A little Advice please

[Anitatilly]

I will try to keep this short: We are spending the next two years (before hubby's early retirement) checking out A Class Motorhomes. We aim to go full timing, rent our house out & have our touring caravan seasonally sited in Croatia, which will be our base. After discussion with German friends on our site, the tolls on most European motorways are so much higher if you have heavier than 3.5 ton, yet you can tow a large box trailer behind carrying your stuff, which isn't counted. So, for long term liveability & moving, do we buy a smaller motorhome, small enough (thinking 7m) to use for shopping & trips out & tow a trailer. Or go for a bigger one, say up to, but below 8m, with bigger payload & boot & then tow our Vw Up.

 

[vwalan]

hi, welcome . even more is the 70 yr old licemcing .
i say get a fifth wheeler .
use a over 3.5 ton truck lowered to 3.5tongvw . it keeps the original trainweight . so then you can have good carrying capacity and a vehicle to use when you want a car.
this iveco leaflet gives a good explanation how it works . but a small fifth wheeler works fine .
or a mini artic , have had mine 17yrs now , but not sure ,i must keep it a bit longer to see if i really like it. ha ha . plus fifth wheelers count as car /caravan on ferries so cheaper crossings than m,homes even of a shorter length .

 

[chrisjones18]

stay off the toll roads and buy what you like,, if you intend to use ferries check out how they charge before buying.
good luck

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Google Maps says going from Haute Vienne outside Limoges to Calais was 6.5 hours by Autoroute/toll roads, plus approx 90 euros in toll charges.
The same route on non-toll roads is 8.5 hours. 90 euros to gain 2 hours....hmmm!

 

[AlaskaGuy]

And I did that route twice last week. Definitely a better experience than the SANF toll routes. The grain belt around Blois was spectacular, and all those Sauvignon Blanc vines in the Tourraine. Very nice!

 

[Tom2023]

If you tried to see the UK from the M25, M1, M6 & M5 you'd see very little.

I love little roads and villages.

 

[vwalan]

our game is we arent allowed on toll roads , or motor ways , avoid dual carriageways . only use small roads and drive through as many villages as you can.
why some ask.
we are more childish every year and children arent allowed to play on busy roads .
mind we do have alot of fun .

 

[Tom2023]

Some people get nervous on little roads. The thing to do is take your time. If you are in a tight spot get out and have a look. Never panic.

Remember if a bin cart can get down there so can a motorhome.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Some people get nervous on little roads. The thing to do is take your time. If you are in a tight spot get out and have a look. Never panic.

Remember if a bin cart can get down there so can a motorhome.

My van is on a Peugeot Boxer/AlKo chassis, same as many horse boxes that seem to do OK. Not that I'm bothered by hedgerow scratches on the windows, but how do you deal with them?

 

[vwalan]

well i use the truck in my avatar, scratches can be polished out . even quite deep ones disappear.but it would have to be very narrow to be touching both sides .
we dont go down some narrow roads but they are usually marked as narrow .
base life on if you dont think you could reverse out ,dont drive in .
some of the mountain spanish villages nobody would try or do they.
some of the real narrow roads make for great adventures on the m,bike or push bike .
mind sometimes a narrow road leads to a great place for the odd night . have met quite a few locals and go back every few years just to keep it going . last winter one of the locals told us her daughter had telephoned her to say her english friends were in the village . just shows even the kids get used to visitors . mind we have been going there for years . bit like going home really.

 

[chrisjones18]

My van is on a Peugeot Boxer/AlKo chassis, same as many horse boxes that seem to do OK. Not that I'm bothered by hedgerow scratches on the windows, but how do you deal with them?

brasso, the lint type not the liquid is supposed to work for scratches

 

[John and Joan]

We were 4600kg and always paid the 2 axel rate on tolls. When we had the cat on the trailer they charged us as 3 axles. You have to tell them you are an Auto Caravana or Camping Car if they try to charge higher rates.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

When we had the cat on the trailer

Was it a very smelly cat?

 

[chrisjones18]

i spoke to the people from Switzerland tourist office a while ago [sept] about their vignette system [as we will be going there]
their answer for a motorhome classed vehicle of any weight was to buy 1 at 36.5 euros and fix to the windscreen.
if you tow a trailer buy 2 [most people forget this]. they last for 14 months.
they cover all roads and tunnels in Switzerland. with the exception of private roads going to lookout points. he gave me the details in writing but at present time they are mislaid.
he said loads of websites say you must buy at the hgv rate if you are over 3.5 ton, but this is not right as you are not a commercial vehicle., you are a "camping car" and we welcome you to our country. then repeated "it covers all roads and tunnels in Switzerland. do not believe some internet sites.
he also said "you would not believe the amount of people who do not buy the vignette"

no help for Croatia I know....

 

[Dunroamin]

Yhe Swiss also do a vignette valid for 7 days in a12 month period,the 7 days do not need to be consecutive.Handy if you go to Greece or Turkey for the winter.Also vehicles over 30 years old do not pay for a vignette,Historic!showing the log book is enough.

 

[Fatima Saysell]

We have an A class Hymer, just over 6 meters, and tow a trailer. It works for us. We are on a year-long trip, hopefully we'll visit a few European countries. Whatever you choose, try to stick to national roads if you can and you are not in a hurry: they are more picturesque and often just as good as expensive motorways. Happy travels!

 

[Dunroamin]

Trailers are not allowed on aires inFrance.What do you do with it?

 

[Scotjimland]

Trailers are not allowed on aires inFrance.What do you do with it?

Had a 36ft RV with a 1 ton box trailer.. never had problem with it on an aire, just use common sense and don't use up another space when it's busy.. park it behind or on a bit of grass out of the way..

 

[coolasluck]

Best idea is to not bother with them unless using camp sites.

 

[Fatima Saysell]

Trailers are not allowed on aires inFrance.What do you do with it?

That's rubbish. We have been travelling for 4 months now with the trailer through France and Spain and have stopped mainly in Aires. There are no restrictons. We keep trailer behind van. Lots of people tow cars, motorbikes, etc and nobody seems to have a problem. We are now in FREE aire at Condom in the Gers department (water but no EHU). Have been here 4 days. Police come round everyday to check that it hasn't been taken by gypsies, but they leave us alone. France is great!