# What item would you dump to save weight?



## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

I've just been reading the post on 'spare wheels' and most people seem to want to equipt their van with a spare wheel & tyre if they haven't one ASAP.

Funny enough I need to shed some weight (me and the van that is!) to make way for a towbar and have decided that the spare wheel is the item that will have to go. In over 40 years in this hobby we have never had a puncture and at my age I won't entertain crawling about underneath the van even if sods law decrees that we now do. :laugh:

The other contenders were the:

Sun Awning (or Rain Awning) - A real pain sometimes and always a worry in the wind. We much prefer beach brollies, down in seconds and can be left in-situ with a cover on. However, an awnings does come in useful in the rain so it got a reprieve.

Habitation Air-Con - We had one of these years ago and it was so noisy that we vowed never again. However, our present van came with one which is very quite. Also we have not yet used the van in a continental summer and being a panel van imagine that it could get a lot hotter than a coachbuilt - we will see.

Dump Water - As we are suppose to be enjoying ourselves the thought of forever dumping and taking on water doesn't appeal, especially if queuing on one tap aires. :crying:

So what must-have item would you most likely leave behind? There is one such answer that I am not brave enough to mention but I'm sure someone will!

Ron


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I would dump the Hab Air Con.
We had it, and as we are usually off grid, we hardly ever used it.
We do have a 12 v fan fitted.
I certainly would not dump the spare!>


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

I can see your reasoning Grath. We are probably 50/50 between aires and campsites so could use it. It's the panel van insulation that decided me to keep it for now as it's an unknown aspect.

Ron


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Just a thought
You say, you want to loose weight so a tow bar can be fitted. Why not fit the spare to the trailer?


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Sorry, should have said the towbar is for taking a bike rack, which can't be mounted direct to the van.

Ron


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Can it not be incorporated with a bit of jiggling around? maybe under! or failing that, at the very least carry a tyre.
On our last bike rack and now our scooter rack, I carry the ramps and other dirty things that I do not want in the van!

Dumb me, the weight would still be there !
Maybe tow a trailer!


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We've had lots of punctures ( inc a deliberately caused one) always had the roadside services out to sort them and never had them arrive with either the means to repair the tyre or a suitable spare: we would not dump the spare wheel. 

First to go would be the Fiamma awning. In winter it's usually too windy to put it up, in summer we could easily do with a lighter frameless sun canopy attached, like a caravan awning, to a rail on the side. 

If we had hab air con that would have gone ages ago. 

We took the rear steadies off to save a bit of rear axle weight: never missed them.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Apart from the spare wheel perhaps, anything at all weighty that had not been used in the last year or so!

If it has been used, you still need to carry it - one way or another!

Dave


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## GAVLAD (Aug 10, 2014)

Forget the tow bar and bikes - just go for these - save a fortune and weight! >


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## adonisito (Nov 6, 2009)

I'd dump the crank up satellite dish, we don't use it and it gets in the way of the solar panels I want, but I'm worried about the holes left behind. I quite like the Air con on the roof though, not practical at night but a useful luxury in the day in hot climes.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Grath said:


> Can it not be incorporated with a bit of jiggling around? maybe under! or failing that, at the very least carry a tyre.
> On our last bike rack and now our scooter rack, I carry the ramps and other dirty things that I do not want in the van!
> 
> Dumb me, the weight would still be there !
> Maybe tow a trailer!


Must admit that I never thought of just keeping the tyre. If I also work on getting rid of the tyre around my waist it would be a result!


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## pete4x4 (Dec 20, 2006)

Be careful as if the vehicle is meant to have a spare and you dont have one then your recovery insurance may not be valid. I know Aviva wont help you if you are missing your spare.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Ouch, never thought of that. 

Yet another insurance cop out. Aviva also won't allow NCD earned on their motorhome policies to be transferred to a car. They never did explain why and it sounded bonkers to me. Never mind it's their loss.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

adonisito said:


> I'd dump the crank up satellite dish, we don't use it and it gets in the way of the solar panels I want, but I'm worried about the holes left behind. I quite like the Air con on the roof though, not practical at night but a useful luxury in the day in hot climes.


Remove the dish and fit & seal a aluminium plate over the hole, if you can still see the plate after fitting the panel, fit the *roof entry gland* cover to the plate., this way you might not have to drill an extra hole to get the panel cable into the van


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## powerplus (Oct 6, 2014)

give me the crank up satellite dish and deliver it to portugal that would empty your tank and reduce some weight

no seriously im surprised at all the little bits and pieces i have hidden away in corners 3 or 4 little socket sets 2 electric meters couple of spare ground sheets loads of books 2 laptops the list goes on

the more i think about your question the more junk i can think off


barry


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I Think I would dump the Fiamma Sun canopy as well. It does get used on occasions but its a pain in the backside, you CANNOT leave it out unattended and its a faff to get in and out. However I suspect its removal would leave a four metre very clean patch where it once was. 

