full timing aboard in a Autotrail chieftain tag axel

[Byronic]

Sad thing is everything today is built to a price not a standard , some of the bathroom fittings and kitchen sinks , taps etc we have to fit look ok but sad thing is most of the time customer would have been better off not bothering .
Having had new and secondhand motorhomes and looking at literally thousands they are getting worse by the day .

Isn't that just a tad too negative Victor? As you say "built to a price not a standard" but I'd suggest that if you are willing to pay a "high price" you can get high standards/quality even these days, and even in the rosy past this was in reality also much the same case . If a business chose to ignore that simple tenet it soon went to the wall, survival of the fittest for purpose and all that, was applicable then as it is now.

 

[maingate]

Isn't that just a tad too negative Victor? As you say "built to a price not a standard" but I'd suggest that if you are willing to pay a "high price" you can get high standards/quality even these days, and even in the rosy past this was in reality also much the same case . If a business chose to ignore that simple tenet it soon went to the wall, survival of the fittest for purpose and all that, was applicable then as it is now.

It has been a long time since that applied. People want 'cheap' not 'quality'. Add in the fact that there is no C1 type of entitlement in Europe and vans have to be no more than 3.5T, still have a reasonable payload yet have big fridge/freezers and all the other bells and whistles. Lightweight materials will not have the ruggedness and life of older vans. If you want quality, the price differential is very big.

 

[vwalan]

germany had over 3.5 ton licences they changed same time as us in uk. but even back then the kitchen facilities in german vans was always crap. two burners and nothing was the norm.
early merc hymers had no chassis protection . they rusted quite badly .
there was and still are some good builders out there but very expensive .
again high wages mean high costs .
even in the early days the electric taps in hymers were breaking down all the time .
ok for weekend use but if you were away all winter many suffered problems .
i admit at one time i also thought they were better quality but having wintered away for many years i soon learnt the build quality was all front .
really they were just expensive junk.

 

[Byronic]

It has been a long time since that applied. People want 'cheap' not 'quality'. Add in the fact that there is no C1 type of entitlement in Europe and vans have to be no more than 3.5T, still have a reasonable payload yet have big fridge/freezers and all the other bells and whistles. Lightweight materials will not have the ruggedness and life of older vans. If you want quality, the price differential is very big.

Bearing in mind OP was referring to "fulltiming"
Since when did people not want quality? Naturally nearly everyone wants quality....preferably with cheapness, that's the problem. I'd take a guess and say most people are realistic, and would settle for reasonable quality for a reasonable price, by and large these days I dare say it's probably what they get. Those wanting highest quality will pay highest money, seems fair enough to me.

More Germans and possibly Dutch Swiss and Scandinavians van owners to be found in +3.5 tonners than UK owners, notwithstanding any C1 entitlement.

Again bearing in mind the OP was referring to "fulltiming";
Keeping the van weight down as much as possible was just as much a priority in days of old as it is these days. Many of the fittings and fixtures developed 40 years ago are still (some with refinements) are still being used by some manufacturers today, if they lasted 5 years of their designed life then they had fulfilled their job. And nothing rugged about the typical coachbuilt body of old either, staple fixed non preservative timber framing clad with sheet aluminium bonded to the frame where hopefully it actually contacted with if you were lucky 3 ply inner lining, WPB hardboard if you were half lucky, or untreated hardboard for just plain unlucky.

Good design combined with lightweight modern materials can often produce ruggedness. The bodyshell on your van is testament to that. Can you walk directly on your van roof (hope you said yes!). Well on a lot of older vans you couldn't, for much the same reasons that a modern car is much stiffer and distorts less than the ladder chassis crates of old.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Hi me and the missus are selling up and going full timing permanently ' now I have full timed before for 2 years in total but only in the uk which I found easy with no issues and always wild camped I had a Hymer 644 this was ok for me on my own but it would have felt cramped with 2 people ' so we have been looking at motorhomes and came to the conclusion that a Autotrail chieftain G fits the bill with a big garage for scooter and lots of living space ' has anyone got or had a tag axel Autotrail??? any advice would be great

This is exactly what I've got, & have Full Timed in for the last 18 months or so, Taking me Through 2 Winters down to a Minimum Temperatures of -11 last winter (January I believe) & -9 This winter (just before Christmas) with No problems, Split pipes, or noticeable Coldness or discomfort internally at all so far. Its a very comfortable vehicle, & Meets my needs as a Full Time Livaboard.

Just interested to know how you got on ?
What did you end up doing ?.

Some interesting comments.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

I've got one that I'm thinking of selling, it's got all the toys including a generator, pm me if you're interested.

Did you Sell or Keep yours ?.

 

[4x4man]

full time motorhoming

Hi me and the missus are selling up and going full timing permanently ' now I have full timed before for 2 years in total but only in the uk which I found easy with no issues and always wild camped I had a Hymer 644 this was ok for me on my own but it would have felt cramped with 2 people ' so we have been looking at motorhomes and came to the conclusion that a Autotrail chieftain G fits the bill with a big garage for scooter and lots of living space ' has anyone got or had a tag axel Autotrail??? any advice would be great

Hiya

We haven't done any full time motorhoming with my chieftain but I don't see a problem with it as there is plenty of space to live without feeling cramped, we will be living in ours a lot more as we get closer to retirement, as for winter camping, I don't really see any problems there as mine has the water tank warmers incase of freezing and inside the van is dry and very warm and comfortable.

