Andyroo:
dennisw1:
The Transhite only goes up to 3.5 tons. The Sprinter and LT can go up to 4.6, you can as a rule of thumb tell the ‘heavy’ sprinter/LT’s by the fact they have twin rear wheels. Same with Iveco Dailies i think.Ivecos go up to 6.5 tonnes. They look like 3.5 tonners that have been taking steroids!
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Yeah, what i meant was the Ivecos over 3.5 have twin rear wheels, the 3.5’s only have singles. 
dennisw1:
Andyroo:
dennisw1:
The Transhite only goes up to 3.5 tons. The Sprinter and LT can go up to 4.6, you can as a rule of thumb tell the ‘heavy’ sprinter/LT’s by the fact they have twin rear wheels. Same with Iveco Dailies i think.Ivecos go up to 6.5 tonnes. They look like 3.5 tonners that have been taking steroids!
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Yeah, what i meant was the Ivecos over 3.5 have twin rear wheels, the 3.5’s only have singles.
I know what you meant, I think the Mercs and VWs only go to 4.5t though and the Ivecos and Renaults up to 6.5t and therefore look bloody silly (not so much chassis cab versions, but van bodied ones do).
I’m just being a van geek again. 
I think the Mercs and VWs only go to 4.5t though
You might be right, i was just going by the fact VW sell an LT46.
dennisw1:
I think the Mercs and VWs only go to 4.5t though
You might be right, i was just going by the fact VW sell an LT46.
Been a while since I’ve been too bothered about vans anymore, hopefully you’ll be in the same position soon. 
Merc do a sprinter upto 4.6t. They are all the 4 series models (generally have twin wheels on the rear axle).
Most of the sprinters on the road are 3 series (311,313,316) which are all 3.5t, with a train weight of about 6.3t. Although the merc towbars only allows you to tow 1.8t ■■
Not sure how that works.
I thought that if you mixed Domestic and EU regs on the same day that the domestic driving counted towards your total under EU regs ■■
Andyroo:
dennisw1:
I think the Mercs and VWs only go to 4.5t though
You might be right, i was just going by the fact VW sell an LT46.
Been a while since I’ve been too bothered about vans anymore, hopefully you’ll be in the same position soon.
Hopefully! When the driving instructor gets back to me with a date for my course, might have to give him a ring and chase him. Only going to do that once though, if he’s not after the business someone else will be.
BTW, I think Renault also do a 4x4 6.5tonner, that just looks plain stupid!
dennisw1:
The Transhite only goes up to 3.5 tons.
I may be wrong but I beleive the transit is available in a higher capacity
The 430 model has twin rear wheels and by model number I guess its a 4.3 tonne with tacho
Yep just looked it up on their site, they do one that goes to just over 4.2 tonnes. Only in the ‘jumbo’ extended chassis/high roof one though.
Just means you need to have a bigger recovery wagon to pick the thing up when the fly wheel breaks up or the cooling system pops a hose or two or the imobiliser wont let you start the van or the crown wheel breaks up or the battery packs up or a peice of grit hits the bonnet and caves the front of the cab in… 
leehellcat:
I thought that if you mixed Domestic and EU regs on the same day that the domestic driving counted towards your total under EU regs ■■
I havent got the full manual with this section in, I would imagine you will be caught anyway by the 15 or 16 hour spreadover.
Obviously you cannot drive a transot for 10 hours and then put a trailer on for another 10, although you can in a car 
so heres a question then, do these big vans at over 3.5 tonne require an Operators license & 6 weekly safety checks?
For sure you can’t drive them on a post '97 car license!
Mixed EC and Domestic work/driving on the same day;
Driving under Domestic Regs = other work under EC Regs.
Driving under EC Regs = driving under Domestic Regs. The daily driving limits under either set of Regs cannot be exceeded.
Rest under one set of Regs counts as Rest under the other set.
Duty / Other Work under either set of Regs counts as Duty / Other Work under the other set of Regs.
You cannot count Driving / Rest / Other Work under one set of Regs as Rest under the other set of Regs.
