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Overloading - johnny
Coming up to summer holidays and ourselves and countless others will be loading the car full of camping equipment and heading for the sun ;-P.
As a family of four on a two week camping trip, our Zafira will be pretty close to capacity - although I don't think we'd be overloading as I have two dainty(ish) children, don't carry a roofbox, and don't pack the car so full that we can't see out of the rear window. Q - how do you determine when the car's overloaded - it's not easy to weigh a car. Also in the event of an accident or breakdown, would an insurance company refuse to pay out if they suspected a car was loaded over the limit?
Overloading - Mapmaker
Q?

A. Public Weighbridge.



(If it's a whale you want to weigh, you should go to a Whale-weigh station.)
Overloading - Lud
Whale-weigh station


What's that Mapmaker? You don't mean a twaynestation by any chance? That's what they call them these days you know.

:o}
Overloading - Harleyman
Every Zafira I've ever driven accelerates like it's still got the two fat kids in the back even if its empty!

Agree with Mapmaker; check out your local council's website, or VOSA, they may have a list of public weighbridges which usually cost a couple of quid to use. Remember to weigh in with a full tank of fuel, maximum permitted weight should be in your owners' manual or even on a plate under the bonnet. Subtract one from t'other and you'll be able to tell the missus how many kitchen sinks she can pack!

Alternatively try your local scrapyard but don't leave the Zafira unattended for too long! ;-)
Overloading - Westpig
I once had to put a stop to a 'sweepstake' at work. I came in and was offered the chance to join the sweepstake and started to put my hand in my pocket thinking there was a major horse race on (as i'm not at all interested in horse racing, so don't know the dates, but don't mind joining in the fun).

It turned out the sweepstake was to guess the weight of the rather large lady who worked in our control room.

When I asked how on earth they were going to find out the vital information, the crafty sods had planned it rather well. Said lady was permanently posted in the control room and often got fed up with it, so at non peak times would seek to have a ride around in one of the patrol cars under the rather dubious aim of familiarising herself with the trials and tribulations of patrolling police officers.

They had planned to take a marked patrol car to the weighbridge, weigh it with just the two officers in it...then return with their extra passenger and claim it was just a yearly safety check... and obviously the difference in weight would be hers.

Ingenious, but once i'd stopped laughing i banned it... wasn't willing to risk the aftermath, what a coward.
Overloading - Lud
Of course the lady might have been upset and humiliated, unless very psychologically sorted. Perhaps soft-heartedness played a part Westpig? It isn't a bad characteristic in any profession if it doesn't go too far...


:o}
Overloading - Mapmaker
I bet you, Westpig, that they did it anyway. Just without your knowledge.
Overloading - Westpig
Sounds like you know them .... :-)

Edited by Westpig on 03/06/2008 at 17:48