Is the bailey width of 8ft 2" too wide for our country lanes

[Dave K]

Difference between service vehicles and a motorhome are construction..Doesnt do any damage to a fire engine/dustbin lorry when it scrapes against bushes and branches,,lethal for a fragile motorhome,,,BUSBY

Very true, easy to forget it's just a van with a caravan shell stuck on the back.

 

[mikebeaches]

The first question is really HOW you intend to use it ... if you want to go into little villages, down single track roads etc it might be too 'fat' to do so. What you may not appreciate is that driving a wide MH even on good roads can be more stressful as you have to keep an eye out for oncoming traffic getting too close. We had a Rimor Sailer 645TC which was 2.22m wide (body part, excluding the mirrors) and we could, and did, take it all over the place despite it being 7.14m long plus bike rack, we changed it for a Chausson Flash 04 which is a shorter van at 5.99m but 2.3m wide and THAT was a real pain at times ... lovely vehicle but in the end we decided we wanted something not so chubby so changed to an Autocruise Accent panel van conversion at 2.05m wide and 5.99m long, it was so much more enjoyable to travel in and less stressful due to the narrow width. We had wanted to stay at 5.99m but found the perfect pvc for us, our current Globecar FamilyScout L still 2.05m wide but 6.34m long, the extra length doesn't make much difference except that the turning circle is a little bit bigger. I certainly would not ever want to go back to a 'fat' MH again.

I've just had a quick shuftie at the Autograph 75-2 ... is the payload really only 315kg????

We're the same as Minxy - had a Chausson 5.99m long and 2.3m wide (different model), which was fine, but got fed up with the stress down country lanes etc. After five years changed it for a panel van conversion - again same size, but different make to Minxy's - 6.4m long and only 2.05m wide. Over a foot less than the Bailey you are considering...

The PVC works perfectly for us, so much more relaxing to drive, easier round town, easier to park, easy down the lanes and travels faster and more comfortably than our previous coachbuilt.

But each to their own. And as Minxy mentioned, it depends how you plan to use your van.

Have fun whatever you decide to do.

 

[busby]

We're the same as Minxy - had a Chausson 5.99m long and 2.3m wide (different model), which was fine, but got fed up with the stress down country lanes etc. After five years changed it for a panel van conversion - again same size, but different make to Minxy's - 6.4m long and only 2.05m wide. Over a foot less than the Bailey you are considering...

The PVC works perfectly for us, so much more relaxing to drive, easier round town, easier to park, easy down the lanes and travels faster and more comfortably than our previous coachbuilt.

But each to their own. And as Minxy mentioned, it depends how you plan to use your van.

Have fun whatever you decide to do.

Same here,,,5.2 metres long,,2.05 wide,,,never worry about going into French Spanish and Portuguese small towns and villages,,if a car can get there we can...Stress free and plenty of room for us for up to 3 or 4 months at a time,,,BUSBY

 

[mikebeaches]

Same here,,,5.2 metres long,,2.05 wide,,,never worry about going into French Spanish and Portuguese small towns and villages,,if a car can get there we can...Stress free and plenty of room for us for up to 3 or 4 months at a time,,,BUSBY

Tried to encourage SWMBO that we could manage comfortably in a 5.4m van, but she wasn't having any of it.

 

[busby]

Tried to encourage SWMBO that we could manage comfortably in a 5.4m van, but she wasn't having any of it.

Started with 7.5 metre and fixed bed,,then 6 metre van conversion,,then 6 metre coach built,,,This is the best one we have had,,Good kitchen,,shower/toilet,,2 6ft sofas,,Large double or 2 single beds,,,Spend most of our time outside in the sun though,,On ferry to Bilbao tue,,Yipee,,,BUSBY

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[Dide46]

I have measured my 75-2 internally it is 2278 mm so allowing for approximately 74mm mm for wall thickness that gives you a outside shell dimension of 2352 mm, by time you add the windows protruding and other trims etc i would expect that to be approximately another 40 mm per side that would give you around a 2432mm wide van, therefore I would expect the size Bailey quote i.e 2489 mm includes the awning. It is a wide and long van but is so spacious inside and for us that makes all the difference only time will tell when we go into Europe and get some more mile under our belts what impact the extra width may have if any at all? So far so good and I certainly would not change anything or have any regrets with our purchase.

 

[Dave K]

I have measured my 75-2 internally it is 2278 mm so allowing for approximately 74mm mm for wall thickness that gives you a outside shell dimension of 2352 mm, by time you add the windows protruding and other trims etc i would expect that to be approximately another 40 mm per side that would give you around a 2432mm wide van, therefore I would expect the size Bailey quote i.e 2489 mm includes the awning. It is a wide and long van but is so spacious inside and for us that makes all the difference only time will tell when we go into Europe and get some more mile under our belts what impact the extra width may have if any at all? So far so good and I certainly would not change anything or have any regrets with our purchase.

When you see some of the RV's getting about ok I think we worry too much about it at times, I personally couldn't survive in a PVC but plenty of others do, it's what suits your needs and providing you're careful when driving I don't see a slight extra width any issue really.

