# Tall man problem



## Biglol (Jul 16, 2007)

I have a friend who is interested in M/H's but he is worried about his height.
Is there anyone out there who can recommend a M/H for a man who is 6' 6" tall

Many thanks for any help on this problem


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## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

what's his concern?? head height in the habitation area or length of sleeping area??

if he wants head height then a Luton bodied m/h would be best - in fact the Rollerteam T-line 700, non family version, would give him the best headroom - basically a Luton with no overhead bed so plenty of headroom (guess what we have.... :wink: )

I don't know about m/h's without a fixed bed but the T-line is 6'6" wide and the bed is near enough the full width so that should suit.

an alternative would be he Hymer Exsis - no longer made but plenty 2nd hand - it has a load of headroom when the bed's pushed up and when in use the bed is HUGE!


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## Auricula (Aug 13, 2012)

Interesting one this!

If you are 6ft 6" I guess that your friend will already be used to ducking under doors so getting into a MH will be no great deal.

Most MH beds that are transverse will be long enough but many also offer long seating areas that will convert to long beds easily able to accommodate a big guy (or girl).....within reason.

But the irritating thing is the driving position. Many MH's come with swivel seats. The swivel mechanisms add a few inches to the lowest driving position. So they may have to remove the swivel from the driver's seat to allow for a safe driving position.

That is not as easy as you would think as there are high tensile bolts with fixed captive nuts (you cannot move them!) that need proper tools and experience to take off.

I'm in the process of sorting that and will report back in another post next week.

But it can all be sorted so don't be put off........big or small, MHs are fantastic!


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## premiermotorhomes (Feb 13, 2008)

I'm the same height myself, and I prefer driving Fiat X250, the X244 and Ford cabs are too cramped for my to drive comfortably.

The internal height in most vans is normally accommodating but not always, and the only area I would have a real concern with is the shower cubicle which is further restricted in height to the point of not being usable.

These experiences are only from getting in and out of motorhomes all day every day, I can not comment on sleeping in them as I don't get the chance often but as I curl up, bed length wouldn't be an issue for me.

Regards,
Chris


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## sparky20006 (Apr 18, 2011)

Im 6'5 and I have a Bessacar E series and there's *loads *of head room. Not banged the noodle once.

The beds are also really long.

Paul


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Auricula said:


> Interesting one this!
> 
> If you are 6ft 6" I guess that your friend will already be used to ducking under doors so getting into a MH will be no great deal.
> 
> ...


Any decent tools should do it easily, car boot or market cheapos won't though, high tensile bolts don't make any difference to taking things apart, they just don't break as easily as standard bolts.


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## StephandJohn (Sep 3, 2007)

John is 6'4".We tried out lots of different vans and ended up with the Swift Firebrand which is the same as the Swift Sundance. Internally it has a high enough roof, he fits well in to the shower and the end u shaped lounge makes up in to a big enough bed.
We full-timed in it for nearly three years and loved every minute of it We returned and bought a very small house so we could carry on touring, just not full timing, and it still feels like our proper home when we get back in it.


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## simandme (Jan 11, 2011)

OH is 6ft5. This helped narrow down the selection, as the beds tend not to be long enough for him or wide enough for both of us. So, we chose singles that run along the length of the vehicle (Globecar was a nice example in a smaller van) - he is quite happy to have the feet hanging over a bit.

We also found the driver's seat a problem. Many van layouts have the bathroom directly behind the driver's seat, thus limiting how far back the seat can be moved. 

In our 6m globebus, the habitation door opens behind the driver's seat (german layout, but RH. drive). His head touches the ceiling and the shower unit is only used in emergencies; but this doesn't bother him. He hits his head more at home, than in the MH.

We found the best thing to do, was make a list of things we wanted in a MH and driving position/beds were at the top. We also found that walking around the MH shows and trying out the vehicles was a great way to find out what really worked for us (ie get the shoes off and lie on the bed!!!)

But, tell your mate, there is no reason not to!!


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## Auricula (Aug 13, 2012)

I said I'd come back to you all when I'd managed to remove the swivel mechanism from the driver's seat. It's done.

Kev was right ......... the high tensile bolts that fix the swivel to the base came off with decent tools (and a strong arm).

The top seat came away easily from the swivel mechanism by removing six nuts and bolts. The bolts are all hexagonal types and you need a suitable allen key and nut spanner to remove them.

The bolts that fixed the swivel to the base of the seat are also hexagonal types of a slightly larger diameter. They screw into captive nuts (the nuts are welded into position and don't come off). These are the bolts that took a bit of shifting but they do come off. Just make sure the allen key is the perfect fit.

The swivel can then be removed and the seat fixed back onto the base. In the case of my vehicle (Peugeot Boxer 2011) the six bolt holes all aligned up perfectly.

The result is that the new seat position is now 50mm (2") lower.

If you are a taller driver and find that you don't use the driver's swivel mechanism and want a lower more comfortable driving position, the removal of the swivel may be a good solution for you. (When the dealer's sell you a vehicle it's not something I've ever heard them suggest if you are a tall driver)

Reducing the seat height also brings the handbrake closer to you.....stops you having to drop your shoulder or having to buy a handbrake extender.

Just one thing to add from a safety point. As the bolts effectively fix the seat to the base, which anchors the seat belt, check the tightness of the bolts after a day or so driving and adjust if required.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Auricula

Are you aware that you can have the best of both worlds . . . that is a swivel seat *and *be able to see under the top window frame without crouching like Quasimodo. :lol:

I'm a 6' 3" midget compared to some of you, and can just about manage with the 2010 Peugeot boxer cab, but our previous van was quite difficult.

I bought and fitted a lowered seat box from http://www.tekseating.co.uk/ There are other suppliers, but TEK were very helpful and answered all my daft questions for me. :roll:

It made all the difference, so it may be worth your while to look into it. Shame to lose the swivel seat as it opens up the living area quite a lot.

Dave


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## Auricula (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks Dave

Sounds good. But in my case I did not need use of the swivel so that's why I removed it. 

But good advice for other MH'rs

They now have a choice


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