MH length (1 Viewer)

[Jands]

I have hired a 7m van and found once used to it didn't feel too big.
When we started to look for vans wanted the smallest possible so could go anywhere.
Decided that we couldn't live in too small a van for too long and want a central bed.
Decided on a low profile as it is slightly larger than the panel conversions.
Liked one at 6.5m but after a few hours inside at shows and dealers decided too small and too many compromises.
Looked at the next up at 7m was good but the 7.5m was so much better, more room and no compromises.
So now deciding on the 7.5m van.
As I said only driven a 7m van so is the extra 50cm any different, harder or more restrictive?

Going to carry a small bike to get to places a MH won't get to.

 

[Wissel]

Having had or driven most sizes of motorhome, the only real difference has been parking in towns.

A 6m van will "usually" squeeze into most car parks - anything longer then parking needs more planning.

Apart from that, I've not noticed a difference.

EDIT - Apart from huge vans. My parents-in-law have a 9m odd van - not all sites can take this. Not an issue with 7.5m though.

 

[Christoph]

We went from a PVC to a 7.5m van. No length issues at all - the width and long arm mirrors are more of an issue! The advantage of having a full island bed and full width garage make it worth the extra length in my opinion.

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[Jands]

That's what I thought, once you go beyond the 6m/minibus size and not as far as a lorry then 2m won't make that much difference.
And for visiting places where a MH can't get to a 125cc motorbike will go.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Ours is 6m long but with the scooter rack it's 7m. It's a bit narrower than most coachbuilt vans and fits into a bay width wise, just. But we need a back to back double bay (known technically as an "inny outy" ) or I can sometimes reverse the overhang over the end of the car park.

 

[nicholsong]

7 to 7.5m not much difference, except for parking as above, and if on a same chassis and not a long wheebase then the rear overhang is slightly longer, so the outward 'sweep' when turning a tight bend is slightly greater and starting/finishing a sharp incline needs abit of care to avoid grounding, but so does our 7m, but that has a towbar - handy fot taking the scrape instead of the bodywork.

For watching the sweep, especially the top rear corners I use or parabolic mirrors as they are not visible in the normal mirrors. I urge people to fit them if not fitted. They also cover low-level vehicles/posts/high kerbs in the blind spot below the normal mirror.

If the space inside is what you want, go for the 7.5m, as you will get used to the driving and you will spend more time in the habitation area than the driving seat.

On the parking issue it is sometimes possible to 'lose' the overhang length, whether 7m or 7.5m, over some grass area or such. Supermarkets etc. are no problem if one can find a double through bays as they are usually about 9m.

Geoff

[EDIT: Richard beat me to it on the overhang in CPs]

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[Spidey]

We went from a 6 m to 7 m and the only difference is the parking in car parks. We just plan ahead and if the car park is not suitable drive on. If I am visiting somewhere and it's not obvious from google maps then I will phone them and ask. We stopped at Bletchley park a few weeks ago. Phoned them up and said no probs the attendant will direct you. He did but to the ord car park. I came back to him and said we would end up blocking quite a few spaces. He then realised and sent me somewhere else. I find that inconsiderate car owners can be more trouble. We park out of the way and come back to cars either side when there is loads of room else where. Still never been stuck anywhere, even turning around in dead ends is doable if patient.

 

[CazPaul]

I have a different take on it than most.

A lot depends on where you want to go, wild camping in the hills much easier with a smaller van, tight streets abroad through villages easier.

A lot make the mistake thinking ''oh its only another 50cm or 100cm etc'' it doesn't look much when you measure it out but believe me its a big difference when stuck on the back of what you have already got, we started huge and went smaller, what a difference.

We have been to places in a small van that would be impossible to get to in a bigger van, we had a 8.5metre Hymer 6.4 tonne, what a difference going smaller to a 6 metre one. The 250cm felt like a 3 mile length difference.

 

[pandas]

It's not all about size. We have a 6.5m with no fixed bed - just a drop down bead. Gives us a great living space without having to tow 6ft of bed around at the back. There is also a watershed for most ferries if you are 7m or over which makes a significant difference

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[Wagoneer]

The longer the van, the more it will weigh. The extra weight will eat into your available payload.

