Slapping out an (opening /driveway) in my rear garden wall ( single brick 9 feet high (1 Viewer)

[3 cabbages]

I am trying to figure out the comfortable/ minimum gate width required for parking a 20 foot long van inside the property which has a 20 foot wide lane at the rear of it.

Personal experience and opinions most welcome .

I am moving to an old Victorian semi-detached house

Leo

 

[David and Sally]

A sketch might help

 

[Two on Tour]

I am trying to figure out the comfortable/ minimum gate width required for parking a 20 foot long van inside the property which has a 20 foot wide lane at the rear of it.

Personal experience and opinions most welcome .

I am moving to an old Victorian semi-detached house

Leo

Is there a quiet carpark near you that you could take your van and chalk out the lane and gateway to see what would be viable.

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[3 cabbages]

Thanks for your interest so far!

 

[Phill D]

you also need to consider the length of overhang from the rear axle as that will determine the arck the rearmost corner will take to clear any post, hedge etc.

asumming if you drive in you will reverse out or visa versa. unless you are able to turn around once inside and cleared the gate.

 

[denisejoe]

It’s not only the drive in it will also be reversing out

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[3 cabbages]

HI Guys, i cant turn around once in . probably reverse in because of the overhang !

I am trying to balance the opening width versus weight of timber gates!

My garden/boundary wall is 29 feet,

Leo

 

[Sue and Rick]

What an interesting avatar.
Could you fit electric gate? Weight wont be an issue if you can run it on a track at the rear of the fence / wall

 

[Phill D]

HI Guys, i cant turn around once in . probably reverse in because of the overhang !

I am trying to balance the opening width versus weight of timber gates!

My garden/boundary wall is 29 feet,

Leo

i have a hammer head in my drive which i reverse into ( passenger side inside the turning arc ) and park up; i then drive out the oposite way turning to the right.
its a 90' tight turn so more restricted than your 20 feet road width. If you want i will measure up tommorrow for you. it wont be exactly the same but might give you a good steer.
our van is 7.46m ( 24ft ) long.

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[berni109]

Interesting question.
Just to give you a bump.

 

[Lenny HB]

Wheelbase will be the biggest determining factor we are only a 7.5m van but a 4.4m wheelbase. We couldn't get into another Funsters drive in Spain due to our wheelbase but he'd gets his slightly shorter Hymer in easily.

Plan for the biggest van you are ever lightly to get, no point in making it suitable for your currennt van then in a few years you get a bigger van and you can't get it in.

 

[tacr2man]

Might be better to take a different view , and make it as large as you can , because the tighter it gets the greater the likelihood of an error resulting in vehicle damage ?

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[TDub49]

Walking the dog the other day I came across a little traffic mayhem on a local road. An articulated lorry with half a house on it was stuck trying to turn in to a local industrial estate. Over the sound of disc cutters and choice language I cheerfully commented to one the guys busily trying to remove steel security fencing and gate posts so that the lorry could complete its turn was "is this a case of measure first, drive later?" to which he replied"Nah. we measured up and the lorry and load will fit through the gates. What we didn't do was estimate the space needed to make the turn . . . . " He didn't punch me.

So, the moral of this is that possibly you could need more than a gap of the right width to get your van through, you may need to create wider entrance to your gate by giving up a bit of land to 'recess' the gate and have a wider drive on the road side to enable you to swing in. Just a thought.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Is there a quiet carpark near you that you could take your van and chalk out the lane and gateway to see what would be viable.

I would try that but use traffic cones so that you can adjust the width and get a physical indication as to whether you have caught something whilst turning.

 

[steve69]

I am trying to figure out the comfortable/ minimum gate width required for parking a 20 foot long van inside the property which has a 20 foot wide lane at the rear of it.

Personal experience and opinions most welcome .

I am moving to an old Victorian semi-detached house

Leo

Your rear garden & access dimensions sound identical to mine. A minimum of 10ft/3 metres gate width is highly recommended.

