Width restrictions on rural lanes

[francisgraham]

1footinthegrave - 2011-07-15 6:14 PM

francisgraham - 2011-07-15 6:11 PM

crinklystarfish - 2011-07-15 4:50 PMClose in both cases! Have a quick skeg at my www.

Am I missing something here? There's no website address shows for me.

Left mouse click on the guys www to the left below the user name

Thank you. I missed that, assuming that he'd post a link.

[Agent Fruit]

malc d - 2011-07-15 4:22 PM

 

I think I would go for the armoured personnel carrier.

 

 

Possibly the wisest words anyone has said to me yet! Sign me up for one. Crinkly, I don't suppose you have a spare one do you? Love it.

 

Brian - you've been polishing your crystal ball. I endured 11 impulsive hours of combined north/south Guildford-Manchester-Guildford trafifc to go to the Northern Motorhome Show today. Result = decision = PVC. Hearing everyone's experiences here was very helpful when looking at the vans again, particularly as I hadn't really taken into consideration the height too, or rather the taper of the sides. When I thought about it I could picture seeing oncoming coachbuilts in Cornish lanes taking out branches overhead, their drivers clearly oblivious to the damage going on above their heads, or maybe just unable to do anything about it. As I walked around the show today I found myself looking up at all the high sharp edges, wincing. I also found myself, as ever, magnetically drawn towards every single PVC! I think I'm going to have to take the view that my van is going to be like a partner.......there's got to be that inexplicable magnetic attraction even if it's not perfect and is going to annoy me sometimes!

 

It's also been interesting that I've met a number of people who've been downsizing to a PVC from coachbuilts, but never the other way around, all of them saying it's to reduce the hassle factor. Today was no exception.

 

I have, by the way, fallen for the Vantage range of vans. I spent at least two hours picking their vans over with a fine tooth comb. They are superb quality in design and finish, and knocked all the other vans into a hat. Plastic windows yes, but they opened. The only glass windows that I saw didn't open, the vans were steaming hot (and it wasn't that hot a day), and their finish quality didn't come near. Impressive.

 

AF

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

As we currently have an IH, and previously a Trigano Tribute PVC after owning coachbuilts, I'm curious to know if you've placed an order before making one observation on layouts. PM me if you have not, you may be interested on ours and others observations that we have spoken to on living with two different layouts with a PVC

 

Apart from the benefits of a compact vehicle one thing that struck us most was the complete lack of conversion noise, so enjoy.

[crinklystarfish]

Nice one AF, in your circumstances I personally think you have shown wisdom in going the pvc instead of coachbuilt route and you are right, many very well seasoned motorhomers end up going back to a small-ish 'van. It's not by accident, or rather it's often because of accident!

Sorry to divert the thread a bit with my own vegetation (and bad roads) solution, and ta to all who offered encouragement. Vegetation isn't such a worry with this kind of thing, you could literally kick the grp laminate panels as hard as you possibly could and all you'd do is break your foot. There's a small but growing number of people in the UK getting on with this kind of thing and some of the trucks really are very imposing. Ours is a tiddler really. They really will go more or less anywhere and it doesn't matter so much if we pick up a few scratches. The starfish thing is an old and sentimental nickname that kind of stuck.

Anyhow, good choice again Agent Fruit, and do just ask if there's anything you want to improve or modify once you've settled in to ownership.

[JamesFrance]

Yes, a good decision you will not regret I am sure.

 

A few years ago the hightop vans from Autosleepers and others were a completely different beast compared with a coachbuilt, as they were basically very restricted by the dimensions of the vans they were based on. They also usually used an add on grp roof which could cause problems.

 

Now that we have 6 metre long high top panel vans produced as standard, you can have a similar layout to a coachbuilt and a permanent bed, so that the complex conversion of the driving seats into bunks is a thing of the past.

