At 03:26 PM 3/26/2011, Ed Lloyd wrote:
>What cargo weight limit do you think is maximum?  If the bags are
>wet they could be 50 pounds or more.

Ed, you need to qualify the question and supply more data,
specifically are you talking about a 7-passenger, a Syncro, a Westy
or a Syncro Westy?  They all have the same gross weight but they
weigh a lot different empty.

As to the question - if it's "can I get away with it?" the
non-binding answer is sure, no problem, even if they weigh 50 lb each
and you have 20 of them.  People have carried far more in these vans
and gotten away with it, and if anyone has carried something very
heavy for a short distance and *not* gotten away with it in the short
term we haven't heard about it.  If it's a passenger van it's
probably within published limits.

If it's "What can I carry and stay within published limits?" - and
this is a question that pertains both to longevity and *potentially*
to liability issues should there be an accident*** - then the list
can supply rough answers or you can weigh your front and rear axles
at a truck stop and make your own calculations.

Of course in order to carry maximum load safely you need properly
specified tires, correctly inflated - the door sticker provides
correct inflation pressures for the two stock sizes of tire as well
as the minimum tire specification (open can of worms here).

***I queried my insurance company (USAA) about this in context of the
list's ongoing discussion about tires, and whether it was necessary
to meet the published spec.  The question was "In the event of an
at-fault accident, would USAA refuse to pay a liability claim if
sub-specification tires were on the vehicle?"  The answer was
(roughly) "In Germany, absolutely.  Our German policies are
specifically written that the vehicle must comply in all
respects.  In the US that would be a matter for the claims adjuster
to determine.  If he determined that the tires were a contributing
factor we might refuse to pay under the general negligence clause of
the policy."

Yours,
David