How easy are huge motor homes to drive?
Discussion
As per title....How easy are huge motor homes to drive?
It looks like I've been lumbered with the job of driving a huge motor home for four days in the summer, for family and a handful of their friends.
Pretty much, I'm the one who rarely drinks alcohol and is rarely bothered if I don't while everyone else does. So on that basis, plus the fact that everyone seems s
t scared of the idea, I've been nominated.
I'm only 22 but insurance is apparently sorted.
I'm quite experienced on the driving front and as a well as numerous models of car, I also regularly drive a Transit for work so larger vehicles don't scare me. But I've never actually driven a motor home before so I wondered what they were like to drive, and if there's anything I should particularly be wary of.
Don't know the make and model yet, I'm waiting to find out.
It looks like I've been lumbered with the job of driving a huge motor home for four days in the summer, for family and a handful of their friends.
Pretty much, I'm the one who rarely drinks alcohol and is rarely bothered if I don't while everyone else does. So on that basis, plus the fact that everyone seems s
t scared of the idea, I've been nominated.I'm only 22 but insurance is apparently sorted.
I'm quite experienced on the driving front and as a well as numerous models of car, I also regularly drive a Transit for work so larger vehicles don't scare me. But I've never actually driven a motor home before so I wondered what they were like to drive, and if there's anything I should particularly be wary of.
Don't know the make and model yet, I'm waiting to find out.
Vaud said:
As long as you drive like it is truck, not a car, they are ok on A-roads, etc. Maximise your braking distances, smooth on the brakes, etc
Things can get a bit tight on B-roads, etc. Worth having a trusted friend in the passenger seat to give you feedback on clearance. Especially if the rear is wider than the cab... Oh, and ditch everyone else apart from your friend and go practice for 30 mins with minimal observers...
Yeah got an older mate from work who's going to accompany for a trial run at some point, will make sure we cover all this off.Things can get a bit tight on B-roads, etc. Worth having a trusted friend in the passenger seat to give you feedback on clearance. Especially if the rear is wider than the cab... Oh, and ditch everyone else apart from your friend and go practice for 30 mins with minimal observers...
Troubleatmill said:
1/ Does your licence cover it?
How long is it?
Think about it. Close your eyes and picture it.
If you think about it - you are at the front, you turn a wheel - and the front moves.
You should be able to keep the left hand side and the right hand side of the vehicle in between the white lines.
Now the rear of the vehicle - may cross over the white lines ( small roundabouts, tight corners etc )
So... any curves in the road will require you to think about this.
Work it out in your head.
Actually - do it with masking tape and cardboard models - you will see what I mean.
Now you know what to expect.
Thanks...yeah license will cover it as it's C1.How long is it?
Think about it. Close your eyes and picture it.
If you think about it - you are at the front, you turn a wheel - and the front moves.
You should be able to keep the left hand side and the right hand side of the vehicle in between the white lines.
Now the rear of the vehicle - may cross over the white lines ( small roundabouts, tight corners etc )
So... any curves in the road will require you to think about this.
Work it out in your head.
Actually - do it with masking tape and cardboard models - you will see what I mean.
Now you know what to expect.
I'm pretty confident I can do this.....part of the reason I was selected is because I'm a safe and 'boring' driver with considerable long distance experience of larger vehicles (as opposed to just cars), plus I'm young enough to want to rise o the challenge rather tan feeling inconvenienced by it all. So in a way I'm pretty honoured to be asked but it's quite a responsibility and I need to get it 100% right.
nagsheadwarrior said:
Modern European motorhomes are a piece of cake to drive.
The only time you'll notice the extra size is in manoeuvring situations but most rental vans will have a camera and/or sensors to help.
As mentioned if it's a real big one then it'll likely be too heavy for your license but there are 24ft vans out there still at 300.
Take your time at first and they're actually quite fun to drive and they handle really well, particularly the pug/fiats.
That's what I was hoping...when everyone was discussing this, everyone else was going on about how scary it would be to have to drive it, while all I can think about is how much fun it's going to be. The only time you'll notice the extra size is in manoeuvring situations but most rental vans will have a camera and/or sensors to help.
As mentioned if it's a real big one then it'll likely be too heavy for your license but there are 24ft vans out there still at 300.
Take your time at first and they're actually quite fun to drive and they handle really well, particularly the pug/fiats.
nagsheadwarrior said:
Ps- Missed the bit about the c1 sorry.
If you want to try driving one before the holiday just drop me a p.m my dealerships based in Preston if you want to pop up and test drive one some time when its quiet that's fine.
