How much of a slope is too much for a motorhome? (1 Viewer)

[Hollyberry]

On my small budget I've managed to find a bungalow with sufficient parking room for the motorhome and a car. Trouble is it slopes down from the road and I'm worried the bottom of the motorhome will scrape/ get stuck/ get damaged driving onto it.

Does anyone know how much of a slope is too much?

My very amateurish thoughts were to build up the drive with gravel ( small wall to be built at end?) or have the dwarf wall that separates the drive from the front garden demolished and drive onto that.

Any ideas welcome. Sorry I don't have a pic of the sloping drive but could try to find one in estate agents details maybe.

 

[jimiol]

I had a sloping drive in a previous house and was a bit of a nuisance when parking the bike, so I built up the drive nearest the house with a small wall and gravel, only to find motorbikes and gravel do not go well together. In the end I filled the lot in with concrete. but I retained a path around the front of the house as I did want the drive butting up to the house and being higher than the DPC.

 

[Minxy]

You've got quite a large overhang on your Aero so depending on exactly what the slope is like it might, or might not go in as it is, an alternative could be to do as you've suggested and go onto a less sloping area however building it up with just gravel won't work as you'll just dig into it!

You also need to check if there are any restrictions/covenants in the deeds to prevent you keeping a caravan (and therefore MH) there.

Why not post a link to the property on the Estate Agent's website so we can give a more appropriate response?

You could consider putting air assistance suspension on the rear so you could raise it.

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[jonandshell]

Bear in mind, if you have a sloping drive, the chances are your fridge won't work. Worth knowing if, like is, you chill and stock your fridge before trips away.

 

[DBK]

The only way is to try it but if it is like a humpbacked bridge the middle of the van could well clash. Building up the drive could be best but speak to the local planners first. If it is classed as an engineering work you will have to submit plans.

 

[ericonabike]

Our drive is 10% [tarmac and accurately measured. It's a long wheelbase Boxer base, and nothing scrapes as it goes 'over the hump'. I bought a couple of heavyweight chocks [truck use not motorhome], insert these under the back wheels, take the handbrake off and leave it in gear. It's a pain cleaning it, but other than that it's ok. As for fridge - leave filling it till last minute, never had a problem.

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[pappajohn]

now it gets confusing.....

Measure the distance from the center of the rear wheel to the rearmost, lowest point of the van.
Then, on level ground, measure up from the ground to that point

Now find a piece of straight wood the same length, or marked to the same length, and a spirit level.
Place one end of the wood at the very bottom of the slope, the other end facing away from the slope, make sure its level with the spirit level.
Now measure the distance from the end of the wood, or the mark, to the ground.
If the distance is less than from the van to ground it will scrape
If the distance is more it wont.

Sounds complicated but will take just a few minutes....and it will get you out in the sunshine :thumb:.

 

[Wildman]

I may be wrong John but I read it as the drive sloping DOWN, not up from the Road in which case it is the centre of the van between the wheelbase, exhaust etc that could ground not the rear overhang.
In which case length of wood equal to the vehical wheelbase laid so the midpoint is on the ridge and an equal distance from the ground each end. then measure the distance from the ground and compare with van clearance

 

[oldun]

On my small budget I've managed to find a bungalow with sufficient parking room for the motorhome and a car. Trouble is it slopes down from the road and I'm worried the bottom of the motorhome will scrape/ get stuck/ get damaged driving onto it.

Does anyone know how much of a slope is too much?

My very amateurish thoughts were to build up the drive with gravel ( small wall to be built at end?) or have the dwarf wall that separates the drive from the front garden demolished and drive onto that.

Any ideas welcome. Sorry I don't have a pic of the sloping drive but could try to find one in estate agents details maybe.

The answer to this is motorhome specific.

A LWB Renault Master PVC will have no overhang but may have problems amidship due to the long wheelbase.

Other motorhomes have ridiculously short wheel bases and an incredibly large overhang so the problem will be totally different, i.e rear end hitting the ground..

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[pappajohn]

thanks Roger, my mistake...cant imagine anyone wanting to live in a hole.

 

[BreweryDave]

I would suggest it depends how good your handbrake is

 

[Hollyberry]

Ok. Thanks for all the answers. I almost understood Papa John's answer but then saw my drives the wrong way round. And I'd already found a plank (aka SIL)

Easier to demolish tiny little wall, 2 bricks high, round lawn and drive onto that? In time I'll swap this motorhome for smaller one, so hopefully that will be even easier to park.

Thanks everyone for all your ideas.

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[DBK]

I know I'm being boring, but do talk to the planners. They may well have local "surgeries" when you talk to someone and show them your ideas. Depends where you live, could be no problem, but I can't even change the colour of the paint on my windows without a forelock tug to the planners.

 

[TheBig1]

if you do go with the built up driveway or if the lawn/garden has a dwarf wall near the bungalow, make sure that it is structurally strong enough to hold an extra 3.5 tonnes. a friend had similar and parked his work van on the garden. one winter it was wet then froze and so after thawing the wall collapsed when the van was driven on. it took a recovery truck and unloading the van to get it unstuck. plus he had to rebuild the wall and garden (it was rented)

actually thinking back he always complained the front rooms were damp in that place with water running down from the road. certainly worth checking well on any survey before purchase as potentially very costly to rectify