Hi all,
Very excited about buying a 1999 U320 in wonderful condition. Carol (My Wife) and I are seasoned travelers
and campers with a travel trailer, but this is our first motorhome. Oh my goodness ,so many systems,so much to learn.
We plan on using our Foretravel about 4 months out of the year, the rest of the time in storage with some shorter trips planned. Is there a recognized exercise program that can be used , once a month or bi-weekly to ensure all systems
are up and running when May arrives.
Thanks,
I've seen it said on here to run it once a month 25 miles or so for exercise and run the generator during that time under load... I'm a poor one to answer because mine doesn't get that much.. Mainly answered to welcome you and congratulations... You should and anyone would be proud to have such a coach.. You will learn a lot right here where you are thanks to folks in the know and their willingness to share... Goes without saying the more you use it the better...
Hi Stephen & Carol,
Welcome to Foretravel ownership, and our group. Did you purchase the 99 from MOT. If so, that's a nice looking coach. It seems many owners think an every thirty days or so run will keep the show on the road. Just make sure you get it to operating temps. Be safe and enjoy.
Raymond & Babette
Welcome aboard! We certainly think you'll enjoy your Foretravel. We really enjoy ours, and it's been made much more enjoyable by all of the useful information here!
Thanks for the warm welcome
I bought the U320 privately here in Florida from a wonderful couple who are downsizing.
I will post pics as time permits.
I have the coached stored with no shore power with the dc switch turned off , will the batterries stay up for a month??
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Stephen & Carol
Welcome to the family. You made the right choice for your first motorhome.
Is it outside? Is solar an option? Can you get shore power or put generator on auto start?
Is there a Trik l start installed ?
Hi Tim,
Yes it is stored outside but under cover so the autostart option should work just fine.
Thanks,
Steve
The coach batteries should do fine on Auto-Start, but without a Trik-L-Start the engine battery will not be charged. It might be ok after a month :-\ . Depends on how old it is to begin with.
Congratulations and welcome to the Foretravel family. Don't forget your free first years membership in the motorcade club. Also might want to update your coach data in your signature for others to see when asking any questions in the future. Enjoy the new to you coach. They are a blast.
Mark
Another welcome! By all means ask all of your questions here. All of us have gone through the learning curve. Check the member map to see if there is someone near you who can help. Don't forget to ask the PO if they would be willing to answer some questions.
chassis batteries will discharge unless Boost switch is activated, or a Trik-L-Start has been installed (parasitic loads by engine and Allison CPU's). Â Autostart on generator is my least favorite solution, but better than nothin. Â First choice, long extension cord to any outlet, with separate charger/conditioner for Chassis batteries (trip-l-starts work fine, but basically charge from your house bank to your chassis bank, so there is a need to find a way to keep up the house bank of batteries - on board charger via shore power first choice, solar second choice, and generator autostart third choice.
Batteries are expensive, and are most commonly ruined by being deeply discharged and then being in that state for an extended period of time.
A "carry out" solar panel might be a cost effective solution.......depending on how far it is to the sunshine....
Tim,
Talk about how big (watts) a "carry out" solar panel would need to be.
Doesn't need to be big, just needs to be able to keep up with battery self discharge rate and parasitic loads. Probably 20-25 watt would do the job.
Not my area of expertise, but saw a rig at Nascar this weekend with three panels about 2' x. 3' each, held in tilted position in a PVC frame sitting on ground. Thought it was slick looking
Steve,
If you can't get power to the coach, or Solar, you could disconnect the Negative cable on both the House and the Starting batteries and that should keep from running down the batteries for quite a while. I did that when I had to store mine with no power , before I got solar panels.
Eric