Thanks. That is very kind and I am greatly honoured....I may well be in touch.If you want to try driving one before the holiday just drop me a p.m my dealerships based in Preston if you want to pop up and test drive one some time when its quiet that's fine.
northwest monkey said:
Me and the OH were on holiday a few years ago up in the NW Highlands. There's a little town called Lochinver on the coast with 2 access roads. One is a nice A-road, one is a really tight and twisty single track road with passing places. The thing is, the road is technically a NSL road and is 5 miles shorter if you're coming from Ullapool so sat-nav thinks it's a great idea to go down there.
About half was down the road is where you see them pulled over with a Force 10 argument blazing away in the front
I'd love a go in one though - a friends parents have an American one of some sort and take it to Europe every year for a few months.
That's a good reminder for me to make sure routes are planned and investigated up front.About half was down the road is where you see them pulled over with a Force 10 argument blazing away in the front
I'd love a go in one though - a friends parents have an American one of some sort and take it to Europe every year for a few months.
I plan to drive the proposed route in my own car first, taking someone with me, so any potential "OOPS" moments can be avoided....
Vaud said:
Then double and triple check the insurance details, policy in hand, etc...
Indeed. I am the most paranoid person in the world about this sort of thing.I believe a short term (couple of months) policy is being taken out, obviously I'll need to be involved in that anyway in order to provide relevant details but my age etc has already been cleared as ok.
No idea what it's costing but there's 7 people going in total and the cost will get split so probably not huge in the grand scheme of things. Quite probably the fuel will be the greater cost.
All quite exciting really.
lamboman100 said:
Drive real slow 100% of the time, brake early 100% of the time, check both mirrors every few seconds 100% of the time.
Yeah all that's definitely gonna happen.I'm acutely aware that I'm going to be trusted, at the age of 22, with someone's very expensive great big motor home,
In total that's going to be about ten people who in one form or another are going to be depending on my driving being up to scratch.
It's probably the biggest driving responsibility I've ever undertaken. If I was to screw up, I'd never be trusted with even a disability scooter again.
Wacky Racer said:
Depends really how big it is. We used to have a six birth Elddis which was around 24 foot long, but it was a doddle to drive, unless you were going down a narrow lane in Cornwall and a large truck was coming the other way, then it got a bit hairy.
But ours was like a mini, compared to some of these big American jobs.
Be extremely careful reversing, always better to ask someone to get out and watch you, visibility can be a big problem.
I am sure you will be fine, it's not as though it's a 40 ton juggernaut towing a gigantic trailer.
Yeah not seen the vehicle yet, only had a brief description so not sure on length. It's not the biggest but it isn't small either.But ours was like a mini, compared to some of these big American jobs.
Be extremely careful reversing, always better to ask someone to get out and watch you, visibility can be a big problem.
I am sure you will be fine, it's not as though it's a 40 ton juggernaut towing a gigantic trailer.
Will have someone to guide when reversing, hopefully shouldn't be too tricky as I'm generally a very confident "reverser".
Willy Nilly said:
Trouble is you're going to be taking it to places that are set up for smaller 'vans. A bloke used to park his Ford E350 Econoline at work and he said it was a pain at a lot of sites because they're not set up for such a big vehicle an his wasn't that big. I'm pretty sure our DAF LF is/was quite a bit more maneuverable.
Yeah I've asked for this to be checked at whatever site we are going to.dowahdiddyman said:
This, was talking to a couple the other week, there motorhome was huge, cost 250000, and weighed more than 9 tons. So do your homework, cause if you get pulled it will be very expensive and you and your travelling partners will be left stranded.
Yep all this is going to be stringently checked. It won't be confirmed by either myself or the owners until everything is 100% confirmed.Spoke to my parents last night and the next step is for me to go and meet the owners of the camper van. So at that point I will know the spec of the thing.
Owners are family friends in their sixties, and both will be coming on the trip itself.
I don't actually know them myself, though I have heard them spoken of in the past.
Owner basically wants to meet me, get to know me a little, and have me take him out for a spin in my own car so he can see that my driving is up to scratch. Not really sure what criteria that entails, nor how driving a 62 plate Mondeo will show much about my ability to drive a motor home. I suspect that he simply wants to satisfy himself that I don't drive like a nob.
I've offered to borrow a Transit van from work for this purpose, as it will at least prove I can handle a larger vehicle. Waiting to hear on this.
Obviously won't be able to drive the actual motor home at this point as the insurance will not be in place.
Owners are family friends in their sixties, and both will be coming on the trip itself.
I don't actually know them myself, though I have heard them spoken of in the past.
