Foretravel Owners' Forum

Larry and Jan, welcome. We're kinda like the brown water Navy here. Be prepared to look around and peek - it won't be long and you'll have one too.

Have Rudy show you his 95... You will be amazed.

EMCM(SW) retired.

All I know is that the more I read the more I want one. :)

If I were you and lived that close to Nac, you should consider going up there and looking what's on the lot at mot and fot. It's sort of like being a judge in a beauty contest, they all look good. Happy hunting and good luck.

welcome, you will find lots of knowledge here and plenty of friendly folks ready to help. Â Make sure you visit both Motorhomes of Texas and Foretravel while you are up in Nacogdoches - and also make sure to get a factory tour. Â Make some relationships sooner rather than later, so that you see all the coaches that come into FOT and MOT, not just the ones that make it to the web site - a lLOT of inventory is sold before it gets put up on the web.

You won't be disappointed in a FT. Â I have a friend that has a Volvo and high end fiver, with a Subaru. Â Tows it as a triple on the interstate. Â Watching him set up and later get ready to leave made me weary. Â If you don't change camp sites often, that is a pretty interesting option, but a used FT is a great way to go and minimize the depreciation hit.

Welcome Larry and Jan.

Thanks for the welcome aboard. You make a very good point about getting to know the folks involved with Foretravels early so that there is a relationship of sorts already established...this is something we need to start working on.

In that vain...is there a salesperson anyone would recommend?

Howdy Larry and Jan,
    Thank you for your service to our great country and welcome to the Foreforums.  You'll find a wealth of knowledge and great advice here.  Since you're looking at Foretravels you're definitely on the right track.  Good luck and enjoy the search,
Dave and Nancy A

Larry,
Welcome aboard.  You will find most of us inclined to recommend a Foretravel, so understand where we're coming from.

Regardless of the age, a Foretravel is constructed & assembled one-by-one by the same group of folks that have been at it for many years.  The quality and craftsmanship is second to none, except maybe for the ultra-high-end coach converters.  For the price it cannot be beat.  I've owned Forrest (The 1997 Foretravel) for 11 years now (2nd owner) and the unit is still rock solid from the foundation of a custom chassis to the coach works inside.  Does not mean that there is no maintenance involved.

Going from a Fiver to a DP is a style preference, and I believe you understand this.  The Volvo-Fiver combo you mentioned is likely more expensive to maintain than the Foretravel.

Also a last word of wisdom...if yer gonna full-time...have an exit strategy.

Best of luck in your pursuit.

Larry and Jan, just to give the idea of a used Foretravel some perspective, we have been pretty much full timing in a 1993 Foretravel, U300 for over five years. The chassis and power train is in great shape. Ours was completely refurbed at the Foretravel factory in 2009 so it is very luxurious on the inside and now outside. Naturally many of the interior systems, TV's, Convection Oven, Air Conditioners and Furnaces and the  chassis wear items, tires air bags, batteries, brakes pads and shocks have been replaced over 21 years but now we have a million dollar coach for around $50,0000 that will provide reliable living and transportation for another 20 years.

One little tip for evaluating RV's, have your bride sit on the bed while you walk around the coach. Most RV's, even with leveling jacks, will "Rock and Roll" when others move around. Our airbag Foretravel chassis is so solid it barely moves. This not only indicates a quality chassis, it keeps your spouse happy when you get up early or come to bed late.

Keep in mind that RV's have many complicated systems that when they fail become very frustrating. Having a viable manufacturer with intimate knowledge of your coach and one reasonably close to you will be a big benefit.

Larry & Jan,

Many Military types here on the Forum. "Full-Timer" means many things to different people. Biggest challenges we faced was the "stuff", our kids asking us if we're crazy but for us its FUN! Remember whatever coach you decide on make it yours. You will find many, many beautiful modifications described here both DYI and at the mother-ship. All are part of "your journey".

Good Luck, God Bless ^.^d
Oh and remember happy hour starts anytime after 3pm :P

Good luck Walt with your research.

I have been reading about full-timing and rigs since 2004 albeit most of that time it was researching 5th wheels. I am pretty happy that the bell started ringing in my head regarding Foretravels...hopefully we will find something that will be the ideal full-time coach for us.

Very good points Kent...thanks! The more I read about those that have done major rehabs of their FTs the more interested I become. I do know the one big concern for my wife is space. She wants a very nice looking coach but she is not too terrible concerned about glitz and glamour but she does want a decent amount of square footage (read slides) and storage. Somewhere in there may be a compromise between a more affordable, older coach that we can customize to fit us and that has an adequate amount of HP and space/storage.

One thing easily overlooked is that you lose storage when you have slides, a tag axle and an aqua hot. The older coaches without slides hold the most cargo. Everyone has their needs or desires but from our experience the reliability of a coach without slides and Aquahot outweighs the convenience of having them.

