Motorhomes with Transverse Bed
Hi Everyone
Searching for help from you experts. Been a member for a good few years as we have had a Bailey Unicorn Valencia for years but we have just sold it and as my husband has retired from the fire service we are getting a motorhome. We have 4 Frenchie dogs (mad I know!) and the layout we have thought would suit us best is a bed over the garage and we could then use this space to put the dog crate in etc. The thing I am massively struggling with is that all I can find is an Autotrial 4 berth but it only has two seat belts? I am looking up to 40k but would like a little less.
Anyone out there that could help me get rid of my headache!! lol
Tracy 
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Tracy, go on the Practical Motorhome website, find the reviews and this will enable you to search for what you want. Many of the 'fixed bed with garage' will be of continental build and with limited lounging space unless you go for a long van. The layout suits the continentals more than the Brits who often prefer rear lounges.
For a quick look, search on second hand Hymers and you should find some examples.
If you are new to motorhoming, please do your research, especially about payload and vehicle weights [less of an issue if you have a C1 driving licence entitlement which seems likely]. There are a few dedicated motorhome forum sites which also give good advice; Motorhome Matters is free and is linked to Warner publications' Out & About Live website. which has numerous advice articles.
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Can't really help you with ideas Tracy but I'm sure there must be some designs out there. I find the over garage beds a bit claustrophobic, check the head room, there are some where you can't sit up in bed.
If you come unstuck we also take a largish metal dog crate, we collapse it and put it in waterproof bags and stick it under the van. A bit of a nuisance but so far it has been ok.
Hope someone else might know of suitable motorhomes.
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Thank you I will certainly go on those sights and have a search around. I do think they are so few and far between though!!! Perhaps Im searching for the impossible.
WE have always taken the cage in for the two dogs but thought it would be a bit much for 4 of them!?!?
Brue - how do you travel with your dog/s then? In the cage as well?
Thank you for your replies though so kind.
Tracy
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there are twin singles, transverse and even island bedded vans where the bed is over a large garage....most of these will be continental vans, from brands like Rapido, Adria, Pilote, Hymer etc...
we have just changed our 7.4m twin single van for a 6.4m transverse bedded version from the same brand....its also very slim at only 2.12m wide, which makes it easy to drive. the garage easily holds two electric bikes and all our paraphernalia, so a dog crate would be fine.
certainly a 2nd hand low mileage continental van would be doable at £40k. most of these will have a half dinette style lounge which, as Brue mentions, might seem a bit cramped, but once you get used to being able to dine at a fixed (permanent but sliding...) table, youll realise how useful this format is.
your post re the seat belts, didnt make it clear that ypu specifically needed four belts or not....the half dinette design will have two additional fwd facing belted seats.
good luck.
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Which one have you got BoleroBoy? I can't tell by the pic?
Also it would be useful to have the 4 seat belts as we would at some point take family away with us. However it is only for me and my husband and the dogs. So trying to think of every eventuality but its not the end of the world if we didn't.
thanks for your time.
T
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- ours is a Carthago C-compactline i138.....as well as the rear transverse bed, it has a drop down double which drops over the cab seats. the avatar is pur previous van, CT seems to be preventing me from updating it, lol.
just ensure that any van you look at has sufficient payload for four passengers and the crate of dogs....im guessing, if recently retired, you will have a license which allos tou to drive over 3.5t.
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Our two dogs used to travel in the same cage. Now getting a bit old and grumpy just one uses the cage, the other I have on a harness near me. Then we fold the metal cage up on site, cover it in waterproof bags and push it under the van. We only use it for travelling. We have previously used a fabric cage which was very good and much easier to fold away.
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BTW, some of the rear mounted transverse beds will be quite high (to give over a metre depth to the garage for bikes) so will require a step (or two) or small ladder to access the bed.
do try any vans you're considering as they (can) take a bit of climbing into. also, the inside sleeper would have to climb over their partner to leave the bed...
high singles (that can be hoined at the head end to make a double) aviod this issue, the steps are between the two beds, but will add around half a metre to the length of the van.
there are some really innovative designs from Chausson ans Burstner that combine the rear washroom with garage behind (under a large wardrobe area where the transverse bed would be) and have a drop down bed over the lounge.
so, large lounge, large washroom/dressing area, but also a garage and a 'permanent' bed in the lounge roof that the bedding can be left on.
most of these designs are in the 6.8 - 7.0m region.
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