nwgs motorhome addiction and therapy thread

So I'm new to this. Is FRP a much poorer construction?

I've been comparing the Bluebirds to the Foretravel. I really like the looks and interiors of the Foretravels. But are the Bluebirds a better coach, and all steel construction?

Can you direct me to a good forum on these topics?

Many thanks.

FRP isn't as sturdy and can delaminate. Once water gets inside the layers the wood paneling (assuming they used wood sheets, which is common in boat construction) can deteriorate quickly.

Steel is sturdier. There are plenty of stories of Wanderlodge owners surviving crashes, hurricanes, and fallen trees that would have seriously damaged or destroyed a lessor motorhome.

With all of that said Wanderlodge was about the last holdout for steel construction and there is a reason for that - steel is hugely heavy, and you get a vehicle with relatively poor fuel mileage (expect about 4.5 mph for a PT series Wanderlodge and maybe 8-9 for a Forward Control). That, and as slideouts became popular the extra weight was just unmanageable.

So you pays your money and you takes your choices. Foretravels have a reputation for being a really nice FRP build but you probably want to look at the individual unit before any money changes hands.

Ditto with Wanderlodges - that steel body usually holds up well but sometimes everything else has been neglected.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

4.5 MPH????.....WOW!! :eek1


I figured that if you drove that slowly, you'd get much higher FUEL MILEAGE!!

(fixed for yas)

The voice of experience. I had a PT-40 with a 6V92 Detroit Diesel. You might get 5mpg. I did get a little over 5 once between McAllen, TX and Houston but that road is board flat and there was a stiff tail wind.

Foretravel built some 40 footers with the same 6V92. I have never heard much about them, but when you compare Forward Control Wanderlodges with a mid-sized CAT and a Foretravel with the same engine the Foretravel seems to get 1.5 to 2 mpg better.

The Wanderlodges with a 6V92 have a 5 speed transmission with an overdrive top gear. I never felt comfortable running over 65 because of handling, stopping, and tire issues (that weight thing again) and tended to keep the speeds down around 55-60. It shifts into overdrive somewhere around 52mph so you don't have much to work with, especially if you have to climb hills. Most of my miles were around Florida and coastal Texas so hill climbing was not an issue.

In hindsight the Wanderlodges with an 8V92 and a 4 speed automatic seem to get comparable mileage, so there are all sorts of quirks with these things when talking about fuel mileage. You would think that more horsepower would equate to more fuel burn but in a Wanderlodge that is not the case.

I loved my Wanderlodge but the people that stole it probably did me a favor. My new-to-me diesel Class 5 truck has been returning about 20mpg unloaded, which is significantly more than the previous owner told me to expect. Then again, on these country roads I seldom run faster than the top of the fuel efficiency range according to the tach, and that's 45-50mph.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I just ran across this! I looked at that Brave you have pictured, but bought this one down in Santa Cruz a couple weeks later. That one was a 318, but the main issue was the rear bathroom so you have no rear windows. Ours (Petunia) has a rear bed with windows all around and Front bed over the drivers seat, 413, only 40,000 miles when we got it. Put a new carb, fuel pump, shocks, lights, air horn, and quite a few other things.

Custom 80/20 roof rack and front light bar! Cost about as much as Petunia did!

That is a nice looking little Brave!

Our RV has nice big windows and the rear bedroom has glass on both sides and the rear...really nice to visit a scenic area and be able to enjoy the view. Dark tinted glass prevents folks outside from doing the same...

Enjoy!

Hey Sundog, can you elaborate on the bike rack shown here?? Does it plug into the receiver, or is it mounted to the frame somehow? Any issues with stability of the bike on the rack, and does it affect stability or steering of the coach?

Any pics of the rack and how it mounts would be cool!

smokie asked about a Foretravel info source. I would suggest 'Foreform' search on Google. A huge wealth of info, plus in the links go to Barry Beam's info on spec.s.

He has listed every year's specs, and floorplans.

I looked hard at Wanderlodge, and bought a Foretravel. Do a search in this thread, lots has been said. Or PM me for more. But I bought 10 year newer, 10k lighter, for more than $10K less and get better mph. After two years, 100 nights, 4500 miles, we are very happy.

Anyone interested in establishing an RV park for motorcyclists and assorted likeminded misfits? Some place in South Texas near the border?

