Losing Weight

Gaining weight is one of those things that happen to middle age men and their trucks. Slowly bolting things onto the truck and drinking just another beer on the weekend seem to have the same effect.

When the L200 went down to get an overhaul last year Paul mentioned that his vehicle lift was groaning a bit under the weight of the truck. I had taken the truck down to him fully loaded for a trip so that he could set the suspension and brakes up for me by seeing fully loaded.

My truck has a capacity of 950KG officially under UK law. It can carry much more in reality but the road tax is based on 950KG which are called light trucks. If I want to go over that I have to go and get it “plated” where a government vehicle station puts a plate on the truck to say it is then okay to be 3.5 tonnes maximum – but then I am restricted to 50/60 on roads and motorways.

So a while back when returning from a camping trip I took the L200 to the weighbridge. I think its fair to say that I was not shocked but I was surprised. Just 220KG away from the maximum weight (GVM) for the vehicle so if I were to have people in the passenger seats with me then I am already too heavy.

I went through all of the added weight that I have bolted onto the truck and all of the things that I carry and convince myself they are essential. In reality the truck has almost become a storage cupboard for everything camping and offroad that I own.

This week I have started working on rebuilding or de-engineering the internal shelf in the back of the truck. Its made of recycled plastic board used to make temporary animal pens. It comes under the category of seemed to be a good ide at the time.