Owner basically wants to meet me, get to know me a little, and have me take him out for a spin in my own car so he can see that my driving is up to scratch. Not really sure what criteria that entails, nor how driving a 62 plate Mondeo will show much about my ability to drive a motor home. I suspect that he simply wants to satisfy himself that I don't drive like a nob.
I've offered to borrow a Transit van from work for this purpose, as it will at least prove I can handle a larger vehicle. Waiting to hear on this.
Obviously won't be able to drive the actual motor home at this point as the insurance will not be in place.
Edited by zarjaz1991 on Saturday 19th April 10:27
V8Ford said:
The owner wants to do a driving assessment on you?
Tell the cheeky b*****d to drive it himself if he's that bothered!
Then hammer frozen red bull into his dog for being so patronising. Who does he think he is, the f*****g DSA?
It's not really am assessment as such. I've made it sound a bit more formal than it is. He just wants to meet me and get a feel for who I am. I suppose I could be a right nob for all he knows.Tell the cheeky b*****d to drive it himself if he's that bothered!
Then hammer frozen red bull into his dog for being so patronising. Who does he think he is, the f*****g DSA?
Edited by V8Ford on Saturday 19th April 11:10
I could refuse the whole thing, then it'd be for him or someone else to do it, but if I'm honest I quite fancy doing this so I'm happy to go along with it.
FiF said:
The question I'd ask is, if he is the owner, and is also intending to be part of the trip, why does he not want to drive?
It's not as if a 4 day trip is going to be covering mega miles so he needs a backup driver to take spells.
Well I have to say.....I *think* he is coming on the trip. Now people have mentioned, I'm not 100% sure. It doesn't make much sense if he is. I'll have to check.It's not as if a 4 day trip is going to be covering mega miles so he needs a backup driver to take spells.
Unless he just can't be arsed driving it.
skyrover said:
Drove one of these in the states... approx 35 to 40 feet long if I remember correctly.
Was a doddle on big American roads, but wouldn't hesitate to drive here in the UK, the same rules apply, keep checking your mirrors and drive carefully, you will be fine.
Be great fun if it was that big but I am pretty sure it is shorter. Was a doddle on big American roads, but wouldn't hesitate to drive here in the UK, the same rules apply, keep checking your mirrors and drive carefully, you will be fine.
The bigger the better as far as I'm concerned.
License restrictions permitting obviously.Ok got a bit more information on this.
- Owner and wife not coming on the trip, which is why a driver has to be selected.
- Vehicle is definitely not more than 7.5 tonnes but is more than 3.5 tonnes so C1 needed
- My dad would be licensed to drive it by virtue of pre-1997 driving licenses allowing C1, however he's not really up for it as he only really drives cars.
- I have C1 as my work paid for me to have it some time ago. Although I'm only 22, I'm also the most experienced out of those going, at driving bigger vehicles.
- Owner is a family friend, he lends this thing out to trusted friends on occasion and gets bunged a few quid for doing so.
- Have spoken with the owner by phone, he "knows of me" through the family and he is absolutely fine with me doing the driving. He'd like to meet me first for a quick spin in my own car and I think that's absolutely fair enough since I'm going to be driving his motor home.
I probably *will* drive the route in my car first, simply because it'll be a good run out.
- Owner and wife not coming on the trip, which is why a driver has to be selected.
- Vehicle is definitely not more than 7.5 tonnes but is more than 3.5 tonnes so C1 needed
- My dad would be licensed to drive it by virtue of pre-1997 driving licenses allowing C1, however he's not really up for it as he only really drives cars.
- I have C1 as my work paid for me to have it some time ago. Although I'm only 22, I'm also the most experienced out of those going, at driving bigger vehicles.
- Owner is a family friend, he lends this thing out to trusted friends on occasion and gets bunged a few quid for doing so.
- Have spoken with the owner by phone, he "knows of me" through the family and he is absolutely fine with me doing the driving. He'd like to meet me first for a quick spin in my own car and I think that's absolutely fair enough since I'm going to be driving his motor home.
I probably *will* drive the route in my car first, simply because it'll be a good run out.
Edited by zarjaz1991 on Sunday 20th April 13:36
Edited by zarjaz1991 on Sunday 20th April 13:36
GG89 said:
Sounds like more hassle than it's worth IMO. Meeting for a chat? Taking him a spin? Driving the route first in your car?
I'd be wanting paid for doing it
Good luck though.
My payment is I get to drive a great big motor home. I love driving bigger stuff. I'd be wanting paid for doing it
Good luck though.
Driving the route first in my car is my own idea, and is little more than a cheap excuse for a long drive out one Sunday.
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