1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

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1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

July 05, 2013, 09:42:26 pm

Hello everyone. I'm a new member and joined the forum because we're interested in a 1988 Foretravel. I've searched this sight and a number of other boards but don't find much on this particular model. I've always liked the vintage Foretravels and came across Barry's excellent site several years ago. While the data there addresses many of my questions, there are still a number of concerns I have with respect this specific model.

Before getting into those concerns, let me say that my wife and I are relatively new to RVing and purchased our travel trailer 5 years ago. We have enjoyed the trailer and logged more than 30,000 in the first 4 years. We prefer public campgrounds and boondocking sites over resorts so want something that will hold up on the back roads. I've been retired for the past 8 years and convinced my wife to quit her job 5 years ago. Following our son's wedding next month, we're hoping to get in our RV and take a long overdue trip. Now for my specific concerns:

It has an 8.2 detroit diesel with only 56,000 miles. I've read this particular engine is not one of their shining stars. Most of the Internet sites say stay away from this motor. I don't have any practical experience with diesels so will need to have it serviced. While I can buy this on the cheap, I don't want to spend an equal amount of money or more on a new engine.

I've read that it's difficult to find parts for the Oshkosh chassis. I've also read the Oshkosh V715R chasis/frame cross member that holds the rear axle to the chassis can fail.

The owner doesn't know what the horsepower and torque are. According to Barry's site, the 1989 model has 250 hp. I plan on towing a 4,000 suv which is not towable as is. Consequently I may tow a car trailer on an interim basis so towing capacity is important.

We are located in the So California area so likely will be pulling grades regularly.

Don't know what kind of braking the motorhome has and that is a concern. I know it doesn't have air suspension so suspect it doesn't have air brakes. I don't know how important that is. Also I don't know whether or not it has an exhaust or jake brake.

The big grades will slow it down considerably and I'm not sure how comfortable I'll be with that. My current truck and trailer weigh about 14,000 combined and my truck has a 325 hp diesel with 560 lbs of torque so I can make most hills with ease.

Aside from my concerns, this Grand Villa looks to be in exceptional condition. It was garaged for much of it's life.

We will also be looking at a 1995 Dynasty with a cummins 8.3 and 300 hp. It's 34 feet which is a plus.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

Gary

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #1 – July 05, 2013, 09:58:26 pm

Gary,

What is your budget?

The 89 Gran villa will be nice, a 90-94 Unihome would be nicer. I had a 1989 rear engine gasser on an Oshkosh. Loved the coach, but the 460 Ford was seriously working on a 36 foot coach.

Spend a little more, but stay with the Foretravel.....if budget doesn't allow, the Detroit will probably serve you well, much better than my Ford rear engined gasser.

Funny how many people are still buying and using these 1988 and 1989 coaches on the forum....

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #2 – July 05, 2013, 11:15:32 pm

The 95 dynasty with a 300hp 8.3(look on the side of the engine to see the rated power). Would be my choice versus an 8.2 ored.

Wide body. Subject to inspection of course and a drive. Diesel gen in the dynasty and full paint.

Probably a lot more money also.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #3 – July 06, 2013, 02:19:49 am

If both of those are within your budget, I'd heartily recommend continuing a search for a Unihome also. I tell folks to figure out a budget amount and then go find whatever year Foretravel will fit it. Once you have experienced that 8-airbag suspension system, there is no substitute!

I see you spotted the 1994 U280 here. Looks like a great choice and price!

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #4 – July 06, 2013, 08:29:31 am

Garyb, Welcome to the forum and good luck with finding your Foretravel. Looks like there will be cause for confusion with two Gary B's on the board.
Gary B ( The original )

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #5 – July 06, 2013, 10:12:54 am

Gary B (the original). I like that.

Thanks for the welcome. I usually go by Garyb1st which I used to distinguish myself from my son, Garyb2nd. Looks like I'd be Gary B 3rd on this forum and potentially creating some confusion so I'll change my screen name to Garyb1st if that's possible.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #6 – July 06, 2013, 10:43:39 am

Welcome gary b, I owned an 88 GV and it was one of the better coaches out of the five Foretravels that I've owned. BUT,,, it had a 300 hp V8 CAT. The 8.2 Detroit is only rated around 190 hp and has a terrible track record with a short life span. The older Dodge pickups with the 5.9 Cummings will out pull that coach. The first time you go north out of L.A. on I-5, you will NOT be happy.
Keep looking for a Foretravel. You won't find equal quality or ease of driving in any other brand that is 20 + years old.
Gary O

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #7 – July 06, 2013, 11:03:13 am

Quote from: Tim Fiedler – July 05, 2013, 09:58:26 pm

Gary,

What is your budget?

