Help please 4 a new MH'er Forums

Nevhel

I've just bought an American C class MH. It's only 23 ft long but I'm having real problems with the width (8'6" not including mirrors). I've never driven anything so big (First MH). I drove it from purchase to home (200 miles in the UK on a motorway) but I was completely freaked out about the width. How long does it take to adjust to driving something like this, cos I'm going to France soon. How do you do you veterans deal with tiny access roads in France? I'm not very confident. Any tips for a newbie would be much appreciated.

MOTORHOMER

[quote:0bfc18098a="Nevhel"]I've just bought an American C class MH. It's only 23 ft long but I'm having real problems with the width (8'6" not including mirrors). I've never driven anything so big (First MH). I drove it from purchase to home (200 miles in the UK on a motorway) but I was completely freaked out about the width. How long does it take to adjust to driving something like this, cos I'm going to France soon. How do you do you veterans deal with tiny access roads in France? I'm not very confident. Any tips for a newbie would be much appreciated.[/quote:0bfc18098a]

Hi Nevhe

Let me be the first to welcome you to the site. I hope you have many happy hours here. I cant help you with your questions as I have never driven anything so wide & I would never entertain driving anything so wide.m I know nothing relating to size of your vehicle widthwise. Did you not have a test drive first before agreeing to purchase the vehicle.

I am sure others here will be replying to your post in due course.
Motorhomer

HelenB · Moderator

Welcome

One tip that could be of help is try to find a large open space near you, friendly farmers field, car park early in the morning, disused airfield etc etc and take some cones, boxes or tyres and just have a go driving and reversing round or through them till you feel a bit more confident about gauging your width.We do this with our young tractor drivers and it's suprising how soon the brain can cope with working out wether the gap is big enough or Embarassed

not. I am 100% sure you will get used to your van very quickly as long as you keep driving it. When driving wide ag. loads at first we tend to look really far ahead and if in doubt you can pass an oncoming vehicle find the nearest widest piece of the road, pull over as much as you can and let the other driver pass you, anticipation is all! If you have to reverse to find a space, you will feel happier with a camera or like me reversing distance indicators. Good luck and try to relax.....it's fun Smile

Anonymous

I know what you mean as I bought one in the eighties exactly the same length plus a huge wooden box where cycle racks go. It was also obviously lhd as well but was auto. I sorted the problem by going for it with my eyes closed, but within a couple of trips my confidence grew and grew and then I hit something and knocked the box off. I was alright going straight ahead but for reversing I generally had to advertise the previous day for casual labourers to assist.

It was then I realised that if you drove with a glazed expression, traffic seemed to pull over very much the same as they do for fire engines and I invariably found myself on crowded roads with totally clear runs at roundabouts as car drivers chickened out.

Shortly after that I developed a power complex. I was invincible. These were my roads for my exclusive use. I had developed a White Van mentallity together with the aloofness of a Volvo driver.

Then I found I really enjoyed this notoriety and swung the beast around corners like a London bus driver on steroids.

All in all it only takes a few trips and you then forget about it but you do have to be careful which roads you go on. Driving down steep hills on a single road to get to a Cornish fishing village is a no no, unless you are hard skinned and prepared to brazen it out with a Pasty Delivery man who is running late and now finds he has to drive 3 miles in reverse to an overtaking place.

So take heart. A few goes and certainly within a week you will feel OK and you can look forward to some great times in great comfort.

BillD

Hi Nevhel,
Welcome to the site.
Pusser has most of the right ideas and I suspect has the same sort of feeling I have developed - I learnt it when I did a lot of sailing.
There are all sorts of rules of the road to be aware of but always have in the back of your mind 'that might is right'.
It's a great feeling when you are driving a large vehicle in narrowish roads, especially if yours is LHD and your co-pilot is reading the paper.
The panic in their eyes is great!
Seriously though, go and practice somewhere quiet is good advice.
Make sure your mirrors are good and properly adjusted, especially the nearside one - so that you can see how far from the road edge you are. The other helpful hint I had when first driving a LHD is find the spot on the bottom of your windscreen (often the wiper hub) to align with the nearside road edge to give you the right distance off.
BillD

TonyBuckley

[quote:0b6b6df064="HelenB"]Welcome Smile

One tip that could be of help is try to find a large open space near you, friendly farmers field, car park early in the morning, disused airfield etc etc and take some cones, boxes or tyres and just have a go driving and reversing round or through them till you feel a bit more confident about gauging your width.[/quote:0b6b6df064]

I don't know why driving instructors of all vehicles do not do this! Its an excellent idea.

I learnt to drive (car) in Jersey and they have a special area just for this kind of thing - including parallel parking which is part of the test.

Tony

Malc

...and when you go through a tight squeeze or gap ..make sure you are straight first, anticipate and if in doubt stop and check dont be afraid to keep checking and do not let anyone hurry you beyond your sensable speed. Remember if confronted...handbrake on and wait.
Malc

Nevhel

Thank you all for your kind responses. Its reassuring to know that I should get the hang of it very quickly. I'm spending a lot of time in the MH cleaning everything out and checking things over. I'm hoping this will help me become more familiar with it. I managed my first journey fine until, whilst on a narrow country road near home, a car decided to attack my awning support pole with its wing mirror Shocked

. I was taking up a full lane width but there were signs saying to be aware that oncoming traffic may cross the half way line. I don't think the car driver saw that though. Still, the only mark on the van was a 1cm scratch on the awning shoe. Hardly noticable. It did however totally spoil any confidence I had gained through my driving acheivements of the day to that point (190 miles). I shall let you know how I get on and when my confidence is that of 'a bus driver on steroids'. Thanks once again Very Happy

Anonymous

I am puzzled ( or maybe stupid), I've been watching this posting to see if the anyone mentioned the legal limit but it no one has said a dicky bird, Why, am I missing something?

Perplexed Ken

Anonymous

OK -I'll bite - Dicky Bird. I am confused too cos I am not sure what you mean by legal limit. Is that a speed or size issue.

Grateful for clue