The payload and capacity of the rear axle will be crucial if you want to carry a scooter in the garage.

I have a 7m van with garage on a 4250Kg chassis. I carry a 130Kg scooter in the garage. I just about manage to keep within the gross weight and the rear axle permissible load.

Just hope you have a C1 licence if you want a longish van and wish to carry a scooter.

 

[tacr2man]

Other than site size limits the length doesnt make that much of a difference just needs a bit more preplanning . The way I look at it even small villages usually have a bus service , so if that can go there so can I

 

[Lenny HB]

Started with a 6.8 then a 7.2 & now 7.5. Both the 7.2 & 7.5 were/are narrower vans 2.2m which is more important for manoverability than length. Our current van at 7.5 & 2.2 with has a long wheelbase 4400mm so has a shorter overhang than the last van which makes it easier to manover.
Both the 7.2 & 7.5 are A Class vans much easier to get through tight spots as the sides are flat & no big sticky out mirrors, and the overall driving experience is so much better.

Following on from @Wagoneer post on a longer van most aren't practical to run at 3.5t, we have the 4500kg chassis, fully loaded with full tanks and 90kg of wine on board still had 500kg of spare payload.

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[Deleted member 29692]

As I said only driven a 7m van so is the extra 50cm any different, harder or more restrictive?

No.

 

[CazPaul]

No.

Yes.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Yes.

If your motorhome is the only large vehicle you've ever driven I suppose maybe you might convince yourself it's harder if you're generally not confident.

For anyone who's used to driving anything bigger than a Mondeo there is no difference whatsoever between 7m, 7.5m and even 8m, all are childs play to drive and all can go pretty much anywhere with no difficulty. The only thing that's ever stopped me are height restrictions.

Even parallel parking a 7.5m long vehicle is something anyone who drives one should be able to do without even thinking about it, without cameras and without anyone stood outside helping them.

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[CazPaul]

If your motorhome is the only large vehicle you've ever driven I suppose maybe you might convince yourself it's harder if you're generally not confident.

For anyone who's used to driving anything bigger than a Mondeo there is no difference whatsoever between 7m, 7.5m and even 8m, all are childs play to drive and all can go pretty much anywhere with no difficulty. The only thing that's ever stopped me are height restrictions.

Even parallel parking a 7.5m long vehicle is something anyone who drives one should be able to do without even thinking about it, without cameras and without anyone stood outside helping them.

No, Ive driven loads of vans over the years of different lengths, this is a motorhome and like I said it depends where you want to take your motorhome. There is a different between using main roads from site to site and getting off the beaten track, small roads, single track ones, up in the hills in the dales, lakes, Scotland, Wales, out in the deepest countryside. There some real tight bends that only a smaller van can negotiate.

Its nothing to do with confidence, its entirely where you want to take them. If you want to use main roads, big sites, overwinter in Spain for 3 months then a big van would be better I agree.

 

[Wissel]

Down here in Cornwall there are loads of small roads that I'm happy to zoom along in my van conversion but wouldn't in a 7.5m van.

Although I wouldn't in a 7m coachbuilt either. I can't think of a single route where going from a 7m coachbuilt to a 7.5m coachbuilt would make any difference whatsoever.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

No, Ive driven loads of vans over the years of different lengths, this is a motorhome and like I said it depends where you want to take your motorhome. There is a different between using main roads from site to site and getting off the beaten track, small roads, single track ones, up in the hills in the dales, lakes, Scotland, Wales, out in the deepest countryside. There some real tight bends that only a smaller van can negotiate.

Its nothing to do with confidence, its entirely where you want to take them. If you want to use main roads, big sites, overwinter in Spain for 3 months then a big van would be better I agree.

We never use campsites, have no interest in ever going to Spain, prefer off the beaten track and have never found anywhere I wouldn't take it.

It has everything to do with confidence. If you aren't confident driving a big vehicle on the sort of road you mention it's probably best if you don't. I have no problem doing it and so I'll carry on doing it.

