Exact Dimensions of Berkshire

Joker · 03-29-2011, 01:27 PM

I am trying to determine if I can modify an existing barn on my property to house a Berkshire 390BH, which I don't actually own yet.
I need to know the exact width including mirrors, if the mirrors can fold and if so, how much does that cut off of the width. Also, I need to know the height with airbags inflated and deflated and if I can drive a short distance (into a barn) with the airbags deflated.
It would also be very helpful to know the height of the roof not including the a/c units and the position (assuming its midline) and height and width of the a/c units as I have to clear some trusses once inside the barn.
Does anyone know where I can get this info?

tncruiser · 03-29-2011, 01:39 PM

i cant help to much as my unit is a gasser,101.5 wide tried to enter the oil change place door opening measured 106 in (i held the tape so i knew this to be true) would not fit and mirrors dont fold in .good luck on your berkshire i admire those rigs but my rig is the biggest i can store at home as we live on a dead end road and turning around would not happen, and we like our MH and would not give up our woods and lake view, before we bought ours we brought it home and tried its snoozing place

brianj

wnytaxman · 03-29-2011, 05:08 PM

The mirrors on the Berkshire do not fold in. They would have to be removed. The rig itself is billed out at 102", which would be the maximum legal width in most states. I haven't measured mine, but a good guess is that the mirrors would add at least six inches on each side. We had it stored in a garage with a 10' wide door. When we put the unit in we had to go in at an angle due to the location of the storage unit. We did fit, but it was really tight.

AB6FC · 03-30-2011, 01:05 PM

The mirrors can come in if you losen the adjusting bolt on the top(accessed from the top) of the arm

wnytaxman · 03-30-2011, 02:36 PM

One other factor to keep in mind is even if you take off the mirrors, you still have the slide toppers which stick out several inches on both sides. If you were trying to put the rig through a 9' opening, it will be very tight.

tmmar · 03-30-2011, 04:37 PM

On my coach, the mirrors can be folded in if you loosten the 2 set screws that are under plastic caps on each of the mirrors. One screw is for the mirror head and one for the mirror's arm.

Joker · 03-30-2011, 05:35 PM

All good info. Thanks to all. The existing space between columns on the end os my barn is 10' on center of 3- 2x6s, so the doorway opening could be up to about 9.5' without moving the columns. Unfortunately, my approach angle will be at a slight angle due to a small hill about 25' in front of the end of the barn. So I'll likely need to move the columns outward and get probably 11.5' of opening. I'll also probably have to cut out a small portion of that hill to be able to make that turn.

I have a bigger problem with clearance of the existing truss structure which would hit at about the 12' mark. The published height is 12'5" but does anyone know if the published height is with the chassis airbags inflated? Also, is it possible to dump the air from the bags and drive about 50'. I'm thinking the published height is with the bags inflated while you are driving down the road and I may be able to fit if I deflate...

tmmar · 03-30-2011, 05:42 PM

I have found that the wheels will rub the inside of the wheel wells if you drive with the air bags not fully inflated. I found this out when I was leaving a campground and I retracted the levelers. They did not fully retract and the air bags did not fully inflate and the wheels rubbed when I started moving. Not a good idea to try to drive the coach without the airbags being fully inflated - IMHO.

jcts43 · 03-30-2011, 06:03 PM

I am in the same boat you are in. My building as way to small to put a 378 under. So yesterdy and today, we tore the building down. I am having a truss engineer come in on Monday. I will let him figure out all the clearence, and build the trusses. Then we will put it up. Maybe we can get it up before the MH gets here. It has been a month since we ordered it.

wnytaxman · 03-30-2011, 06:44 PM

If you have clearance issues and the hill issue, could you actually lower the floor rather than raise the roof or demolish the building. I wouldn't try to drive the unit into the barn with the airbags deflated. When you start the rig you have to wait for the air tanks to fill sufficiently for the air brakes to work. It could get ugly if the rig raises while you are in the barn.

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