What length MH before needing a tow car

[Andymrh]

I know it’s very subjective but I have ordered a 7.29 MH and wondered, will this be manageable to take into towns if needed or should I be thinking of buying a tow car???
Thanks Andy

 

[pappajohn]

Much larger vehicles than that manage in even small towns....trucks, buses etc....without any trouble.

 

[funflair]

We are all different, I wouldn't want to take a tow car but I wouldn't want to take a van into a town either as it's not just the length but the width as well if you are trying to park it, we walk, bus, cycle or scooter but that wouldn't suit everybody either, I would suggest getting the van first and see how you get on.

 

[Wingingit#1]

Yep definitely get the van first and see how you go .
I choose not to take ours cuz its width is more limiting than its length.

 

[Nanniemate]

If your worried about taking the van into towns what ate you going to feel with a tow on the back ...even more to worry about

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[ceejayt]

At 9m it is true we struggle sometimes with parking in towns but don’t worry about driving through them. I do spend maybe a bit more time planning where we are going to stop/park and sites like search for sites does jndicat where larger motorhomes can fit

 

[Lenny HB]

Depends where you want to go, the last thing I want to do is tow anything had enough of that when we were tuggers.
Apart from the UK it's never a problem parking close to where you want to be in Europe. The main reason we don't bother much with the UK & the weather.

 

[Charlie9038]

We started off with a van conversion which was great for parking & sightseeing but too small after a few nights. We then upgraded to coach built which was 6.2m and just about right for parking & longer stays. Fell in love with a fixed bed cb, which was 7.2m & found it too big to park anywhere, so bought and Abarth & converted see classified section, to tow which worked really well until we got our MH stolen.
So to answer your question <6.2 m ok for parking >6.2 get a tow car IMHO

 

[Tombola]

7.3 is fine in main towns..even lots of small "visitor heavy" villages like polperro etc have car parks to cater for visitors and coaches.

 

[DandG5515]

Wouldn't try running before walking, we did 9 years happy with driving 7.6m into towns and supermarkets. Try to do supermarket runs in evenings when car parks are empty to start with or park on road sides to avoid getting into tight spots. I always tried to use buses or taxi during busy days in Cornwall to avoid stress. You may find electric bikes more useful. We purchased our first toad during 1st lockdown to avoid crowds. And now it avoids us taking a euro 4 vehicle in town centres. Just enjoy your purchase. We plan to be in our motorhome for 6 months this year but I only take the toad with us for 8 weeks. Ps have you checked the towing capacity of your new motorhome?

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[Carpmart]

At 9m it is true we struggle sometimes with parking in towns but don’t worry about driving through them. I do spend maybe a bit more time planning where we are going to stop/park and sites like search for sites does jndicat where larger motorhomes can fit

My views entirely. I’m 9.35m, often have an Aygo toad on the back and I just plan well. Can get into most places fairly easily.

 

[Reallyretired]

My last motorhome was 8m and we only used a toad in the UK, unnecessary anywhere else.

 

[the1andonly]

We are only 6m but use a toad in the UK. Dead easy to tow. Some places are a pig to park even @6m. the width is more of an issue on single track road with high hedges or walls. Suck it and see. It will be interesting to see how our new Mirider E-bikes change that need. There is no one size fits all. Some places ive been to cant even park the Up! easily.

 

[Andymrh]

Wouldn't try running before walking, we did 9 years happy with driving 7.6m into towns and supermarkets. Try to do supermarket runs in evenings when car parks are empty to start with or park on road sides to avoid getting into tight spots. I always tried to use buses or taxi during busy days in Cornwall to avoid stress. You may find electric bikes more useful. We purchased our first toad during 1st lockdown to avoid crowds. And now it avoids us taking a euro 4 vehicle in town centres. Just enjoy your purchase. We plan to be in our motorhome for 6 months this year but I only take the toad with us for 8 weeks. Ps have you checked the towing capacity of your new motorhome?

Thanks. Really useful advice

 

[Brains]

Personally I never saw the need for a toad.
If you are going to tow a car you may as well get a caravan.
The whole point of a motorhome is to be able to move easily every day or two.
If your style is to go somewhere for a week or so and then do local visits in a car, then your touring style is more suited for a car/caravan.

Size wise, in the UK, I'd prefer under 7m, but bigger is fine, you just need to plan more.
In much of Europe under 8m is fine. Even 9m is not much of an issue.
In the US we had a 42' (12m) RV. It was not an issue, but would be impossible in the lanes of Cornwall

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[Andymrh]

Personally I never saw the need for a toad.
If you are going to tow a car you may as well get a caravan.
The whole point of a motorhome is to be able to move easily every day or two.
If your style is to go somewhere for a week or so and then do local visits in a car, then your touring style is more suited for a car/caravan.

Size wise, in the UK, I'd prefer under 7m, but bigger is fine, you just need to plan more.
In much of Europe under 8m is fine. Even 9m is not much of an issue.
In the US we had a 42' (12m) RV. It was not an issue, but would be impossible in the lanes of Cornwall

Thanks Brains. Hopefully a MH will give me the flexibility to do both. Thanks for your comments

 

[RobinE]

Echo most of the above, try it first and see how you get on. On one occasion when we had a tag axle Burstner we bought a smart car and trailer for UK use only, quickly sold it and never repeated the experiment. Too much hassle, storing the trailer at home and on site. Increased risk of spinning the front wheels, on one occasion had to take the car off the trailer to exit a campsite. All the normal stuff about towing and manoeuvring. That sort of thing. Not a fan of A frames personally.
Most of the time we have had vans around 7 metres and never had much trouble manoeuvring and parking. You get quite skilled spotting suitable places, e.g grassy bits where you can overhang the rear. Sometimes you can sprawl lengthwise over two parking bays if not crowded, but read the carpark regs carefully and buy two tickets if allowed.
Visitor attractions mostly have spaces for larger vehicles. Again need to be careful that spaces not reserved for coaches. Ask if not sure.
Park and rides often have spaces for larger vehicles, check on the internet first.
HTH.
Enjoy

 

[DJL220]

Our MH is 7.5m long and we had it for 2 years before we invested in a Toad. This now gives us great flexibility and makes us around 11m long. Once at site unhook the A-frame and park the MH - job done.
No issues with parking at service stations whilst towing as most cater for Caravans/MH whilst travelling. Parking the MH on its own has never been an issue, it sometimes takes time to find a space. Don’t park in the coaches parking as you will probably end up with a ticket

 

[Coolcats]

It’s not just length and width it’s also height at 5.4 mtr’s a small tow car is also nice to have

 

[the1andonly]

Personally I never saw the need for a toad.
If you are going to tow a car you may as well get a caravan.
The whole point of a motorhome is to be able to move easily every day or two.
If your style is to go somewhere for a week or so and then do local visits in a car, then your touring style is more suited for a car/caravan.

You don't need a toad fine don't get one .
You obviously missed the point of a motorhome. Its part of the wider word called flexibility, and not limmited to one style of travelling. eg move every day or two or stay in Benni for 3 months. The eccenomics of towing a large caravan is also dubious, and as far as safety is concerned, how many shock horror toad overturned stories do you see as opossed to "Caravan Towing Disaster". I now relalise that i made a big mistake selling my campervan when i bought my Motorhome i now see a home for both. the Salloon car should have gone. Am i wierd in that i can understand people wanting 7 motorbikes. No i dont think so.