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My van just grew!


Conrad

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Been checking widths of other 'vans, wondered why eg Peugeot pvc was wider (at 250cm) than my Chausson. Then thought I'd better check this, bit of a fiddle with tape measure, but yes my 'van is 235cm as handbook says. But....don't know about everyone else, but I usually drive with my wing mirrors out, which means I have now to look out for width limits of 283cm!!
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This week, in the motorhome section of the “Practical Caravan” forum, was this enquiry.

 

Thinking of buying a van again. Haven't owned one in 30years. Can someone explain to me why autosleepers Peugeot panal van conversions list the mirror folded width as 2260mm but Peugeot website says 2050mm? Fiat based conversions also show 2050mm. Appreciate some guidance.

 

The reason for the apparent anomaly is that the 2050mm dimension quoted is not the width of a Peugeot panel-van conversion with its mirrors folded, it’s the width of the van ignoring the mirrors altogether.

 

The following link is to a "Converters’ and Upfitters’ Manual” for the 2016 Fiat Ducato

 

https://www.flotillas.chrysler.com.mx/descargas/manuales/ManualDelCarrocero2017-ducato.pdf

 

and Section 4 (starting on Page187) provides dimensional data for Ducato ‘chassis’ variants. It will be evident from this (1st image attached below) that the 2050mm figure relates to the width of the BODY of a Ducato van (and of a Peugeot Boxer equivalent) and the mirrors are not involved.

 

The 2nd image attached below gives two width figure involving the mirrors - 2508mm or 2690mm - seemingly for when (respectively) the mirrors are folded or extended, but (I think) those figures actually relate to whether the vehicle has short-arm or medium-arm mirrors. I’ve seen 2508mm quoted elsewhere for a Ducato X290 panel van with its mirrors extended and the Auto-Sleepers figure of 2254mm for a Boxer van with its mirrors folded (ie. an extra 102mm each side over the 2050mm datum) seems about right to me.

 

The basic width quoted for ‘coachbuilt’ motorhomes will normally be the maximum width of the bodywork to the rear of the cab and (once again) the mirrors will be ignored. Rapido gives that width for my motorhome as 2350mm, but that’s for the rear body that was grafted on to the Ducato chassis during the conversion process. Looking forwards along a body side shows that the mirrors, when folded, will increase the motorhome’s width a smallish amount (100mm ?) but - because the Rapido has long-arm mirrors - extending the mirrors increases the width a LOT. (In fact, Rapido provides an “overall ’garage’ width with rear-view mirrors open” and the figure given is 2760mm.)

 

Can’t say motorhome width much concerns me as I don’t recall ever being in a situation where knowing exactly what it was mattered. I know that, if the Rapido’s mirrors were folded it ought to be possible to insert it into (say) a garage with a 2500mm wide doorway, but the chances of me having to try doing that are pretty slim. Much more important for me is knowing that my motorhome’s overall height is 2760mm (Rapido’s figure).

 

(I’m aware your Chausson is Ford Transit-based, but similar principles will apply ;-) )

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