New MH Advice (1 Viewer)

Sep 4, 2014
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Hi Folks
Having been a tugger in a past life many moons ago I've got the travelling bug again.
We hired a MH this summer and followed the TDF in Northern France and to my surprise and delight Ms 5* Hotel loved it!
The rotten weather for the first week did help us realise that the dinette design of the Flash 28 was a bit limiting for comfort in poor weather and as we will be in Scotland much of the time poor weather is to be expected.
We made a list of "suitable" MH and visited the NEC show the other week which was a great help in narrowing our choice.
We want a Fixed Bed design with bench seating at the front.
Current choices
Autotrail Tracker FB or RB
Swift Bolero 682/722
Bailey Autograph 730
Elldis Encore 255

Any other suggestions?

What I'd appreciate is some feedback on real life experiences and the plus points of the various manufacturers, chassis and heating systems of the above manufacturers
For example Autotrail has a high specification and finish but the chassis and heating systems may be a bit last year - is this true?

Hope I'm not opening a can of worms...

We are not going to buy new (thats the plan) but go a year or two old once we have storage space (Currently Central London so not ideal).

Next year will be hiring again for the TDF again in the Alps with the possibility of 3-4 days wild camping on Col Du Glandon :)

Thanks for your time

Bill
 
Aug 7, 2007
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Hi Bill like your post but not the comment re weather in Scotland, Scotland has no worse weather than many parts of England !!
Look at the flood on the Somerset levels,up and around parts of the Thames, midges around the Lake district !!
Our friends in Lincoln regularly have worse weather all year round too but, they also get hotter weather too,so why is "poor weather" to be "expected"
Over the last few days weather in England was worse than in Scotland !! like everywhere you go on holiday pick the right time and you will enjoy where ever you are.
Come up the East coast and visit you will find out that for the most part Fife/Tayside are the driest area in Scotland.
Whatever do come you will be made welcome by all.
 
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Carol

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Welcome to Fun, good luck with your search. :welc:

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funflair

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Hi Bill and Ms 5*

Welcome to fun, I see no mention of a garage, do you have bikes or just watch others ride theirs.

I can't comment on your options as we have a continental MH because we wanted a garage for our Bikes BBQ etc.

The other thing that often catches people out is payload so be careful that whatever you buy has enough payload for your requirements including loading it with booze on the way home from France.
 
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Mousy

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Allo and welcomes.

Another thing to watch out for on British made vans is water tank size. The smaller the tank the more filling it takes, obvious, but annoying if you are at a fun meet all soaped up in the shower on a Sunday morning with no water available.

So find a van with a big tank capacity.
 
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DuxDeluxe

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Welcome on board. Have you considered an A Class? We never did until actually saw that it worked with the drop down bed. Massive space inside for length of van. Worth considering. Echo the payload payload question - manufacturers are almost liars when it comes to numbers and many people have been caught out, especially with garage models due to the very high rear axle loading due to the overhang and weight behind the rear wheels.


Allo and welcomes.

Another thing to watch out for on British made vans is water tank size. The smaller the tank the more filling it takes, obvious, but annoying if you are at a fun meet all soaped up in the shower on a Sunday morning with no water available.

So find a van with a big tank capacity.

Quite agree, but surely water fetching is what Mr Mousy should have done for you before the shower? Been there, done that. Never again........

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Ed Excel

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Hi Bill and welcome. You've started the picking process well by hiring and visiting a show, although the weather comment was a bit size nine between the dentures. I always say, sit in as many vans as you can. When you find one you're reluctant to leave, that'll be the van for you.
Good luck
Ed
 
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BMStewart2004
Sep 4, 2014
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Hi Bill like your post but not the comment re weather in Scotland, Scotland has no worse weather than many parts of England !!
Look at the flood on the Somerset levels,up and around parts of the Thames, midges around the Lake district !!
Our friends in Lincoln regularly have worse weather all year round too but, they also get hotter weather too,so why is "poor weather" to be "expected"
Over the last few days weather in England was worse than in Scotland !! like everywhere you go on holiday pick the right time and you will enjoy where ever you are.
Come up the East coast and visit you will find out that for the most part Fife/Tayside are the driest area in Scotland.
Whatever do come you will be made welcome by all.
Hi tjay
we are from Aberdeen and will be returning there. Well aware of Scottish weather but trust me after 15 years we are southern softies :)
 
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BMStewart2004
Sep 4, 2014
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Hi Bill and Ms 5*

Welcome to fun, I see no mention of a garage, do you have bikes or just watch others ride theirs.

I can't comment on your options as we have a continental MH because we wanted a garage for our Bikes BBQ etc.

