Motorhome advice

Kaid · Guru

Motorhome advice

Tony Bev · Guru

Hi Kath n Dave

Sorry to hear about your parent

I have the 2006 Fiat Ducato in my Avatar, it only has the 2.8 litre engine, and I would personally not use it to tow anything

The next model Fiat Ducato had a 3 litre engine, and that is the model, which I have seen towing small vehicles

The newer model Fiat Ducato seems to have a smaller engine, and in honesty, I have not looked if they are towing anything

The Iveco usually has the same engine, as the Fiats, (as they are made in the same factory), but are much better as a motorhome

The Iveco is much easier to work on, (mechanically), and I have seen plenty of the older ones, towing small vehicles

The Iveco seems to be more stable on the road, perhaps due to double rear wheels

Perhaps others who tow small vehicles, could come along and give their opinions

The main reason I will never use my motorhome for towing, is that it has a 5 speed gearbox, and the step from 4th to 5th, is just too high

The models after mine had a 6 speed gearbox, their 4th gear is the same ratio as mine, and their 6th gear is the same as my 5th

Their 5th gear helps them to get up hills, much better than my vehicle

Hope that this info is useful to you

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Personally, I would never buy a front wheel drive (Fiat) motorhome. I have seen too many struggle to maintain traction on wet grass, or even on wet bitumen with a slight hill.
The chassis of the Fiat motorhomes is not built by Fiat. They are very light and often do not extend behind the rear wheels making it impossible or expensive to fit a tow bar of any significant capacity.
Then again, you may find that provided you keep the motorhome to a moderate size you may not need to tow at all. We don't and have never felt the need. Towing another vehicle has its own difficulties that you can do without, especially as you get older and want things to be easier.
Cheers,
Peter

Kaid · Guru

Thanks for you replies TonyBev and Peter and Margaret.
Have more or less decided on a Jayco on Iveco base
Looked at a 25 ft one today with pretty much everything we wanted for $178,00.
Of course spending the kind of money they would want to give a better deal

Tony Bev · Guru

Hi KathnDave

For the price quoted, I assume that the Iveco is new or near new

The newer Iveco's come with 2 different size engines

The 2.3 litre with 93 Kw of power

The 3 litre with 150 Kw of power

As you wish to tow a small vehicle, then I would most definitely get the 3 litre engine

bgt · Guru

Whoa back. I've been motorhoming for almost 30 years. Had 4 motorhomes here and overseas. Been involved in the RV industry. Seen a lot of happy campers and a lot of unhappy campers. The common issue with the unhappy campers was that they chose a Motor home before they knew what sort of camping they wanted to do. We had a 40ft bus conversion towing a 4x4. Heavy. Long. High. A real PITA. Had everything that we ever wanted. But it limited where we could go by its size. We now have a 20ft Fiat based camper van. Not a Motor home. ie it's a van conversion not a cab chassis conversion. It may be small but it goes everywhere. U turns are a piece of cake. Parks under trees and in poky corners. My point being that size does matter. Small will limit "how long". Big will limit "where". Big piece of advice is to figure out what sort of camping you want to do before choosing the Motor home. Re the Fiat and front wheel drive. I've heard all the bogged stories. Wet roads etc etc etc. OK ask yourself why 80% of European motorhomes are built on Fiat chassis. They have wet grass. They have dirt roads. They also have snow and ice. So if it was such a problem why are they so popular? Our 40ft heavy bus got bogged on wet grass too. It's called common sense. Don't believe all the stories. Toyota Cruisers get bogged to. Campfire stories. Drive your RV to suit the conditions. Just to add. How many UK and European ambulances are on Fiat chassis. If they bogged on wet roads all hell would let loose. OK I know I've stood on some toes but be wary of a few stories when compared to market sales. Consumers arent all fools. If Fiats were so bad they wouldnt survive in a competitive market.

PeterInSa · Guru

To me the layout is the most important, I would prefer a lounge at the rear(with Wrap around windows) with a drop down bed (over the lounge)for a Motorhome, You.....

The Vehicle,....have you had a test drive in both options, Fiat/Iveco. Of the 2, my Bias would be Fiat, from a Mercedes Benz Sprinter Long Wheel Base High Roof Campervan RV'er.

Agree with a Jayco purchase, but you still need to have a detailed checkout.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

bgt wrote:
OK ask yourself why 80% of European motorhomes are built on Fiat chassis...................snip.................... Don't believe all the stories.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. They are the cheapest motorhome platform available.

2. Converters and customers love the fact that the floor is low and flat because there is no rear tail shaft or rear diff.

3. The body can be any length because the converter can choose the body length and the wheel base. The Fiat made chassis stops about 300mm behind the cab and the rest is made to suit the converter.

The reports I make about their lack of traction are from personal observation, in Europe. Some of these MHs are quite heavy. The rear wheels (often dual) carry most of the weight. The front drive wheels often carry only a small %. That leads to front traction compromises in some conditions.

Many people like them. I would not buy one. I would buy an Iveco (also made by Fiat).

Cheers,

Peter

Kaid · Guru

Yes all. Was a new vehicle. Had the layout we liked. 2x 100 litre water tanks and grey water tank.
2 batteries. Had a bull bar . The only things we would have to add would be an extra solar panel , a ladder on the back, an inverter, diesel heater and UHF.
Still weighing up pros and cons.
Also was 3 litre

-- Edited by Kaid on Thursday 1st of October 2020 08:37:51 PM

Tony LEE · Guru

Yes, own two front wheel drive motorhomes in Germany (one is for sale), one on a Ford chassis and one on a fiat chassis. Yes, stopped by a wet tissue let alone wet grass, because the weight distribution is so awful.