Just got off the phone with a realtor and he seems to have some things where the numbers make sense and they are within 10 minutes of a border town. If I am not back to work by Tuesday I think that I'll ride down and take a look.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

It is a two bike rack with only one bike on it there. Plugs into a pretty beefy 2 inch receiver that is welded in and is very solid and stable. You know it is there, but does not really change the driving much, which I would not classify as "Sports car like" to begin with. Only other picture I have right now is with some BM gear loaded on a cheap luggage rack, not the bike rack. Only issue I have with it is the overhang, which you can see from the luggage rack to some degree even though it actually comes up a significant amount, rather than straight out like the bike rack. Sort of a bad combination with the short wheelbase (I can U-Turn Petunia in the street!!). Pretty big overhang on the RV itself, then the hitch is actually mounted somewhat low, then the rack itself sticks straight out and overhangs even more. Makes for some serious scraping even on small grades or driveways. I have a bike trailer that I also tow, so I go back and forth which which one I like better.

Sundog, have you ever had 2 bikes on that back rack?

Thanks, Murf

No, when that happens, I bring my trailer, but I don't think it would be a problem if I wanted to. The actual length does not change, you just bolt a second cross rail to it, so from the only issue I have with it, it does not change anything. Weight (unfortunately) really does not make much of a difference.

Petunia

Took a couple pictures. Trailer is hooked up as I just got back from DV. You can see how low the Hitch is, but on the positive side, it is one big piece of steel, so dragging it is a non-issue. Dragging the carrier when it sticks 4 or more feet further out IS an issue! You can see some of the scraps on it (rust areas). It is worse than it looks.

If you look at the carrier, you can see how long it is. The second cross pieces just goes on and the bikes sit pretty close.

Porky's GF

Thought I'd make three comments:

The MC carrier in #3206 is a Versa-Haul...I got one and love it. Carries our KLR (450#+) with no issues. I was lucky and got it used off Craigslist for a good price. A nice feature is the anti-rattle/tilt bracket that tightens the rack up to the hitch receiver. Also comes with a great loading ramp which is securely on the rack and good tiedown brackets.

A lot of motorhomes have rear receiver trailer hitches...look carefully at how the receiver is mounted (typically to the bumper) and what the bumper is mounted to...often can be fairly light "frame extensions" added by the MH maker from the OEM chassis frame. If you going to add a hitch carrier...especially carrying a somewhat heavy bike (say over 250#)...the motion and leverage of the bike rack is substantial...especially if going off pavement. Reinforce the mount and chassis as needed. Inspect before use for a MC rack and seasonally. Many I've seen I consider fine for light/moderate trailering...but "MC racking" puts a lot more stress on the receiver than some were designed for IMO.

If your going off pavement...typical MC tie down straps have open hooks for mounting to the tie down points. Either close those hooks up a bit or add some type of retainer (like flex ties) to keep the hook from bouncing off the eye when your bouncing around off road...the bouncing of the shock/flexibility of the tires may allow the hook out of the eye and that is bad...

IMHO: Might be a disaster waiting to happen.

Not a lot of weld on that reciever! I'd add some welded tabs inside and outside of the channel iron.
Channel iron I see 3 bolts (7/16 ?)... but looks like the channel is welded to more steel... (hopefully yes) ?

If anyone has $750,000 they'd like to give me (in cash, non-reported) I'd really like to buy a brand new Newmar King Aire.



Just sayin'.

I might be able to come up with the $775 for this one. Love the older Braves like shown a bit earlier.

http://tucson.craigslist.org/rvs/3558001854.html

Picture does not show it well, but it is welded in multiple places. I would say the bolts you are looking at are actually just holding the bumper on to the receiver, they are not there to support the hitch in any way. There is a cross bar welded to the back of the frame that it is welded, and from the back of the truck chassis frame, a rectangular piece welded to the frame rail, coming out which the channel is welded to, then the receiver welded to the channel. Can't really see the welds in the picture. While it is not the finest in the world, I'm more concerned about the entire back of the frame (truck body extension) breaking off than the receiver :) Does not happen much, but I guess on the Classic Winnebago site there is a write up or two on some of the Eladin RVs of the rear breaking off with a big trailer. Those have much more overhang than Petunia though.

By the way, a good site for info on older RVs if you are interested. Not very active, but some good info, manuals to download, etc.

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=5b864ac3c515b333db1d15a454acabcd&