If you do any Domestic Regs on a day then the spreadover is 11 hours, not 13 or 15 (or possibly 16) under EC Regs.
If you drive, then the EC 4.5 hours limit counts only for EC driving. There is no requirement for drivers on HGV’s to have a mid-shift break under Domestic Regs (daft or what?) If you do any EC driving during a day, you are required to have an EC daily rest period; 11 / 9 hours. You are also required to have an EC weekly rest period after the sixth driving period or the end of the sixth day.
Don’t blame me if it doesn’t make any sense, talk to your MP, they voted it in!!
Driveroneuk said;
so heres a question then, do these big vans at over 3.5 tonne require an Operators license & 6 weekly safety checks?
Short answer; yes they require an Ops Licence when used in connection with a trade or business. The frequency of safety inspections will depend upon the distance travelled and the nature of work, just like an HGV.
Driveroneuk also said;
For sure you can’t drive them on a post '97 car license!
Also true, but many people do, usually cos they look at the vehicle and think that because it says Sprinter of Transit on it then it’s OK cos it’s below 3.5 tonnes. They don’t look at the tacho, ops licence in the window or the Ministry Plating Certificate. Although in the majority of cases the company didn’t know they needed the Ops Licence and the Plating Certificate will be in the top right hand draw of the salesmans desk at the dealership, cos he’s not bothered now he’s sold the thing.
Biggest Sprinter I’ve seen was the one on the M25 today with a LWB flatbed body which was 6 metres long loaded with those 12 of those portable thunder boxes. Not content with this it was also pulling a 6 metre trailer to hold another 12 of those things on
Brand new 05 reg motor, must only be on the edge of legality surely?
I agree with the other comments, they’re all over the place on wet roads. Ones fitted with ABS do hold the road better. Good vans though, the 3.5 tonne gross ones will carry about 1350kg - I’ve been on the weighbridge once.
Calv
One company I did recovery for a few years back brought a 6.5 ton Iveco Daily recovery vehicle.
It looked great, but had some of the most frightening brakes I think I have ever had the misfortune to come across.
Read the hand book in the Sprinter (or should i say ‘my’ sprinter, as i’m it’s only driver at the moment!) at work yesterday, they aparently do a 613, which i guess must be a 6 tonner.
Trouble with the panel vans is when empty there is no weight over the back axle so they’re all over the place. Springs are too soft as well, far too sloppy. The VW has stiffer springs that make all the difference, crazy considering it’s basically the same van!
I also saw some 4x4 national grid ones at Charton bodies in Dover, they look like they’re on stilts. Ok sounding like a ‘van spotter’ now! 
Ford built an overgrown transit and gave it steroids. They called it the A series. I never saw the point as it needed log books / tacho and could hardly carry much more than a transit
The point of any Transit is to keep recovery firms in Business
Thankfully they’re big enough to need an HGV to recover them so they keep HGV drivers in work
dennisw1:
The point of any Transit is to keep recovery firms in Business
Thankfully they’re big enough to need an HGV to recover them so they keep HGV drivers in work
Obviously you have experience of a YORK Diesel 
Not quite that old
I have experience of the current Transits, the local recovery drivers have had even more than i though!
The flywheel breaking up and the Cooling system going pop somewhere amonst the many rubber hoses are at the top of the very long list of common faults!
All in a commecial vehicle that has 40 years of development and
“40 years of building a great Britain”
I think that ad statement, explains a lot about the state of the country!
Obviously you have experience of a YORK Diesel
ah that one:
Major rebuild every 50,000 …if you got that far.
Sniff to get it going if left stood for more than 15 mins …in SUMMER!
Bits that fell off (e.g fan)
Bits that worked intermittently (Or not at all) e.g. lift pump.
But I did used to pull 2.25 tonnes of Scotch Cheddar back from Lockerbie creameries every week with one + trailer. (Often in 3rd gear on the motorway)
yeah, yeah, i know, would get locked up for loading that weight nowadays.
I was 18 at the time.