A motorhome breakdown is two problems at once. The vehicle has stopped, and so has the place you were going to sleep. That second one is the part nobody plans for.
DK’s Recovery covers Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the Peak District edge 24 hours a day. Call 07867 860723, or see our vehicle recovery page.
Weight and height change everything
A small van conversion is not far off a large van. A seven-metre coachbuilt on a 3.5-tonne chassis is a different vehicle entirely, and a tag-axle above that is different again.
So the first questions are the model and the gross weight, because they decide which recovery vehicle can legally and safely carry it. Guessing low to make it sound easier only produces a truck that has to go back for a bigger one.
The low bridge problem
Motorhome owners already think about height. What catches people out is that a recovery vehicle carrying a motorhome is taller still.
Plenty of the pretty routes around the Peak District — the ones motorhomes are on in the first place — have bridges and overhangs that rule out a loaded recovery vehicle entirely. That can mean a longer route, a different approach, or moving the vehicle to a more accessible point before loading.
It is the main reason your exact location matters more with a motorhome than with a car.
Gas, water and what is on board
Turn the gas off at the bottle before the vehicle is moved, and mention it on the call. It is rarely a barrier to recovery, but it has to be isolated and it can affect where the vehicle is taken — some workshops will not accept a vehicle with gas on board.
Empty the waste tank if you can, and secure everything inside. A motorhome interior on a recovery bed experiences movement it was not loaded for, and cupboards that stay shut on the road do not always stay shut on a tilting bed.
Take your valuables and documents with you. Same rule as any recovery, and easier to forget when the vehicle feels like a home rather than a car.
Nobody travels in it
Worth stating because it comes up every time: you cannot ride in a vehicle that is being transported, however comfortable it is. Onward travel for everyone needs arranging as part of the call, not discovered at the point the vehicle goes on the bed.
Cab space is limited, so say how many people are with you.
Where it goes overnight
This is the question that separates a motorhome recovery from any other, and it is much easier answered before the vehicle is dropped somewhere than after.
Most garages will not let you stay in a vehicle in their yard, for insurance reasons as much as anything. Some storage sites and campsites will accept a recovered vehicle. If the motorhome is your accommodation for the night, raise it at the start of the call so the destination can be chosen with that in mind.
What tends to go wrong
Motorhomes spend most of the year standing still, and that is the root of most of it. Batteries — both the vehicle battery and the leisure battery — fail from long periods of disuse. Tyres perish and develop flat spots long before the tread wears out, and age matters more than mileage. Brakes seize after months unused. Fuel deteriorates in a tank left part-full over winter.
A check before the first trip of the season prevents most motorhome call-outs, and almost nobody does one.
What to tell us
- Make, model, length and gross weight.
- Exact location, and the access — campsite pitch, lay-by, narrow lane.
- Any height restriction on the way in or out.
- Whether it rolls, steers and comes out of gear.
- Gas on board, and whether it is off.
- How many people are travelling, and whether you need somewhere to stay.
Common questions
Can a motorhome be recovered like a car?
Not usually. Weight and height put most motorhomes beyond a standard flatbed, so recovery normally needs a heavier vehicle. Tell us the model and the gross weight when you call – a small van conversion and a seven-metre coachbuilt are very different jobs.
What happens to the gas bottles?
Turn them off at the bottle before the vehicle is moved, and say they are on board when you call. Gas is not usually a reason a vehicle cannot be recovered, but it must be isolated and it affects where the vehicle can be taken.
Can I stay in the motorhome while it is recovered?
No. Nobody travels in a vehicle being transported, and that includes the owner. Sort onward travel as part of the call rather than assuming you can ride in the back.
What if the motorhome is where I was going to sleep?
Raise it on the call. Where the vehicle goes overnight is worth thinking about at the point of recovery rather than afterwards – some sites allow occupancy and most garages do not, and that is far easier to arrange before the vehicle is dropped than after.
Are low bridges really a problem?
Yes, and more than owners expect. Many rural routes around the Peak District have bridges under three metres, and a motorhome recovery vehicle is taller again with the vehicle loaded. It affects the route in and the route out, which is why the location matters so much.
Can you recover a motorhome from a campsite?
Usually, but access decides it. Soft ground after rain, narrow pitches, low branches and tight turns all matter more than distance. Describe the pitch and the site entrance when you call.
Motorhome stopped in South Yorkshire?
Tell us the weight and the access first. 07867 860723 — 24 hours a day.