 

[Richard Birkett]

Our Carthago is 2.55 m wide & so long as you're careful I've never found it a problem. Some say that if you want more space go longer & whilst I wouldn't argue with that, the extra couple of hundred millimetres internally does make a huge difference to the feeling of spaciousness. As soon as I walked into ours, I wanted it & anything else we looked at seemed cramped by comparison. Go for it

 

[KeithChesterfield]

It's times like this when you need to check you've got clean underwear available .......

 

[Dide46]

When you see some of the RV's getting about ok I think we worry too much about it at times, I personally couldn't survive in a PVC but plenty of others do, it's what suits your needs and providing you're careful when driving I don't see a slight extra width any issue really.

Yes we looked at a PVC before we bought 75-2 just to see if we thought we could manage with a smaller van however it felt far to cramped for us, I hate clutter and I think the tight space would get me down so we went wider and longer, like you say each to there own everyone has different needs and outlooks.

Our Carthago is 2.55 m wide & so long as you're careful I've never found it a problem. Some say that if you want more space go longer & whilst I wouldn't argue with that, the extra couple of hundred millimetres internally does make a huge difference to the feeling of spaciousness. As soon as I walked into ours, I wanted it & anything else we looked at seemed cramped by comparison. Go for it

Couldn't agree more it's amazing how much space that little bit extra width creates, width in my opinion gives a more square room impression as opposed to a corridor feel of length.

That road certainly does look tight with that truck.......I think anything other than being on a motorcycle would be worrying

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[pappajohn]

We're 8' 4" Wide ( 9' 8" with mirrors) It's W I D E but manageable if your brave like me. My technique? I just close my eyes when its tight

A tad narrower than your Damon Jim, and you managed that down that lane.

 

[pappajohn]

Doesnt do any damage to a fire engine/dustbin lorry when it scrapes against bushes and branches,,lethal for a fragile motorhome,,,BUSBY

Not in Cornishland their not.
A Cornish 'hedge' conceals a drystone wall in most cases....and Cornish wall builders weren't too fussy about sticking in an oversized stone from time to time.

 

[tonyidle]

Him that's tight!!
I wouldn't cycle down that lane

With that thing there you certainly couldn't .

 

[tonyidle]

USA RVs start out massive then add slide-outs. UK & Continental vans start out compact then never fit slide-outs. I know some converters have done it but in general it's true. Why?

 

[Stretto Boy]

We looked at a Bailey 75-2 last year. We were very tempted as it is good value and very airy and spacious inside. In the end is was the width - and to a much lesser extent the length - that put us off and so we went for an AS Broadway in the end. Of course, it all depends upon where you intend to use it. Some good advice in @Minxy Girl's post.

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[trophychap]

Our Pilote is 2.35 meters and I have never really found the width to be a major issue, like the Bailey it is built on a standard Sevel cab, if the wing mirrors go through the gap the rest will normally follow LOL.

 

[Doctor Dave]

A case for getting an A-frame and small toad!

I'll get my coat.

Dave

 

[Minxy]

Our Pilote is 2.35 meters and I have never really found the width to be a major issue, like the Bailey it is built on a standard Sevel cab, if the wing mirrors go through the gap the rest will normally follow LOL.

Ah yes, but then there are wing mirrors and wing mirrors (or door mirrors nowadays!).

Short ones - think along the lines of the 'ear' size of dogs such as Jack Russells, they don't stick out much at all ... these are the ones fitted to PVC and smaller coachbuilt conversions.

Medium ones - think Spaniel which 'flag' out a bit but not massively.

Long ones - think Bassett Hound ... so big they can trail on the ground!

If you have the long version they will be more difficult to manoeuvre through tight gaps than short ones ... in relation to dogs ... a JR will get through a flap that a Bassett Hound would get it's head stuck in!

 

[Keith E]

We've just bought a Bailey Approach and yes, it's wide.
But at 28 ft long and 8ft wide it's still a lot smaller than the 45 ft coaches I drive for a living.
It's all a matter of perspective, tell yourself it's big and it will be.

 

[hilldweller]

For those living in the 21C = 2489mm.

>> UK cannot be more than 12 metres long and 2.55 metres wide

So seems to be legal, which you would expect.

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[Keith E]

For those living in the 21C =

 

[Lenny HB]

But road distances are still measured in miles and yards, ergo I measure length in feet and inches.

Try Ireland then, road distances on signs in km, speed limits in mph.

 

[klaatu]

Try Ireland then, road distances on signs in km, speed limits in mph.

My experience of Ireland from a couple of years ago was that in the North, distances and speed limits were all imperial, and in the South, distances and speed limits were all metric. There may possibly have been some old finger posts with imperial distances, but I don’t remember any speed limit signs in mph (in the South).

 

[Grianan]

My kids at school want to know why I teach them metric when road signs and speed are in miles.

 

[Nasher]

In answer to the original question: Yes

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[pappajohn]

That sounds wide for a mtorhome, standard width of a lorry is 8ft + mirrors.

Eric

Max width now is 8ft 4 1/2 in. (2.55mtr) plus mirrors...... 2.6mtrs for buses.