It depends upon the weight. I may now be wrong but when we hired a rental Canter camper van in 1998, being less than 3.5 tonnes, you could drive it on a car licence at 100 km/h. But we didn't want to drive that one at 100: at 80 km/h the racket from the engine was enough to deafen us and the handling not much better than a 1950s Bedford - it was definitely just a round-town delivery truck chassis! I hope they have improved since then.
butterfly05,
Sep 17, 8:02pm
I disagree imo its lame that the people at the front of the pack behind the thing seem either totally uninterested or not even capable of passing a vehicle doing 90kph. This is another thing like the keep left thread that should be highlighted.
I mean seriously if you cant pass another vehicle thats doing 90kph with clear road to pass you shouldnt even be on the road at all.
saxman99,
Sep 17, 8:03pm
The motorhome association sells the stickers. Perhaps some owners get the idea that this applies to all motorhomes, rather than just the heavy ones?
Might pay to learn the road code and see if you actually have the correct licence if the vehicle you hire is also over 6 ton.
captaink,
Sep 17, 8:28pm
Go round the front and check the weights in the windscreen. No regular rentals in NZ requiring a class 2 licence that I know of but there are many anomalies in chassis ratings that put some units over and others not.
robotnik,
Sep 17, 8:58pm
I see a few references on camper van rental sites which seem to state that larger vans must stick to a limit of 90km/h. Eg. Britz.co.nz "Please note: for 6 Berth Britz Campervans this speed limit is reduced to 90km/h, or 55mph." http://www.britz.co.nz/new-zealand-travel/trip-planner/Pages/driving-in-new-zealand.aspx Also here - "What is a safe speed to travel in our Campervan or Motorhome? The open road speed limit in New Zealand is 100km per hour. The 4 and 6 berths can only travel at 90km per hour, all other vehicles will comfortably travel at this speed. Should you choose to travel at a slower speed, please show courtesy to other road users by allowing them to pass."
Well i was wondering if it may have possibly been something to do with that, but i doubt this does weigh over 3500kg. The whole thing seems total BS to me, because quite often i follow some BIG trucks, some even with trailers and they seem to be doing 100Km/h according to my speedo. The one we hired we were told did not require a heavy vehicle licence.
nzoomed,
Sep 17, 9:20pm
I pass vehicles doing 90kph all the time, but trying to do that without breaking the 100km/h limit means you need alot of clear road.
nzoomed,
Sep 17, 9:22pm
That makes no sense if the vehicle is not over the 3500kg limit it seems, i dont think any of the hire companies have campervans that require a heavy vehicle licence.
robotnik,
Sep 17, 9:45pm
It says on this NZTA FAQ that you can drive a vehicle of 6000kg on a car licence. I would guess that the larger rental campers are over 3500kg and hence have an open road speed limit of 90km/h, but are under 6000kg so can be driven on a car licence.
I see you at least acknowledge you judge his speed by the 100km your speedo is showing most heavy trucks today have electronic tell tales that can upload road info, sometimes continuously, I know Fontera have such in all their trucks, I also know that they are programmed to instantly upload such if the road speed exceeds 90km/hr, and every driver faces an inquisition if his truck uploads such at any time most vehicles speedo's read up to 10 km/hr slow, that 100 you see on the dash is actually barely 90, the drivers that have a gps unit running are obvious on the road cos they are passing most other vehicles yet still not exceeding the 100 limit, gps units while not absolute are a lot more accurate in most circumstances when displaying road speed
skin1235,
Sep 18, 5:41am
using a gps unit I regularly travel at 104, which on my speedo is nearer 115, and have not even had a flash of lights from police cars etc approaching its a psychological approach, what you see is not the reality, your trip meter is generally quite accurate though, try timing how long it takes to cover a km at 100km , 36 to 38 seconds is 100 km/hr, more time is less than 100 km/hr
nzoomed,
Sep 18, 7:55am
OK, im so confused about all this right now, i thought the 3500KG limit was for heavy vehicles etc. Those AMS adverts on the TV suggest you need a heavy vehicle licence even when towing a horse float wit ha ute if your combined weight exceeds 3500KG. Not that anyone is going to weigh their load.
nzoomed,
Sep 18, 8:00am
Yes i see alot of fonterra trucks doing 100 according to my speedo, which i really wonder if it is indeed true about alot of vehicles speedos reading 10k faster than what you are really doing. As you say he may be reading the GPS speed which i believe is reasonably accurate although the police wont take that as an excuse for speeding.
loose.unit8,
Sep 18, 9:08am
Agree #1, it's another stupid law which only encourages one of the most dangerous practices while driving - being on the other side of the road
nzoomed,
Sep 18, 9:31am
Yes i agree, if i was minister of transport i would also allow tolerance of up to say 20KM/h over the limit when overtaking if it means that cars will stay on the other side of the road for less time. Its not like most cars dont speed when passing anyway.
I also dont really see the danger with heavier vehicles and speed its all relative isn't it? The size and balance of such vehicles would be far more of an issue than the actual weight.
skiff1,
Sep 18, 10:05am
wow! Nice rant.
richardmayes,
Sep 18, 10:23am
Don't be silly, all they tell you is how to empty the toilet without making a mess and how to put on chains without damaging the bodywork! Nothing whatsoever about the fact that the vehicle you're about to get into is three times the size of anything you've ever driven before. Just sign here, here, here, here, and here, and write down your credit card number in the boxes.
The new european based campers are vastly better than Japanese light commercials of the 1980s and 90s, and will happily cruise at 100km/h +. The 4-berth VW CT35 we rented was 3.8 tonnes according to the RUC in the windscreen. 6-speed manual gearbox, 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine, motor in front of the cab, and front wheels were right out in the extreme corners of the body. On the Sth island highways you had to concentrate on keeping your speed DOWN, not up!
elect70,
Sep 18, 12:46pm
Whenever I encounter the f ing road pigs they are all doing about 50 k on open road & occupants gawking at the scenery
Allowed to drive a car or truck to 4,500kg or motorhome to 6,000kg on a class 1 licence. Allowed a vehicle and trailer to 6,000kg on a class 1 licence.
Not too hard to get to 6 tons with a big 4x4 and a boat etc. My current rig is a Ford Ranger @ 2,100kg, and a big boat that is 3,500kg. Add in myself and 3 mates and I require a class 2 licence. If I was towing with a Discovery or Audi Q7 then it would be nearer to 7 ton all up and well in excess of what can be driven on a class 1.
It is the drivers responsibility to know what they can or can't legally drive so it pays to know the weight of your vehicle and anything you might tow.
nzdoug,
Sep 18, 3:18pm
Some mobile homes wont go that fast. Its tough driving a bread box shaped vehicle in high winds so its safer to slow down. This can create conflict if the government increases speed limits when some vehicles are slower.
butterfly05,
Sep 18, 4:01pm
The problem for you is your worried about breaking the ridiculous 100km/h "limit" this seems to be a problem for many people. For me its pretty simple maths 140kph + you will loose your licence stay under that and you may receive a fine at worst. I own a radar so that helps a bit.
The 40kph loss of license rule is another thing that pisses me off. Out of town its totally unnecessary. I support it in town but otherwise its just ridiculous. If you drive any semi decent car of the past 10-15 years most of them with a capacity of greater than 2.5liters are perfectly safe and capable of pulling a passing manouver at 140kph (im not saying thats necessary but I dont think we should be stopped by any law from doing it). It isnt going to turn into a time machine and the world isnt going to start turning it reverse. People need to get over all the propaganda they've been fed over the last 20 years or so.
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