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[Geistguy]

Remember to factor in that whatever size gates you decide on, the gap will be reduced by the thickness of the post and hinges. A sliding gate, as previously mentioned, may be better.

 

[Bessy765]

We have a 7.5 mtr A class to get to our garage the lane averages 3.6 to 3.8 wide at the narrowest point just where I have to turn to get in the garage. The garage is set back 1.4 mtr from the lane, the garage entrance is 5.4 mtr wide it fits by reversing in tight but manageable.

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[Bessy765]

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[Bessy765]

 

[DandJ]

We amused our neighbours prior to buying our first MoHo by constructing a wooden framework with correct length, width, overhand and most importantly for us...the height off the ground of the overhang for our steep driveway. We had concrete gateposts that were c 12ft 6" apart, then a 2" timber inner face and the gates then attached which had a width of 12ft. We shhuffled about with the huge ungainly contraption and sussed that we had sufficient ground clearance and also "managed" with the gate width. (We have since knocked down the concrete posts and widened the gateway by about 18" to prevent one of those embarassing van/concrete interfaces at 11pm in the pitch black)
As Phil mentions...overhang is an important consideration as is the turning circle of the van.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Wheelbase will be the biggest determining factor we are only a 7.5m van but a 4.4m wheelbase. We couldn't get into another Funsters drive in Spain due to our wheelbase but he'd gets his slightly shorter Hymer in easily.

Plan for the biggest van you are ever lightly to get, no point in making it suitable for your currennt van then in a few years you get a bigger van and you can't get it in.

my ears burning again !

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[L' Hobo]

I am trying to figure out the comfortable/ minimum gate width required for parking a 20 foot long van inside the property which has a 20 foot wide lane at the rear of it.

Personal experience and opinions most welcome .

I am moving to an old Victorian semi-detached house

Leo

Personally, I would be looking for the maximum width possible until you have had a few practices.
So much depends on length, overhang, turning circle etc. and, of course, experience.
Not forgetting to future proof any other vehicles you may buy?

IMO, the best suggestion yet is the one with the empty carpark and some chalk.
Good Luck!

 

[Ridgeway]

Any limitations on the front end ? Our now longer van just gets onto the drive but the main trick is skimming the front vs what’s on the opposite side of the wall. Measure well, think hard and then add some more space for those bad days

 

[MisterB]

Don't forget to price up the gate, it might be cheaper to work out the minimum width, add half a yard either side as a minimum and then look at what gates are available. You might find getting a bigger gate than you need is actually a better option due to price as you might pick one up 'pre loved' rather than getting one made to the size you have decided you need ...

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[Folkranger]

40 years ago I put up a 6ft 6" x10ft wide gate with a 3ft wide gate on the other side so 13ft opening. It's still standing
My point here is that made right, timber can span at least the 10 ft that my main gate is, so two timber gates could span 20ft or more.
A single brick wall wouldn't hold this weight and would have to have a pillar added.

 

[steve69]

Strange. I posted a reply to # 19 and it's disappeared. No words, just a photo to compare with the photo of that in #19.
My number plate was blacked out.

 

[3 cabbages]

I am delighted with forum response/posts.

I don't get access to the property until 19th April ,after which, I will post an update

Leo

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[Two on Tour]

Strange. I posted a reply to # 19 and it's disappeared. No words, just a photo to compare with the photo of that in #19.
My number plate was blacked out.

I think you will find that you posted it on the other thread that was started by Bessy765.

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/size-of-access-hi-all-someone-posted-on-here-about-the-size-of-gates-etc-for-entering-with-a-motorhome-but-i-cant-find-it-have-some-info-that-might.300197/#post-6066588

 

[steve69]

Uh...that's a bit confusing. I have one comment on here and another comment on the other thread.

 

[Speve]

I think I would if possible get gates as wide as you can and enhance the entrance with with a small bell mouth outside the gates if possible to give you more space to manoeuvre

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