Several members ask that I post my experience with Foretravel regarding my rear bulkhead repair. The first question that comes up is why did I choose Foretravel over MOT. The entire repair is done in house at Foretravel. That is not true at MOT. MOT removes the bottom skin, insulation, and anything else that needs to be removed for the steel to be cut away and replaced. They then send the coach out to a third party welding shop for the actual repair. I decided to go with Foretravel so that there was only one party involved.
Foretravel started work on the coach Monday 6/13/22 They told me they couldn't give me an estimate until they had the bottom opened up and could examine the steel structure, but that it could run from 50 to 150 hours at $140.00 per hour. Ouch!!! 150 hours equals $21,000. Luckily after the examination the estimate was only 50 hours. Work was completed Wednesday 6/22/22. The labor was 50 hours as estimated and parts were about $800.00. The total bill after the motorcade club member discount was $7,416.00.
I will try to post a picture of the structure that was replaced. The actual employee completing the work was a young man named Carlos. He was great to work with and can work on my coach anytime. I was pleased with the attitude of most eveyone from the service manager, shop manager, and technicians. Yes, one bad apple in the crowd but that can be said about any group.
So all the buyers that were afraid of the coach because of the bulkhead. It's all better now.
Nick Cagle
The parts in yellow were replaced
Congrats Nick. One more thing scratched off the list.
I may have missed the back story. What was trigger that motivated you to getting things repaired.
Any competent small or big town welding shop can make the repair. It's just not rocket science and there is absolutely no need to travel any distance to get it done. Quite a few forum members have done the repair themselves. DIY work by an owner is frequently better than shop work and with the availability of the wire feed welder, metal cutting band saw and ordinary power & hand tools, a first rate repair or any type construction is easily accomplished.
I owned a DOT compliance company that supplied bumper reinforcements and safety door beams to "grey market" car importers and shops. I employed one of the top shipyard welders (one of 6 welders certified to make do the welding on the famous Liberty Ship strap down the side that saved thousands of lives) from WWII and another welder from a Louisiana shipyard. We turned out excellent work from a very small shop. In DOT compliance work, we were able to bring Gucci's Lamborghini Countach S into Federal compliance and have it approved in 7 days from the time we submitted the documentation. This was by far the fastest of any importer/compliance company in the U.S had ever done.
The idea of driving across the country and paying the company that originally designed and manufactured the problem plagued structure seems ludicrous at best.
Pierce
After seeing a few repair shops scratch their heads over some things. I'm extremely pickey about our Foretravel.
I prefer factory work when possible.
And now you know exactly where you stand regarding "the bulkhead issue."
I am fortunate enough to have the equipment, facilities and physical ability to do this sort of repair if needed. If I didn't, I'd definitely consider going to Nac for the repair. Finding someone to do the welding shouldn't be hard, but finding a shop willing to do the whole job might be a different story. If the bottom skin was pulled off and much or all of the floor ended up being bad, I'd rather have people working on it who were familiar with the systems involved. I wouldn't care to manage and pay for the education of the mechanic who was seeing his first Foretravel. Nick ended up not needing extensive repairs (yes, bad enough), but definitely could have. Taking it to FOT where they have the ability and knowledge to do it and do it right is worth something. It's not as if they drove from Georgia to Nac to have their oil changed.
I remember someone asking me if I would go to a foot Doctor to have heart surgery.
NO!! I don't/didn't want someone practicing on me or our vehicle that needed to transport us and keep us safe.
Question: What do you call someone who goes to medical school and graduates at the bottom of their class? Answer: Doctor! And what if he or she is becomes a heart surgeon?
Pierce
Talking about one's own bulkhead is almost taboo around here so kudos to you for getting this taken care of and I'm glad it was relatively inexpensive as far as those repairs go. Thanks for sharing your experience and costs... it's professionally done now and the how doesn't matter.
When I had gone to get new tires I saw the rear rotor was torn up from worn out pads. I had no clue they were gone. I check around Houston and found a place that said they could do them. Week later I called and asked if they were done yet. There answer was NO, and come and pick up coach. We did not have the equipment to do it.
Searched around found a guy that was recommended that said he could do brake job. Took it to him and he said he had it fixed. Went on trip and front brake was dragging and overheating. Stopped at shop on trip and they checked it out and said no problem. Keep having problem with brakes dragging and overheating. I was told take it to someone that works on fire trucks. Found a place in Houston that worked on Houston Fire Department truck brakes and had then work on them. The said they were use to working on the type of disc brakes that was on coach. Turned out after still having problem and taking back to them they had no idea about the special grease that was required. The also told me I needed a complete new brake assembly to the tune of a couple coach bucks. I told them thank you and went to MOT. $800.00 later they told me there was the wrong grease, slide pins were bad and needed replacing and not one brake was adjusted correctly. After leaving MOT I did not have any more brake problems.
Sounds like the first place mentioned "equipment" was common sense and they did'nt have any,anyone with decent mechanical
ability and the tools can work on these brakes,will be working on journey and roams brakes at the end of July,lookers and gophers welcome.
Pierce, I certainly understand taking it to nacogdoches if you want the job done correctly at the factory. While I do get your meaning about driving halfway across the country for minor repairs, some people just feel more comfortable having it done there. My experience in the several years that I've been on the road and almost 5 years that I've owned this coach is that while many companies may be able to do it, finding somebody that's willing to do it is a different story. Story. For a major repair like a bulkhead, and someone not wanting to do the work themselves, going that a factory is probably one of the better choices in my opinion.
