RE: Workhorse vs Ford
I'm mostly pleased with the low cost and ease of maintenance on my V10. I've got the 2nd gen V10, the 2v/310hp with 4 spd trans. I can take it to the local Ford dealer and have a standard oil change done for $25. Every other year I take it to a truck shop and have them do a light truck service on it, and also service the generator.
RE: Awning RECALLS
Do NOT use your cell phone while your awning is unfurling....California will prolly pass a law on that.....just sayin.....:B:B...Dennis
Kinda like the late 70's when we were warned not to fly in DC-10s full of Pintos with Firestone 500 tires on them because you might crash into Three Mile Island, and then get covered with asbestos.
RE: A little scary
First time ever riding in a class A motorhome. I was not the driver. Went from Chicago to Florida and back. I felt so unstable in there---like everything was loosy goosy with a sensation of toppling over. Is this normal for the first few times? and will I get used to it?
Fairly new (to me) owner of our first motorhome here (a 34 foot Damon Challenger on a Ford chassis)
I'm an inexperienced (first time was when we bought it) RV driver and LOML had never sat in an RV.
Needless to say, LOML was quite nervous the first few times... the poor handrests really took a beating. For the first couple of drives I even had that "falling off a cliff" feeling (though I would never tell anyone but LOML and you few-thousand folks)...
...but that feeling has gone away... and LOML has lost that "uncomfortable" feeling (we are working on our RV 3-4 times a week so drive the 2-mile trip from our parking spot to our house quite a bit)
Some of the improvement also came from me getting a little driving experience. Learning what speeds and how to enter/exit turns (especially slow speed turns) and how to massage the accelerator through bumps/over railroad tracks etc and cause the least amount of wallow and swing (I'm quickly learning how to hit both wheels on an obstacle at the same time and accelerate out of the obstacle to minimize sway)
Simply put, give it a little time and if things don't improve I suggest you look into the other solutions presented here by the more experienced drivers/passengers. The advice and wisdom here on the site has been invaluable.
Just my .02
Lawrence
OK, I give up. What does LOML stand for? I assume OML stands for Old Mother-in-Law but I can't guess what the L stands for.
Love of My Life....
RE: A little scary
DW rides/sleeps in the back of our Bounder all the time. Says I seem to find the bumpiest road just when she decides to lay down on the bed. Most the time she sits at the dinette and works, with several computers/monitors set up, a router and wireless card. Haven't thrown anything off the table yet...but then again my Bounder rides real smooth with little side to side motion.
RE: Allegro 36LA? Good and Bad
Don't own the Allegro 36LA yet...but it is at the top of our list for our next motorhome. Waiting now for Tiffin to release the 2014 build sheet so we can see what new options were put on it...hopefully outside entertainment...and maybe a residential fridge?? We were at FMCA's Indy rally last Aug and saw all the rear bath 36 ft center "L" couch motorhomes. Of all the Fleetwoods, Tiffins, Newmars and Monacos...only the Tiffin came on a 24klb chassis...and had a 252 inch wheelbase.
Best price quote I have so far is $109,900 on a $145,000 retail 2013 model from Lazydays.
RE: Are Class As selling anywhere?
We're in the early stages of selling or trading our 2005 Bounder. What I've learned from this forum is that it has to be priced right, and honestly presented.
I owe more on it than it's worth, but have no expectations that someone will come along an bail me out from the financial decisions I made over 8 years ago. I either pull some cash out of an account to cover the difference, or again add negative equity as I trade for my next RV.
I've looked around all the websites that are selling RVs, and think that craigslist might be the best bet. I've had a couple club members sell their RV quickly on craigslist, with a good price and many photos.
RE: Cleaning MAF, 2000, V10,F53
I just cleaned my K&N filter part of my Banks Ram Air system this week-end, and it looked like my MAF sensor was just a thin piece of wire across two contacts in the upper part of the housing.
If you still have some of the K&N filter cleaner, spray it with that, but I would not touch that wire as it seems fragile.
RE: Fleetwood Bounder roof Material
My 2005 Bounder has Alpha Systems' Royal Tuff-Ply TPO roof.
From their website..."as the next generation to EPDM roofing, Alpha Systems introduced Royal Tuff-Ply thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing to the RV industry in 1994. It is another attractive and lightweight alternative to metal roofing. TPO represents the latest advance in plastic technology and will provide many years of performance in products on which it is used.
Tuff-Ply TPO sheeting provides tear and puncture resistance 20 to 50 percent higher than EPDM rubber. The material offers excellent UV protection, will not retain odors and is resistant to rot. Tuff-Ply is easy to clean and resistant to mold, algae, fungus and other biological agents. It is easy to repair through an environmentally friendly heat welding process.
As for the salesman knowing his product, not surprised. I dabbled in RV sales a few years ago, and I had access to all the manufacturer's build sheets, and could readily describe what everything was made of, and how it was made...
RE: Chev 8.1 Vortec specs vs V10 3 valve
Make sure you are driving a MH built on the 2006 F-53 chassis. That is the one with the 3v/362hp V-10 and 5spd trans. I have an 05 Bounder built on an 04 F-53 chassis that has the 2v/310hp V-10 with 4 spd trans.
RE: Replacing carpet with vinyl
My cost a couple summers ago was around $650 to replace the carpet/sheet vinyl with some high end 18in x 18in tiles.