That's a good question and one I've been struggling with. When I first started looking, I was prepared to spend in the neighborhood of $50,000. However, after reading a post by some poor soul who blew the engine on there recently purchased American Coach I got a bit nervous.

It's unlikely we'll be able to purchase a warranty on a motorhome more than 10 years old so my thinking is we need to have a $20,000 cash reserve for worse case mechanical failure. That's may be an unrealistic number, and I'm open to suggestions. But I'm debt free and like that feeling. lol.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #8 – July 06, 2013, 11:17:52 am

Quote from: Gary Omel – July 06, 2013, 10:43:39 am

Welcome gary b, I owned an 88 GV and it was one of the better coaches out of the five Foretravels that I've owned. BUT,,, it had a 300 hp V8 CAT. The 8.2 Detroit is only rated around 190 hp and has a terrible track record with a short life span. The older Dodge pickups with the 5.9 Cummings will out pull that coach. The first time you go north out of L.A. on I-5, you will NOT be happy.
Keep looking for a Foretravel. You won't find equal quality or ease of driving in any other brand that is 20 + years old.
Gary O

Sold a lot of the 300 cat 3208. What hills? Slowly unwind the speedo cable up six percent grades till all the cars and trucks fell away in the background.

Small light coach

Ten mpg driven normally. Eight floored. Not good for extreme winter although.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #9 – July 06, 2013, 11:21:27 am

Quote from: Gary Omel – July 06, 2013, 10:43:39 am

Welcome gary b, I owned an 88 GV and it was one of the better coaches out of the five Foretravels that I've owned. BUT,,, it had a 300 hp V8 CAT. The 8.2 Detroit is only rated around 190 hp and has a terrible track record with a short life span. The older Dodge pickups with the 5.9 Cummings will out pull that coach. The first time you go north out of L.A. on I-5, you will NOT be happy.
Keep looking for a Foretravel. You won't find equal quality or ease of driving in any other brand that is 20 + years old.
Gary O

That's kinda where I'm at. I can probably buy this one for $10,000. And if I do, it will be with the thought that I could simply tow it to the dump if the engine died. Hopefully it will satisfy a more basic question. Will we be happy with a no slide minimal effort RV. Hitching up our trailer is becoming a pain and at 70, I'm looking to simplify my life. Also, if we really like it, we can upgrade to a newer motorhome in a year.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #10 – July 06, 2013, 11:30:10 am

Quote from: Caflashbob – July 06, 2013, 11:17:52 am

Sold a lot of the 300 cat 3208. What hills? Slowly unwind the speedo cable up six percent grades till all the cars and trucks fell away in the background.

Agree, if this was a 300 cat. Unfortunately it's a Detroit Diesel and more likely 190 hp. I'm thinking maybe 35 mph on a six percent grade.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #11 – July 06, 2013, 11:32:04 am

Buy something with Allison and cummins 8.3 or isc that has had regular maintenance and you will have a 1% or less chance of significant driveline expense. If batteries and tires are less than five years old, check the rear bulkhead and then plan $5k in first year for "stuff" breaking, less after that as you use it regularly. Upgrades are on top of that, guys like Dave M. And I feel the need to upgrade a little each year to keep the big upgrade to a new coach away.

Nice thing about Foretravels, they have always been expensive so usually the owners took pretty good care of them over the years

Sent from my iPhon

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #12 – July 06, 2013, 11:44:37 am

Having driven the grapevine innumerable times I can't imagine having less than an M11 or 3176 myself!

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #13 – July 06, 2013, 11:49:49 am

Buy your last MH first, you will love a Ft. Get a 4 down toad and smile.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #14 – July 06, 2013, 11:55:52 am

Quote from: garyb – July 06, 2013, 11:30:10 am

Agree, if this was a 300 cat. Unfortunately it's a Detroit Diesel and more likely 190 hp. I'm thinking maybe 35 mph on a six percent grade.

I think they were 205hp. Drove a lot of them.

One test for condition I found was to check how much air came out of the valve covers vent. Some had a lot of blowby and three or four psi coming out the covers.

Make sure the air throttle pulls the engines throttle fully on. Seen a few mis adjusted to the owners pain.

Engine never got full throttle if mis adjusted.

For 10k if it runs hard to go wrong as you said.

Bob

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #15 – July 06, 2013, 10:02:33 pm

Quote from: Caflashbob – July 06, 2013, 11:55:52 am

I think they were 205hp. Drove a lot of them.