Had some very interesting times in Iceland, Morocco and Turkey because of lack of traction and a couple involved serious danger to life and limb and vehicle. We ran the transit on snow tyres all year simply because even on dry bitumen it was hard to get away if there was much of an up-slope.

I notice some here using the word "camping" and I suggest that is one thing the OP should consider very carefully. Is he going camping, or is he living in the RV because they are not the same thing. My position, as a long term full-timer with more RVs than sense, is the bigger the better and then just add a smaller vehicle on behind and you have the best of both worlds. You are going to be parked a hell of a lot longer than moving so that is where you need to be comfotable

Size isn't a significant factor when it comes to finding fantastic camping spots, and we certainly don't stick to boring bitumen either as you can see at

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mEUu3ffDGpndrk3i2

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Thursday 1st of October 2020 08:43:02 PM

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Thursday 1st of October 2020 08:45:05 PM

Steel Dog · Veteran Member

If it's only a couple years old it will be a JAYCO OPTIMUM which is on the IVECO base, it is larger and has more standard options than the JAYCO Conquest which is on the FIAT Chassis, these are both totally different vehicles and both have their pluses and minuses.
It's best to do your research carefully to see what suits you best, all the good advice given above should be taken into consideration, and generally the more you pay, the better it is (or should be).
I have the Jayco Conquest 25.3 2018 model with the 2.3 litre (Twin Turbo) and it tows our Suzuki Jimny (1206kg weighbridge weight) without any hassle, we can hardly notice it's on the back.
The OPTIMUM would be able to tow a larger TOAD, so you might want to check out what you want to tow and the cost associated with A-frame and TOAD set up and as mentioned above, make sure it has a tow bar already, or negotiate a fitted tow bar from the Dealer to save you a headache and more cash, also keep in mind that Motorhomes are more expensive to buy and maintain than a caravan, so double and triple check with the 'one who knows best'.
All the best.
Steel Dog

-- Edited by Steel Dog on Thursday 1st of October 2020 09:23:40 PM

PeterInSa · Guru

Great Photos Tony, especially the one with the Fiver towing a bike trailer with 2 bikes on board.

Kaid · Guru

Thank you all for your comments.
Will be free camping mostly with occasional caravan park visit.
Eventually want to go full time on road. We have a lot to consider and info to go through.
Tis a bit mind boggling

bgt · Guru

A clarification on my comments 're Fiats. The issue isn't the Fiat or front wheel drive. The issue is with the motorhome builders. Simple physics will tell you that the more weight you put behind the rear wheels the more negative effect on drive traction. Our Fiat van has approx 300mm rear overhang. No slipping issues because the bulk of the weight is on the drive wheels. But some Fiat motorhomes go way up to the 60% rule. Common sense tells you that weight is coming off the front drive wheels. Another issue not mentioned are the tyres. Fiats comes very average tyres. Yes Fiats have a flat floor and yes it makes it easy form motorhome builders. And that's only an issue because the designers are toooo lazy to solve the drive shaft issue. We only wanted the smallest motorhome with a bathroom/toilet. The Fiat van suits our needs. Would I buy a motorhome built on the Fiat chassis? No. Because of what I pointed out above. Given the money and inclination I would build on a truck chassis. Hino, Isuzu, etc. For 95% of folks the Fiat is ideal. For those venturing off the black stuff then look a bit harder at the options.

Farmhat · Senior Member

Tony LEE wrote:
Yes, own two front wheel drive motorhomes in Germany (one is for sale), one on a Ford chassis and one on a fiat chassis. Yes, stopped by a wet tissue let alone wet grass, because the weight distribution is so awful.
Had some very interesting times in Iceland, Morocco and Turkey because of lack of traction and a couple involved serious danger to life and limb and vehicle. We ran the transit on snow tyres all year simply because even on dry bitumen it was hard to get away if there was much of an up-slope.

I notice some here using the word "camping" and I suggest that is one thing the OP should consider very carefully. Is he going camping, or is he living in the RV because they are not the same thing. My position, as a long term full-timer with more RVs than sense, is the bigger the better and then just add a smaller vehicle on behind and you have the best of both worlds. You are going to be parked a hell of a lot longer than moving so that is where you need to be comfotable
Size isn't a significant factor when it comes to finding fantastic camping spots, and we certainly don't stick to boring bitumen either as you can see at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mEUu3ffDGpndrk3i2

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Thursday 1st of October 2020 08:43:02 PM

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Thursday 1st of October 2020 08:45:05 PM

A fantastic set of photos you have there Tony LEE, thanks for sharing them.

If you ever get bored, you could go through and title each one saying where they are, :)

Joe

MickandJacki · Member

Really enjoyed looking through all your travel photos and reading all about your camping experiences.

Tony LEE · Guru

Joe, many have a Google map and some have some info as well. Just have to click on one thumbnail to expand it and then swipe up.

Map reference for camera shots is usually sus, but smart phone ones normally accurate.

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Monday 5th of October 2020 04:57:56 PM

Craig1 · Guru

There are 5 foot conger eels there, teeth like razors

Farmhat · Senior Member

Tony LEE wrote:
Joe, many have a Google map and some have some info as well. Just have to click on one thumbnail to expand it and then swipe up.
Map reference for camera shots is usually sus, but smart phone ones normally accurate.

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Monday 5th of October 2020 04:57:56 PM

Thanks Tony LEE

Joe