Re: Broadway storage

by Bad Penny Fri May 13, 2016 7:58 pm

Of course Quilter, this is where common sense and careful loading comes into play to use the type of places you list.
My point is that once your MH is loaded with all your gear, water volume is the only control you have left so as not to possibly exceed a maximum payload, as water is a simple known quantity.

My present MH has a payload of 380kg, my water tank holds 127litre, if I ran with this full, as some do, this would leave me with just 253kg.

I don't think my wife would be pleased if I left her behind!!!! We also travel light.

Iike Gromit we have a chalet full of items discarded, some come back into play depending on the time of year, others are due for a grand sale.

I guess we are all different.

Ray, good luck with your new Broadway, enjoy.

Leighton.

by Quilter Fri May 13, 2016 8:34 pm

Bad Penny wrote: ............... water volume is the only control you have left so as not to possibly exceed a maximum payload, as water is a simple known quantity.

Leighton.

The real solution of course Leighton, is to buy dehydrated water.

I'll add my best wishes to yours to Ray and wife and hope your Broadway brings you as much pleasure and as little pain as ours has done.

( To avoid the pain bit I'd suggest a length of foam pipe insulation along the edge of the kitchen extractor fan)

by Cymro Fri May 13, 2016 9:26 pm

Quilter wrote:

( To avoid the pain bit I'd suggest a length of foam pipe insulation along the edge of the kitchen extractor fan)

Hear, Hear!!

by Libraryman2 Fri May 13, 2016 9:33 pm

Thank you folks for your good wishes, and the head bump tip....sooooo looking forward to it!

Ray

by steamdrivenandy Fri May 13, 2016 9:49 pm

One problem that seems to afflict most motorhome users and certainly affected us was the creeping desire to keep buying more and more stuff 'til it got silly. If you can steel yourself and resist the temptation, relying on native cunning and ingenuity rather than the wallet and plastic card, you should save money, not have so much gear and be more comfortable.

by Libraryman2 Fri May 13, 2016 10:20 pm

Err....guilty as charged m Lord...but only a bit to press!.

Will try to refrain from filling the loft:big thumbs up:

by Quilter Fri May 13, 2016 10:25 pm

Three phrases that every motorhomer should never utter:

It doesn't really weigh anything.

It's bound to come in handy.

It doesn't take up any space.

by safariboy Sun May 15, 2016 10:11 pm

Libraryman2 wrote:Yes Quilter..up- plating is something I'm considering might ...I stress might! Be an option for me!
This kind of info really helps me to form a wider viewpoint on what I need to consider and how to get the best out of the Broadway for our uses!
I'm simply new to Motor homes and though I recognise there are lots of similarities to caravanning, there are differences that require some consideration.
E.g one of the first things I will do, will be to fit air suspension...aka...air assist to the rear.
This I feel is a good thing but of course it has its pit falls..additional weight being one..
So when I've finished with all the additional fittings, up-plating may be a necessity but if I can, I will try to avoid it!

I've read avidly comments about all aspects re: motors homes on this forum..it is; at least to me! Indispensable.

Ray

A limit on the rear axles is the tyres which are limited to 1000kg each. Air suspension would not help with this. You would need larger tyres and I am not sure if they would fit.

by Maasai Warrior Sun May 15, 2016 10:37 pm

Blimey the number of times I have hit my head on the corner of that cupboard when getting in! I now have rubber strips stuck to the cupboard just in case, so as to avoid the swearing and the blood - I am thin on top! Why couldn't AS put a rounded edge strip on it like they have on other open edges. They could easily avoid the extractor, or move it to the right by 5mm's to accommodate the strip.

Rant over!

Pete

by PLOUGHLIN Sun May 15, 2016 10:39 pm

The chap that fits the cupboards is 4'-6" tall, he's never had any problem. hugegrins

by Libraryman2 Sun May 15, 2016 11:02 pm

It's not a tall boy cupboard then hugegrins

With respect to the Tyre capacity, they come with variable sidewall construction..I.e. Number of ply....I worked in the tyre industry for 25 years, we used to supply a tyre for the Pakistani buses....that's true overloading.

Ray

by dbroada Mon May 16, 2016 12:06 am

PLOUGHLIN wrote:The chap that fits the cupboards is 4'-6" tall, he's never had any problem.

reminds me of when I was a designer.