I used to say that I would never do the brakes myself, but after my experience with trying to find somebody that would to the job and do it properly instead of just wanting to replace parts, led me to do it myself. While the jury is still out on this job as I haven't even started it yet, I have more confidence in my ability then somebody that I don't know. When a company says we don't usually work on those, believe them and move on. At least that's been my experience.
None of this stuff is rocket science. And there are enough people out there willing to help out and give suggestions and part numbers. Although you really do have to be careful about the part number part. Just because somebody has the same coach as you. A few build numbers away doesn't mean the parts are going to be the same as I found out with the air dryer and the type of air compressor on my Cummins.
For people that have deep pockets going to the factory is reasonable. For people like me that decided to retire at 62 and does not want to go back to work. Unless I absolutely have to, I'd rather do the work myself. And I certainly appreciate. John 44 AKA David, for his offer to let me stop by and do the work there.
It's why this community is such a good place. And why I own a foretravel.
Amen and + 1.
Where is John located Bob? If he is close by, I would be willing to lend help, tools, etc. Always willing to learn something new each and every day!
Oops, see he is in TN, will see how close this is too us!
Maybe, I should explain why I took the coach 875 miles for this repair. It certainly was not because I could burn $1500.00 worth of fuel and spend 9 nights in a hotel at over $100.00 per night. I live in Augusta, GA and there is not a lot of RV repair shops in the area. Places that sell RV's and parts-Yes. Places that do collision repairs not so much. There is one shop in Lexington, SC that does RV collision repairs. That is about 80 miles away for me. I took the coach to them for an estimate and was told the repair would be $7,500.00 to $10,000.00. When I asked if they had ever worked on a Foretravel I was told NO BUT THEY ARE ABOUT ALL THE SAME. I made the decision that if I was going to spend that much money it would be with someone that had done it before. It was not their first rodeo. Hence forth the trip to Foretravel
Nick Cagle
There are a lot of welders that can more than do the welding. But you have got to be able, and have the necessary resources for the rest or the job. R&R the fiberglass, support the tanks, replace insulation, then seal everything up. At least when you go to Nac we hope we are not paying for the learning curve.
I was there when Nick's coach was pulled into the shop . I saw what was involved , and the fact that tech was on his back reaching up day after day . And the debris he removed . Lots of grinding , scraping and other power tools all day long . Even at a younger age , --I would not want that job . The tech told me that he has seen some worse than this but no complaints about the work. Where else could you go and get it done better ?? knowing the tech had the back up of the guys that probably built that coach . I view that job as a bargain $$$$$ and all .
Brad Metzger
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sometimes it's just best to let the professionals do it and be done. That being said. It's unfortunate that sometimes shops say they are professionals but really aren't.
We had MOT do our bulkheads last year. We generally plan to visit Nac once a year for whatever is on the list at the time. I've been to FOT, MOT, and NMS, and all seem to do good work. We generally have an idea of when we can be in Nac, and just ask each one if we can get in for that work then. First one that says yes gets the work.
Moving from Manchester, NH, 1':10" north of Boston, MA, to Lyons, GA, well after 8 years I've learned to think "I admire their confidence." Bless their hearts.
Just realized I need to replace the muffler in the U225.
"Negotiating" using the U225 to go and pick up a Freon recovery unit.
Installing air conditioning in the Studebaker, and I really wish there was a shop I could trust with evacuation and charging the system. I looked. Truly I tried.
I'd be happy if I could find a shop to do the muffler in the U225 for me.
Some of us could talk you thru the evac and charging.
I am delighted you have it repaired and can get on with enjoying your coach.
First of all, there are very few coach builders that want to work on their RV's once they leave their factory yard, not to mention support them with a steady supply of obsolete equipment!
It is a credit to Foretravel that they support any coach they have ever built, will even update them, it's amazing!
What is also amazing is the percentage of their coaches that are still plying the interstates from one side of the country to the other and still looking like new coaches.
It is a fantastic benefit to have them there and I hope their new coaches at really successful so they continue supporting all or us!
David
I have a great mechanic that handles the brakes. etc and engine on my Coach,
But the rest, I have to do myself, Trial and Error, But I am a Professional, Even if Retired,
I have all the gear and equipment,
There is no one else here that could repair it any way, or charge a fortune and the some what dodgy,
They have never seen one before, So dont have a clue on it anyway,
Would I trust then to do the work, NO,
I have done pretty well so far, The front cap is now rock solid, The steel I installed inside the coach is not that noticeable, But it does work,
But I did get a lot of help from on here over the years I have had my coach,
Its now running like it should, Its fun to drive, I love it,
Cheers Brian,
Somebody built it, somebody can repair it. Other than farming out the ECM I think most decent mechanics should be able to sort out most problems or air them out here and resolve themselves possibly with a little help
Scott
Great comment Pirce, I have found that my rear B/H has been Hodgepodge before I took possession of it and in need of respire. The first thing I have come to grips with, is that the B/H is an entire system, and not one standalone part. the second thing I find and that I can't seem to rap my.... head around is that they tied the rearend to the length of channel running along the bottom of the system that not only supports the rear compartment that hold the very heavy water system, but also keeps the rear axle from moving. I would love to see a photo of the front to rear B/H system only showing the uncovered framework / Scala tour ,
Couple of Don's excellent threads with pictures:
Before, During, After (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=16653.0)
Don starts buttoning her up (split from Re: What did you do to your coach) (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=17450.0)
Chassis construction photos from Don and welding on your FT - Page 2 (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=14530.25)