Height barriers - Will it? Won't it? How to be certain? 1.98m

[a892374923874]

A local carpark has a barrier signposted 1.98m. According to the manual our T6 Beach is 1.99m to 2.03m.

We did drive up to it to see if there was any margin, and although my wife stood outside to check she said it wasn't that easy to see whether it will fit through before it is too late. (these weren't her exact words!)

What do you do if it looks a bit tight, or the barrier looks damaged?

Anyone fitted anything sacrificial on to the front of the roof to act as a telltale?

Or carried a bit of dowel or similar the same height as the van?

I was thinking of carrying a laser tape measure in the van and to hop out and measure the height of the barrier at both ends and the middle. I'd need to also accurately measure the van height accurately loaded and unloaded.

 

[Loz]

I insist on Mrs Loz standing either well in front to check the gap or standing on the step with the door ajar to be sure.
This was a supposedly 2m carpark.

 

[paradise city]

I have a bit of string tied to a small piece of wood. I hold the tape to the barrier, if the wood swings without touching the ground, I'm good to go

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[mcQ]

I insist on Mrs Loz standing either well in front to check the gap or standing on the step with the door ajar to be sure.
This was a supposedly 2m carpark.
View attachment 63173

a stealthy night on the town was thinking Dublin much cheaper than hotels and safer i guess .

 

[Ocean Spirit]

We did drive up to it, and although my wife stood outside to check she said it wasn't that easy to see whether it will fit through before it is too late. (these weren't her exact words!)

Poetic license...love it.

But I tend to get as close as I can then stand on the drivers door step myself and look. I don't want to present any false security but everything I have had doubts about is usually higher.

 

[s2bear]

I’ve kinda leveraged out the driver door with my foot on the brake and crept under the barrier slowly but it’s the sort of thing that, when it goes wrong, you read about it in the papers and think, ‘what an idiot’.

Another one is have someone stand on the rear bumper step and look forwards down the roof to check.

Now beware this kind of insanity; took my son to a trampolining birthday party for 7 year olds pre lockdown and parked in the venue’s outdoor car park.

When leaving some hours later (seemed like weeks tbh ), I slammed on the anchors at the last second as someone had placed a height restriction over the same entrance I came in through. It was a height restriction made of steel square section that was open (like a gate) when we arrived and some numpty had put it in place with a full car park before we left. Wonder how many folks leaving with roof boxes that fitted perfectly well on the way in, had been caught out.


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[willwander]

We drive up to it...and duck.

Why do they make these things out of box section steel? I never trust the displayed height, especially if there’s a camber.

 

[be1t0n]

Car park next to my office has a 2m barrier. Last year they resurfaced the driveway to the park......it's 2m on one end but not the other. Heading into the carpark i caught the roof slightly. On the way out I was clear. I now have trust issues.

 

[mike5im5]

We drive up to it...and duck.

Why do they make these things out of box section steel? I never trust the displayed height, especially if there’s a camber.

I do this too. My wife tells me that me ducking my head won’t make the van any lower. It does though right? So glad I’m not the only one.

 

[Skylark2.0]

We always walk it when very close to the barrier. Not got caught out often.
Once I drove into a car park and the barrier was on the exit, ir was way to low so I had to go out of the in.....

 

[altvic]

When you have challenged your good sense and driven through the 2m limit toll tunnel A86 Paris by-pass sussing out carpark height limits is a doddle This road tunnel spikes the blood pressure!

 

[dfps]

One thing to be wary of is any change in incline in close proximity to the actual barrier as the front wheels could possibly start to go up any incline before the rear wheels and back of the roof are clear. For cars with a great tolerance between roof and barrier this is no problem.
I know of one barrier that is marked 2m but there is a sharp incline just the other side of the barrier.
With such tight tolerances between roof and barrier I would not risk it.

 

[a892374923874]

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to measure the van height properly as soon as I can find a flat parking surface next to a wall.

The calibrated string seems like a good idea.

 

[Alan Andrews]

Reading this has caused me to measure my Ocean.

With standard Davenport wheels and tyres - it measures 1.99M to the awning.

I have recently fitted a solar kit.

It now measures 2.01M at the highest point.

This is with the boot area packed with all our travel gear - awning, mats, pumps, sleeping covers etc.

I have just printed a label to remind me that I probably need 2.05M clearance to be on the safe side.

 

[larrylamb]

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to measure the van height properly as soon as I can find a flat parking surface next to a wall.

The calibrated string seems like a good idea.

This calibrated string idea, you know things have progressed from this don't you.

 

[Mr T]

This calibrated string idea, you know things have progressed from this don't you.

View attachment 63209

Is this not the device one would use to calibrate the string?

 

[a892374923874]

I've edited my OP. Having now read the manual it says the T6 Beach with popup is 1.99m to 2.03m. So it shouldn't have fitted through, unless they added a bit of margin.

Has anyone measured the height change betwen unloaded and fully loaded?

 

[Eber123]

Good afternoon,

I wanted to be on the save sight and only try to get through barriers with a hight of 2.10m. Especially in car parks it feels even then low (the ceiling seems to be very close).

I parket in a car park in Dublin 2x weeks ago. At the entry it said 2.10m, brillilant. Inside it seems to me that the ceiling was only a few centimeter away. But - inside the car park was an area with nice places, but only in the last minute I saw a sign 2.0 m! How could they have different hights in a car park? And how can't they have prober signs warning drivers?

Happy California,
Eberhard

 

[Nolan]

Just measured mine, seems to be 197cm at the rear and a bit lower at the front.

This is unladen with the standard 16" wheels and the dealer fit lowering springs, hopefully with passengers it would be a tiny bit lower.

 

[Loz]

Another thing to watch out for is a barrier with a stated height that has recently been re-tarmacked and raised the entrance by 40mm!

 

[a892374923874]

This calibrated string idea, you know things have progressed from this don't you.

Ah, but that's just what they'll be expecting. Why spoil the fun, when we can waste an afternoon dreaming up complicated arrangements involving green line lasers!?

 

[a892374923874]

Doing some reading in the archives, is there a definitive answer to where the highest point is on the Van? Is it the awning at the rear, or the middle of the roof? My van is parked on rough sloping ground at the moment unfortunately, so can't measure properly.

 

[Vagophile]

I guess it will depend on a number of factors, total loading and loading distribution being the most critical. You could carry a valve removal tool and a tyre inflator to give a bit of leeway, sort of limbo under.

 

[Loz]

Normally the centre of the rear part of the roof unless you are overloaded at the rear!
If you put a long spirit level across the roof to the awning you'll see that the roof is just a little higher.

 

[Mr T]

In answer to your thread title: How to be certain? - Lower it by 60mm