Foretravel Owners' Forum

The more DW and I look at Foretravels the better they look to us.

We've pretty well decided that any coach we have must be a wide-body one. If I'm reading things correctly, those started in the early 90's, and by the mid-90's all were 8.5' wide. Correct?

I looked up the information on Barry's site for three models, the 1993 U-280, 1993 U-300, and 1995 U-240. All are wide-body, and all use different engines. Why?

The 36' coaches all seem to have the same floorplans, as do the 40' coaches. I'm assuming, then, that the empty weights will be similar for all the 36' coaches and all of the 40' coaches. The gross weight, though, varies from 24,000 pounds to 30,000 pounds. While adding 6,000 pounds to the GW is going to add some to the EW, it shouldn't be a huge difference, should it?

What is the empty weight of a Foretravel from this era?

For full-time use, should we be looking at a 40' U-300, or would a U-280 work well enough? We haven't decided on a toad yet, but DW really likes a Smart Car.

Thanks for all of the good advice.

Here is a list of Vehicle weights & Capacities
beamalarm.com/Documents/foretravel_vehicle_weight.html

beamalarm.com/Documents/foretravel_capacities.html

IIRC, the model number in those years is indicative of the GVWR.  A U240 is 24,000 lbs GVWR, U280 is 28,000, and U300 is 30,000.  The differences in GVWR might drive the need for different engines.

Michelle

David,
Since you're determined not to full-time in your mpg tagalong, I suppose a Foretravel would be a good choice... ;)
 
In the Grandvilla (Unihome) models I am partial to the U280 & U300.  Great engines & transmissions and plenty of cargo capacity, air bag suspensions & leveling, etc.  These earlier FT's are great if you plan to fulltime in more moderate climates as these do not have dual pane windows and no-duct A/C heat strips.  But, these do have two propane heaters to keep warm when the cooler days arrive.
 
Consider the newer model years starting with the 1997's (these would be all Unicoaches) which have dual pane windows and ducted A/C's with heat strips.
 
Good luck on your search.  Sometimes it can take up to two years to find the right coach.

There apparently was also options that prospective owners could choose. I believe I remember hearing of 93, U300's with a Cummins and maybe even a Cat engine. Most I think had Detroit 6V92, 350hp. In earlier years they also used the Detroit with a 300 hp engine and probably others.

I personally think for full time use you would be happiest with a 40', U280 or U300 due to the additional storage and additional tank capacities available. I could be wrong but I think the U240's had a shorter overall height and shorter bay height.

Peter makes a good point regarding the dual pane windows. My 93 has had the windows replaced with dual pane. They do make a big difference. Cost is between $3500 and $5000 as I recall.

I think the 95 U300 had a Cat engine and the 96 U300 had the M11 Cummins.

David,

Have a look at What led you to buy your first Foretravel (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=10661.0).

My narrative about how we got our first Foretravel is early in the thread. Other folk share their experiences as well. You might be interested in the stories.

Our first coach was a 1997 37' popular model DP with Cummins Engine, Allison 6-speed transmission, no slides. Our current coach is a 1997 36' Foretravel U295 with Cummins Engine, Allison 6-speed transmission, no slides. The descriptions are similar. The coaches are different in many ways. I keep looking at other coaches and remain very pleased with our current machine.

People have different budgets and requirements. Best wishes for a successful search for what is right for you.

David,

There are several floorplans available. View at: Foretravel Specifications, Floor Plans, Photos & Brochures by Year (https://wiki.foreforums.com/doku.php?id=through_the_years:specs)

If you live in the west, the more power you have, the better. In the mountains at high altitude I am always wishing for another 100 hp or so. At lower altitudes, stock power is fine. A nine liter Detroit Diesel won't even think about keeping up with the 14 liter 18 wheelers in the hills. Won't use as much fuel either.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks, everyone. I just checked NADA, and a 97 40' is a bit out of our price range right now, so maybe in a couple of years it will be affordable. The picture on the spec page makes it look like any other DP. I'm getting to like the looks of the Grand Villa body, but I think DW may prefer this. As long as momma's happy....

David,

NADA estimates are not realistic, more like wishing prices. Check Ebay, Craigslist, others for asking prices and then selling prices. I printed out the ads and called later to find out what they sold for.

I just looked at a '94 40 foot American Heritage in Sacramento. Not a bad coach for a SOB. Excellent shape with fairly low miles and asking $26K.  Takes a while to get the feel for what a coach should sell for. Took me almost two years to get it all dialed in and find the one I wanted so do your research, read the forum and don't hesitate to ask for sellers to send photos. I found that if they could not get it together to send excellent photos, they could not get it together to do the scheduled maintenance.

curious about what sob stands for in rv talk

Some Other Brand  ;)