Foretravel vs Newell

Topic: Foretravel vs Newell (Read 4957 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #25 – September 25, 2016, 08:42:14 am

All foretravel walls, floors, compartment dividers, compartment floors and roofs are pre assembled from vacuum bonded insulated assemblies.

Then bolted together. Some have had bottom assemblies rust here. Part was unboltable and replaceable.

The steel framing is 1 1/2" 18 gauge. Welded.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #26 – September 25, 2016, 10:54:50 am

Let me suggest we keep the discussion on Foretravel vs Newell.

Thanks.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #27 – September 25, 2016, 11:16:24 am

Apologies to Brett.
If I were considering Foretravel vs Newell the construction techniques would be paramount to my decision. I suppose I should have searched elsewhere for that information.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #28 – September 25, 2016, 11:28:27 am

I have owned both, a 02 Forethravel 40' and now a 99 Newell 45' two slides for the past three and a half years. I also have lived in Nacogdoches for the past 20 years. I have owned six motorhomes in my lifetime. The Newell has been my favorite. Some of the reasons is it is all electric, it is well built, it has both 12 volt and 110 volt air compressor, water pump and the AH has both 1600 watt and 4500 watt heating element. Where foretravel's AH has only an 1600 watt element, and the Newell drives like a car and is very quiet, and once parked it is great to live in. I like having the 160 gal. fresh water tank and really like have only one waste tank which also holds 160 gallons and has air dump valves. I like that both the AH and the generator exhausts from the roof and not ground level. I do most of my own service and with the expert help from the Newell Gurus I have had very few problems I can't handle. When I take it to the factory in OK. I have nothing but good things to say about them and their 24/7 service call line.

Now for the downside. Newell's are large, tall, and heavy. My 99 weights right at 48,000 lbs with full fuel and 1/4 water. My 02 Foretravel about 15,000 lbs less. My Newell is about 13' tall and the 02 was 11.6'. If you are over 6'3" tall, this era Foretravel is not for you because the inside is low. Newell's have independent front suspension which turns sharper than an straight axle but that does not mean the rear wheels will follow the same footprint. One learns real fast they don't. One also has to find parks that are able to park extra large motor homes and then walk and check out your spot before driving to it. All this can be stressful for an old man like me. You call a park you have not been to before and tell them what you have, my wife always ask if they can park a tour bus, and most of the time the answer is oh yes. Well the space is 60 foot long but there is no way getting into it because of trees or something else in the way.

I have not covered all of pros or cons but I will say they are both very good coaches and when I do trade for a smaller coach in the future it will be for a Foretravel. I do feel that 40' is the most ideal size motor home.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #29 – September 25, 2016, 11:31:55 am

Quote from: everydayworkman – September 25, 2016, 11:16:24 am

Apologies to Brett.
If I were considering Foretravel vs Newell the construction techniques would be paramount to my decision. I suppose I should have searched elsewhere for that information.

No apology needed. You question was directly on the topic.

My comment was related to a post about service customers at a particular facility which has been deleted.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #30 – September 25, 2016, 12:45:15 pm

Bob & Susan,

RE: "Remember about the no RVIA sticker. No DOH sticker." What are you referring to? Does Newell not have RVIA sticker? Is DOH Dept of Health? What is the relationship between RVIA & DOH? One of my concerns is when we painted, I removed our outside RVIA placard by the door. And wondered who checks for it, like state inspections etc.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #31 – September 25, 2016, 01:01:00 pm

My friend mentioned he had to deal with the RVIA as the Vogue quality control manager.

Electrical, plumbing and many other items must pass their standards and a physical inspection is done and a fee paid to be able to post an RVIA sticker. Keeps everyone honest.

Used to be in California a Department of Housing sticker required that the coach be built to standards.

Allowed the Rv to be tax deductible as a second or primary home and, if memory serves me, if a insurance incident occurred would verify the coach was legally built.

Only coaches I knew of that did not have a RVIA sticker was the older Matt Perlot built safari's.

Matt refused to pay and/or build to industry standards.

Not legal to offer for sale in ca. long ago any house or Rv that did not have a doh sticker.

Had to lock coaches up sometimes until a DOH sticker came to my Foretravel lot.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #32 – September 25, 2016, 01:14:58 pm

Bob,
Does Newell have RIVA and /or DOH?

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #33 – September 25, 2016, 01:33:40 pm

Quote

One of my concerns is when we painted, I removed our outside RVIA placard by the door. And wondered who checks for it, like state inspections etc.

