My first Campervan, Help!

[kieran]

Hello all,

Kieran here in the UK

I am currently searching for a van to convert into my first camper van and to travel around Europe.

I passed my drivers test in 2012 so i can only drive vehicles up to 3500kg according to the DVLA.

My question is can i buy a LWB ford Transit which apparently has a kerb with of 2200kg with a 3500kg gross weight then do the conversion which i assume will be a considerable amount of weight when i don't know if the DVLA only look at the base weight of the vehicle not the extras that i would add.

I've looked everywhere online so i decided to ask the question, sorry if its in the wrong place.

Any other advice when starting a camper van conversion is also appreciated.

Thanks!

[Camper_Dan]

Greetings and Welcome!

My van started out life as a 15 passenger van.  15 x 150lbs each = 2250lbs.  Me, my camper conversion, and everything I own weigh in at under 1000lbs, so I figure I'm good.  BUT... I didn't do any of stupid heavy wood conversions either.  I would guess that the majority of those heavy wood conversions are way overweight.  I bought a passenger van, took out the rear seats, and kept the floor/walls/ceiling intact, so that saved me a ton of extra weight.  All my furniture combined likely weighs less than the heavy original seats that I removed.

Keep all of your additions as low as possible to maintain the lowest center of gravity as possible.  Adding weight up high or on the roof can huge negative effect on the drivabilty of your van.  My cargo van with solar panels on top drove like crap after I added them, and my gas mileage went down big time too.  I have nothing above the bottom window line now.

Cheers & keep us posted!

[Roman]

Hi Kieran,
The place to ask this question for a UK focus is the www.sbmcc.co.uk (Self Build Motor Caravaners Club)
You can make your self a temp member & ask questions.
There is a big 'active' membership with decades of experience.
The site is moderated so no one can give biased info!
I used this site 10yrs ago before my project started.
Its like the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Give it a try,