Thinking of useful extras for motorhome
Comments
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My friend's bike rack is clamped onto the towball, how can you tow a car if the towball is being used by the rack or have i misunderstood the above....?
i was thinking the towball could be used for the rack OR for towing, but not both?
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i was thinking the towball could be used for the rack OR for towing, but not both?
Correct BB, I never tow my car when going "over there" but the tow ball Thule rack will be on loaded with my extras. Burried under the cover is a spare tyre, e-bike and freestanding awning.
peedee
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We have the Witter version of this, luckily it doesn't foul the car or van on tight turns but it is a PITA trying to get the Alko hitch on and pushed down, as you can't employ full strength, due to not being able to get right above the hitch.
We have used it with the Kuga but have now bought a Toyota ProAce MPV, we can take out some of the seats and get the bikes inside. Much better arrangement.
On the MH we had a Fiamma bike carrier, not to high for us to lift the bikes onto and I do miss the ease of it.
Of course with MH's the thing to watch is the weight limit of the rear axle, once you add a towbar + bike carrier + 2 ebikes you could well be near or even over the limit.
We did add a towbar to ours as we had plenty of weight allowance but the towbar was used initially to tow the small car, then later on it was used to tow our big scooter on a small trailer. Bikes always went on the Fiamma rack.
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l have booked my Motorhome in at the end of June for 120 watt solar panel, l believe this is all l require, we mainly do hook up but require it to charge both batteries when we are at home, the thinking for a 120 watt is through the winter months. l could have gone for the 80 or 100 watt panel but thought for the extra 100 quid it would be worth it. Also with saving all our pitch fees and fuel plus trips to the restaurants we have saved a considerable amount since December, so we decided to have the Road Pro Mini Dome fitted, l know it only covers the UK, we don't intend to go a abroad but on the off chance that we do we decided to keep the stand alone Maxiview Sat. Has anyone got a Road Pro Mini Dome and what do they think of it, your advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Heethers
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just a word about the solar set up...
ensure that all batteries receive charge....this can be managed with a dual output solar regulator or by sending all charge to the leisure batteries (with a single channel regulator) and then harvesting charge to the cab battery with a Battery Master device.
Also, MPPT regulators (cleverer than cheaper PWM versions) are coming down in price and would be a benefit as they are able to maintain higher charge levels in lower sunlight...
cant help with the dome, im afraid.
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We didn't have a dome but going on reports from those that have had them I'm not sure that I would choose one.
There are small dishes that I think have a better reliability.
There is also a nice small system called SNIPE, it has a very good following.
If we were looking to install a satellite system for use in the UK and possibly northern Europe we would choose a SNIPE.
We did have a dish on our MH but it was a large 85 cm one as we used the MH all over Europe.
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we had the predecessor to the system TG mentions (Snipe), a Camos Flatsat, with panels still made by Selfsat.
the Snipe is pretty much an automated version of the through-the-roof one we had about 6 years ago
the (cropped to show the antenna) picture was taken on the ile de ré and we got uk tv there, so roughly the equivalent of a 60cm dish.
i made my own 'skewing' plate to further extend the range, i think the Snipe has it built in...
also, doesn't raise the height of the van like a dome would, and, lets face it, domes are ugly.
the Snipe is pretty wind resistant, too
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Thank you, Officer Crabtree. Good job you were not just passing ...
Steve
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I think the original Snipe has been replaced by a Snipe Dome
David
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still available on amazon and ebay along with the dome version...
