Weighbridges for Motorhomes

You may have read our article a week or so ago about height, weight and width restrictions and how best to avoid them. One method that is well known to most heavy freight drivers but not to so many motorhome owners is the weighbridge or, in the US, the truck scale. So how can you use them and where can you find them?

Finding a Local Weighbridge

You have plenty of options when it comes to finding a weighbridge near to you, but they aren’t always well publicised. You can try motorhome forums or a Google search, but your best bet might be Appsherpas new weighbridge app – this will show you a list of the nearest weighbridges to your location and give you details of opening hours and costs.

Using a Weighbridge

Normally it’s best to weigh your motorhome when it’s fully loaded: fill up the water tank, pile on board some luggage and put in a tank of petrol. This will give you an estimate of your maximum weight is and will give you some security when taking on weight restrictions on the road. Some drivers like to know their minimum and maximum weights which can be helpful too.

How much does it cost?

Most weighbridges are free to use as they are intended as public facilities. This may not be true on the continent, however, and you might find yourself having to pay a small fee. However, whatever you pay, it’s much cheaper than exceeding your limit and finding yourself in a nasty situation with a very large claim to make on your motorhome insurance. There is, of course, plenty of good information on where you can find a free weighbridge online.

It might seem like a hassle to constantly re-weigh your motorhome, but if you do it once when full and once when empty you at least have a rough idea of your limits. Petrol levels, water levels and luggage will all have significant effects on the weight of your motorhome and remember that if you make any modifications you might need to weigh again!