Thread: Capacities for a large motor home

Hi Kryn

Let me get this right your after a 30ft+ motorhome to tow a 32ft 5t trailer and want to know what motor for towing capacity? I'd be looking at best you can buy GM, Cat, Cummins, greater grunt for those. Merc, Volvo better fuel economy.

Take a look at some configurations about Motor Homes that have been Sold

I suggest a search for GreyNomads forum as well

and if buying 2nd hand (used) I'd factor in a new (or reconditioned) motor and gearbox as most motor homes I pass only have enough power to move themselves, let alone tow a 5 or 10tonne GVM trailer (dog or pig)

also, what licence class do you currently have?
What you're describing sounds like it will require a HC or MC licence

Running a combination unit around 21 metres long, which is just 5 metres shorter than a B Double, could be interesting.

I would have a tendency to run a dog trailer over a pig trailer for stability and outright weight carrying capacity. But, and it’s a reasonable but, whatever you tow it with, it will have to have a rated chassis for that weight. Not too many modern motor homes have that possibility to my knowledge, possibly only two on the market and one of them is a front wheel drive.

As for length, well our unit is 6 metres long and as we don’t tow anything, we don’t have any problems. A longish caravan, but certainly not the biggest, is around 8 to 9 metres long, combine this with an automobile length of around 6 metres and you are looking around 14 to 15 metres for the combination. These combination units seem to be about the maximum size of the drive in drive out sites in caravan parks. Many, but certainly not all caravan parks have certain areas, often down the back, where unorthodox and/or very long units are placed.

I would be very tempted to go all diesel for fuel requirements, including in the living quarters. This combined with solar and a compressor refrigerator should see all power requirements met.

Our next camper, if we get one that is, will more than likely have a combined hot water system/central heating unit running on diesel. The cook-top will also be diesel.

We currently have LPG cook-top and central heating units, the way gas regulations in this country have changed since our unit was built, will make us consider using diesel as our single fuel of choice in any future unit we have.

Using a Danfoss compressor kit and building your own freezer to an exact possibly irregular shape in some corner or wherever, is probably far better than any commercial unit. Using the same unit you can also build your own refrigerator, although an off the shelf refrigerator only will work as well.

Fuel range should be a minimum of 800 Klm’s on your worst load scenario, this should allow you to traverse almost any road or track safely, plus there is the bonus of purchasing fuel at (usually) lower prices than in the middle of nowhere. We have that 800 klm’s worst scenario range, it’s one of the best things we’ve done.

Solar powers all of our requirements so we can camp permanently and have power as long as the sun shines reasonably regularly. Failing that we charge the battery bank using a DC-DC charger when driving, failing that we can hit a caravan park and plug in to 230V mains. If the weather is that bad we would probably be heading somewhere else anyway. This happened to us last year in outback QLD where it rained, rained, flooded and rained some more; we left the area and hit a dry part of the continent.

Overall width of your units can be an issue, as well as wheel rim and tyre interchangeability. We are 2.1 metres wide on the body, and then there are the mirrors, which add another 450mm bringing our total width to 2.45 metres. Our mirrors are folding ones, so in tight places we can simply reach out and pull them in, then push them out again. Beware that there are some older buses that are around that cannot be re-registered, as they are now too wide with the latest national ADR’s and/or road rules. I think the maximum width is 2.5 metres wide and these buses are about 73mm too wide.

This will give you some food for thought.

Mick.

This is on the short list of wishful thinking for us

Iveco Daily 4x4 (includes video)

Sounds like you may need to convert a B-Double

With what you are describing, you will have real problems with caravan parks. My rig is just a Ute, with a slide-on camper towing a trailer, and I have to take off the trailer in the caravan parks. You would need 2 sites if both are ~30'

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

I'm thinking of building/getting a large motor home32'+. For those that have one, what sort of capacities do you have for fuel, water (fresh and black/grey), gas and how long do they last with 2 people on board? Traveling around AU as will have no permanent place of residence.
Do you have much trouble getting into caravan parks because of the size? Or do you mainly free camp? If free camping how do you get extra water etc. if required.
I will be looking for something that has a towing capacity of around 5 tonnes as the trailer(30') will hold all my worldly possessions, 12kva gen set, welder, metal and wood work tools etc. and Suzuki 4WD.
Regards
Kryn

What I was wanting to know was, how much fuel, water and gas you carry on board and how long do they last?
I plan on fitting truck running gear to a bus to give the towing capacity, or a bus to a truck chassis, I have a HC licence so that is not a problem.
Max legal length is 19m which I worked out to be about 66'
Kryn

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

Max legal length is 19m which I worked out to be about 66'

19m = 19/0.3 = 63.33ft

66ft = 66x0.3 = 19.8m

Originally Posted by Big Shed

19m = 19/0.3 = 63.33ft

66ft = 66x0.3 = 19.8m

Actually

66' = 20.116m

19m = 62.33'

Sorry, Can't help myself.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Actually

66' = 20.116m

19m = 62.33'

Sorry, Can't help myself.

