Lorry weight- can someone help please?

[Tangaroo]

I am going to look at a lorry tomorrow and have just found out the gross laden weight is 7940kg. The chap assures me i dont need an HGV licence to drive it, is that right?

 

[Ferdinase514]

Unladen weight? That would def be a HGV.

Anything over 7.5tons is HGV

 

[lilym]

deffo HGV it's over 7500kg walk away.....

 

[Santa_Claus]

definite HGV unless you were to get it downgraded but more trouble than worth if buying as likely to go over as will automatically have heavier chassis so less spare load for horses etc

 

[carthorse]

Look on the brake test on the last plate that will give you the unladen weight on each axle[ you only want that to come to about 5500kg with the two added together]Then you can take 2 horses. As for you licence ,it will depend when you took your test as 7.5ton came off the licence ,my daughter is 26 and has had to do another test .I think this info is correct but others may know more

 

[Santa_Claus]

licence required is on the gross laden weight not the actual laden weight so even if you are driving a HGV chassis that comes in under 7.5 tonnes you still require a HGV licence to drive it. On the same vein an individual with a HGV licence driving a 7.5tonne lorry overweight at 7.9tonnes could still be prosecuted as it would be over its gross allowed weight never mind if they have a licence for that weight of vehicle.

 

[conniegirl]

are you sure its 7940 and not 7490? 7490 is often the maximum fully laden weight of a 7.5 tonnes. If however that is the unladen weight then it is deffinately HGV

 

[*hic*]

I'm with conniegirl on this - looks like a typo to me. Do check on the brake test paperwork though - that will tell you what it weighed when tested.

 

[Santa_Claus]

but it doesn't matter what it weighed when tested as that will almost certainly be unladen. You need to look at the maximum axel weights and the registration documentation which will state what the maximum allowed weight is. It may well be a typo but from the wording of the question I think it possibly does have a max laden weight of 7950kg OR the person selling it made a mistake and meant to say 7590kg

 

[Tangaroo]

Ok thanks, will ring a lorry mechanic friend in the morning.

 

[brighteyes]

Before you buy any lorry, get it down to a weighbridge. There are so many out there which will be overweight with little more than a horse in!

 

[Tangaroo]

Thanks for all the advice. I went to look at it anyway and it turns out it was a typo error on the advert. It is 7490kg so is fine. Lovely lorry so i paid a deposit and pick it up thurs.

 

[*hic*]

Stilton - that is the MAX weight it can carry. You need to find out how much it ACTUALLY weighs before parting with any more cash. If it weighs 7490Kg unladen then you are stuffed - you can't carry anything in it including the driver!

For example my lorry is also rated at 7490Kg - from it's test certificate it actually weighs about 5200Kg - leaving me 2290Kg spare for me, passengers, kit, horses etc. Please do check the unladen weight!