 

Our Adria Twin seems more roomy and has far greater storage space than our old Hymer 534 A Class 25 years ago. Folding chairs, a folding bike and a 2 seat inflatable canoe all live out of sight under the bed and there is still lots of space for all the other things you need.

[malc d]

crinklystarfish - 2011-07-15 2:13 PM

Brian Kirby - 2011-07-15 12:57 PM...Ultimately, if you want to go where you know the going gets narrow, or if you don't know, and you want the least practical problems, go for the narrowest van you can find, and live with its disadvantages in other respects.If you are sure you won't stray down narrow, or restricted, roads, or you are prepared to live with the odd pickle you get into if you do, just go with the van that offers the best accommodation for your needs, and live with the problems its width may cause from time to time.There is no magic solution...:D

Not magic, but there is another choice, if not exactly mainstream: big and tough. It's the way I've gone and though I have another 9-12 months of head-scratching and graft to go, big and tough can be bought off the shelf, at a price!

One thing I like, that you don't mention, is the sat-nav back up system in the roof of the cab.Presumably, if necessary, your navigator can stand up with his/her head through the top and navigate with a map laid out on the roof of the cab ? ;-)

[Brian Kirby]

Just in case anyone wants a crinklymotorhome, but lacks his humbling skills, and feels (quite!) a bit flush, further possibilities here: http://tinyurl.com/67j6hjv :-)

[Brian Kirby]

Agent Fruit - 2011-07-16 3:23 AM..................................I have, by the way, fallen for the Vantage range of vans. I spent at least two hours picking their vans over with a fine tooth comb. They are superb quality in design and finish, and knocked all the other vans into a hat. Plastic windows yes, but they opened. The only glass windows that I saw didn't open, the vans were steaming hot (and it wasn't that hot a day), and their finish quality didn't come near. Impressive........................AF

 

Excellent! On that basis, I'm sure you will be as happy with the van, as you are with the decision. Result! :-D

[Usinmyknaus]

Agent Fruit - 2011-07-16 3:23 AM

 

malc d - 2011-07-15 4:22 PM

 

I think I would go for the armoured personnel carrier.

 

 

Possibly the wisest words anyone has said to me yet! Sign me up for one. Crinkly, I don't suppose you have a spare one do you? Love it.

 

Brian - you've been polishing your crystal ball. I endured 11 impulsive hours of combined north/south Guildford-Manchester-Guildford trafifc to go to the Northern Motorhome Show today. Result = decision = PVC. Hearing everyone's experiences here was very helpful when looking at the vans again, particularly as I hadn't really taken into consideration the height too, or rather the taper of the sides. When I thought about it I could picture seeing oncoming coachbuilts in Cornish lanes taking out branches overhead, their drivers clearly oblivious to the damage going on above their heads, or maybe just unable to do anything about it. As I walked around the show today I found myself looking up at all the high sharp edges, wincing. I also found myself, as ever, magnetically drawn towards every single PVC! I think I'm going to have to take the view that my van is going to be like a partner.......there's got to be that inexplicable magnetic attraction even if it's not perfect and is going to annoy me sometimes!

 

It's also been interesting that I've met a number of people who've been downsizing to a PVC from coachbuilts, but never the other way around, all of them saying it's to reduce the hassle factor. Today was no exception.

 

I have, by the way, fallen for the Vantage range of vans. I spent at least two hours picking their vans over with a fine tooth comb. They are superb quality in design and finish, and knocked all the other vans into a hat. Plastic windows yes, but they opened. The only glass windows that I saw didn't open, the vans were steaming hot (and it wasn't that hot a day), and their finish quality didn't come near. Impressive.

 

AF

 

Good decision I think. Feel free to look smug when I tell you that having returned from deepest Kent I have a very large number of new scratches to polish out of the van's sides, fairings and windows later this week. I also had to reverse for more than three hundred metres downhill and through two "S" bends when a lady in a small 4x4 came over the brow of a hill and stopped in front of me, leaving too narrow a gap to pass.

 

Bob :-(