I did think about dumping the spare wheel which is underneath at rear of the van. It probably would have allowed us to carry a heavier scooter. I hadnt had a puncture since 2009 but then last year I had two in one trip. First one was in Ghent in Belgium where Safe Guard had it whipped off and changed in less than an hour and the second one was a slow puncture on an Aire on the Med coast, same again. I think we would have been a bit stuffed without the spare.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

We don't have a weight problem with the Mercedes, 5990kg gross gives us getting on for 1500kg payload, so no worries there.

The big 6-wheel trailer is another matter, we are consistently at the maximum weight of 3500kg and when we are out with it and the Discovery, we load more into the car to save trailer weight.

Spare wheels, we carry two for the trailer, the Mercedes has one plus an extra if needed, Discovery has its own spare and we will often take a tyre alone if we are away for more than a few days.

The Caravanstor Zip awning on the trailer does get used a lot, and would be one of the last things we get rid of.

Heaviest item is tinned food, we had nearly 40kg of tins and 'other stores' on one trip!

The sooner the Mercedes is on the road the better 

Peter


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## dalspa (Jul 1, 2008)

I think that Sod's Law would soon rear its ugly head. Carry a spare for many years and not get a flat, leave it at home and..........> Each of my motorhomes have come with awnings, but if I next bought one without, then I doubt whether I would have one fitted.
Towbars can be very heavy - I weighed mine when I took it off (already fitted - now in the shed) and it was 75kg. Shame OP can't get a rack to fit on the back as rack + bikes could probably be only about a third of that.

DavidL


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I think some on here would be okay if they just dumped the booze > >


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

OMG, kev, call an ambulance, barryd has collapsed with that thought.:grin2::grin2::grin2: Just heard that the ambulance service UK wide is working at full speed all of a sudden.>>

cabby


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

What would I dump? Mrs DFD?

Sorry dear, 'twas a joke, honestly. Wouldn't save much weight though - there, I'm redeemed lol.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I have not had a puncture more many years now BUT I would never contemplate driving without one. My latets car came with just the can of gunk. I bought a spare (spacesaver) wheel and tyre within a week. I also always kept a spare in the MH, (I now have a spare for my caravan) I accepted that it was a heavy item BUT sods law says that if you are going to get a puncture it will be in the middle of the night, miles from civilisation, in the lashing rain with no mobile phone signal (think rural France!) 

Also many breakdown policies specifically state that they will NOT assist if you have a puncture and do not have a serviceable spare to use. (Check NOW rather than at the roadside)

The gunk and compressor are fine IF you have a nail or screw type puncture in the centre of the tread, if its in a sidewall or you have driven over a sharp object and have anything other than a small diameter puncture. Over the years I came across many who actually removed their cars spare so they could get more luggage aboard, these encounters were usually in the dead of night miles from anywhere. calling out a tyre company at 3 AM is a VERY expensive exercise.

If weight is that serious then, in my view, the first, and blindingly obvious, "economy" would be to ditch as much water as possible (ESPECIALLY grey waste). 1 Litre of water weighs a kilogram so if you have a (full) 125 litre fresh water tank thats 125Kg (the weight of a laaarge passenger or at least 2 towbars) you dont actually need to lug around. 

Water is available pretty much everywhere, having said that when we were on the road with our MH we carried 5 litres of water in a large plastic bottle for drinks etc and ensured that the fresh water and waste water tanks were as empty as possible. I can only ever recall having to actually queue for a water tap about 3 times in the 10 years we ran a MH. 

Have you thought about carrying your bikes (in waterproof bike bags) inside??? That would negate the need for a weighty towbar and bike rack. You can always secure them to the MH with a decent security cable at night/when parked up during the day. Just a thought. 

Andy

I have never had a fire or flood at home, but I still have insurance to cover both eventualities and the chances of getting a puncture are FAR higher are they not???


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

deefordog said:


> What would I dump? Mrs DFD?
> 
> Sorry dear, 'twas a joke, honestly. Wouldn't save much weight though - there, I'm redeemed lol.


I'm amazed it got to today on this thread/forum before someone said it tbh >

Graham :smile2:

PS If you hadn't, I was going to :wink2:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

deefordog said:


> What would I dump? Mrs DFD?
> 
> Sorry dear, 'twas a joke, honestly. Wouldn't save much weight though - there, I'm redeemed lol.


What about the weight of all the ear plugs though.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

You could always leave the grey water tap slightly open, tis only bath and kitchen sink water after all, same as we put on the garden.


