LisaI Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 Hi everyone, I am hoping to use your expertise to find what we are looking for. I am really hoping there is something out there! We are looking for a 5/6 berth motor home (must have 5 belts). It needs to have a large garage with good access to it. Something like the Rollerteam Zefiro Sport. Its garage is perfect at 1.2m wide but although it states a 5 berth is optional, we are struggling to find one/establish what needs done to a four berth to make it 5. Any ideas for alternatives? Preferably, the garage needs to fit a kart (without tilting/taking wheels off) which is 1.12m wide. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 The Zefiro Sport' specification can be viewed here https://www.rollerteam.it/GB-en/Catalogo/ModelloDatiTecnici/123337/Zefiro-Sport Essentially, the motorhome is a 4-berth model, with a 'fixed' double bed over the cab and a drop-down double bed at the vehicle's rear. The 5th berth will involve the dinette that is towards the front of the motorhome, but I'm not sure if constructing the (single) bed from the dinette means that the table and seat cushions are just rearranged (as is a commonplace method) or something else is needed (eg. the table is designed to be lowered). A Roller-Team dealership should be able to tell you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hja Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 I assume you have a C1 license? Such a van will be pretty heavy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 If you refer to the link I provided above you'll see that the Zefiro Sport's maximum technically permissible laden mass (MTPLM) is 3500kg (in standard form). As I understand it, the 3500kg allows for four 'passenger places' and an increase to five 'passenger places' would involve the MTPLM being raised to 3550kg, when a C1 driving licence entitlement would be needed to drive the vehicle. I'm not sure if this 'passenger places' formula applies in the UK - it's something else to explore with a dealership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 18 hours ago, LisaI said: ...we are struggling to find one/establish what needs done to a four berth to make it 5.... I notice that twelve Zefiro Sport motorhomes are currently advertised on Auto Trader. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/motorhomes/used-motorhomes/roller-team/zefiro-sport and contacting the advertisers might provide more details about the 'optional' 5th bed (or there might be a Roller Team dealership within a reasonable distance of where you live that might have a Zefiro Sport for sale that you could inspect). Having looked at photos of the Zefiro Sport's dinette, I'm beginning to think that the reference to the optional/auxiliary dinette bed just means that a supplementary (and probably uncomfortable!) single bed can be constructed using the dinette's table and seat cushions if the need arises. Unsurprisingly, none of the on-line videos or adverts show the 'optional' 5th bed made up. I believe you'd also need to check whether the Zefiro Sport has four 'travel seats' or five. Obviously there are two belted cab seats and it looks like the dinette's forward facing section has two seat-belts, but it may be that the 'optional' dinette bed is just that - an extra berth purely for sleeping. (I'd also be very wary of the Zefiro Sport's vehicle's weight and its realistic payload. This is a large vehicle and, even at a MPLTM of 3550kg, payload would be very tight for 4 people, never mind 5.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 2 hours ago, Derek Uzzell said: .... payload would be very tight for 4 people, never mind 5.) Plus a kart, spare tires, toolbox, fuel, helmet and other racing equipment, etc, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Agreed. Payload at 3,500kg highly likely to be adequate, and even at 3550kg liable to prove inadequate. It will, of course, depend somewhat on where, when, and how you use it. If only for carting trips, with perhaps three smallish children plus two adults, it may suffice. Even so, smallish children grow into larger, heavier, children (and so, sometimes do adults! 🙂). From what you have said, for comfort, I think you'll need an MAM well in excess of 4 tonnes. I think you're getting into Carthago (or similar) country - longer, heavier, and significantly more costly. As above, this will almost inevitably require you (and any other drivers) to hold a C1 driving licence. It is all possible, but not, IMO, with that van. Sorry. 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 There are purpose-built 'race trucks' that are able to carry several racing motorbikes, a quad-bike or even a small car. These are inevitably large, heavy, expensive to buy new and still might not have 5 berths. There's an example here that seems to meet Lisal's requirements, but would definitely need a C1 licence to drive. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116166029342?itmmeta=01J34VSNAPS715KC72P75PFZSY&hash=item1b0c08f01e:g:O2gAAOSwnSBmMnUZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 (edited) 16 hours ago, Brian Kirby said: Agreed. Payload at 3,500kg highly unlikely to be adequate, and even at 3550kg liable to prove inadequate. Apologies Lisal, please see correction underlined above. Spotted too late to correct! Specsavers???? 😞 If you want to explore the field of the sorts of vans I think you'll need, have a look a Southdowns Motorhomes in Portsmouth, who specialise in these larger, heavier, vehicles. But, they are all significantly more expensive than "run of the mill" motorhomes. Regarding Rollerteam vans be very cautious over payloads. My impression is that their vans are largely marketed in Italy to feed the Italian hire market, where families hire vans for a few days for special occasions and events, usually staying on campsites, rather than buying for longer term use. Hence, they are designed to provide the maximum number of berths in a large roomy box that can be driven on a car driving licence, and do not cater for the additional requirements of longer term, often not camp site based, travel with filled fresh water tanks, levelling ramps and other camping clutter, changes of clothing, cold weather clothing, awnings, etc. etc. They serve that market well, but quickly run out of payload when loaded for the longer duration, mid and low season, use that many UK motorhomers consider normal. One other factor to bear in mind is that it seems you will load the rear end of your van relatively heavily. Two things arise. First, "garages" have their own individual load restrictions and second, because "garages" are inevitably at the rear of the van behind the rear axle, the actual load transferred to the rear axle (which has its own legal load limit) will be significantly greater than the net weight of whatever is carried in the "garage". Beyond the legalities, tail heavy vans can develop somewhat strange handling characteristics! It is all possible, but you'll need to be very accurate with the weights of the items you'll carry, and in calculating their collective impact on the rear axle (and tyres) load. Edited July 19 by Brian Kirby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChasB Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 We used to travel all around the country when my sons were karting. We had a trailer for the karts one inside and one on the top. The trailer also carried spare tyres, tools, helmets race suits, shoes and fuel plus other things. I find it strange that you would want to carry petrol in cans in the rear garage of a motor home. Have you not thought about a kart trailer? Then your options for a motor home would be greater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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