The RVIA sticker is something RVIA sells to manufacturers in order to raise funds for the GoRVing ad campaign and lobbying activities. It's entirely self-certification by the RV manufacturer that they "built to RVIA standards", so there is no official inspection/quality guarantee and there is no documentation of what these "standards" are. Greg Garber covered it quite well in one of his articles RV Industry Death Spiral – Part 6: Associations can influence change | RV...

IIRC, some of the smaller volume manufacturers don't participate in this sticker program. None of the Prevost conversions I've seen have an RVIA sticker. I have never heard of any entity that checks for it, except a few anecdotal reports of RV parks using it to keep out home built units.

Lack of an RVIA sticker would not dissuade me from owning a Newell (or any other well built coach) if in fact they don't participate in the program. Presence of an RVIA sticker would not make me any more or less confident in a coach, especially in your case where paint was involved.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #34 – September 25, 2016, 02:06:32 pm

I moved up from a Safari, which had aluminum and stainless steel sides. Some of the coaches had problems with electrolysis which rotted the metal (think rust), usually from the inside out, creating problems. The front and rear caps were painted fiberglass, as opposed to gel coat. The paint held up much better on the aluminum. The aluminum was lighter than fiberglass, so in that respect, I would expect the Newell to be lighter, assuming same gauge metal. That's about all that I can add, since I know very little about the Newell.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #35 – September 25, 2016, 04:40:20 pm

Interesting that in his article he does state there are standards and that they are not public.

I remember reading them long ago at .Foretravel. Public info then. R values and such

That's why I knew they did exist at one time and my buddy Bill mentioned that he had interfaces with the RVIA long ago at Vogue.

I

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #36 – September 25, 2016, 04:46:14 pm

Regarding corrosion:
I have seen the corrosion on older Newells as well. It happens on the lower portion where the aluminum is fastened to the steel framework. Above floor level they are all aluminum so the corrosion is minimal if at all. Since Newell changed to the 3m adhesive to hold the aluminum to the frame the corrosion is rare. I have also seen delamination on vacuum sealed fiberglass panels used on cheaper RV's. I have not seen a Foretravel with delamination but I must admit that I have not seen very many Foretravel coaches. Is delamination something one should look for on a Foretravel?

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #37 – September 25, 2016, 05:06:07 pm

Quote from: everydayworkman – September 25, 2016, 04:46:14 pm

I have not seen a Foretravel with delamination but I must admit that I have not seen very many Foretravel coaches. Is delamination something one should look for on a Foretravel?

This one does appear to have it, but, geez, how old is it?

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #38 – September 25, 2016, 05:14:51 pm

I used to carry a rubber mallet to appraise "pebbled" aluminum skinned coaches, thump on the walls to show the dry rot wood in the walls and the cancer that the metal had.

Had forgotten that particular reason why I am not an aluminum skin owner among others.

I scrape branches along the sides sometimes in tight campsights.

Paint and metal restrict my options. Still an rv'er I guess.

On non expensive rv's I learned to pay less for non fiberglass, non laminated sidewalls.

Exception was Beaver. Two separate wall sctructures. Painted multi layered exterior skin was free hung over the laminated welded aluminum framed inner wall. Perfectly flat exterior walls in all weather in or out of the sun. Pastel sikkens paint

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #39 – September 25, 2016, 05:22:19 pm

The old FTX had 3m yellow weather striping adhesive to hold the skin on.

Not sure when but I think foretravel changed to a urethane adhesive like the one that bonds wood to rubber.

Most brands ran their sidewalls through a pinch roller to attach the skin.

Too many hours to bag a sidewall up and let the foam adhesive setup for any other other than the high line coaches.

No one made free hung aluminum skinned coaches except when first starting out manufacturing rv's.

Too much flex. Hence the shimmed cabinets next to the sidewall and extra steel down low trying to stop the flex

Building the sidewalls on a complete chassis as you go allows for larger variations in the decks flatness.

Monaco put their sidewall next to the chassis not on top. And put the carpet under the cabinets to stop noises and take up dimensional variations by hiding them under the carpet.

No gimp molding visible at the cabinet/ceiling joint that way

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #40 – September 25, 2016, 07:11:55 pm

As a buddy of mine says - there is a butt for every seat. Mine just happens fit a Foretravel seat the best.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #41 – September 27, 2016, 06:39:32 am

Quote from: wolfe10 – September 25, 2016, 10:54:50 am

Let me suggest we keep the discussion on Foretravel vs Newell.

