Van getting wider and higher at the some time.

[GWAYGWAY]

I must be imagining things but my van has grown wider and higher. Either that or the roads are getting narrower and lower.
We went out for a trip and going along a country road there was a loud noise from the roof immediately after I saw a branch hanging down, too late to miss it. It managed to smack the side of my satellite dish in, breaking the light plastic dome. I stopped down the road and climbed out the hatch with some clear repair tape. there were several cracks and a lump missing. I taped them all up and hoped no water could get in. The replacement was over £200 plus. so it was a case for out with the glass and epoxy resin when I got home, reasonable but needs finishing in warmer weather.
Yesterday we out for a day trip and I was forced further to the left in a narrow road and smash! a really loud bang so I thought it was the dish again but no it was the left mirror arm fairing on the left, not the roof this time. I found the missing part at home in the daylight, so took the car and drove the15 miles back to where it happened, in the vague hope it might still be there, but in bits, so I could copy it. Joyous delight It was on the verge, undamaged and intact.
I found a sawn-off tree branch sticking out about a foot. They could easily cut it back to the hedge line but obviously didn't. the number of scrapes and scratches that we have, seem to indicate the councils seem to have forgone the trimming that used to be done. I am thankful that the Hymer is a Sprinter base, as it would be a lot worse with a FIAT which is a fair bit wider. Anyone else noticed damage like this from the lack of trimming back now?

 

[RichardHelen262]

I must be imagining things but my van has grown wider and higher. Either that or the roads are getting narrower and lower.
We went out for a trip and going along a country road there was a loud noise from the roof immediately after I saw a branch hanging down, too late to miss it. It managed to smack the side of my satellite dish in, breaking the light plastic dome. I stopped down the road and climbed out the hatch with some clear repair tape. there were several cracks and a lump missing. I taped them all up and hoped no water could get in. The replacement was over £200 plus. so it was a case for out with the glass and epoxy resin when I got home, reasonable but needs finishing in warmer weather.
Yesterday we out for a day trip and I was forced further to the left in a narrow road and smash! a really loud bang so I thought it was the dish again but no it was the left mirror arm fairing on the left, not the roof this time. I found the missing part at home in the daylight, so took the car and drove the15 miles back to where it happened, in the vague hope it might still be there, but in bits, so I could copy it. Joyous delight It was on the verge, undamaged and intact.
I found a sawn-off tree branch sticking out about a foot. They could easily cut it back to the hedge line but obviously didn't. the number of scrapes and scratches that we have, seem to indicate the councils seem to have forgone the trimming that used to be done. I am thankful that the Hymer is a Sprinter base, as it would be a lot worse with a FIAT which is a fair bit wider. Anyone else noticed damage like this from the lack of trimming back now?

Does it have sprinter mirrors ?
If so you can buy all the parts separately

 

[REC]

I agree, think the hedges used to be trimmed back much more. Notice it particularly where there are road signs which used to be clear but now seem to all be hidden in overgrowth. Sounds like you have had a smashing time....what a pain!

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I agree, think the hedges used to be trimmed back much more. Notice it particularly where there are road signs which used to be clear but now seem to all be hidden in overgrowth. Sounds like you have had a smashing time....what a pain!

i usually drive out near the white line but the speed of large trucks howling along these narrow roads makes me fear for my offside mirror against their reinforced lorry types, which are just the right height for mine. Theirs are cheaper than Hymer ones at £1000.

 

[Millie Master]

Can any of you recall when the Jaguar Mk X was first released in 1961, people used to say how on the earth could such an enormously wide blob go onto the UK roads as it was that wide................... Roll on to the present day and thanks 'B' to the damned EU crash test laws even the lowly Ford Focus is wider than the Mk X was................. and our roads and the parking spaces let alone the sizes of garages remain the same size as they did back in the 1960's !

 

[trevskoda]

If trees or hedging is out past the verge then take a snap and claim of the council, busses here now have guard bars at the nearside front and across the window.