I designed a gizmo that I thought might be difficult to fit so I asked one of the ancient fitters to install it on a prototype and let me know if he had any problems.

He said it was OK so it was put in to production. Immediately the first one was built by production the foreman came to see me and said it was almost impossible to fit. One guy had to swing by his legs from the rafters while another tightened the screws (maybe a slight exaggeration there).

I went back to see the fitter and said production couldn't fit it without one etc. The fitter replied - oh yes, I had to do that but it wasn't a problem.

by Paramedic Mon May 16, 2016 8:15 am

2013 MMM review of the Broadway FB mentioned the somewhat poor user payload being just 305 kg. A week long trip last month loaded up with what we decided was necessary, visited local weighbridge beforehand. With no water on board, believed our payload would be approximately 415 kg. Drove onto weighbridge and entering the office the cheerful attendant said, '' you can look at the screen for free or it will cost you £10 for paper copy"". The screen displayed 3440 kg and when I sat in the van, he came out to confirm we were on the maximum limit of 3500 kg. I was surprised that even without on board water we had reached the weight limit. Complete seasonal wardrobe including hiking/cycling gear, 2 electric bikes/fiamma carrier/cycle locks/luggage carriers, 4 outside chairs bad table. Food for a week, bed linen, maintenance/cleaning products water carrier and all the other stuff to survive on board.....maps books the list goes on. Yep...easy just to load all and sundry only to discover you have effectively .moved house. Never did discover what the load was on each axle.

by steamdrivenandy Mon May 16, 2016 8:30 am

As I posted on another thead, I amended my caravan/car loading spreadsheet at the weekend to turn it into a motorhome loading spreadsheet. I threw out all the stuff not necessary in a motorhome and got our standardish payload to around 350kg including Mrs SDA and the two Beardies. If we were travelling without dogs that would be down to about 300kg. Filling with 100 litres of fresh water would bump us up to 450kg.

by Jaytee Mon May 16, 2016 9:33 am

Gromit wrote:
As Quilter intimated, it's unlikely that one will be pulled up and checked on a weighbridge, but it does happen and the consequences do nothing to enhance a relaxed and enjoyable holiday.

Dave

Don't forget that WIMS (weight in motion sensors) are being rapidly installed now as a part of our leaders revenue generation system from the motoring public. Originally devised to catch overloaded foreign trucks which is a good thing BUT they check all vehicles, axle weights, gross weight and speed.

by Quilter Mon May 16, 2016 11:30 am

Jaytee wrote:

.......BUT they check all vehicles, axle weights, gross weight and speed.

And this isn't a good thing ?

If any vehicle is overloaded or speeding, be they foreign or UK lorry, delivery truck, motorhome, white van or family car with or without caravan, then it is surely sensible to pull them over at the first opportunity and make sure they don't proceed until they are safe again ?

My understanding is that overloading can cause problems with braking and steering and, with our over-crowded roads, we have to do quite a bit of braking and steering, often in heavy traffic. I also understand that, unless a vehicle is grossly overloaded, there is not likely to be a fine but only a warning and a check.

As to revenue generation from the motoring public: if the motoring public- home grown or imported- didn't drive overloaded then there would be no need for expensive WIM sensors to be installed. Might as well get our money back for their installation from those who breech the law.

by Jaytee Mon May 16, 2016 11:54 am

I WAS NOT saying it was not a good thing I was purely commenting on the previous posters comment that 'we are unlikely to be pulled over and weighed'. We don't have to be pulled over anymore shrugg

and reference to gov's revenue generation is my normal cynical view of our leaders.

by Quilter Mon May 16, 2016 1:19 pm

Jaytee wrote:I WAS NOT saying it was not a good thing I was purely commenting on the previous posters comment that 'we are unlikely to be pulled over and weighed'. We don't have to be pulled over anymore and reference to gov's revenue generation is my normal cynical view of our leaders.

