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Van mount or strap

Putting a water tank and it been in permanently connected to a water pump etc isn't classed as carrying own goods, A strapped in diy fitted water tank needs to be declared on your van insurance, Failure to with hold or not disclose certain facts to your insurer could invalidate your insurance and potentially cause further repercussions 

 
At the end of the day it's the insurance company who is the judge on it so to speak, This has been debated a few times over the years across forums and we all have our own views as to what it is or isn't right or wrong. 

Personally for me honesty is all ways the best policy, I don't want to lose money or my business if I am ever involved in a accident because I decided not to tell my insurance company something because I thought they didn't need to know or was bothered about paying a few quid more a year.

 
I only have a small tank in the van strapped down

I see no difference between that and carrying loose drums which is allowed as you are transporting a load

It is totally removable by releasing the straps therefore is not a modification of any sort

I would contest it in court if i got any problems with an insurance claim

I have done some couriering for a friend in the past and if a sprinter is allowed to be totally full of loose parcels including a cement mixer strapped to a pallet then a small tank you can't be penalised for

 
If you strap your tank in to the van's standard lashing points then you have NOT modified your van. Unless the insurance company ask you directly, have given you the option as standard to declare or have the declaration as a stated "assumption" then you have nothing to worry about. However..... If you tell them that it's an issue then you have to expect that they will find a way to increase your premium. Loads of council flat-beds around here with 1000ltr IBCs strapped on the back.

 
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I am not saying their is anything wrong with it but insurance companies do like to wriggle out of claims if they can.

I have policy which provides me with a fully kitted out Van in the event of a accident, So I wanted the insurance company fully aware as a safeguard to ensure I not going to lose out should the worse happen.

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Hmmm interesting

 This topic got me quite worried so yesterday I phoned up my insurance company just to be safe. I have a 400 litre upright wyedale tank with 5 tonne ratchet straps and held tight against steel bulkhead.

The man from Hastings van had never been asked before so he asked his supervisor who said it would invalidate my insurance and they would give me 7 days to find replacement cover! I was not happy so argued that it was not a modification because if needs be I could take it out every night just by undoing the ratchet straps and it hadn't changed the van at all. He said he would phone the insurer as they were just a broker. My insurer is AXA

He came back to me and said AXA said it was okay because it's only carrying water and nothing harmful. Didn't care how it was fixed or size. Needless to say I was relieved.

Lesson learned: next time I'm definitely phoning up and asking insurer before I pay for insurance for the year because I don't want to be caused out.

I also learned that signage with my AXA policy can only cover max 25% of the van.

Personally I think I'm more worried about having the battery fly around and smash in a crash than the tank... Think I may need to pay some more attention to securing that in place

 
Different insurer's have different policies on tanks, I remember 6 years ago getting my first pick-up my then insurance company had no issue with a trolley and 25ltr containers, But when I asked about strapping a tank in they said no way and few other insures said the same. 

So I went with A Plan and have stuck with them since despite not been the cheapest, But more so for the fully kitted out courtesy vehicle, They had one to me fairly quickly when someone pulled out on me and the truck had to have a bodyshop repair 

 
I'd love a proper mounted tank but I'm not willing to pay£3k for what is no more then a water bottle in a cage


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Different insurer's have different policies on tanks, I remember 6 years ago getting my first pick-up my then insurance company had no issue with a trolley and 25ltr containers, But when I asked about strapping a tank in they said no way and few other insures said the same. 

So I went with A Plan and have stuck with them since despite not been the cheapest, But more so for the fully kitted out courtesy vehicle, They had one to me fairly quickly when someone pulled out on me and the truck had to have a bodyshop repair 

Hi,
I've been reading this thread with interest, I need to give my insurers a call.
The other thing I remember being asked was whether I'd like a cover vehicle should mine be off the road. I said no as I was under the impression I'd probably wait longer for a van with all WFP kit in than I would a repair to be carried out on my own van.
Your comment has proved that wrong.