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Looking back at old photos I was reminded that I can put one bike on a rack as well as tow the car but it is not using the Thule rack but a piece of kit I used when towing a caravan. Very simply it is two metal bars which drop into a couple of slots on my tow bar to form a "V" and the bike hooks over the tops of the "V".
peedee
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Thanks Tammy saw those negative reviews , most were of the earlier additions that had a controller supplied with the dome to access the satellites and could be used abroad in Northern France. The Mini Dome only accesses Astra 2 and is only for reception in the UK and parts of Ireland, it only has one cable which is attached to the TV, which ours is a Avtec which Road Pro recommend. if we can't get the signal we do have the option of the stand alone Maxi view satellite. The reason for the roof one is that we won't be leaving the satellite when we leave site to go somewhere, that was always the worry when we had the caravan, plus not having to set it up in pouring rain and the wind blowing it about. l will though have a look at the snipe dome but it another £700, plus the fitting price increases, It is very unlikely we will be going abroad as we are more staycation folk. Thanks for your post it was helpful
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chasncath,
Like l said very unlikely we will be traveling abroad hence getting the mini dome, which only covers UK and parts of ireland. We also have the Autotrail High Cab the dome fits well below the Cab, so probably would be in the higher bracket anyway but thanks for the info
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Hi to All.
I'm still a relative newbie having picked up our first MH last June, managed a few trips last year before breaking my foot and having to cancel the rest.
I have a Bailey 794 2019 which came with a reversing camera connected to the audio unit. Has anyone looked at converting one of these to a permanent rear view system with a mirror mounted monitor.
With limited driving experience I'm not sure if this will help.
Any views on rear view cameras for motorhomes
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mine is like the photo and is always on, its really useful and is especially good for judging when its safe to pull in after passing slower traffic. i wouldn't be without it.
with our A-class windscreen there is no 'normal' rear view mirror (we have bus style ones) as the screen would be too far away.
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Ours uses the sat nav screen and can be always on if you want it, although of course compromises the sat nav. Very useful when driving on sites though, as it enables you to see anyone approaching from behind, particularly kids on bikes, out of range of the mirrors.
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On my Bailey Alliance I have a Vision Plus Ranger 440 which was an extra added by the dealer. I imagine yours is an Autograph model? Many Baileys come prewired for a reversing/rear view camera. On my previous Bailey Approach I had the reversing camera in a similar position to BB's photo but up on the dash. Of the two positions I think I prefer it fitted centrally. Can I ask why you are unhappy with the standard equipment?
David
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Hi David
The current camera is wired to the main audio display and only comes on as a reversing aid, I was looking to see if I could rewire to use it as a permanent rear view / reversing. The issue with it being wired to the audio unit is that when reverse is selected and the camera is showing it takes over the audio unit so if the camera was on all the time we wouldn't be able to use the radio.
Hope that makes sense
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like others, we also have a central screen which does radio, DVD, satnav...however, my own configured Tomtom is my preferred satnav and this sits above the camera screen on the edge of the dash.
as im constantly looking in the offside bus mirror, my peripheral view generally encompasses the satnav and reverse view camera without trying.
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OK I understand now. The one that I have is both reversing and rear view whilst driving along. I have attached a couple of photo's of the view it gives. The first one shows the normal rearward view (albeit in this case looking into my neighbours garden!!!) The second one is the reversing view. The rear of the motorhome is parked about a foot from the fence.
David
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Hi David
It looks like you have the set up I'm after, but as I have the Bailey fitted single camera I wanted to rewire it to a mirror mounted screen as you have.
My issue is Bailey won't give out the wiring details and I've been quoted a ridiculous amount to get it done.
I was just wondering if anyone had demistified the wiring and managed it themselves.
Robin
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david, i assume you have a twin lens camera?
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BB
I am not really sure but I imagine it does. When you go into reverse the view changes to close up.
David
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yes, that sounds like it...one is set to 'distance' and the other (when reverse os selected) will be angled down and a wider angle lens to give a betrer view for manoevring.
some even have 'guiding lines' on the 'reversing' lens to enable accurate placement....
you have a good set up...
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Mine was fitted by the dealer, mirror type as part of the deal,ours is only the single camera they wouldn't fit the twin, should have offered to pay extra. But what the technician did for me was to angle the camera so it gives about 50 yards at the rear but you can still see a yard down at the back of the MH, so l can just see the edge of the bike carrier which helps in reversing, hope it makes sense. Will in the future have the twin fitted so l can see all the way back up the road.
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