Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Discussions => Topic started by: Brad Metzger (RIP) on October 22, 2013, 08:33:19 pm
Title: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Brad Metzger (RIP) on October 22, 2013, 08:33:19 pm
Have a friend who is or was a died in the wool Monaco guy . Wouldn't even think of any other brand name . We were at the Foretravel dealership in Tenn at the campground together doing the Dolly Wood thing . I talked him into doing a test drive in a Foretravel . Went to the sales floor , spoke to the sales mgr and took a , 36 ft with the 450 Cummins out for a ride . My friend never said a word . Some time later I over heard him on the cellphone telling his buddy that he just drove the" fastest coach he ever heard of . Damn that think was quick ". He didn't know I could hear him talking . I did smile on that one . At this time I had a 1989 U-300 which ran real good but sounded better than it ran . Brad Metzger
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Brad & Christine Slaughter on October 22, 2013, 08:51:19 pm
Something about a Monaco...when I pass one on a hill in the Tehachapis in 5th (Economy). I am driven to press the button to turn off Economy and let it go into 4th and take off. The devil makes me do it.
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: twobus on October 23, 2013, 10:18:11 am
Flash and bling at the forefront with engineering way down the list of priorities was the impression I got with every single one of those I testdrove. The last one I looked at was 5 years newer than ours, rode on springs and stopped with juice, had one (1!) car battery to run the entire house, and a 5.9Cummins with 60 lb injectors, extra boost, and a Gearvendors over/underdrive. Now - the way it rode over freeway expansion joints might have made my codriver carsick, but at least it was painfully, aggravatingly slow :P . My old Georgie Boy with the 6.2 disasterdiesel woulda run away and hid from it. It was nice on the inside but I am glad we passed it by for good ol' Moby.
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Caflashbob on October 23, 2013, 12:56:56 pm
I took the Monaco public tour on Colburg long ago.
As the owners were old friends of mine I could have had a personal,VIP tour but did not went them to see my possible face gestures.
Non precision cut giant oversize pieces of steel crudely welded together. Sides past the floor line versus on top like Foretravel and country coach and beaver.
Not a finesse product.
Bet the old ones are not in high demand? Do they have a site like this? Be interesting as I knew those coaches very well.
After that tour I went to manage my buddies new country coach store. And slept better
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Gary Bouland (RIP) on October 23, 2013, 04:37:26 pm
Over the years at rallies and with Motorhoming friends I have been called on to FIX about everything ( no I Am not an expert, Just available ). I have been amazed at times that SOB's have been assembled in such sloppy ways that I wonder how they survive. Even tho SOB's have the same water heaters, furnaces , refrigerators etc On opening hatches and access doors I have seen all kinds of construction and just plain screwups. Even tho things break and wear on our Foretravels they can be fixed and the flaws are not fatal. One friend with a Winnie had his towed in every trip for the first nine trips, he traded to a Monaco. DUH. One friend was at the dealer so often with warranty jobs that the service manager yelled at him to never come back, and on and on. Even the big ones have their problems. A Beaver that burnt to the ground as the result of a battery cable chafing against the frame. Really don't know what I am saying here except that I find out FT's a lot more reliable and well built than some others. Gary B Oh, and my Son a package car driver for UPS drove mine one time and he still talks about how fast it accelerates compared to his UPS car.
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Brad Metzger (RIP) on October 23, 2013, 05:26:57 pm
When out on the interstate highways in the lumpy part on the country , say like on I-64 at the New River Gorge in West Virginia or in the Rockies , I tend to flex my HP at times .I like to see these big rigs with twin stacks , talking trash on the CB about his big engine while blowing black smoke etc , I ease up beside them listen to what he says he is going to do to that RV that thinks he is going to pass him . As he slows on the pull , I nail it to the floor . Big mouth truck guy goes silent . ;D yep the devil pulls my string at times too . Old don't mean slow , right ? Brad Metzger
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Caflashbob on October 23, 2013, 08:51:56 pm
When out on the interstate highways in the lumpy part on the country , say like on I-64 at the New River Gorge in West Virginia or in the Rockies , I tend to flex my HP at times .I like to see these big rigs with twin stacks , talking trash on the CB about his big engine while blowing black smoke etc , I ease up beside them listen to what he says he is going to do to that RV that thinks he is going to pass him . As he slows on the pull , I nail it to the floor . Big mouth truck guy goes silent . ;D yep the devil pulls my string at times too . Old don't mean slow , right ? Brad Metzger
Weird sort of adult fun is it not? My earliest fun was driving an ored 300 cat on vacation to go skiing in 1988. Up the six percent interstate grades it would finally top out at almost 3,000 rpm and 90 mph. Slowly accelerate. Yes the truckers would ask what the grand villa was running. Not recommended and for sure past the tires speed rating then. I think the 10r22.5's were 85mph rated?