Humblest apologies Jaytee: I misunderstood you and replied to what I thought you'd said. Still a good thing for the government to generate revenue however...if they stopped doing it we'd be in deep(er ?) trouble.

by kaspian Mon May 16, 2016 5:07 pm

Hi Ray, I think what you may be after is what was known as a Beeny box or Genie drawer . Try googling both as they were companies who took your motorhome and built a bespoke underfloor drawer that was accessed via the side skirt of the van like a large underfloor drawer on heavy duty runners . I built one and fitted it to our Autoquest which had large sills that hang down covering a vast area underfloor between the outer sill and the chassis runner.It took nerve to cut into a new motorhome and fabricate sealed box but the matching access locker door came from O'learys. It looked like factory fit and kept grip mats, levelling wedges, barbeque, charcoal, various odds and ends etc, never leaked in 6 years of ownership and any other owners on site were always impressed and wondered why theirs never came similarly equipped.
Another good point was it keeps weight at the lowest point on the van for best effect and saves muddy wet items from being put inside.They may still be trading but I seem to remember one selling out to a JH Caravans. Is this what you were meaning in your original post?

by Quilter Mon May 16, 2016 5:28 pm

The Cornish BeenyBox company ( Camborne) were no longer trading when I looked a few weeks ago. I hope it is a temporary cessation: we had excellent service from them on our last 2 vans.

The AS wet locker takes up all the space on our 2014 EK Broadway that could have been used for a BB. We can't see where another one would go among gas tanks, water tanks , spare wheel and general pipework and chassis. The wet locker does much the same job though is a little smaller.

by Libraryman2 Mon May 16, 2016 5:53 pm

kaspian wrote: Hi Ray, I think what you may be after is what was known as a Beeny box or Genie drawer . Try googling both as they were companies who took your motorhome and built a bespoke underfloor drawer that was accessed via the side skirt of the van like a large underfloor drawer on heavy duty runners . I built one and fitted it to our Autoquest which had large sills that hang down covering a vast area underfloor between the outer sill and the chassis runner.It took nerve to cut into a new motorhome and fabricate sealed box but the matching access locker door came from O'learys. It looked like factory fit and kept grip mats, levelling wedges, barbeque, charcoal, various odds and ends etc, never leaked in 6 years of ownership and any other owners on site were always impressed and wondered why theirs never came similarly equipped.
Another good point was it keeps weight at the lowest point on the van for best effect and saves muddy wet items from being put inside.They may still be trading but I seem to remember one selling out to a JH Caravans. Is this what you were meaning in your original post?

Yes it is what I was referring to, it sounds an ideal solution, however point taken from the last reply, maybe there's not enough room for it on the Broadway.
Nevertheless thank you, I'll do some research and see what I can dig up:good2:

Ray

by steamdrivenandy Mon May 16, 2016 6:07 pm

I noticed that Autotrial had incorporated a similar type of drawer under the rear of the false floor on at least one of the V-line layouts where there is access to the rear of the van. In fact those V-lines have some innovative features that Auto-Slipper could do well to study.

by Quilter Mon May 16, 2016 6:10 pm

It looks like BeenyBox are no longer in business. I had hopes from another source that it was only temporary. The reason I was hoping to contact them some weeks back was to ask if they have fitted to a Broadway before. They had a substantial through put of vans and were happy to tell you, before you made the long trek to Camborne, if your van was suitable.

The drawers were quite heavy - very well made of good materials- so another point to consider.Lots of UK and foreign convertors have fitted similar, as well as the AS version. BBwere the first.

Please keep us in the loop if you find something similar.

by Libraryman2 Mon May 16, 2016 6:34 pm

I've shot a couple of emails off, I'll feedback if I get any joy..

Ray

by Jaytee Mon May 16, 2016 6:51 pm

Quilter wrote:
Jaytee wrote:I WAS NOT saying it was not a good thing I was purely commenting on the previous posters comment that 'we are unlikely to be pulled over and weighed'. We don't have to be pulled over anymore and reference to gov's revenue generation is my normal cynical view of our leaders.

Humblest apologies Jaytee: I misunderstood you and replied to what I thought you'd said. Still a good thing for the government to generate revenue however...if they stopped doing it we'd be in deep(er ?) trouble.

Hi Quilter, Just re-read my post, a tad 'sharp', sorry about that, had just been talking to AOL customer support (in some Country or other) trying to sort out my suspended account for about 30 minutes so was totally relaxed NOT. drinksallround