The other thing that often catches people out is payload so be careful that whatever you buy has enough payload for your requirements including loading it with booze on the way home from France.
Thanks for the feedback.
I cycle and Ms5* has a bike too - she'd better not get to hear that nickname......
This year we took them on the carrier at the back of the Chausson and it was ok - they probably wouldn't have fitted in the garage under the beds. It could be a concern leaving them on the back in a less trustworthy environment especially as mine (naturally) is quite well specified.
I hadn't considered an A-Class as I don't quite "get" them and they look pretty big to drive.
Good comments on the payload thanks we generally travel pretty light but once retired intend to travel quite a bit.
Cheers
Bill

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BMStewart2004
Sep 4, 2014
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Welcome on board. Have you considered an A Class? We never did until actually saw that it worked with the drop down bed. Massive space inside for length of van. Worth considering. Echo the payload payload question - manufacturers are almost liars when it comes to numbers and many people have been caught out, especially with garage models due to the very high rear axle loading due to the overhang and weight behind the rear wheels.




Quite agree, but surely water fetching is what Mr Mousy should have done for you before the shower? Been there, done that. Never again........

Thanks Both for the water comments.
We are thinking of being out 3-4 nights in the Alps and can take an extra fresh water container "just in case" however .... is there a rule of thumb for the loo cassette? In the past I've always used facilities on site and would hate to get caught short in that area :-(
 
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funflair

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Hi Bill

You had better give your OH a name pretty soon otherwise she will be Ms5* forever.

The normal loo casette can last up to three days, but you have to get used to having a pee before you leave the cafe/supermarket etc, you can carry a spare casette if you want to go longer and carry the full on in a locker until you can service.

If I was in your position especially with nice bikes I would be giving serious thought to a garage as apart from security the back of a motorhome is the dirtiest place you can find on wet roads.

You don't have to go "A" class to get a garage but you would then have a transverse bed if you wanted to keep the length down.

I like the "A" class design as it looks timeless and you get a nice big windscreen for a good view while driving but also nice to sit up front and take in the view while you are parked up.

Choices choices.

Take your time and get it right.
 
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Bailey58

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Welcome to FUN, this site is addictive and may well take up a lot of your time. :)

We have the Bailey Approach 740SE (so last year dear). Fixed bed, sofas at the front, plenty of space, all round lockers around the cab and front end unlike some which have large roof lights or beds but, like most vans, it's still a compromise. Storage under the bed is good from inside but limited from outside and certainly no good for our ebikes which led to a lot of time researching online, on here and at the NEC before we've settled on our maybe expensive answer. Payload is a must ask whatever you're looking at, don't be fobbed off with glib reassurances but check it yourself. Admittedly much of our problem is of our own making, we weighed in at about 3060kg when we got the van home with an extra battery, Roadpro sat dome, solar panel and a few other lesser bits and pieces. It now comes in at 3460 with everything full. We could jettison the 100kg of water we carry and fill up on arrival I
suppose. :cautious:

We're still considering uprating from 3500 to 3700kg which is a paper exercise only, to go to 3850 would be expensive and involve air suspension and 5 new tyres, there's a thread on that too but have a look here at Bob Palt's thread on carrying ebikes. ( He has the Bailey 745).

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BMStewart2004
Sep 4, 2014
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Putney, London
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Newbie
Welcome to FUN, this site is addictive and may well take up a lot of your time. :)

We have the Bailey Approach 740SE (so last year dear). Fixed bed, sofas at the front, plenty of space, all round lockers around the cab and front end unlike some which have large roof lights or beds but, like most vans, it's still a compromise. Storage under the bed is good from inside but limited from outside and certainly no good for our ebikes which led to a lot of time researching online, on here and at the NEC before we've settled on our maybe expensive answer. Payload is a must ask whatever you're looking at, don't be fobbed off with glib reassurances but check it yourself. Admittedly much of our problem is of our own making, we weighed in at about 3060kg when we got the van home with an extra battery, Roadpro sat dome, solar panel and a few other lesser bits and pieces. It now comes in at 3460 with everything full. We could jettison the 100kg of water we carry and fill up on arrival I
suppose. :cautious:

We're still considering uprating from 3500 to 3700kg which is a paper exercise only, to go to 3850 would be expensive and involve air suspension and 5 new tyres, there's a thread on that too but have a look here at Bob Palt's thread on carrying ebikes. ( He has the Bailey 745).

We are not on ebikes yet as I still try and get up hills under my own steam :) However I suspect the time will come....
What year is your Approach with that layout as we are not intending to buy new but a year or two old so all feedback is appreciated.
 
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Bailey58

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Mine's the first model registered May 2013 but built in 2012. The new one is the Autograph but even though biased we prefer the layout up front in ours which gives more overhead lockers instead of the large roof window although I did fit an extra ceiling lamp near the front seats to give some extra light.
 
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