Going large as a first timer

[Bfb1150gs]

On our search for our first motorhome we have found a few large 6 wheel motorhomes in our price range and as we are thinking of going full time in it the extra room is very tempting... Plus I'm not a lightweight if you know what i mean so the extra room would make life a lot easier... But as a first timer taking such a large vehicle on the road is a bit daunting but we both got a c1 licence and i got a bit of experience moving lorries around our works yard but never on the road... And how restrictive is it using such a large vehicle... I know i couldn't get to some places i love in Scotland in such a large motorhome.... How do others find using a 7m+ motorhome on the roads?

 

[poisondwarf]

For sat nav Google....Road Lords.
It's free and mainly for HGVs but I've used it in my van.
You can set the dimensions of your vehicle within the app and go from there

 

[DBK]

On our search for our first motorhome we have found a few large 6 wheel motorhomes in our price range and as we are thinking of going full time in it the extra room is very tempting... Plus I'm not a lightweight if you know what i mean so the extra room would make life a lot easier... But as a first timer taking such a large vehicle on the road is a bit daunting but we both got a c1 licence and i got a bit of experience moving lorries around our works yard but never on the road... And how restrictive is it using such a large vehicle... I know i couldn't get to some places i love in Scotland in such a large motorhome.... How do others find using a 7m+ motorhome on the roads?

It's the comment "thinking of going full time" which strikes me as the most important issue. I suspect for this a large MH would be more or less essential for most people and as others have said you should be fine in one if you accept the limitations that come with size.

I suggest renting a MH, even for just a week and see how you and your wife get on sharing the same space before you take the plunge and buy one to drive off into the sunset.

 

[daventess]

Our first MH was 7.5m and I had had no experience in anything other than cars (and motorbikes).

You really do get used to it very quickly. You go into a different mindset when driving it.

Height is one of the main things to watch - you'll be amazed at how many low "things" there are on our roads. Most are thin branches that will "just" scratch the paintwork, but some can be thick and heavy, as our awning casing will attest to!

We use CoPilot satnav on Android as you can put your dimensions in. It is mostly very good at sending you down appropriate roads, but for the last 200 metres we often have to resort to Google maps as CoPilot can get a little confused.

 

[Buddy1012]

On our search for our first motorhome we have found a few large 6 wheel motorhomes in our price range and as we are thinking of going full time in it the extra room is very tempting... Plus I'm not a lightweight if you know what i mean so the extra room would make life a lot easier... But as a first timer taking such a large vehicle on the road is a bit daunting but we both got a c1 licence and i got a bit of experience moving lorries around our works yard but never on the road... And how restrictive is it using such a large vehicle... I know i couldn't get to some places i love in Scotland in such a large motorhome.... How do others find using a 7m+ motorhome on the roads?

Wouldn’t hesitate if it’s want you want and it ticks as many of your boxes as possible. I have a 9m tag axle and can get into most places including the far reaches of Scotland including some of the islands. Not to mention the Alps in winter, the med in summer etc. I do find though the 360 camera set up indispensable and well worth the cost - makes driving and manoeuvring a dream.

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[ChrisL]

Something to consider is CCC club sites will put you on a jumbo pitch if you're over 8 mtrs at an extra charge, obviously if you don't envisage staying at those it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Davecrawf]

On our search for our first motorhome we have found a few large 6 wheel motorhomes in our price range and as we are thinking of going full time in it the extra room is very tempting... Plus I'm not a lightweight if you know what i mean so the extra room would make life a lot easier... But as a first timer taking such a large vehicle on the road is a bit daunting but we both got a c1 licence and i got a bit of experience moving lorries around our works yard but never on the road... And how restrictive is it using such a large vehicle... I know i couldn't get to some places i love in Scotland in such a large motorhome.... How do others find using a 7m+ motorhome on the roads?

I think it's more to do with the kind of Motorhoming you prefer or have planned.
The smaller motorhome is easier in more confined areas. It may be impossible to take a bigger vehicle to some places, even when you have the driving confidence.

 

[starquake]

Something to consider is CCC club sites will put you on a jumbo pitch if you're over 8 mtrs at an extra charge, obviously if you don't envisage staying at those it wouldn't be an issue.

Also there are less Jumbo pitches at many "club" sites on network, and as such you may need to prebook. When we were looking at buying our first motorhome we done some trial bookings of places we would want to go and found although we could get in with a under 8m motorhome near anywhere with relatively short notice, with an 8m we would need to plan trips (in UK at least) at bit more than we wanted. Ended up with a 6.6m motorhome in end, which says how requirements changed from that.

Other thing to bear in mind with large is some of the ferries charge by weight, and some by length. Look up the ferries where you want to go and make sure you are comfortable with the 8m "tax" as it is.

Unlike others here though I"m driving a 20cm wider van than most (2.5m) and don't find the width a huge issue, we stick to motorhome friendly routes, apart from the last hop into a campsite and almost all A roads as a general rule are fine for the width. (and most B's). We found the extra width allowed a shorter van as the wider vans are more spacious inside.

 

[Burge]

Don't want to upset anyone who owns a large Van & tows a Car with this Post but I cannot understand why they do not purchase a top of the range Caravan for half the cost of a Motorhome & tow that We have a 7m Burstner now & have had smaller Vans but find this is just great for us 2. I have had 3 Caravans in the past but do prefer to Drive the Motorhome than Towing a Caravan. No intention to offend anyone, thanks Chris.

 

[Minxy]

Don't want to upset anyone who owns a large Van & tows a Car with this Post but I cannot understand why they do not purchase a top of the range Caravan for half the cost of a Motorhome & tow that We have a 7m Burstner now & have had smaller Vans but find this is just great for us 2. I have had 3 Caravans in the past but do prefer to Drive the Motorhome than Towing a Caravan. No intention to offend anyone, thanks Chris.

Can't use Aires etc abroad with a caravan.

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[Northernraider]

Don't want to upset anyone who owns a large Van & tows a Car with this Post but I cannot understand why they do not purchase a top of the range Caravan for half the cost of a Motorhome & tow that We have a 7m Burstner now & have had smaller Vans but find this is just great for us 2. I have had 3 Caravans in the past but do prefer to Drive the Motorhome than Towing a Caravan. No intention to offend anyone, thanks Chris.

There are a million threads on this so do a search and you'll find the reason why.

Saves ruining the op's thread debating it.