You are correct, I worked (off the top of my head) on a conversion of .3, should have used

19mtr * 3.2808 = 62.3352

66 / 3.2808=20.1170

I was using rough calculations plus maths was NOT my subject at school.
Kryn

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

Max legal length is 19m which I worked out to be about 66'

Originally Posted by Big Shed

19m = 19/0.3 = 63.33ft

66ft = 66x0.3 = 19.8m

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Actually

66' = 20.116m

19m = 62.33'

Sorry, Can't help myself.

I'm sorry — I can't help myself either — you're all wrong

the factor is 1 foot = 0.3048 metres (to as many decimal places as you desire to calculate)

so 19m = 19/0.3048 = 62.336 feet, for those who have a tape that measures in decimal feet, or 62ft 4-1/32 inches, for those don't

and 66ft = 22 yards = 1 chain = "proper" length of a cricket pitch = 20.117m



quick quiz
without using google or looking up a reference book, how many links are in a chain and how long is each link at standard temperature?

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

What I was wanting to know was, how much fuel, water and gas you carry on board and how long do they last?
I plan on fitting truck running gear to a bus to give the towing capacity, or a bus to a truck chassis, I have a HC licence so that is not a problem.

Kryn,
there's another combination you may like to investigate, called a "stinger".
It's a rigid truck towing a pig trailer which is allowed to go to 25m in total length.
Whilst it has some restrictions on where it can operate, for what you are contemplating the combination of living quarters on the back of a 12m rigid with a 13m trailer on behind may be a very viable option.

as to capacities, from the size of their tanks, many large trucks seem to be configured to carry around 1500 to 2000 litres of fuel.

Originally Posted by ian

quick quiz
without using google or looking up a reference book, how many links are in a chain and how long is each link at standard temperature?

There are a hundred links in a chain, all eight inches long.

And there are three Barleycorns to an inch if that helps.

What I was wanting to know was, how much fuel, water and gas you carry on board and how long do they last?
I plan on fitting truck running gear to a bus to give the towing capacity, or a bus to a truck chassis, I have a HC licence so that is not a problem.

There are a lot of variables to contend with.

Staying in a caravan park? Free (I hate that term, prefer bush) camping? How long do you intend staying out bush camping? What do you intend to do while there? The list goes on and depending on what you do or want to do sets everything up.

However there are rough guides.

Gas: Legally you are restricted to 2 x 9KG (8.5K now) bottles unless you get a special permit as a gas carrier. This is not written in any regs but is so according to one of the regulators in the gas industry that I spoke to. 2 bottles will last about 5-6 weeks if you have gas hot water and cooking. A little less if you are also feeding a 4 burner BBQ. Don't use your hot water as you would at home. For dishes, boil a kettle, much cheaper.

Water: This depends a lot on usage.The average person uses 20 litres per day with showers, drinking and cooking. This can be stretched by showering every second day and and a FAC wash every other day. If you use a holding tank type hot water service rather than an instant you only have 23 litres max any how but in warmer climates the actual tanks get so warm you do not need a hot water service at all but you can over do the shower and use water very quickly. 3 minute showers are the rule if you want water to last.

We carry 240 litres and it lasts about 2 weeks with frugal use.

Remember also that water equals weight so it can be a trade off.

Fuel. I like a range of about 800k's. You are never more than 500k from fuel if you use diesel. People reckon oh yeah but you can buy it cheaper in the bigger towns but they forget the cost of dragging around the extra weight.

Road transports carry a lot of fuel because they drive non stop (so do I on occasions) as time is money and time spent stopping for fuel means less money.

Last bit of advice is make sure of what you can and cannot do in fitting out a vehicle. A lot of stuff requires engineers and a raging bull is nothing compared to what some of them want for their services.

Originally Posted by Bedford

There are a hundred links in a chain, all eight inches long.

nope

And there are three Barleycorns to an inch if that helps.

or 118 and a bit to the metre !