You are no doubt correct in the loss of space. As long as I have been studying full-timing including what rig to do it in, the one constant has been that full-timing is full of compromises. No matter what we end up buying it is going to be a huge compromise from our current 4000 sq ft, 3 car garage, pool, garden, etc. I also doubt we will get it exactly right on whatever coach we buy but we have both pretty much agreed that we'll make the best decision we can and then live with it...there will be no longing for some other coach or wishing we went with a fiver instead of a DP or vice versa.

Regarding exit strategy, when we sold our big house we never intended having another hosue. But two years later found the perfect little cabin in the woods so we bought it for part time use and for when our health limits our ability to travel. When we sold the big house we gave away tons of stuff but I am very glad we kept at least some of the basics and my tools in storage. That saved us from having to purchase a lot of new things to replace the things we had just given away. Life changes very rapidly so hedge your bets a little bit.

We probably talk about this more than anything and has led us to occasionally discuss buying a small place with an RVport so that we can have the semblance of a base and also keep some of our stuff. The verdict is still out on this but we would kind of prefer to be unencumbered from property taxes, upkeep on both an RV and a residence, etc. our daughter on the other hand loves the idea.

At FOT we prefer dealing with Tyle Fore and at MOT we prefer Mel Cordray.  Not that the other folks aren't good at what they do, but Tyle and Mel have always been happy to answer questions and never once seemed like we were bothering them (unlike one of the other guys at FOT who once asked if we were "visiting our parents or just kicking tires?" ::)  )

Another welcome, Larry and Jan! It sounds to me like you are on the right track. Once we figured out that, no matter what sort of coach we picked for our full-time coach, something would tow something else we realized that the 5'er we had thought would be right wasn't, and the MH we thought was too expensive to drive was actually cheaper. Generally, a MH is a better choice for people who move frequently, and a towable is a better choice for those who stay put for long periods of time.

Take a look a Foretravel Specifications, Floor Plans, Photos & Brochures by Year (https://wiki.foreforums.com/doku.php?id=through_the_years:specs) for lots of good information. Since there are only so many ways to arrange the interior of a box into living space you can get ideas for floor plans that will work for you by looking at any MH - even one that is a refugee from a junk yard. If the plan seems to work for you check the above site to find the Foretravel that has a similar plan. Remember that different manufacturers may use different standards, so don't assume that all counters are the same height, for example. A common plan has a couch on one side and chairs on the other. It usually doesn't matter which is on which side, but if you find that you have a preference you will know what to look for.

Since you are in the Houston area you can spend a couple of hours at PPL for the floor plan searching. Then on to Nac and look at the Foretravels. FOT generally has the newer coaches and MOT the older ones, but once you have a good idea of what you want you should let both places know and they will watch for you. Also let this group know, as sometimes someone is thinking about trading but hasn't advertised their coach yet.

Enjoy the research and the hunt.

Larry & Jan - Welcome,

I'm a "newbie," basically in your shoes, since we plan to purchase a used FT late next year.  However, I've never contemplated a 5ver, since we've owned Class Cs in the past and simply enjoyed the experience more.  Also, a DP fits what we intend to do in our travels across our great country.  We looked at Newmar, Entegra, and Tiffin and I've done the factory tours.  However, what interests me are the amount of FT still on the road that are early '90s.  That speaks a lot for the durability of a product which, by it's name, is for Recreation.  Although, like you and a number on this site, we'll full-time for awhile (anywhere from 1-5 years), with an exit plan likely in Nashville (daughter is there and, as many know, a great State for Retirement).

Certainly keep us (me) updated on your research and what you find at FOT & MOT since I'll be right behind you.  It is appealing to buy a solid $100K coach and put $50K to reno it, as needed, to make it your own.  Like you, I'm asking lots of questions ...

Plenty of Vets here, but sorry, former Army here, although I've been with the "G" since leaving the Army in '87 and will retire the end of next year to hit the road.

Cheers,
Tim

Hi Larry and Jan, and ditto on all the welcoming comments above.  We are very near you and would be happy to show you our coach sometime if you'd like to see one locally. Just shoot me a PM if you're interested.

Larry & Jan,

Welcome to the best RV forum ever (I belong to three others). We are also searching for a FT, waiting for our ideal coach so that we can begin fulltiming. Good luck with your research.