Thanks.

Yes, please.

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #42 – September 27, 2016, 09:22:45 am

Quote from: Grandpa – September 24, 2016, 01:47:43 am

I'm still investigating DP's and have found that in 100k - 200k price range I can buy an older model Newell in the same price range as a later model Foretravel. Which would be the better deal? I'm not famiar enough with either brands to make an intelligent choice. Are maintenance costs more extreme on one over the other? I think I would want a lifting tag axle and I'm not sure Newell offers it. Would anyone like to give an opinion or possibly some advice? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

If you can spare the time (and expense), take a trip to Motor Homes of Texas to look at, and walk through, both a used Foretravel and a used Newell. Test drive them. Run the systems.

When I was there I walked through several of each and noticed things that you won't see in photos, and with other people describing it.

As others said, the Newells are more complicated coaches.

For example, some Newells can have have duplicate or triplicate control centers: one above the driver area, one in the living area, and a few in the bedroom area. That's a lot of wiring, and information to process!

Newells can have steering trim systems that help you dial in the steering if there are cross winds, etc. A really neat feature, but also an additional system that could need work.

The interior design of each is aimed at very different customers. You have to see them in person to get a feel of what you like. To me, Foretravel builds interiors that you could find in a lot of people's home. The interior ceilings in Foretravels are lower. Newell builds interiors that have taller interior ceilings, are shiny inside (almost all the interior surfaces reflect light), and..., well, you just gotta walk through a few because they can be very different.

The used Newells that I looked at were priced close to used Foretravels but the Newells were heavily used and needed much more cosmetic work both inside and out than the Foretravels of the same price. The used prices of each brand may be close, but this is where you need to physically walk around each and look at them with the intent of finding flaws to get an idea of the work (and cost) each will require.

Chris

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #43 – September 28, 2016, 11:46:42 am

Howdy gang,

I have had 4 coaches. the last two are newells. and btw, i really like foretravels, many of my friends have them.

owning a high end coach is a mixed bag of joys. for sure my 2002 newell is way more complicated than my 1990 was. and even newer ones are much more so. i suspect the same for the foretravel. my 90 was a 38 ft no slide. my 02 is 45 ft and 2 slides.

have i ever had to repair my coach on the road? yes. did i do that as much when i had a monaco executive? yes.

i do most of the work myself if possible. any of our coaches get really pricey if you have to pay someone to work on them everytime.

i have not had the many issues that have been listed here. i have had some of them and worked through them. we have a similar forum as this and it is a huge benefit for help and friendship.

my coach was an indy car owners coach and then later was owned by another indy team. it had 190k miles on it when i got it. i have put another 20k on it and it purrs like a kitten. as you can see from my avatar, it is almost all white with stripes and the interior is very light grayish. i also have a 7 1/2' ceiling which i really like as i am a big boy. btw, a nascar driver just sold his newell he had for many years for a new one. race teams in general are not churning coaches as much anymore.

i would be happy in a foretravel if i had one. i would be happy in a prevost if i had one and i am happy in my newell.

just having one of these fantastic machines is a joy. i am headed out on a week long trip tomorrow and i just get a smile on my face thinking about it.

just remember, there is nothing a credit card and your warranty plan (meaning you and your tools) cant fix.....ha

life is good in one of our coaches isnt it?

tom

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #44 – September 28, 2016, 04:34:52 pm

one other thing crossed my mind this morning. it really is NOT Foretravel VS Newell. it is Foretravel OR Newell OR any other high end coach. i am a zealot of well built, high end coaches of any brand. i have a newell and therefore am a zealot for newells. but i appreciate all of them.

forums are a great place to share information and build friendships. my wife and i often say that we were surprised to get a whole new bunch of friends when we got a newell. i can see it is the same with the foretravels.

thanks for the warm welcome to your forum. if any of you pass through the phoenix metro area, give me a shout and stop by.

tom

Re: Foretravel vs Newell

Reply #45 – September 28, 2016, 04:47:55 pm

Quote from: encantotom – September 28, 2016, 04:34:52 pm

forums are a great place to share information and build friendships. my wife and i often say that we were surprised to get a whole new bunch of friends when we got a newell. i can see it is the same with the foretravels.

Welcome Tom and Darlene! And may I extend a "thank you" as one of the many who have taken advantage of your sourcing for the HWH plunger kits!

Michelle (and Steve) - hosts/admins of Foreforums

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