CONFUSION
When it comes to weights, a motorhome that
is not towing a trailer is an inherently less
confusing proposition.
I refer to the dreaded Gross Combined Mass. A
tow vehicle with an advertised towing capacity
of 3500kg cannot necessarily tow that amount in
practice, especially once the tow vehicle is loaded
up for travelling.
We’ve covered the ins and outs of Gross Combined
Mass in issues #20 and #21, so we won’t go
into detail here, other than to say that it is not
as straightforward as it might seem – especially
when it comes to utes that are marketed as
3500kg-capable.
Lionel Mussell and his
Sprinter-based motorhome.
PAYLOAD
Motorhomes typically offer greater load-carrying
capacity than the ‘average’ caravan.
A single-axle caravan will typically have about
300kg of payload capacity, while a tandem-axle
rig will have about 400kg. These are minimums:
often enough, a caravan will offer more.
But a B class motorhome could easily offer
1000kg of payload, as could a C class cab-chassis
conversion with a GVM of less than 4500kg.
WHY I CONVERTED
A few years ago, I bought a little Peugeot
motorhome for a trip, taking in the UK and
France and found it so convenient – no hooking
up before moving off each day, etc. – that I
decided to get a motorhome as soon as I got
back to Oz and I've no regrets. These are the
reasons I converted…
• There’s no getting out in the rain to hook-
up on wet mornings.
• There’s no difficult manoeuvring required
to get on sites.
• There are fewer tyres and less running gear
to maintain.
• There’s no need to get out of the vehicle
to make a cuppa if the weather is beastly
outside.
• It’s much easier to find a campsite when
bush camping.
– Lionel Mussell
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