Jeff and I sold our big house (3000+) and moved into a 300(+/-) '95 with one slide.  Huge bays and no slide.  the items from the house that I just couldn't bear to part with went into climate controlled storage.  I sorted, shifted and tested all the stuff we took with us in the beginning. Once a year we went back to PA to the storage unit and I traded stuff ... purses, kitchen items, etc ... until I got the basics sorted out.  I had taken a LOT of things that I never touched.  I began leaving more and more in the unit.  We went into this '02 coach because I was unhappy with some things about the '95 that I couldn't change with remodeling ... ducted AC, no screen door ... and the '02 happened to come with a slide.  Now that we have lived with a slide, a tag and an Aquahot, we are hugely happy.  We continued to full time and did not feel the need to revisit the storage unit for more than a cursory look when we happened to be in PA visiting grandchildren for another 2 -3 years.  You do NOT need as much as you think.  My criteria is ... How easily can I get this item at a Walmart?  Does it actually pay me to take it along?  I have 2 sets of sheets (one on and one ready to use), nothing in the way of dressy clothes, a few "office supplies" so we can attend to our bills online, my art supplies, Jeff's few tools, our outdoor living room furniture and a small grill.  we used to carry a patio rug ... but we tossed it.  We carried Jeff's "floaty boat" around via a roof rack on the Jeep for the frame and the inflatable pontoons in a big duffel.  Your tow car is your "garage".  We had more than enough room to carry plenty of stuff that we never used.  In the kitchen I have an electric fry pan, a small rice cooker, a blender, a mini-chopper and a toaster.  I have a few pots and pans, but rarely use them. We did just add a small propane burner for use outside. It is nice for boiling corn or cooking bacon.  You do not need as much stuff as you think you do ... and if it something you can find at Costco or Walmart ... leave it!!

As is the case with Lazy Daze motor homes (Class C) and Fortravels, the folks who own them are more like a cult than a forum :-)

And this is a good thing. As you've already discovered ...

best, paul

Thanks for the great information. I can with no doubt say that, although we have changed from wanting a 5th wheel to a DP, we have not changed our minds as to wanting slides. We are not fully convinced that we need to go all out and get quad slides but two or three will be in anything we purchase. We will try to strike some type of balance between interior space, storage, outfitting, price, etc. and hopefully we will come close to getting it right but I am resigned to the fact that no matter how much research we do, until we live it we are only, at best, guessing.

As mentioned earlier, we have been researching and dreaming about full-timing since I first came across the Escapees website in 2004. We have read many, many posts about selling homes, not selling homes, down-sizing, storage facility, no-storage facility, buying a pole barn with full hook-ups, retire early (why wait), work a year or two longer to better prime the retirement pump, you'll love full-timing, it wasn't what we thought it would be and we are leaving the road after X months, etc., etc. I still continue to read all of these posts (and threads) because in just about every single one of them I read something that strikes a cord. One of the things that resonated from your post was the "...can I get this item at a Walmart" comment. There are a lot of space eaters that, as you rightly mention, if you need it bad enough you will figure it out in due time and you can head to your closest Walmart and pick it up. Your comment reminds me of a post I read on someone's full-timing blog that said to never buy anything at Camping World et al until you are on the road full-timing and you discover a definitive need for an item and have id'd the place where you plan to store it...makes a lot of sense to me.

This will get more fun (and more hectic) now that my wife and I are getting very close to decision time instead of just dreaming about something that is still many years in the future.

Very good points Kent...thanks! The more I read about those that have done major rehabs of their FTs the more interested I become. I do know the one big concern for my wife is space. She wants a very nice looking coach but she is not too terrible concerned about glitz and glamour but she does want a decent amount of square footage (read slides) and storage. Somewhere in there may be a compromise between a more affordable, older coach that we can customize to fit us and that has an adequate amount of HP and space/storage.

The 10 year old coaches are an awesome bargain in terms of features and the m11 cummins is an absolute brute with an almost bullet proof transmission.

Almost universally multi time repeat buyers invariable  questions are about the strength of the box and the actual long term build quality.

A very good judge of the ,to me , necessary quality is to walk the roof.  Lots of rv's have no roof ladders.  Why?  You won't like the coach if you walk up there.

Country coach's roof walks well. 

Hard to build a laminated wall fiberglass skin steel framed fifth wheel with insulated floors and compartment floors.  Too heavy.

Absolutely correct. Our 1995 coach has the 400 hp/1350 lb-ft M11 engine and it performs quite well, even on the 7-percent grades on I-64 in Virginia and West Virginia. For us it is the perfect coach, and we really enjoy it!

Hey Bob etc, Michelle asked us not to use long quotes from other members in our posts, and I forget the reason why, but they are the Bosses on this Forum.

Absolutely correct. Our 1995 coach has the 400 hp/1350 lb-ft M11 engine and it performs quite well, even on the 7-percent grades on I-64 in Virginia and West Virginia. For us it is the perfect coach, and we really enjoy it!

It stores the same data mulitple times. It's a lot worse on forums with embedded images (like photos in-line) but still...

The idea is that if you want to quote something someone said, snip it down to the relevant information.  Quoting paragraph upon paragraph (or an entire post, unedited) is poor netiquette.  Even worse is doing so and then adding the equivalent of "me, too" or "and one time, at band camp,..." as the only new content.

Is there an easy way to include multiple quotes in a post, either multiple quotes from the same person or quotes from more than one person?