Pre-owned Foretravel

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Pre-owned Foretravel

June 02, 2011, 12:02:53 pm

Since I know what I want, but don't know what Foretravel called it, I will post my wish list here. Coleen and I have a limited budget for a coach. Funds in hand however.

I think it's a Unihome, but not sure. It's not the wedge shaped Grand Villa, but that model is not ruled out. I think it's a GV? Motorhome of Texas currently has a 1995 U300 40 foot unit. Above our budget however. Rather have a shorter coach. We don't full time anymore, but enjoyed every minute of the two years we did. Now that MDW will accept a non slide rig, Foretravel is back in the picture.

34/36 foot unit. Cat engine (open to cummins). Eight air bag suspension. Auto levelers. Joy stick retarder. Mileage is not a real concern. Don't care if the rig has not been upgraded. Dish/flat screens, etc. Will do what suits us if anything is needed. Like to purchase one with known history if possible. Once I know what I am looking for I will post that in the classified section. Apologize if this post is in the wrong place.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #1 – June 02, 2011, 12:10:33 pm

Jerry,

Look at the photos and write-ups for coaches on the websites for: MOT, PPL in Houston as well as the Foretravel factory. That will give you an idea of what models are on your short list.

Then feel free to ask questions as you narrow down the choices.

Brett

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #2 – June 02, 2011, 12:18:24 pm

Thanks Brett. I am familiar with MOT, Foretravel, and PPL websites.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #3 – June 02, 2011, 12:22:25 pm

Jerry,

You might post a link to coaches on those sites that would be on your short list. That way we may be able to tell you what other years those particular coaches were made, etc.

Brett

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #4 – June 02, 2011, 12:26:52 pm

Will certainly do that Brett. Barry Beam (others) would know. I'm sure he reads this list regularly.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #5 – June 02, 2011, 12:37:00 pm

Glad to see you again, Jerry. Cat engine, air bag suspension and retarder narrow your options considerably.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #6 – June 02, 2011, 12:42:14 pm

It's out there Dave. Just have to find it. MDW is impatient, but I don't have to buy a SOB, Rudy calls them, this go round. Tiffin is a good coach, but not what I wanted.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #7 – June 02, 2011, 12:48:51 pm

Quote from: Dave Head – June 02, 2011, 12:37:00 pm

Glad to see you again, Jerry. Cat engine, air bag suspension and retarder narrow your options considerably.

With those criteria, there were a handful of 1995 U300's with the Caterpillar 3176. And a handful of Unicoaches (the ones I have seen were 295's) with the Caterpillar 3126.

Brett

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #8 – June 02, 2011, 12:53:40 pm

What is the HP of the 3176 and 3126. What is the model # of a GV 36 foot unit? U300 would be 40 foot?

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #9 – June 02, 2011, 12:59:01 pm

3176 Cat was 375 hp as I recall. 3126E was 250hp, I think.

FYI that 2000 U320 at MOT is great at 65 - on consignment Used Motorhomes and RVs Motorhomes of Texas (depending on condition). They have a 99 trade coming you could get cheaper.

The ducted air is an improvement. Either one should have dual pane windows and the genny in the 2000 is in a quiet box, another big improvement! That 450 hp M11 in a 36 will have you smiling ALL DAY LONG...

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #10 – June 02, 2011, 01:02:20 pm

The 95 at MOT is a Grand Villa Unihome. Although it has the 6 speed and the Cat 3176, I doubt it has the retarder - likely the jake (which does the job in the mountains). That was another 10K. This is an unusual U300 - special edition graphics and few of the special edition 'pieces' - oak interior vice walnut, stove/oven instead of Gaggenau cooktop, for example. Good price though, depending on care and condition.

You should be looking for a 96 - 99 U320 36'. Not hard to find, plenty of power. $65-75K.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #11 – June 02, 2011, 01:06:02 pm

Others will know more, but I want to pass on what I remember from our own search 3 years ago.

