Why do AS only plate Nuevo EKs at 3300 kg?

In answer to a question I asked about uprating my Nuevo to 3500 kg so that I have enough payload to carry the odd handkerchief and bar of chocolate, Mark at AS informed me that it was a simple paperwork exercise which can be carried out by svtech. I have subsequently sent them an email and have read a couple of posts on the subject on the forum. It would appear that it is a simple process.

My question is "What was Auto-sleepers logic in only plating it at 3300kg in the first place when 3500 is the magic weight for driving licence compliance and town centre limits etc.? The payload is absolutely abysmal and they boast about how they have put a lot of effort into reducing the weight of the woodwork (Taking out the cupboard dividers for example.) This year the dividers are back in again!

The decision to have such a small payload must be costing them many customers so they must have a reason - what is it; and if it is a valid reason how can a 'paperwork exercise' get around that reason.

Mystified.

Last year I posted this. Why new Nuevos are so heavy by comparison with Mark 1 Nuevos I don't know but as you can see we have plenty of payload


When we arrived at Newark show last Friday, we were offered a free weighing by SV Tech, the replating people. Front and rear axles weighed on portable scales. Our Nuevo is rated at 3300kg, total of both axles with two people on board, half tank water and about half tank fuel was 2880kg so well within limit, so even fully laden with a fortnights gear we can take the kitchen sink.

My Devon is plated at 3200Kg and the Mercedes plate shows this is the manufacturers weight. Oddly the V5C states that the gross weight limit is 3500.
Perhaps AS take the maunufacturers weight and leave it up to the owner to uprate. ??? I sent a request to SV tech but never received a reply.

Its a mystery.   I would like the answer as well.

However I am sure you will get by with a lower figure.

Its best to weigh your van fully loaded and see what that is.
Then decide on uprating.

Regards

Micky

I believe that it may be Peugeot who rate the chassis at 3300 even though it is 3500 capable. When I bought mine in 2012 I specified 3500 on the order and, because of "whole vehicle type approval" A/S used a chassis that had been destined for a Nuevo with the overcab, presumably to avoid Marquis having to pay SVTech £250 for the replating.

mikethebike wrote:Its a mystery.   I would like the answer as well.

However I am sure you will get by with a lower figure.

Its best to weigh your van fully loaded and see what that is.
Then decide on uprating.

Regards

Micky

The first time I weighed my 2014 Nuevo van I was 3340 kg, and that was with no bikes on the bike rack and only half a tank of fuel. Once my excess weight and the weight of my wife are taken into consideration (we do not claim to be lightweight) our usable payload is not much over 250 kg. By the time a second leisure battery, the 80watt solar, a fixed television and the (empty) bike rack (supplied and fitted by AS) are added it is coming down fast. I have even resorted to taking the corner stabilisers off which if I remember correctly saved me a very useful 12 kg or so. In effect uprating to 3500kg would double my usable payload. No-one has managed to give me a statement of fact why the Nuevo EK was only 3300 kg in the first place, although Inspirdron's  opinion is the nearest to an answer I have yet had. However if the chassis is different from the overhead cab model I do not understand how it can be uprated as a paperwork excercise without modification by SVTech. 

I really would like to take electric bikes on the back but dare not although I am risking putting the chairs in a backbox.

We are off to Spain and Portugal for a month or two now so I will look into the uprating more when I return.

willy eckerslike wrote:My Devon is plated at 3200Kg and the Mercedes plate shows this is the manufacturers weight. Oddly the V5C states that the gross weight limit is 3500.
Perhaps AS take the maunufacturers weight and leave it up to the owner to uprate. ??? I sent a request to SV tech but never received a reply.

I received a reply from SVTech with a form asking for a LOT of information. It was a badly designed form, for example it asked for axle weights but did not state whether it was actuals or maximum plated, and if actuals under what conditions of weighing. I will have to sit down when I come back from holiday and see what I can come up with.

I received a reply from SVTech with a form asking for a LOT of information. It was a badly designed form, for example it asked for axle weights but did not state whether it was actuals or maximum plated, and if actuals under what conditions of weighing. I will have to sit down when I come back from holiday and see what I can come up with.

Being a big fan of making life easy I assumed they wanted the plated weights and they would give me new figures for the uprated total. Always presuming that the uprate was possible !!!!

Maybe that's why I didn't get a reply !!!!

Driftwood6,
I suspect that your issue is pretty much like mine with the Stanton (a Nuevo on Merc chassis). It is all about price of bulk purchase of chassis units. A-S seem to be able to save £1200-£1500 by buying Euro-spec Mercedes units, compared to UK-spec units. Presumably the Sevel units are similar.

Lots of discussion can (possibly!) be found by following this link: https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t13816-stanton-payload?highlight=stanton+payload

Despite having specified in writing (more than once) exactly what I wanted many months before taking delivery, when I collected it was just plain wrong.  Rather surprisingly I based my spec on what was published in the A-S brochure and online. Bottom line is we are of no interest to Auto-Sleepers once they have got the money from our bank accounts. In my case £65k approx.

Pete Taylor wrote:Driftwood6,
Despite having specified in writing (more than once) exactly what I wanted many months before taking delivery, when I collected it was just plain wrong.  Rather surprisingly I based my spec on what was published in the A-S brochure and online. Bottom line is we are of no interest to Auto-Sleepers once they have got the money from our bank accounts. In my case £65k approx.

I have to confess to more than a degree of surprise! I assume that you set out your requirements clearly when you placed the order, as I did. In fact A/S made the wrong van for me which embarrassed Marquis. The problem was rectified in about 3 weeks, which wasn't bad as my van was very non standard, and I have found them very helpful throughout the teetbing problems that I had. No, they don't get everything right but my experience is that they do everything possible to rectify any issues. But they do need our cooperation, which can be difficult if emotions take over - however justifiable that may seem. And I certainly hit the roof on one or two occasions!