 

[GeoffL]

You can use a Cycling UK utility to report potholes, overhanging/encroaching trees etc. Cycling UK then forward the information to the relevant council and, more importantly, record that the hazard has been reported, thus opening the council to compensation claims if they don't fix it within a reasonable time. Cyclists are more than happy for motorists to use this tool, which you can find at https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/

 

[barryd]

Mrs D put her hand through our Camos Dome two days before a five month trip to Europe a few years back. I manged to find a motorhomer 100 miles away in Oldham that had a defunct Camos Dome mk1 in his garage and drove up that night to buy it (just for the dome) for forty quid. if it had been me i would have gave it away but it was still a big saving on a replacement plastic lid. Might be worth asking around as there were a fair few that packed up working when the satellite requirements changed or whatever it was.

 

[SquirrellCook]

I thought most councils relied on HGV’s to trim the trees?

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Yes, I have noticed the lack of hedge/tree trimming, even affecting 'ordinary' vehicles (i.e. cars) on some of the roads up here.

Pandemic related/cutbacks/lack of workforce to do the job?

 

[harrow]

Can any of you recall when the Jaguar Mk X was first released in 1961, people used to say how on the earth could such an enormously wide blob go onto the UK roads as it was that wide................... Roll on to the present day and thanks 'B' to the damned EU crash test laws even the lowly Ford Focus is wider than the Mk X was................. and our roads and the parking spaces let alone the sizes of garages remain the same size as they did back in the 1960's !

I can remember when we were looking for a house with a garage.

The old boy said he used to keep his Ford Anglia in the garage, but when he bought a VW Beetle the garage was too small.

We decided not to buy that house.

 

[trevskoda]

I can remember when we were looking for a house with a garage.

The old boy said he used to keep his Ford Anglia in the garage, but when he bought a VW Beetle the garage was too small.

We decided not to buy that house.

Sledgehammer sorts most problems.

 

[izwozral]

It's not just the lack of hedge cutting that's a problem it's also the fast disappearing white lines that are a real hazard.

I have given up rubbing out the mh scratches, it's almost impossible to avoid branches on country lanes.

 

[trevskoda]

And the trucks/busses with the massif big sticky out mirrors which seem to use up about 1ft over the white lines.

 

[Robmac]

Not to mention the speed at which some lorries travel on narrow roads without slowing down to pass a vehicle from the other direction.

They know you are going to get out of their way!

 

[trevskoda]

Not to mention the speed at which some lorries travel on narrow roads without slowing down to pass a vehicle from the other direction.

They know you are going to get out of their way!

Yep they put a magnet on the speed gov here, one passed me like a bullet and I was at almost 70, he must have been clocking at least well over 90mph.

 

[Johnsais]

I’ve certainly noticed that the farmers here only cut back to a certain height and that’s obviously lower than my roof! Can’t understand how the busses and HGVs don’t constantly get hit along the roof all day long. It sounds like a gang of monkeys beating a tattoo on the roof driving round our lanes! But so far my mirror has survived!

 

[winks]

There was quite a few downed trees on the road down to Manchester yesterday and where they were lopped back they were very close to the road edge. Some of the branches were stout enough to take out the van, let alone a mirror. Another potential hazard to keep in mind.

Cheers

H

 

[Drover]

Yep they put a magnet on the speed gov here, one passed me like a bullet and I was at almost 70, he must have been clocking at least well over 90mph.

I guess it was a DAF as it's the only one I know that you can do that trick with...
Large magnet on near side of gearbox with new digi tacho.(card)

 

[GMJ]

We live in the country, 10 miles from the nearest A road. I lost 2 off side mirrors during the first year we lived here due to crap drivers not hugging the side of the road. The first one was a farmer towing a trailer wider than his 4x4 with those big black round bales of hay on it. That completely wrecked my mirror. The second time was a driver who simply wasn't on their side of the road. In both instances the other driver didn't stop!

Now I drive the 10 miles to the main road, with the off side mirror pulled in. It takes some getting used to as we don't have a rear view mirror soI am driving only with the near side one.