We wanted a 34 footer too, and found that 34 footers are very very rare. In 1995 (when the box front look first became available) and newer production, 34' has been available only in the U270 model. 36 footers are more readilly available in U270, U295, and U320 models. Now that I have 36', I appreciate the extra 2' of basement storage capacity, and I probably would not switch to 34' even if I could.

I'm not sure, but I think you will find Cummins to be the predominate engine available 1995 and forward (I have the ISL400, and find it well beyond adequate), and I think you will find stick controled retarders, airbag suspension, and auto leveling standard.

Bob

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #12 – June 02, 2011, 01:07:39 pm

Quote from: Jerry & Coleen – June 02, 2011, 12:53:40 pm

What is the HP of the 3176 and 3126. What is the model # of a GV 36 foot unit? U300 would be 40 foot?

The U300 was made in 36' as well as 40' models. Foretravel literature is showing HP as 350, but I believe 365 was standard for this large-displacement Caterpillar. It is also the first U300 to come with the Allison 6 speed, as they were not fit on the DD U300's. Here is a spec sheet on the 1995 U300 with Caterpillar 3176: beamalarm.com/foretravel-links/models/1995-u300-foretravel-specifications.pdf

The Unicoach with Caterpillar 3126 was 300 HP/860 lb-ft torque. See the engine asterisks on this write-up: beamalarm.com/foretravel-links/models/1997-u295-specifications.pdf

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #13 – June 02, 2011, 01:19:05 pm

Thanks again Brett. Getting a lot of info. Looks like what we want was made. Just have to find someone moving up or down or out.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #14 – June 02, 2011, 01:23:34 pm

@ Bob. Wife wants a 36 foot anyway. Brett says the U300 was made in a 36 foot length with a CAT.

Thanks for the reply.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #15 – June 02, 2011, 02:20:48 pm

Jerry, just a comment.

I thought I did not want a Detroit because they were noisy and spewed oil everywhere. I have had my 93, U300 with a 6V92 Detroit now for about 9 months and love it. It is much quieter than my Cummins was on my 93, U225 and it is dry as a bone. It is certainly as dry as the Cummins. There were apparently quite a few U300's made with the 6V92 Detroit. Don't be afraid of them.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #16 – June 02, 2011, 02:38:22 pm

Detroit has that stigma of oil leaking. Not all do. I have a friend that has a Country Coach with a Detroit. He is a trucker by trade. Likes his. I sold Peterbilts between flying jobs years ago. Chicken haulers in Northwest Arkansas used Petes with Cats because of the torque. Some say. "If its not a CAT its a DOG.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #17 – June 02, 2011, 02:44:35 pm

Jerry,

If you find a Caterpillar powered coach, send me the engine (not coach) serial number. I would be happy to call my contact at Caterpillar Corp. We can certainly find out the spec HP and in most cases, I can also find out the actual HP on a dyno before it left Caterpillar.

Brett

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #18 – June 02, 2011, 02:57:49 pm

Jerry and Coleen,

Ira Hale, owner of a Foretravel himself, has a one owner U225 on his auto lot that he is selling for a close friend of his who is very ill. You might want to call Ira at 254-715-4578 and discuss this unit, and you can view a few pictures on his website: alphaautowest.com

The Hales are friends and traveling companions of ours and you will not find anyone more honest than Ira to do business with. The unit may not be exactly what you want, but certainly will give you another basis of comparison.

Another source for older model pre-owned Foretravels in Nacogdoches is Encore RVs. Encoremotorhomes.com.

Welcome to Foreforums,
The Days

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #19 – June 02, 2011, 05:51:04 pm

Quote from: Kent Speers – June 02, 2011, 02:20:48 pm

Jerry, just a comment.

