We're official!

Topic: We're official! (Read 969 times) previous topic - next topic

We're official!

March 08, 2013, 10:30:16 pm

I'm typing this on Jo Ann's laptop while we sit in our new-to-us 1993 U300. We got to Weatherred's about 3:15 or so this afternoon, took care of paperwork and spent some time with the manuals, then they took us out for dinner. We're spending tonight in the coach, and tomorrow we'll head back home.

Yes, we're excited.

Re: We're official!

Reply #1 – March 08, 2013, 10:35:54 pm

Congratulations David and JoAnn.....it has been a journey for you two since we met you parked at FOT in the mpg. You must now feel you have more space than you can ever use? I am sure this will be a grand new adventure.....good luck and safe travels, Mike and Jackie

Re: We're official!

Reply #2 – March 08, 2013, 11:02:55 pm

Here's wishing safe and fun travels to you!

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Reply #3 – March 09, 2013, 07:25:36 am

Congratulations are definitely in order. Drive safe.

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Reply #4 – March 09, 2013, 07:28:32 am

Have a great trip home. It is a wonderful feeling to have a new coach. Congratulations.

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Reply #5 – March 09, 2013, 07:31:33 am

Welcome, fellow ham! You will enjoy your Foretravel. Best wishes for happy and safe travels...

"Budd", W5BEN

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Reply #6 – March 09, 2013, 09:22:51 am

Let the fun and journeys begin. Enjoy the new coach.

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Reply #7 – March 09, 2013, 09:26:56 am

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
Gary B

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Reply #8 – March 09, 2013, 10:32:33 am

Seems as if you have done your homework and now the fun part starts. Congratulations! Have a great trip home.

Pierce

Re: We're official!

Reply #9 – March 09, 2013, 11:11:25 am

It's been not quite a year since we met at Camp Foretravel when you first pulled-in. Dave Metzger and Dick Shanahan greeted you after you had set up the following day, IIRC. Now you're official and ownership begins. To me this is great as I believe you will be a great custodian of this Foretravel during the coming years. And, hopefully, it will give you many years of pleasurable use. I know you will also leave it in good hands when the time comes.

Congratulations and welcome to the club, Foretraveler!

Re: We're official!

Reply #10 – March 09, 2013, 12:29:24 pm

Congrats David and JoAnn..... You will find the wait and anticipation to be well worth it... Have fun and make great memories in you Foretravel....

Re: We're official!

Reply #11 – March 09, 2013, 01:06:05 pm

Congratulations and welcome to the Foretravel cult (Watch the KoolAid - it's hard to leave

! )

Looking forward to see how you install ham antennas on the rig (long wire for HF?) I haven't tackled that yet.

KD0NIM - King Dog Zero Not In Motion

Re: We're official!

Reply #12 – March 09, 2013, 01:24:36 pm

David,

Congratulations and and enjoy your ride home! Take your time and do your pre trip checks, especially the brakes. Adjust your mirrors if necessary and watch your gauges after your ready to roll. Drive with your jake all the way on and give yourself plenty of stopping distance. After a hundred miles or so when you feel comfortable, practice driving with your cruise control if so inclined. Once you get the feel of the coach on the road you'll find a Foretravel drives like nothing else. I love the sound and power of the Detroit with the Jake. The more you drive it the better you'll like it and after a couple of hundred miles you'll feel like an old pro! I find around 1500 rpms is a good cruising speed for me.

Good luck,

Jerry

Re: We're official!

Reply #13 – March 09, 2013, 07:07:15 pm

Good news......Have a safe tip home.

Mark and Tanya

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Reply #14 – March 09, 2013, 07:42:21 pm

@David, Welcome aboard. Let the fun begin!

see ya
ken

Re: We're official!

Reply #15 – March 09, 2013, 07:52:21 pm

We made it home safely. Several things that don't work, but nothing too serious (I hope). We had planned to drive about 20 miles for fuel as the advertised price there was far less than any other prices we saw (took the same route down and back). However, when we pulled out the turn signals weren't working, so we stopped at the little corner "truck stop" to fiddle. Signals started working, so we decided to get fuel there. Cruise never did work, so I drove the whole 321 miles without it. I think I did use it on the car on the way down so I'd be sure to go fast enough. If it doesn't work I won't really miss it. Couldn't get the retarder/Jake brake to work, either. The monitor worked fine one day and not the next, Odie said, so I'm thinking that there is probably an electrical problem somewhere. I wonder if the cruise and retarder/Jake brake issues might also be electrical in nature. Oh yes, the emergency flashers don't work, either. I'm thinking that I will be spending some time with the dash up checking circuits.

I'll post all of the problems on the tech page, and everyone can give me advice as to what to do.

We did beat the rain, but not by much. Most of the stuff we put into the coach for last night is still in there. Be did bring in the pillows and coffee maker (the important stuff). The rest can wait until tomorrow.

I couldn't get close enough to get plugged in, but I'm hoping that it will be okay overnight.

Thanks for all of the support. Glad I didn't have to call anyone.

Re: We're official!

Reply #16 – March 09, 2013, 08:08:31 pm

Sounds like most of the problems may be from bad ground connections. When you get home remove house Batteries and clean the back side of the terminals, where the cable ends are stacked , this is where I had many problems and had a hard time finding the cause. The post connections were clean but the area where the Inverter and the power out are stacked together had a black ceramic build-up between the flat connectors. Happy Trails with your new coach if I can be of any assistance e-mail or call Gerry.

Re: We're official!

Reply #17 – March 09, 2013, 08:34:32 pm

"When you get home remove house Batteries." Before I do I'm bringing over a couple of the weight lifters from school. Those batteries look HEAVY!

Re: We're official!

Reply #18 – March 09, 2013, 08:45:03 pm

You do not need to "remove" the batteries, they are about 160#, each. You need to remove the cables and clean everything, the posts and the cable ends.

Glad you have the coach in your yard, it is easy to attach problems now, one at a time.

Re: We're official!

Reply #19 – March 09, 2013, 08:48:57 pm

Yup...Clean all battery terminals, coach & chassis battery banks. Also there is a ground bus bar for the 12v circuits somewhere under the dash area (at least in the Unicoach body style...not sure about the GV bodies). Ensure all connections to this ground bar are clean & tight.

The issues you are having are likely from lack of use.

Re: We're official!

Reply #20 – March 10, 2013, 12:32:58 pm

It is not that difficult to remove the batteries (one at a time) if that is what you want to do. I removed mine with hardly any lifting at all and yes I am talking about the 8Ds. Get a milk crate or other suitable platform, adjust the coach height so the bottom of the lower battery is somewhere near even with the top of the platform then slide the thing out. For the top battery double the height of the platform. I removed both of my batteries to clean add water and re wire the compartment and trust me there is no way this weakling can lift 160lbs. I will post photos of my rewriting as soon as I have better Internet service. Incidentally this was not my original idea I met Ron (forgot his last name) at the Lemon rally and he educated me on how weaklings remove 8D batteries.

Roland

Re: We're official!

Reply #21 – March 10, 2013, 11:13:39 pm

While at FOT recently, watch the techs install new house batteries in a coach using same idea as milk crate. The used the forks of a fork truck adjusted to match heights w/coach bay. They were no weaklings but know how to avoid lifting 160#.

Re: We're official!

Reply #22 – March 11, 2013, 12:09:21 am

Darn, here I thought I was getting weak because I could only lift one battery at a time out from under the steps and onto the tailgate of my Sport Trac! My excuse was the bad back and L5 disk!!

No wonde my dad always said I had to hold the dumb end of the tape measure!!

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