Looking for a new van

Pollik

Guest
We are thinking of changing our MH. It was OK as a first one, but there are things that we would prefer to live without.

In an ideal world, we think we are looking for something around 28ft long, large garage and with a shower that is designed to take larger people:rolleyes2:

But

We also want it to come in under 3.5T (nothing to do with licence or fears of driving) because so many villages and small towns and roads use that as a threshold.

We fell in love with a Knaus with tag axle, but....

Any thoughts?




Polly
 
You won't get much choice with your requirements, (28ft is quite a lengthy m/h) and with a MGVW of 3500kg.
The French manufacturers seem to be at the forefront of building the largest bodies on the lightest chassis IMO. Driven by the driving licence restrictions on heavier vehicles, and urban access weight restrictions.
Le Voyageur and Rapido models come to mind, 4 wheel chassis with body sizes more often seen on tag or twin axles.
 
impossible task. tag axles give you more weight and in turn a greater gvw. if not they would steal too much weight from the 3.5 you ask about. to get a vehicle that size and be under 3.5 is a waste of time and effort even looking. think you should have a rethink. you cant put a barrel of beer into a pint pot in one go. cheers alan.
sorry to put it like that but miracles are too difficult.
 
Yes, I am starting to think so, too.

Space v. weight - I expected a trade off but I was hoping that someone might know of a 3.5T that gives significantly more living space than my current van. Or, I will have to give up swinging cats for a hobby. :-(



Polly
 
to be honest the best way round it is a mini artic. forget he normal 5er route . iveco do a good mini artic . even the new transit with the 3.2 ltr engine is quite good. but to stay at 3.5 in a rigid vehicle is impossible. seriously i can build mine into a 3.5 gvw truck and keep a train of 9.8 ton. driven on a car licence pre 97. i understand the manoeuverabilty of the size you have quoted but an artic can manoeuver in a smaller space . mine is 10mtr all told ,the trailer is just over 20ft. gives lots of space and i can carry 3 dax style m,bikes in the garage under the bed. i can also carry 7 seated people in the truck and make a sleeper cab if necasary. think hard if you want more info ,pm me . even the much smaller m,homes struggle tocarry much and stay within the 3.5 limit .many revert to towing a trailer to carry their ne.casary needs the french love big trailers behind their campers but they have always been restricted to 3.5 on a car licencealthough i believe its been uplifted slightly in recent years . cheers alan.
 
That is an interesting thought. And I seen you posting elsewhere about, too. As you suggest, I will need to think about it. I wonder how the gendarmerie would treat a mini artic in an Aire de Service, which frequently bars caravans. Or indeed if they decided to check my entitlement to drive a mini artic, if, even in the UK, we are not 100% certain!


Polly
 
i stop in aires and have done so for along time.(not recently france is too expensive to get to the warm weather) as for your licence it can be on a 3.5 ton unit to tow .iveco do one that as a train of 8,700kg . based on a 40c130 dropped to 3.5ookg.or you could drive one like mine if you have c1+e on your licence.there advantages if the unit is over 3,500kg like no mot .but that may change. if under there is no weight resriction only the train weight of the towing vehicle. if it looks like mine i park all over the place. looks a bit like a truck so have very little problem. artics or even normal 5ers handle far better than caravans and have an incredible turning circle .all due to the bending. give a call on 07971962361 i try to keep up todate with all regs etc on this type of vehicle. if you ever get down here call and have a try.you may be amazed. cheers alan.
 
So, to be clear...I have a pre-1997 licence to drive cars and motorcycles (I used to have a restricted licence to drive buses, too, but that expired). And you are saying I can drive a tractor unit up to 3.5T and a train weight up to 8.25T?

I get very lost among the various licence categories and acronyms and am finding it hard to follow the legal arguments.:confused:

Polly
 
hi
b+e allows vehcle up to 3.5 towing any weight trailer so long as it doesnt break the trainweight of towing vehicle.
c1+e allows 3.5 -7.5 vehicles to tow trailers with a restriction of 8.25 combined weight.
you should have d1+e mini buses with between9and 16 seats towing a trailer upto 12ton max. not for hire or reward.
best ask in your dvla office for leaflet d100, all info in there.
its daft but b+e allows more train weight than c1+e and c1is a heaviergvw vehicle but thats how it works .
to get the highest train voluntary drop a vehicleover 3.5 down to 3.5 then it keeps the train of its previous weights.lots of truck manufacturers are doing it for you . i knowa mitsubishi can be used up to 12 ton if built on the 7.5 ton and then voluntary dropped to 3.5 ..they weigh about 2.7 unladen so can have a payload and still pull a really heavy trailer. mind boggling i know .so much for the caravan clubs only pull 80 percent of the towing vehicles weight.
 
Pollik said:
So, to be clear...I have a pre-1997 licence to drive cars and motorcycles (I used to have a restricted licence to drive buses, too, but that expired). And you are saying I can drive a tractor unit up to 3.5T and a train weight up to 8.25T?

I get very lost among the various licence categories and acronyms and am finding it hard to follow the legal arguments.:confused:

Polly
Click to expand...

Polly
look on your driving license and Try this Gov web site
The vehicles you can drive or ride and minimum ages : Directgov - Motoring

Lorry :drive:


or for form D100
http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consu...n/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_067871.pdf
 
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hi polly give me a ring .have your licence ready and the paper part if you have the new style. if you have a very old licence because you may not have moved house the categories may be the old ones listed on your licence. no probs . i,ve been keeping driving licence changes etc for years . all part of my job.
before 1991 most had a full bus licence (not for hire and reward )but this was taken away from people by the back door .was possible to keep it if you took a medical and had a signed afadavid saying you drove buses .
 
Thanks for the offer Alan, but I showed this thread to my partner and it looks like we will stick with the more conventional route.:drive: I don't think I am unhappy with that, although I was intrigued by the idea of a mini artic. Plus, my paper licence is in bits because last time I moved, they didn't sent the plastic folder back...and stubborn woman that I am, I refused to buy one to replace it.

So, I think it is back to looking at rigid MHs and trying to decide between weight and space

Thanks again for the suggestions, though :)


Polly
 
hi to be honest i migh have gone for a truck conversion if my artic hadnt come up just at the right time .i actually went to look at mine 5 yrs earlier but it had been sold when i got there. i think in this day and age if age (near to 70)isnt a problem i would go for a isuzu or mitsubishi chassis and cab or one with a box. they are the lightest trucks in their class and drive small ,like a vw t2 but nicer. can i sugest an 18 ft box can make a very good camper .ideal on 6.6 or 7.5 ton vehicles . forget 3.5 you cant legally carry anything in that weight range. dont go too high with the box. remember deliveries to shops etc use trucks . and jap trucks can take a 7ft 6 in box and look right. you get alot more for your money as well. sometimes jap conversions come up on ebay .very nice i have thought about them my self . being an ex trucker i do like mine and have had it 11yrs now so think its with me for ever. cheers alan.
 
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