I thought I did not want a Detroit because they were noisy and spewed oil everywhere. I have had my 93, U300 with a 6V92 Detroit now for about 9 months and love it. It is much quieter than my Cummins was on my 93, U225 and it is dry as a bone. It is certainly as dry as the Cummins. There were apparently quite a few U300's made with the 6V92 Detroit. Don't be afraid of them.

That is a beautiful coach guys. Why did you change from a 93 to a 93?

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #20 – June 02, 2011, 09:27:10 pm

Great question and a very natural one.

I have a back problem that may preclude me from traveling in the future so Peggy and I decided go full time while we can. A 40', U300 has way more storage and a little more living area than the 36', U225. We will be on a limited budget so I like the 93's because they don't have a lot of the fancy stuff like Aqua Hot, electric valves and electronic latches that can be problematic and expensive to fix. The old Detroit, although not mechanical like the U225 Cummins BT5.9, is still very reliable and relatively cheap to fix if it breaks.

The U300 has much taller storage bays and is 6" wider in the interior. The taller bays make for a lot more storage. The U300 also has the 8 air bag suspension that has turned out to be a benefit that I did not expect. I loved the ride and handling of the U225 but the U300 is even better. I also like the extra 100 horse power of the U300. It is my understanding that many of the attributes of the U300 are also available on the U280, just not as much horse power.

The other thing that made us make the change is that this U300 was completely restored at the Foretravel factory in 2009 by the previous owner. Although it still is a 93, it has the attributes of the older Foretravles like the tambour cabinet doors and simpler systems but many of the components of a newer Foretravel. Don't be afraid to pay a little higher price for an older one that has been meticulously maintained. If it has been setting for a while and not used and maintained you can end up spending a lot of money updating the batteries, tires, radiator, brakes, steering, air conditioning, refrigerator and heating system just to get on the road. There are several Forum members that will do an inspection for a small fee if you need assistance.

Also, don't be afraid to travel to find the right coach. We recently had a thread that discussed how far one would go to buy a Foretravel. Many of us have traveled over 1,000 miles for the right coach.

With all of this said, if we were not going full time, I would have been perfectly happy with my U225. In fact, there was a coziness about it that we don't have in the U300. You just can't go to far wrong with any Foretravel. The worst Foretravel no matter how old is better than most of the new motor homes on the market today.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #21 – June 02, 2011, 10:03:29 pm

You drop a banks kit (or an ATS fuel plate) on a U280 C8.3 with a dyno, add boost and egt gauges and I'll put her up against a 6V92 any day... 10mpg to boot! BTDT and loved it.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #22 – June 02, 2011, 10:12:16 pm

Well as the new owner's of Kent and Peggy's old U-225, we are so happy they moved up to a bigger, wider, more comfortable coach. Happy to say we are very happy with their old 93.

We really like the smaller size, height, simplicity, and cozy comfort in the narrow and shorter size. Couple of weeks ago we were offered the smaller empty host site for the crowded weekend late in the day. They said we would be able to fit into the tree tunnel and would love the views into the woods, since we were not one of those "big" coaches.

Next week we are off for out of town work, taking the coach to have our so comfortable bed and stuff. Nice to get paid to enjoy the Grand Villa and get to take the dog as well. Have a nice shaded spot picked out close to town for the weeks of roofing work.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #23 – June 02, 2011, 10:20:36 pm

Dave, nothing makes us happier than to hear how happy you are with the coach that we loved so much. Be safe and keeping enjoying.

Re: Pre-owned Foretravel

Reply #24 – June 02, 2011, 10:31:12 pm

Quote from: Dave Head – June 02, 2011, 10:03:29 pm

You drop a banks kit (or an ATS fuel plate) on a U280 C8.3 with a dyno, add boost and egt gauges and I'll put her up against a 6V92 any day... 10mpg to boot! BTDT and loved it.

Dave, don't get me wrong I like Cummins just fine, I just don't like their Oklahoma City shop. I just think a lot more of the Detroits now that I have one than what I had previously heard about them. A coach with a Detroit should not be a deal breaker.

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