20,000 pounds was the key. 8mpg floored. Pretty good. Ten mpg driving normally.
Basic coach compared to my 97 u320 but fun in the hills.
Bob
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: MR B2 on October 24, 2013, 08:46:05 am
Little white car kept passing and then slowing down in front again, The third time he did it, I was coming up to a long passing lane, So I hoofed it,
It was doing about 70 in third as i passed this little white car, It wasnt all that impressive the build up in third, It was gaining speed, I didnt think I was going to get the run up to get past on the passing lane that was left,
It then clicked into top gear, Hahahaha, It felt like the Turbo had kicked in or some thing, It suddenly got Grunt from some where and started surging forward, I like this, Hahahaha Great Usable Grunt at this speed, WOW,
Passed the little car with a stream of cars following me, It was off the clock by a fair way when I backed it off and pulled back in to the running lane, A 4 X 4 went scorching past me and all the rest backed in behind me,
One thing for Sure, I dont hold up Traffic any where I go, Even up steep Hiways, And I can accelerate up hills,
The Mileage is Phenomenal, Its 3 MPG less than My old V8 Monaro, Thats Aussie Gallons and miles.
I was looking at the Monaco, First, Very Nice, Then I looked at the Grand Villa, It was very nice and then some,
And the way this thing Drives, Incredible, Its like driving a very Big Luxury car,
Its almost the same as driving my Statesman Caprice, Except my Bum is 6 feet off the ground, I can see over every thing, And its BIG BIG BIG,
It accelerates off from the lights like a car, Its stops like a car, Its better on your running gear to let the gear box pull you up tho,
I just love it,
I dont know about in the USA, But it certainly turns heads here, More a Novelty item, Hahahaha, Highly unlikely to spot another one on the road here,
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: Caflashbob on December 11, 2013, 11:38:44 pm
It was doing about 70 in third as i passed this little white car, It wasnt all that impressive the build up in third, It was gaining speed, I didnt think I was going to get the run up to get past on the passing lane that was left,
It then clicked into top gear, Hahahaha, It felt like the Turbo had kicked in or some thing, It suddenly got Grunt from some where and started surging forward, I like this, Hahahaha Great Usable Grunt at this speed, WOW,
My favorite. 60mph in third at 2950 rpm. Almost 90 in fourth. For hours. 10 mpg driving medium nice. 8mpg at 90. Not recommended just what I have personally done long ago.
Bob
Title: Re: One quick coach !!! (NEW)
Post by: PatC on December 12, 2013, 03:42:35 pm
When out on the interstate highways in the lumpy part on the country , say like on I-64 at the New River Gorge in West Virginia or in the Rockies , I tend to flex my HP at times .I like to see these big rigs with twin stacks , talking trash on the CB about his big engine while blowing black smoke etc , I ease up beside them listen to what he says he is going to do to that RV that thinks he is going to pass him . As he slows on the pull , I nail it to the floor . Big mouth truck guy goes silent . ;D yep the devil pulls my string at times too . Old don't mean slow , right ? Brad Metzger
And I actually remember when a turned on 350 Cummins was a big dog, envied by the guys with the 220, 250, and even the 335 Cummins. I was in seventh heaven when I brought a KW cabover with a Formula 290 big cam that I had turned up at that shop (he was brother to the guy who started Pittsburgh Power) down by Cigar City Truck Stop in Tampa. She would pull with the big boys. Today, I get to poke along with my little stock 5.9 Cummins with a four speed! But she does a good job!!!