Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Ok so I picked up mg Patrol this after noon from Turbo Works and on my way home I stoped at our local scrap dealer..... My Patrol weighs in at 2,540kg with about 40L of fuel in the tank.
Extras on the vehicle is the steel front bumper, roof rack with awening, spade and axe, 33"tyres x5 and also a 2" OME suspension, but dont think that adds to much weight.
this means I only have about 400kg left before I hit the GVM

I just want to add something that I should have added right in the beginning: the scrap dealers are renowned for adjusting their scales. It's their margin...

Peter Connan wrote:I just want to add something that I should have added right in the beginning: the scrap dealers are renowned for adjusting their scales. It's their margin...

This is also my concern Peter, but it is my only option at this stage. Josh did his first weigh olso at a s rap dealer and did another weight at his work, he had a 40kg differance which is quite acceptable I think?

Is there any legal way to up the allowed weight of your vehicle??

If we are allowed to drive up to 3,500kg can one not "licence" the vehicle for this, I know that you pay licence fees according to the weigh of your vehicle so this might entail a bit of a higher yearly licence fee but you would be inside the law and not having to worry every time a weigh bridge appears in the distance......

Dirk,
Before a vehicle is allowed to be sold in S A , it has to be homolgated and the vehicle is then deemed safe for our roads. The vehicle type is then available for registration on the enatis system.
This includes a lot of safety and size parameters as well as those silly rear lights.
They use a formula using engine kw to work out the gcm. That is why the 4,2 pickup can legally tow a very small load.

To change the registered gvm or gcm , you have to re register the vehicle as altered by a registered manufacturer.
The effort and paperwork is just not worth it.

I build rigs onto some of my vehicles and then register them as mobile equipment. The system is so inadequate , that I only have to hand in a weight certificate , an avidavid and some vehicle numbers/clearances. And my licence fees are R150/year.

I have an unrestricted EC licence and regularly have interaction at the weigh bridges with the officials. I daresay that I know more about the laws regarding weight and license limits than the average officer. There are informed officers (that can swim) and they have told me that there are too many loopholes in the system.

Bottom line is to stay on the right side of the law. It just makes sense to use a vehicle within the tyre and brake safety limits,

bogeyman wrote:Dirk,
Before a vehicle is allowed to be sold in S A , it has to be homolgated and the vehicle is then deemed safe for our roads. The vehicle type is then available for registration on the enatis system.
This includes a lot of safety and size parameters as well as those silly rear lights.
They use a formula using engine kw to work out the gcm. That is why the 4,2 pickup can legally tow a very small load.

To change the registered gvm or gcm , you have to re register the vehicle as altered by a registered manufacturer.
The effort and paperwork is just not worth it.

I build rigs onto some of my vehicles and then register them as mobile equipment. The system is so inadequate , that I only have to hand in a weight certificate , an avidavid and some vehicle numbers/clearances. And my licence fees are R150/year.

I have an unrestricted EC licence and regularly have interaction at the weigh bridges with the officials. I daresay that I know more about the laws regarding weight and license limits than the average officer. There are informed officers (that can swim) and they have told me that there are too many loopholes in the system.

Bottom line is to stay on the right side of the law. It just makes sense to use a vehicle within the tyre and brake safety limits,

So can I then add my roofrack, rooftops, and drawer system as mobile equipment??

There is just no way that the Trol is within specs with all the extra's - so instead of getting into trouble at weighbridge how can one "try" and be leagal??

what does your manufacturers plate say your legal weights are
in the engine compartment..

Dirk,
For a vehicle to be registered as mobile equipment , the equipment must be permanently attached and the vehicle can not be used to transport passengers or goods.
Your only option is to keep both Patrols and share the load between them

The maximum weight and tara on the makers plate and the licence disc should be the same.

I had a problem with a Cruiser that could not carry the machine I mounted on the back.
I had an axle made by Rubax to fit neatly behind the rear axle with the same rims and tyres. A 6x4 Cruiser. Soon the 6 cylinder engine failed and we replaced it with a 4 cylinder Perkins engine from the storeroom.(Cruisers were then fitted with the same engine new and it worked well.) The clutch failed weekly and within 6 months the chassis broke in half. Moral of the story : it will do the designed load safely.

That same machine lives happily on a Safari with only two axles and has done 500k km like that.
Nissans are known for their ability to carry more weight than specified , and inside SA , I have never been stopped and weighed with my Patrols.
The cops are after trucks that exceed the single axle load limit. Across the borders , it might be a problem.

With a pickup it will be easy to go over the allowed limit.
My 4.2 pickup's tare is 2285kg, gvm is 3400kg.
So with full tanks 175l of diesel, cattle/hunting frame, replacement bumpers, 100kg driver, co-driver, etc. you could easy add 400-500kg to the vehicle without realising it. And then if you load 65 cases of courts(I did this the other day ), that is another 1100kg.
That will give you at least 3800kg in total.

Sal ek jou gou my huis adres stuur vir daai aflewering????