New van for one year trip

Al Sourer

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Some advice please, Having just got back from a two month trip ( Spain and Morocco) we're debating about selling our A class Euromobil and getting something a bit bigger perhaps upto 8 metes Prefer staying with an A class design upto 7.5 Tonne Any have experience with a American RV?
Or perhaps a Cathargo M series?.

Regards and thanks

Al Sourer
 
If you mean literally a "new" van, then you won't be needing an MOT for 3 years, so if you decide to stay
away over a year....no problem. One advantage.

Used or new there's always a chance of problems, teething problems with new, mitigated by using for
a while prior to the serious trip, and with a used van well unless you know the 'actual' history you take a risk,
truth is you might be inheriting a whole lot of unresolved teething problems existing from new, hence the
reason its been chopped in for something else, much depends on how thoroughly you inspect/check the crate out.

8 metres (26 - 27ft) doesn't get you a large American RV. a lot of Euro tandem axle jobs and rear twin wheel will
exceed that. RVs can be problematical to fix overseas, you might have to wait weeks for USA sourced parts, if
not UK stocked.
 
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Some advice please, Having just got back from a two month trip ( Spain and Morocco) we're debating about selling our A class Euromobil and getting something a bit bigger perhaps upto 8 metes Prefer staying with an A class design upto 7.5 Tonne Any have experience with a American RV?
Or perhaps a Cathargo M series?.

Regards and thanks

Al Sourer

There are plenty of 8.2 metre long vans on the Alko Tag Axle chassis. They are usually 4.5 to 5 tonne MAM with lots of payload. I have read that certain Cathargo models do not have a great payload unless they are the top end ones on (I think) an Iveco chassis. So do your research.
 
US RV A class will give best bang for the buck , the only thing is that larger (longer) RVs have quite often been down rated weight wise to get 7.5 tonne and with that goes payload . But a shorter RV with a slide will really open your eyes room wise .
 
Presumably you intend to wildcamp and stay in aires? Well there's most definitely
a maximum practical length of m/home. Many places won't accommodate more
than 7.5m-8.0m, access through towns villages supermarket carparks all can be
compromised with a longer vehicle. In my decades of travelling throughout much of Europe
I've rarely seen a +9m American RV wandering around off the dual carriageways or motorways.
Even at many motorway rest areas, restrictive access may mean having to mix it
with the trucks.
 
US RV A class will give best bang for the buck , the only thing is that larger (longer) RVs have quite often been down rated weight wise to get 7.5 tonne and with that goes payload . But a shorter RV with a slide will really open your eyes room wise .

Not to forget though, (so I haven't!) at best an extended slideout can make
you look a bit 'domestic' as if setting up home and at worst could be considered
camping rather than parking. An aspect worth consideration and applicable if
you intend wildcamping/freeloading even aireing to any real extent.
 
There are huge disadvantages (and advantages) of tag axles.
A tag gives better ride, possibly quieter and possibly better handling by sharing the road bumps, potholes and ridges across four wheels instead of two.
The huge downside is the weight distribution.
By putting extra weight on the back, the front axle has a lower proportion of the weight. That can have a dramatic effect on how good the traction is on ice, snow, wet grass, ferry ramps or even wet roads.
Personally, I shall never have another FWD motorhome at all, but a tag axle FWD would be even worse.

I have had 2 Tag axle vans and have never had that problem with front axle loading. They have both run at a small margin under their rating. If you want ropey handling buy a standard 2 axle motorhome. The ones that have huge rear overhangs are often well overweight on the rear judging by the way they 'wallow' on the road.
 
If you mean literally a "new" van, then you won't be needing an MOT for 3 years, so if you decide to stay
away over a year....no problem. One advantage.
Could do with the OP clarifying whether he means literally a new van, or new to him. Maybe just me but there's no way I'd take a new MH on an extended tour, where you WILL have it dinged in car parks, WILL have bushes jump out on you and the odd incident with a fence post while trying to reverse down a narrow lane hanging off the side of a mountain. The thing will be rattled to bits by bone-shaker Polish and Greek roads and have crazy Italian truckers coming at you head on around mountain passes. Added to that, depending on where you go, there may be periods where your insurance cover is limited to third party only.

If it were me and I had the funds to buy a brand new MH, I wouldn't. Simply because I'd be too precious about a new MH and would be truly gutted by the tiniest little scratch or dent. I'd probably park it up somewhere safe, wash it every day and never use it. That's why I'll never have a new MH.

Just IMHO, but new vans aren't for taking away and using, they're for parking on the drive while you work all hours to pay for them ;)

Size wise I've done continental trips in a 6.5m MH with a 3 bike rack on the back so probably not much short of 7 metres. In terms of access to little villages and twisty country lanes, parking up in towns and supermarket car parks, you're going to have more difficulty the longer the thing is and personally I wouldn't go any more than 7.5 metres. You will have your own limit of course, which will be a trade off between internal living space and the difficulty you're prepared to put up with in terms of manoeuvring and accessing places you want to go.
 
