Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 13, 2025 ...

Intro with questions.....

February 01, 2019, 09:55:08 am

Hello everyone! We are looking at Foretravels for our next RV class A. Currently we are in a 32' 1987 Rockwood. I went and looked at a '82 Foretravel (no outside storage nixed it). Now have a 36' 1992 Grand Villa unihome under the microscope. We are very knowledgeable on mechanical systems (Hubby is a retired Master toolmaker) and electrical/electronics (That would be me and we are both Ham radio). So my question is what to look out for, weak points. It is a Cummings 6 cylinder diesel/Allison. This would be our first diesel. How will we know which chassis?Brakes? Thanks for the help.
Lynn

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Re: Intro with questions.....

Reply #1 – February 01, 2019, 06:35:14 pm

Lynn,

We could use a little more info on the coach you are looking at.

In '92, you could be looking at a U-225 (the 240 would have the Cat engine) which had a 5.9 Cummins engine, a torsilastic suspension, drum/air brakes, and an in house Unihome chassis. This would have short basement doors. During that time frame they also made a  U-280/300 which will have an 8.3 Cummins, air ride suspension, air disc brakes,and an in house Unihome chassis. These would have tall basement doors. 

They also had a few O22C chassis in '92, these were Oshkosh chassis.  These could have a Cummins, air ride suspension, drum/air brakes. These would have short basement doors that open from the top and hinge on the bottom.

So with a little more info will clear the mystery to us.

Mike

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Re: Intro with questions.....

Reply #2 – February 01, 2019, 06:43:24 pm

Welcome, Lynn. You've come to the right place to learn all things Foretravel.

Back then, Foretravel had four models available, each with a different engine/transmission combination. They are the U225, U240, U280, and U300. In each case you add two zeros to get the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, so a U225 has a GVWR of 22,500 pounds, and a U300 has a GVWR of 30,000 pounds. In addition, there were some other versions. See Foretravel Specifications, Floor Plans, Photos & Brochures by Year Foretravel brochures, specifications and manuals Information Links[/url] for all sorts of good information.

If you will tell us a little more about what you are looking for it will help us help you. For example, are you looking to full-time, or is this going to be more of a vacation coach? Are you looking for a project or one that is ready to hit the road? Do you boondock or go from one FHU campground to another?

As for trouble spots, check the bulkheads. There is quite a bit of information on that here. If you are looking at a coach in Texas you should have Brett Wolfe do an inspection for you. He will go to other places as well, depending on his schedule. Contact him directly for more information.

FWIW, we're fulltiming in a 1993 U300 and loving it. It is listed for sale in the Classifieds section. The ad lists many of the things we've done to update the coach. That will give you an idea of what you might be wanting to do.

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Re: Intro with questions.....

Reply #3 – February 01, 2019, 07:30:13 pm

Lynn,

Yes, several very different coaches fit your description.

Do you have a link to info on the coach you are considering?

At that age, could be a treasure (rare) or a real money pit.

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Re: Intro with questions.....

Reply #4 – February 02, 2019, 10:46:38 am

A corrosion free coach with no bulkhead problems other than a couple broken Roloks is at the top of the list. Stored inside is another real plus. Best to have a member take a look at the coach you have in mind before deciding. Don't think I would consider a coach from a northern state where they salt the roads in winter. Foretravels are perhaps more prone to corrosion damage than most because of the bulkhead design/materials used.

Good to have maintenance records too. It's not a requirement but gives an idea of owner care. Ours didn't have any but has been almost trouble free with zero coach bucks spent on broken things but a bit on upgrades like solar, TVs, etc.

The tall coaches like the U280/U300 have the most storage. 36 feet is our preference for the west but full timers may like the 40 footers better.

The Allison MT746 along with the Detroit 6V-92TA and Jake brake are a pretty trouble free combination and perfect for the mountains. Note that while the 746 is pretty bullet proof, it's only four speeds so is a little slower off the line and does not have an overdrive ratio for highway cruising like the later six speeds do. You have to go to a 1995 to get a six speed as I remember.

Do your homework before you plunk down the cash. Some "improvements" can cost a lot if when they require work. Really easy to spend a couple times what the coach cost for repairs if you don't have your ducks in a row going in. Doing your own work on the now older coaches is almost mandatory if you don't want to spend a fortune like Brett says.

Update: I should have added that the torque of the Detroit and M11 was too great for the Allison 6 speed at the time. Allison has since updated the 6 speeds to handle the torque. Thanks Mike!

Pierce

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Re: Intro with questions.....

Reply #5 – February 02, 2019, 11:34:03 am

When we bought ours, having files back to '96 was a huge buying point! BTW, ours has a six-speed, she is NASTY FAST!    BTW, when we bought this coach, we did not know about this Forum, nor did we know that the PO that put the most miles/upgrades/improvements on her, was none other than our moderator buddy, Brett Wolfe!

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Re: Intro with questions.....

Reply #6 – February 04, 2019, 01:40:12 pm

If you haven't found it yet a wonderful source of info is Barry Beam's site:

Foretravel Motorhome technical help and information links

Keith

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