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[Deleted member 29692]

I can't think of a single route where going from a 7m coachbuilt to a 7.5m coachbuilt would make any difference whatsoever.

There because there isn't any difference.

Think about it.

All these little single track roads that people panic about present no issue at all for far larger vehicles than any motorhome - buses, delivery lorries and farm vehicles just to name a few off the top of my head.

 

[CazPaul]

We never use campsites, have no interest in ever going to Spain, prefer off the beaten track and have never found anywhere I wouldn't take it.

It has everything to do with confidence. If you aren't confident driving a big vehicle on the sort of road you mention it's probably best if you don't. I have no problem doing it and so I'll carry on doing it.

It has everything to do with confidence with some people then you are saying, so everyone that drives a small motorhome does so entirely due to the confidence aspect you are inferring, that's absolute rubbish, everyone is different, I know a truck driver who drives a 5.41 metre van to get away from it all for him and his wife.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Some of the posts on this thread have demonstrated perfectly why they felt the need to change the driving licence categories in 1997.

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[Deleted member 29692]

I know a truck driver who drives a 5.41 metre van to get away from it all for him and his wife.

And if you put him in a 9 or 10 metre van he would be able to drive it in exactly the same way because he's confident in large vehicles.

That's my point. Thanks for the good example

 

[CazPaul]

And if you put him in a 9 or 10 metre van he would be able to drive it in exactly the same way because he's confident in large vehicles.

That's my point. Thanks for the good example

But not the same places though, that's why he prefers a 5.41 metre one. I was emphasising the confidence factor, do you look at all small motorhomes passing and think''He's not got the confidence, neither has he, or her or them''

 

[Deleted member 29692]

All this panicking over the length of a motorhome is the same as the people who are utterly convinced that a motorhome is impossible to drive unless it's covered in cameras showing about 27 different views behind you.

It's complete nonsense.

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[Deleted member 29692]

But not the same places though, that's why he prefers a 5.41 metre one. I was emphasising the confidence factor, do you look at all small motorhomes passing and think''He's not got the confidence, neither has he, or her or them''

I wait until I've watched them drive it for a while. It's usually pretty obvious within 5 minutes whether they should be driving it or not whether it's a small van or a large one.

A lot of people who drive PVCs are out of their depth and really should go on a training course.

I followed someone on Saturday, on a single track road, who was driving some yank thing and they didn't have a clue what they were doing. If they were in a small PVC they still wouldn't have had a clue

 

[Wissel]

Believe me, there are enough roads down here you won't get down in a coachbuilt or A-class. There are some where I'm touching both sides of the hedgerow constantly in my van conversion

Also corners. Down here there are loads with steep bends that again, I can't get around in my van - no chance in anything bigger.

But the question was, will a 7.5m coachbuild be any different to drive than a 7m coachbuilt.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Ive driven loads of vans over the years of different lengths, this is a motorhome

That's the big mistake that far too many people make that leads to the confidence issues and all these obsessions with length and cameras and whatever.

A motorhome is no different to any other van based vehicle. It doesn't behave or drive any differently and doesn't need to be treated any differently

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[CazPaul]

That's the big mistake that far too many people make that leads to the confidence issues and all these obsessions with length and cameras and whatever.

A motorhome is no different to any other van based vehicle. It doesn't behave or drive any differently and doesn't need to be treated any differently

I think we have digressed, Wissel is correct, we will agree to disagree I think. What I am saying is that a smaller motorhome means you can access more places, you seem to disagree, is that correct?

 

[Jands]

Think the main difference in length can be the overhang at the back.
Local knowledge will stop you going down unsuitable roads but if somewhere new have to rely on a good sat nav.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I think we have digressed, Wissel is correct, we will agree to disagree I think. What I am saying is that a smaller motorhome means you can access more places, you seem to disagree, is that correct?

Like I said I've yet to find anywhere I can't access other than due to height or width restrictions both of which make the length of the van irrelevant.

If you're talking about a difference between say 6m and 8.5m yes I do absolutely disagree. There's nowhere you can go in one that you couldn't go in the other.