If you want ropey handling buy a standard 2 axle motorhome. The ones that have huge rear overhangs are often well overweight on the rear judging by the way they 'wallow' on the road.

Not too bad when these vans are counterbalanced by drivers with huge rear overhangs!
 
You've got to go with that which you're happiest with Shaun. But be eternally grateful
to the 'no worries mate' new van buying brigade. Without them there would be no
dinged scratched and whacked used vans to buy.
Gawd bless 'em say I.!
 
As always, I have an opposing view to that of maingate. The maximum rear overhang is 60% of wheelbase, so no motorhome should have more.
Obviously if you add a bike rack or worse, a scooter rack, you can expect problems, but you will always have issues with a FWD motorhome anyway.
Anyone who claims not to have been stuck has never gone off firm dry tracks. You can see how they always faff with grip mats, look for spots that are not uphill to the exit.
All tag axle vans are rear-heavy: there would be no point otherwise!
Me, I'd only buy RWD, and preferably twin-wheel RWD. Yes, it costs more, but it is well worth the extra.

You have no actual experience with a Tag axle, all you have is an opinion ... a wrong one.

For a start, Tag axles have a smaller overhang than most other vans (except the older, smaller coachbuilts). They have a much longer wheelbase as they are all on an AlKo chassis and not a standard Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot commercial van chassis. There is very little weight to the rear of the tandem axle configuration. If you still cannot picture the setup, here is a photo to help you.

SAM_0345.jpg
 
Maingate, the overhang is irrelevant. What matters is the proportion of the laden weight that is on the driven axle. The makers seek to hide this by publishing the proportion of MIRO, which looks better.
Of course I have experience of tag axles. I have towed them off damp grass.
I have driven them, and they do handle and ride well. But they get stuck.

You don't have a clue what you are talking about ... and not for the first time. In 10 years of driving them I have never needed a tow off 'damp grass'.

Never mind, you carry on with your egotistic statements, it is very entertaining for myself and other members on here and the only reason I have never put you on 'ignore'. :)
 
Assuming equal things like tyres, GVW, etc, I don't see why a tag axle would be more likely to get stuck, in fact, I can see the opposite being true in a lot of situations.
 
Assuming equal things like tyres, GVW, etc, I don't see why a tag axle would be more likely to get stuck, in fact, I can see the opposite being true in a lot of situations.

This thread is all about someone asking for advice on motorhomes suitable for long term touring. They will now probably dismiss the option of a Tag Axle vehicle because of stupid and incorrect comments from someone who has never owned or driven one.
 
If everything else was equal, a tag axle would be almost as good.

The inequality is the proportion of the GVW on the driven axle. If that was the same, the slightly higher rolling resistance of the extra unpowered axle wouldn't matter much.

Your knowledge and wisdom has yet again failed you.😂✌️
 
I’ve had two tag axles and two two axle vans. My experience is whenever on grass or snow (no matter what the weather when you park) put the front wheels on small wooden planks (scaffold boards cut down).

As long as you can get the van moving in the first place it will continue to move until you reach firmer ground. In my experience you need a bit more thought with a tag, but I never got one stuck.
 
Hi Gang,
I’m a Full time Livaboard of the last 7 years, Have a 4.500KG Tag axel That’s 30ft from Bumper to Bumper & ‘Wildcamp’ most of the time all year around as I travel All Over the UK.
Have I been stuck,,,,Yep
& on one occasion down to my Axel. Nothing a Shovel a Jack My Wheel Boards & a few harsh words couldn’t cope with, & to be fair it’s all part of my chosen lifestyle.
Handling problems,,,,None
I’ve been in & Over Mud, Snow, Ice, Tracks, Lanes, Roads & Motorways all fine, Let’s be honest it’s down to the Actual Motorhome Load & Tyre Set Up & the Driving Experience of the Driver At the end of the day, Among one of the most important lessons is to know when to Stay Put or move from park ups around the Ground & Weather Fronts Or conditions. But this is the same for any vehicle you might be driving.
Overhang,,,,Never been a problem to Me or The Nest.
20C0FD33-F628-4A19-AA4C-6797E6DFC000.jpg

6CE9624A-DCB0-4A87-9203-30431C3B890E.jpg

3FA3933B-2ACE-4B7B-B10D-1C250B82CEEA.jpg

7E653FDA-E7E1-41F3-B5DE-A2C682FD2F92.jpg

In the last picture you can see The Nest on the Wheel Boards that I carry & use for softer Ground, This Park Up was in a field by a Hedge line while having a meet up with a friend & Fellow Livaboard for a few days a cpl of Weeks ago.
 
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