Absolutely clueless (1 Viewer)

[Khalid]

Hello all,
Looking for advice on buying our first motor home!!! We are looking for a second hand (£25k ish) MH 4-6 birth. Our daughter is disabled and we need to be able to run off grid (1-2 days) and power some electical equipment (high power food blender 700w) and then general cooking and entertainment.
Any advice will be a great help as we are truly in the dark
Thanks in advance

 

[Phill D]

Hi and welcome.
The layout and payload will be the important things for you.
I would imagine you will be carrying a fair bit of stuff over and above what most do so I would be looking for the largest payload I could get.
If you have a C1 licence then you will be fine for vans over 3.5T.

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from Bexley

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[David and Sally]

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[phillipsheila]

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[Podney]

Take a look at the buyers guide on here.

As already said,understand about payload,and look at loads so that you find the right layout for your requirements.

 

[DumfriesDik]

Hello and welcome.

Needs are very personal. I had a look around a few motorhomes before taking the plunge, be sure to do the same. Also, get the vehicle inspected as it is a lot of cash to loose. Batteries can be added for more power to off grid and solar to charge at a later date. But it all costs and takes up payload. As Phill D says, check your licence for C1 (pre 1997) or have you taken a test?? Best wishes.

 

[Puddleduck]

As others have said layout and payload will be of paramount importance to you.

For the blender you can run that from an inverter (rule of thumb is twice the wattage of what you intend to run from it so you'd be looking at 1500w) The inverter can be switched off and disconnected when not in use (which is what we do).

I'd also be looking for an extra battery (or two) and a solar panel.

We use medical equipment overnight but have no room for a second leisure battery so we carry a second battery and charger in the garage for emergency use. The leisure battery is the biggest that would fit the space (135 kwh) and we also have solar. We also have a generator (not usually acceptable but ours is very quiet) which has been used - and not only by us! The genny has been used at at least 2 rallies (letting people know in advance) and we were once asked when we were going to switch it on when it had been running for almost an hour!

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[ambulancekidd]

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[movan]

Welcome. As you can already see there are many here to welcome and advise.

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[Grumpyfrog]

 

[AndyPK]

Welcome from Ciren! Look at as many ‘vans as possible - maybe hire a couple to see how you get on, although this may not be an option if you need any adaptations for your daughter….?

 

[TheBig1]

I would cast my net wide for a motorhome that has already been adapted for disabled use. This usually gives a widened doorway and larger shower/wetroom. These are often found being sold privately and many dealers won't buy them. This means you are likely to get a better motorhome for your needs within budget

To be self sufficient off grid will be limited by battery capacity and how much solar you have to keep them charged

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[Puddleduck]

I would cast my net wide for a motorhome that has already been adapted for disabled use. This usually gives a widened doorway and larger shower/wetroom. These are often found being sold privately and many dealers won't buy them. This means you are likely to get a better motorhome for your needs within budget

To be self sufficient off grid will be limited by battery capacity and how much solar you have to keep them charged

Second hand and already adapted may already have solar fitted

For cooking you will usually be using gas. Heating could be either gas or diesel when you are off grid.

 

[Jev88]

Already mentioned -0 you will need a quality inverter and as many batteries and solar panels as space and budget allows.

Discovered this dealer site that seems to cater for "disabled" motorhoming?

<Broken link removed>

 

[Jev88]

You can even hire some here - <Broken link removed>

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[Puddleduck]

Not all disabilities relate to mobility and it would be rude to ask for full details but if we know whether or not a wheelchair is required that may help us to point you in the right direction.

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[Snoopy]

Hi and welcome good luck with the search, like many have said payload and layout, take your time,..but exciting times ahead

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[HugoBNB]

Welcome

 

[Khalid]

Thank you all for the swift and useful information, it is very much appreciated.
To add a little more detail to our questions........my daughters disability is centered around blending her food into a smooth thick liquid (powerful blender needed), charging her Cochlear implant batteries for her hearing aid and mainly for us to be off grid one to two days. She is mobile but is double incontinent so we need wash facilities but standard MH sizes are sufficient.
I know that prices are high at the moment but does anyone know by how much? Are we talking 5-10k covid tax???
Thanks

 

[Phill D]

Khalid why don't you contact member Simon-Alan Kerr he I am sure will help and guide you as a sales director for motorhomes

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[Trevor Wbm]

If I've read this right, you mostly need advice about upgrading standard Solar panels and batteries (assuming that's required) to cope with the blender and have an absolutely guaranteed source of power for the implant charging. You've indicated that a typically sized motorhome will suffice ..... if that's the case and your daughter is active without a wheelchair, it brings your requirements into an area where there's lots of fairly sensibly priced options and there are members here who are experts. (Not me.)

If I'm right, short version, you need a fecking big battery, lots of solar, the biggest water tanks you can get and possibly a constant feed hot water supply rather than a small tank. Two of those are the heaviest things in a van so the comments about Driving Licence and Weight limits are the first ones to deal with.

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.

Wyn