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Hi,
I've been reading this thread with interest, I need to give my insurers a call.
The other thing I remember being asked was whether I'd like a cover vehicle should mine be off the road. I said no as I was under the impression I'd probably wait longer for a van with all WFP kit in than I would a repair to be carried out on my own van.
Your comment has proved that wrong.


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Hi Neil,

We supply the courtesy vehicles to A Plan and subject to fleet stock availability, our aim is to deliver the vehicles to you by the next working day where geographically possible once we have received instruction and spoken to the customer

 
Wrong
My insurance company knows my tank is strapped in but must have a strong set of straps mine are 5 ton
emoji1305.png



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I said they won't pay out if you haven't informed them, you have. A lot of insurance companies won't insure you if the tank isn't bolted in. It would be helpful for a lot of people on here if you could tell us the name of your insurance company. 

 
I now use a trolley not a van mount

I  can have a tank of water strapped down by the proper strap points and nobody can say anything

It is not connected to a pump or anything so I am just carrying a safe load by the correct method so I don't have to inform anybody

I would love to speak to any legal person who could say otherwise

No way could an insurance company invalidate a claim as it's not a mod and if stopped by the police can not be told it is an unsafe load

 
I have always been led to believe that anything you carry when involved in a crash will be checked to see if it was been transported safely. If the Insurance Loss Adjuster deemed it wasn't then the insurance will be invalidated. Carrying water, with the inertia, isn't the same as carrying a pallet of bricks and give an insurance company a way to wriggle out they will. 

 
Does not matter what you carry (excluding hazardous materials)
It only matters if the vehicle is modified (as in ranks bolted in etc)
If you have a water tank, it is below the vehicles payload and strapped in using sufficient restraints and the vehicles load points then they will pay out. Simple.
A courier does not phone his broker every job to say 'no pallets of bricks today just bottles of Evian'
Almost every insurer will attempt not to pay. That's their job. Almost every crash these days will have an 'incident report' from the police.
The court is more likely to side with the police report than anything else. And this could be helpful if you have a tricky insurer.
The only reason goods in the back (cargo area) will be checked is to see if any hazardous materials or overweight.
But all this is of no relevance anyway.... as us window cleaners are all on £500 a day why would you not just tell the insurance company what's in your van?
I'm 45. Full no claims and my Trafic costs £600 per year fully comp. That's £50 per month for peace of mind.

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as said above, as long as strapped in properly nothing can be said. I've carried a lot more than a 500kg lump of weight in back of a van (army days) and if they let you do it with all the rules they have then your ok. Just use the strongest strap you can, 5 ton straps will hold easily, ive seen a dismantled mgb (bridge) on the back of a DROPS ( @Dave B can vouch that's a huge truck with a huge payload) being drifted around a muddy field to test its secure without anything moving. Nothing more dangerous then bored squaddies lol.

 
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Does not matter what you carry (excluding hazardous materials)
It only matters if the vehicle is modified (as in ranks bolted in etc)
If you have a water tank, it is below the vehicles payload and strapped in using sufficient restraints and the vehicles load points then they will pay out. Simple.
A courier does not phone his broker every job to say 'no pallets of bricks today just bottles of Evian'
Almost every insurer will attempt not to pay. That's their job. Almost every crash these days will have an 'incident report' from the police.
The court is more likely to side with the police report than anything else. And this could be helpful if you have a tricky insurer.
The only reason goods in the back (cargo area) will be checked is to see if any hazardous materials or overweight.
But all this is of no relevance anyway.... as us window cleaners are all on £500 a day why would you not just tell the insurance company what's in your van?
I'm 45. Full no claims and my Trafic costs £600 per year fully comp. That's £50 per month for peace of mind.

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Who's that with green and do they know it has tank in
Mines up for renewal over £1000 quote this year they must be having a laugh as it was just over £700 last year full no claims no points [emoji35]


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