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## Yaxley (Jul 25, 2008)

I have a aircon unit in the main storage area (it was already in it when I got it). We never use it and it takes up space. God only knows what it weighs.
I run it a few times a year so I know that it works very well.
I should really take it out but I am lazy and tell myself that if I sell the van in future someone might say 'Oh I love the aircon' and buy it for that reason.
Anyway I would still be left with all of the 3" hoses.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
I would'nt get rid of the spare wheel though.
Ian


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

Two years ago on way home from the Gower we had a blow out.
The road was ver dangerous virtually No hard shoulder and two lanes of fast traffic.
The police were there post haste and made a safety zone well back on road to try to slow/ warn the traffic.
We didn't have a spare wheel but the brakes were damaged- fluid all over the road.
The other front tyre had also been damGed and are were recovered to a garage where brake s were repaired and two new tyres fitted.
So a spAre wheel would not have helped but we bought one and have carried it ever since


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Some interesting replies folks - thanks for those. 

It has raised another hurdle though that I will need to watch which is the weight of the towbar/ball. I was reckoning on around 50kg for these but when I rang Witter they quoted 30kg for my van. Now DavidL is saying 75kg and Ploddy 60kg+. Can they really be as heavy as this? If so I'll stick with Witter - but I will double check.

Ron


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

ob1 said:


> I was reckoning on around 50kg for these but when I rang Witter they quoted 30kg for my van. Now DavidL is saying 75kg and Ploddy 60kg+. Can they really be as heavy as this?


They certainly CAN be - but unlikely to be very heavy on a PVC. The last standard Witter towbar I had on the back of a Trannie probably weighed about 25kg.

I suspect the ones quoted as being heavy are for "C" class or "A" class vans which need a hefty bar with chassis extensions. My towbar with extensions weighs about 90kg, that's why I usually take it off if we're off over the channel. You can carry a lot more gear if the payload is 90kg higher.


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## jo662 (Jul 27, 2010)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> You could always leave the grey water tap slightly open, tis only bath and kitchen sink water after all, same as we put on the garden.


Us bikers wouldnt find this funny Kev, even tho it was a joke!:frown2:


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## jo662 (Jul 27, 2010)

deefordog said:


> What would I dump? Mrs DFD?
> 
> Sorry dear, 'twas a joke, honestly. Wouldn't save much weight though - there, I'm redeemed lol.


We ought to have a poll to see who would dump there OH out to save weight! >

I know I would be the first one kicked out!:surprise:


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## Yaxley (Jul 25, 2008)

My previous van had a towbar. It weighed 25kg.
Ian


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

jo662 said:


> Us bikers wouldnt find this funny Kev, even tho it was a joke!:frown2:


As a biker of over 50 years myself a little dish water would not bother me in the least jo, if it was raining it wouldn't matter at all, and if it was dry I tend to look where I'm going and would avoid any trails of liquid like the plague assuming it was diesel.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

If it's an automatic then you could always get rid of a leg. If the wife drives she could as well. 





Pete


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Have been on Aire's where owners have left the tap dripping, and not very nice when it runs under to other van where people might want to sit out


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Another weight ssaving thought. 
You could fit Alugas aluminium refillable gas cylinder. If, at the moment you have two steel cylinders, cutting to one aluminium, would be a good saving.
Personally if the weight is so critical, I would tow a trailer and you would have all the storage you need.
We have discussed this ourselves, and if we did downsize to a van conversion, this is what we would do!


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Just to clarify tow bar weight. A few years ago I owned a Sprinter based coach built MH, it had a large rear overhang. The towbar was a massive construction that extended forwards a long way. When I removed it (due to a weight issue) the total towbar weight was a staggering 65Kg! As has been said it will be a lot less for a PVC.

Andy


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Just had another thought:surprise:
If by any chance you do think of the trailer route, should you be concerned about reversing, you could always go for the castor wheel type. This means, you would just use the steering wheel as normal and reverse as you do without a trailer!


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## siggie (Oct 2, 2010)

jo662 said:


> We ought to have a poll to see who would dump there OH out to save weight! >
> 
> I know I would be the first one kicked out!:surprise:


Don't need to dump the OH, but would happily dump half of her clothes, shoes, handbags, etc - that would save a few hundred kg :grin2:


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> As a biker of over 50 years myself a little dish water would not bother me in the least jo, if it was raining it wouldn't matter at all, and if it was dry I tend to look where I'm going and would avoid any trails of liquid like the plague assuming it was diesel.


The problem with people leaving the grey open though when on the move for example is that when the water gets down to a certain level it often spews out on the bends where by the time you see it on a bright hot sunny day you cant avoid it. Flying around a bend on a scooter into a wet trail of potentially greasy grey water is not a good thing. Ok if its chucking it down but if you have to dump the grey dont do it on the move if its dry.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I doubt a dribble would cause anything actually, a fully open tap would of course, but a dribble would probably block up very quickly slowing it down even more.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Just a thought but I think that perhaps some of the towbar weights being mentioned include the weight of a vehicle wide bumper bar as well which is often seen fitted? Not needed in my case.


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