The only thing I would recommend is to have a safari room added to the awning to give that extra living space and a degree to weather protection on that side of the van so you can open you door in comfort, I hope this helps

 

[alwaysared]

so we have been looking at motorhomes and came to the conclusion that a Autotrail chieftain G fits the bill

If it fits the bill then it must be the van for you, you've got to live in it.
German, English, Italian or French they all have their good and bad points, you just have to decide which bad points are best to live with. We wanted an Autotrail but ended up with a Dethleffs because it was at a price we could afford, it had everything we wanted except a grill but after camping on a motorbike it's something we can live without. We actually use the toaster we took camping for toast and do the bacon and stuff in a frying pan like we did when camping. In fact we're still using the pans and kettle from our Trangia set, their as light as a feather and help keep the weight down lol
Regards,
Del,

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Hiya

We haven't done any full time motorhoming with my chieftain but I don't see a problem with it as there is plenty of space to live without feeling cramped, we will be living in ours a lot more as we get closer to retirement, as for winter camping, I don't really see any problems there as mine has the water tank warmers incase of freezing and inside the van is dry and very warm and comfortable.

The only thing I would recommend is to have a safari room added to the awning to give that extra living space and a degree to weather protection on that side of the van so you can open you door in comfort, I hope this helps

Hi ya,
Yes I can see the occasional advantage of a Safari room. Especially if you're Abroad, & On a Site for a bit. Or have Friends & Family with you for a spell, on a regular basis, Then Absolutely Yes.
But for Me & my Lifestyle choices of Fulltime Wilding (& I belive the OPs intention) I found My Safari room & indeed My Faimia F45 Wind out Awning it's self Probably The 2 most Useless, Heavy, Space Taking, Impractical things I could possibly have aboard. I've Never used the Safari Room EVER, & only had the Awning wound out out Once,,,So I've Taken them Both off & haven't missed them at all over the last 18 months or so as a Livaboard. The combination of the Poles, Safari Room Sides, The Ground Sheet, & The Awning weighed in at WELL over the 60KG mark. & took up The complete storage cupboard from under my Permanent Double Bed.
If however your looking to Buy A F45 Wind out Awning, Complete with Safari room. Then They are BRILLIANT, & I happen to have Both for sale !.

 

[The laird]

Hi ya,
Yes I can see the occasional advantage of a Safari room. Especially if you're Abroad, & On a Site for a bit. Or have Friends & Family with you for a spell, on a regular basis, Then Absolutely Yes.
But for Me & my Lifestyle choices of Fulltime Wilding (& I belive the OPs intention) I found My Safari room & indeed My Faimia F45 Wind out Awning it's self Probably The 2 most Useless, Heavy, Space Taking, Impractical things I could possibly have aboard. I've Never used the Safari Room EVER, & only had the Awning wound out out Once,,,So I've Taken them Both off & haven't missed them at all over the last 18 months or so as a Livaboard. The combination of the Poles, Safari Room Sides, The Ground Sheet, & The Awning weighed in at WELL over the 60KG mark. & took up The complete storage cupboard from under my Permanent Double Bed.
If however your looking to Buy A F45 Wind out Awning, Complete with Safari room. Then They are BRILLIANT, & I happen to have Both for sale !.

Paul put them in the for sale section summer next stop should be able to sell them,best time now I'd think

 

[jagmanx]

Safari Room No Awning YES

Hi ya,
Yes I can see the occasional advantage of a Safari room. Especially if you're Abroad, & On a Site for a bit. Or have Friends & Family with you for a spell, on a regular basis, Then Absolutely Yes.
But for Me & my Lifestyle choices of Fulltime Wilding (& I belive the OPs intention) I found My Safari room & indeed My Faimia F45 Wind out Awning it's self Probably The 2 most Useless, Heavy, Space Taking, Impractical things I could possibly have aboard. I've Never used the Safari Room EVER, & only had the Awning wound out out Once,,,So I've Taken them Both off & haven't missed them at all over the last 18 months or so as a Livaboard. The combination of the Poles, Safari Room Sides, The Ground Sheet, & The Awning weighed in at WELL over the 60KG mark. & took up The complete storage cupboard from under my Permanent Double Bed.
If however your looking to Buy A F45 Wind out Awning, Complete with Safari room. Then They are BRILLIANT, & I happen to have Both for sale !.

We had both these as part of our purchase of a second-hand MH
Lunar Premier H622 3.5 tonne 6.5 metres
Fixed rear bed
Dining area can be converted to a second double bed (but never is).

Bought in 2010
Use the awning yes
Use the Safari-room No.
WE sold the safari room as soon as we started full-timing in May 2014.
Space and weight being the other factors.

The awning does not get a huge amount of use..But is useful especially if we want to BBQ (cadac) outside
The Vertical supports also assist with setting up the wind-break

May takes 10 mins (MAX) to assemble or the reverse (Both Items)
When travelling we often arrive at out destination mid-afternoon hence worth taking 10 Mins to do the above

WE usually Store the windbreak and wind in the awning overnight.
But if the waether is settled and forecast good they sometime stay out
I have tie-downs (Poundland) for the awning

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Paul put them in the for sale section summer next stop should be able to sell them,best time now I'd think

Hi ya Matey,
YES,,I will Good point.

 

[Deleted member 65609]

Hi All

After reading through this thread I would like to ask about my own Motorhome as to whether it would be suitable to go over to Europe to colder places in winter

The vehicle is a 2016 Rapido with Alde wet heating system and internal water tank would this be ok in cold climates or not

Thanks LB