I had 125 sqft to replace from just behind the driver/co-driver seats, to the bedroom sliding door, including the bathroom, but not the super slide.
Paid a friends son $3 a sqft to take up the lod stuff and clean up the floor, ready to lay tile. I bought some contact cement, 100ft of flex moulding, and a new utility knife.
Tile was originally $400, but got for half pice at Home Depot on a close-out sale. Took the guy about 2 days to rip out/prep the floor, and I took about a week to install the new tile.
RE: Advice Needed: Class A for a large family
Newmar makes a 40ft gas MH, Canyon Star 3920, on a 26klb F53 chassis that has an 8x10 garage, and 5500lb carrying capacity. That, in my opinion, would support what a family of 7 traveling around the country would need...
RE: Fleetwood vs Tiffin opinions sought
We spent a lot of time at the FMCA Indy rally last Aug looking at 36ft gas motorhomes. The Tiffin Allegro 36LA, Fleetwood Bounder 35E, Newmar Canyon Star 3610 and Winnebago Vista 35F all had the center lounge, rear bath/half bath, full body paint and 22.5 in tires that we wanted in our next MH. Also want the table/chairs, king bed, 4 door fridge and outdoor TV options. We priced all four, and with the options we wanted (if available) were all about $145-148K. All were on the F53 chassis, but only the Tiffin had a 24klb chassis, all the others were 22klbs, plus the Tiffin wheel base was 252in, and the others were 228 to 234in.
A quick call to Lazy Days after we returned turned up a couple 36LAs that we were interested in...both were around $148K. I was quickly quoted a $109K sales price...with no trade.
RE: Internet sevice options
We're using a Verizion 4G LTE Aircard, plugged into a Cradlepoint cellular router. The aircard is $50 a month for 5GB, and the original purchase price of the Cradlepoint was $80 on Amazon.com. The cradlepoint will create a secure wireless "hot-spot" for a 300ft radius, and has 4 CAT 5 connection ports. This way, DW can hook up her US ARMY provided PC via a cable connection (as required for security purposes), and use her personal laptop wirelessly (or also via a cable), to process the data. Meanwhie, I can sit inside or outside on my Kindle or laptop with a wireless connection. If we get to a place where the signal strength is less than optimal, I have a 15db gain antenna that hooks into the aircard, and sits on the motorhome's roof.
RE: Class A Gas Rigs - Georgetown/Winnebago/Bounder etc?
We've had the Bounder now for 8 years and 30k miles. No problems with the Bounder part, but have replaced an Atwood electric jack, a Coleman roof AC, the cooling unit on our Dometic NDR 1292 fridge, and the WFCO 120v/12v converter. The original Trojan house batteries lasted 7 years, and were replaced with Interstates. We have upgraded both TVs to LCDs, replaced the carpet/sheet vinyl with a high end vinyl tile product, replaced the original 7 year old Goodyear G670s with Firestone FS550s last summer, and got one of those nice leather recliners.
Have never been disappointed with the Bounder, it always starts and goes down the road when I want it to. It will carry all I want, tow my HHR and still get 7 mpg. When the time comes to buy our next motorhome, I'll definately look at a Bounder, if they have a floorplan DW likes.
RE: How Much?
Looked at the Adventurer 37F floorplan last year at FMCA Indy rally. Was around $178K with most options. 24Klb chassis was best selling point, but DW didn't like the front slide encroaching in the patio area.
Also looked at the Tiffin, Bounder and Newmar 36ft floorplan models with rear bath and center lounge, and no front curbside slide. These were all priced at about $148K with most options.
After Indy, I called down to Lazydays to get a price on a 2013 Tiffin Allegro 36LA, which DW liked best, and the lady came down to $109,900 from $148,500 (26%) just like that.
But...we plan on waiting on the 2014 model, since the Tiffin Rep at Indy said the Allegro line was getting an exterior entertainment center and residential fridge for 2014.
RE: Will furnture move around?
It probably won't move too much while under way. The only reason I think, to bolt down is in the case of an accident. you don't want a lazyboy flying through the coach.
Jonny
Doesn't really matter, It will fly past you at the same rate as the rest of the rv. :E
...and get to the scene of the accident just before you do...:):)
RE: Chevy vs. Ford
In the years that you are looking at, it probably makes little difference. Earlier years in Ford are less desirable due to less HP and some spark plug issues. You do have to be careful with the year Ford, as notoriously the chassis year is older than the coach year, so you could be getting the older version V10 that is not as desirable. Also those older Ford years tended to have a harsh ride. 2005 was the model year change over to the 3 valve Ford, so if you look at Ford, you want to be 2005 CHASSIS model year.
GM was about the same for all years of the 8.1, but later years switched to the 6 speed trans.
I think that 2006 was the F53 chassis change to the 362hp 30v V-10 and 5 spd trans. I have a 2005 Bounder that was built on a 2004 F53 chassis with the 310hp 20v V-10 and 4 spd trans. Was told by a Fleetwood rep at an RV show a couple weeks after I bought my Bounder in Jan 05 that if I had waited until after 01 July 2005, I could have bought a 2006 model with the new V-10, 5 spd trans, and 22.5 in tires.
RE: Help with 2 models
Darn..I thought this was about Victoria's Secret...:(....Dennis
Go with the Winnie over the GS.
Dennis...incorrigible...as usual...:):):)