I called the owner. He thinks it's a turbo charged 225.

Quote

One test for condition I found was to check how much air came out of the valve covers vent. Some had a lot of blowby and three or four psi coming out the covers.

Make sure the air throttle pulls the engines throttle fully on. Seen a few mis adjusted to the owners pain.

Engine never got full throttle if mis adjusted.

For 10k if it runs hard to go wrong as you said.

Bob

Bob, I have no idea what you're talking about and I wouldn't know how to determine how much air is coming out of the valve covers vent. How do I check that? Also, when you refer to the owners pain are you talking about a major engine failure or simply a loss of hp and torque?

The owner claims he's a journeyman diesel mechanic so I'm thinking he maintained the motorhome pretty well.

We're going to check it out tomorrow so I'll provide an update when we return.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #16 – July 07, 2013, 07:17:11 am

I'm sitting here looking thru my Detroit Diesel Allison engine manuals and cannot find anything that tells me the rated horsepower of my engine. When I was researching the resonator replacement idea I discovered that my engine was the 250 HP model. Did Foretravel also use the lower HP models? like 195 HP?

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #17 – July 07, 2013, 08:27:51 am

Seems to me that with your budget and the low cost of the coach you're looking at...assuming the torsilastic suspension is good and has some adjustment left, it would be hard to go far wrong. Sure, your hill climbing is going to be slow but certainly doable. Lots of 60,000 lb semis ran the roads for years with similar horsepower.

While I'm not a huge fan of the Detroits they are well regarded by many owners. Last time I checked they were dirt cheap to rebuild, easy to work on, no injector pump, durable and forgiving.

That said, changing motorhomes in a year is going to be an expensive proposition with a whole new learning and debugging process, sales taxes, resale of old unit, better to go ahead and get what you really want now.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #18 – July 07, 2013, 08:55:28 am

Quote from: Chuck Pearson – July 07, 2013, 08:27:51 am

That said, changing motorhomes in a year is going to be an expensive proposition with a whole new learning and debugging process, sales taxes, resale of old unit, better to go ahead and get what you really want now.

We bought another brand of motorhome first. It was an impulse purchase with little research. My "contract with myself" was that I would keep it for at least a year to see if we like the vehicle and the adventures. We liked both, but found the first one would not do what we wanted it to do. We sold it after eight months. We bought the Foretravel, then sold the SOB coach. The SOB sold in a week via consignment at MOT and we sold it for a bit more than we paid for it. We had spent a few "coach bucks" fixing up the SOB and taking care of maintenance. That's part of owning any DP.

We were pleased to have had the opportunity to gain experience with another vehicle for comparison. We benefited from owning the "starter" DP coach. We started at a low enough price that the first one was a "throwaway." We were not likely to be disappointed no matter what happened. Expectations can have a big impact on your experience.

As always, other folk's experience and opinions will vary.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #19 – July 07, 2013, 02:57:14 pm

Quote from: garyb – July 06, 2013, 10:02:33 pm

I called the owner. He thinks it's a turbo charged 225.

Bob, I have no idea what you're talking about and I wouldn't know how to determine how much air is coming out of the valve covers vent. How do I check that? Also, when you refer to the owners pain are you talking about a major engine failure or simply a loss of hp and torque?

The owner claims he's a journeyman diesel mechanic so I'm thinking he maintained the motorhome pretty well.

We're going to check it out tomorrow so I'll provide an update when we return.

There is if my memory serves me a 1/4 turn blue cap on the valve cover of a Detroit deisel 8.2 fuel pincher can be removed and a Detroit mechanic would place a air pressure gauge in/on the hole and measure the blowby pressure coming out the valve cover. Excessive was 3-4 psi. Rings were worn then. Seen 100k coaches with good 8.2's and rebuilt some with 40k miles.

Factory used a 205hp version. It was used with a less expensive non lockup 542 four speed Allison trans.

Beaver made a 3500 model using a 230 hp 8.2 which required a 643 partial lockup trans.

Foretravel also made a few 210hp 3208 cats for me as they were California smog legal. The 250's had not been ca certified yet. The 300's were ca legal.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #20 – July 08, 2013, 08:35:32 am

Good Morning Gary,

So I take it that you did not buy the '88 yesterday. I think that's good that you did not make a hasty decision, even if you do end up buying it in the near future.

