spade or whatever you need.

You may have done a self build and added more and more without thinking about the weight.

What does your van weigh? Do you know?

When you pack, do you take everything you can cram inside?

Perhaps it could be worth a trip to a public weighbridge to ensure your fully loaded camper, isn’t breaking the law. As unfortunately some are.

Fully load the van with everything tanks, fuel, luggage, people, everything then test the total weight AND also each axle. Although you could be within total weight, one of your axles could be over.

Weight limits are there for a reason and going over can affect the vehicles steering, suspension , manoeuvrability, acceleration and braking, meaning an accident could be more likely.

Too be honest I know people have tested their vans with varying results. Some far less than they expected and some far more.

Go and test it, so you will know.

Another thing many are doing is frightening, yet easily avoidable, but actually made trickier by some conversions. Having an insecure load.

When we go away we need to take things, but we need to take them safety. It’s against the law to travel with an Unsecure load.  Where do you store your luggage? Have you got lots of room behind your seat bed?

A RIB bed will give you a good amount of space behind, however a rock n roll bed can often give very little space. I know which i prefer. That is however unless there is a bed on rails. In that case, more space can be created by moving the seat forward.

Luggage not in the cupboards should be secure. Easier said than done, but i dont create the rules, I’m just saying what you need to be aware of.

Bungee cord, ropes and nets can be used in conjunction with the lashing points. Secure your items and this is especially important for heavier items.

In the event of a sudden change in direction, slamming on the brakes or an accident, then whatever is loose, could act as a missile.

It’s not just injury that could be a problem, it could be a big fine if stopped by the police.

Let’s just think before we set off.

Perhaps utilise a roof box for some items to save that precious internal space. Perhaps your bike can go on an external bike rack, rather than inside the vehicle. I will show you my MiRider 24 https://mirider.co.uk on my tow bar in a few weeks. That’s once I’ve returned from the NEC show, which i am very much looking forward to.

There is going to be a lot to see and I’m going to be bringing a different kind of video this time. Mmm, let’s see what happens.

At the show, you will beable to see some alternative storage options. Things like CJL Leisure’s bags, pods and other storage facilities. There will no doubt be roof boxes from Thule.

Lattitude Tents a company I’ve been wanting to see all year, but only doing this in the evenings and weekends, makes that quite difficult, in amongst other commitments I have.

I do try and bring you the best videos i can, but i am time limited.

I have got a great video idea for a few weeks time, testing out a van. Im just planning it out and trying to hire the van. Yes i will be paying to hire, because VW dont know me. Oh, yeah it’s a VW but NOT a Transporter.

Back to legalities and talking Unsecure loads, that also includes animals. If you travel with your dog or perhaps maybe a ferret, then they must be secured. I believe the maximum fine if you dont, could be £5,000.

As much as we are seeing, many people breaking the rules, we are seeing companies helping you to not break them. Improvements are continually happening and that’s great for the conscious campers requiring help to stay on the right side of the law. I have seen an improvement which is brilliant.

There are some aspects no one but ourselves can be responsible for.

Parking laws  could be broken by anyone, no matter how good your van is. We all need to be careful and pay attention when parking so we don’t park in places we shouldn’t. We don’t want a ticket or be moved on in the middle of the night.

Being moved on can be made worse if the driver has been drinking alcohol, as if you’re over the limit, you certainly don’t want to move.

The answer there is make absolutely sure it’s legally allowable to be where you are parked for the intended purpose.

These are things we should all know, but i know not everyone does. So if this has pointed someone in the right direction and helped in anyway, then I have done as i intended.

Stay safe