I had the exact same concerns about something major going wrong with the engine, transmission, or something that might cost me thousands of dollars to fix when we were considering which FT/diesel pusher to buy. So, an insurance policy figured in to buying our '94 as well, and at that time, policy's could be had on units that had less than 50,000 miles on the engine and/or it being less than ten years old. It just so happened that this U280 had just passed her tenth birthday, but it did register just under 50,000 miles. Long story short: We bought the FT and the policy, and kept the policy three or four years at $90.00 a month, and the subject type major components of our FT are running just as smoothly today as they have ever run. The main seal I replaced due to a minor oil leak would not have been covered by the policy. Looking back, we paid $10,000 to $12,000 for peace of mind, but I have no regrets for buying the policy, because I knew little to nothing about these engines or coaches, and I was kind of like, but not quite as lost as most ladies are when dealing with local mechanic for automobile repairs.

Since those early days of owning our FT, I have never heard anything but praise for the Cummins C8.3 - 300 h.p. engine that is in many of the older Foretravels, and out of all of the people I have ever met, the blurred image stored in my old brain housing group is of one young middle aged fellow who was extremely well acquainted with diesel engines, and just remembering the smiles and great praise he heaped upon this type of Cummins engine, and its Allison transmission for that matter, is a pleasure to remember right to this day.

That said, no one is going to be able to guarantee another person that their coach is not going to have a major mechanical failure like one person asked me (in different words) to give them via an email the other day. What a person can do is be truthful about the product they are selling, and with old units...they just might not remember every detail concerning every repair or problem that that their coach has had, but with the help of the service records, kind of like an individual's medical file, one can get a good idea of a unit's current state of health - and that is about as good as any one person can hope to expect. That, plus a good inspection of the unit by a qualified person or business representative. And, that's where doing your homework comes in too, as you would know.

As I mentioned to you in our email, I wish you the "best of good fortune" in your hunt!

James

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #21 – July 09, 2013, 03:08:10 pm

Thanks to everyone for all your responses.

We decided to pass on the GV for a number of reasons. The primary being the engine which, if you buy into the Internet horror stories, is problematic and prone to head gasket failure. But there were other factors. The sellers initial advertisement stated the tires were new. In fact, the rear were nine years old. The steer axle tires were 10 years old. So I can only assume the over all quality of the GV may not have been as rosy as the seller represented. The other major consideration was my assumption that this was the 1988 GV ORED which NADA has at $205,000. However, there were a number of ORED's on the NADA site. This one does not have air suspension and brakes. I believe the cost new is closer to $135,000 rather than $205,000. That's a huge difference and I suspect the differences are considerably more than suspension and brakes. So back to the drawing board.

Again thanks for all the replies.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #22 – July 09, 2013, 07:48:24 pm

Gary, don't give up. There is a once in a lifetime deal every week, somewhere.

Larry

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #23 – July 09, 2013, 10:35:57 pm

Gary, I wouldn't be too concerned about the mechanicals of a Foretravel from 1990 forward. If you read all of the posts on this forum there are barely any expensive mechanical failures. Most costs are for tires, batteries and making them pretty.

With your budget I would look for a 1990 to 1995 U280, U300 or a unicoach. Try to keep initial cost at $35,000 or less. I would be absolutely shocked if you spent the additional $15,000 the first two years of ownership unless you elected to have Foretravel do a complete rehab on the unit. If after two years you like what you have you can go ahead and spend $30,000 to make it pretty and beautiful inside as well as out. I expect our 93 to still be performing perfectly for at least another ten years. We have about 160,000 miles on it now and I have no concerns that I will face a major mechanical expense.

Just my observations and opinion.

Re: 1988 Foretravel 36 ORED

Reply #24 – July 10, 2013, 12:28:57 am

I have a 1989 36 ORED 300 HP Cat 3208 T with an Allison MT 647. 4 Speed Auto.

One street I drive up to get home is 25 Degrees, My drive is 1 in 3 at the top, 450 feet long,

That was my biggest worry, driving up my drive, Would it have the grunt, would it stop if it ran out of power,

My Grand Villa just putts up my drive as if it was on a flat surface, Its power is incredible, Does not even notice the hill its coming up,
Yes, It will accelerate up the hill, Its only on a tad more than idle,

Coming down the drive was the same, I put it in first gear and it just cruised down, held its speed,

Mines done 107,000 miles, does not blow smoke, runs like a charm, Drives very smoothly,

Just keep in mind, it is 25 years old, so it will have things wrong with it, Hopefully only niggly things,

I paid $15,000-00 USD for mine from Texas.

But I could have bought a 40 footer for $11,000-00 at the same time, But a 40 footer was too big for me,

The cheap good ones are out there, But you have to be quick, They go off like firecrackers,

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