Cow catcher?

Topic: Cow catcher? (Read 1931 times) previous topic - next topic

Cow catcher?

July 20, 2012, 09:38:48 am

Now on ebay is a 1991 38' Grand Villa with what looks to be a customized 'cow catcher'!

Has anyone seen such an item on previous FTs? If so, what would be the function of same? One thing we thought of would be the ease of cleaning the windshield and front of the coach as well as entry of the front two compartments.
The coach itself is intriquing with what looks to be a customized floor plan for that year. Any comments??

1991 Foretravel Unihome Series 300 Detroit Granite Flooring Runs Drives Great!

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #1 – July 20, 2012, 10:03:46 am

To protect it from deer, as there are a lot of deer vehicle accidents. In the midwest I see many semi trucks with deer catchers on the front of them

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #2 – July 20, 2012, 10:19:51 am

It looks like it's also a step deck to wash the windshield. It's inserted into the "recovery recievers" that FT installed back then on the front of the coach. Supposed to be used to pull the coach if it ever gets stuck and you can't reach underneath to the framing. I use those same recieves as a step and stand on the bumper to wash the windshield but it could be difficult to get up there if you your not limber.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #3 – July 20, 2012, 12:31:48 pm

COOL! I want one! LOL

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #4 – July 20, 2012, 08:43:45 pm

Clearly this is the Stage II optional deflector that goes with the helper Detroit 8V-92TA hot rod seen in the earlier post.

Looks like a very reasonable price for a U300 if in good shape. Would seem with the granite floor upgrade together with a couple of other clues, might indicate that the owner did spend the $$ on PM. At that price, you could park it and use it for an apartment. This is the rear radiator model with 300 hp instead of the 350 hp in the next year. In a bus, Detroits have gone over one million miles before overhaul so the 126,000 should have lots of life left if it's had proper feeding. That fan in the rear stateroom could be a surprise in the middle of the night.

Pierce

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #5 – July 21, 2012, 09:08:01 am

So am I understanding correctly that the 'cow catcher' (deflector) can be removed quite easily? Probably with a couple of pins like the rear hitch?

We like the price of these older Grand Villas but will probably hold out for a slightly newer bus style because of the larger panoramic windshield. We plan on traveling more than staying in one area, at least in the beginning of FT ownership.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #6 – July 21, 2012, 09:20:33 am

Bigger windshield in the bus style but the higher seating position in a U280 or U300 gives a better view in some environments. Slightly higher than most big rigs. Later bus style is better navigating city traffic or busy freeways.

Removal of one pin on each side should allow it to go forward and off.

Pierce

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #7 – July 21, 2012, 12:43:50 pm

Customers made up little flip down plates to stand on long ago to fit in the recovery holes.

Bob

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #8 – July 21, 2012, 06:56:39 pm

Bill, You should try sitting up front in one of the older style. I've been in the bus style and I can tell you that the older style feels like the windshield is wrapped around you and you can see all around whereas the bus style you are behind the windshield. I think the visibility in the sloped front older units is outstanding. I think having to go past your turn a little before actually turning the wheel is less in one of these older units too but I only drove the bus style once.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #9 – July 21, 2012, 08:51:40 pm

Quote from: Dwayne – July 21, 2012, 06:56:39 pm

Bill, You should try sitting up front in one of the older style. I've been in the bus style and I can tell you that the older style feels like the windshield is wrapped around you and you can see all around whereas the bus style you are behind the windshield. I think the visibility in the sloped front older units is outstanding. I think having to go past your turn a little before actually turning the wheel is less in one of these older units too but I only drove the bus style once.

The bus style has a nice panoramic view without the wood piece between the front and side windows. Almost un obstructed 180 degree viewing. Took us a while to settle in versus all those days in orange and brown foretravel oreds then ored grand villas.

I drove hundreds of foretravels, then grand villas then unihomes and now our unicoach.

My DW is an avid through the window photo gal and the wider taller viewing angle is a noticeable improvement. At least for us. The rare mid entry also helps us greatly.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #10 – July 21, 2012, 11:29:41 pm

Those front receivers are handy for other applications. I saw a bike rack on the front of a Grand Villa up at Banff National Park and had the same engineer in Florida build one for me. Here is what it looks like, without and with bikes. The rack is aluminum. We have hauled bikes from Alaska to Florida on them.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #11 – July 22, 2012, 09:56:09 am

Those are some nice bike racks Don. Seems to serve dual purposes as a carrier and animal protection.

We plan on heading down to TX in the fall when things cool down to look at all the FTs available at MOT/FOT/Encore etc and even some private party sales. We want to test drive each model to determine if we have a clear preference to one over the other. Our thinking is that jumping from one style to the other is the best way. DW is holding out for a mid entry for practicality issues. So we'll see. At any rate it should be fun meeting everyone at these locations that we've been reading about for nearly a year.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #12 – July 22, 2012, 12:44:18 pm

Another factor to consider is ground clearance. We go off paved roads quite a bit and like the advantage of the higher road height. Have hit the 90 degree on the generator muffler but not scraped the belly pan yet. As a couple other members have noted, the view out of the windows in the tall rigs is outstanding.

36 feet fits better in the national park and state park campsites here in the west.

Sure would be nice to have a roof location for the engine air intake. Our air cleaner chokes rapidly off paved road.

Don, love your bike rack!

Pierce

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #13 – July 22, 2012, 01:17:46 pm

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – July 22, 2012, 12:44:18 pm

Another factor to consider is ground clearance. We go off paved roads quite a bit and like the advantage of the higher road height. Have hit the 90 degree on the generator muffler but not scraped the belly pan yet. As a couple other members have noted, the view out of the windows in the tall rigs is outstanding.

36 feet fits better in the national park and state park campsites here in the west.

Sure would be nice to have a roof location for the engine air intake. Our air cleaner chokes rapidly off paved road.

Don, love your bike rack!

Pierce

My favorite coach was the original 36' u280 with the manual leveling levers on the floor next to the drivers chair. Used to raise the coach up to full height and slowly drive a coach over curbs and parking lot space stops.

We had a favorite remote camp spot that was reached by an off camber road. So I would lower the high side and raise the low side and slowly traverse the side slope.

You could also stink bug the coach for big dips. I used to leave a unihome slanted in the display as invariably a rver would come in the sales office and tell us our coach needed work. Made a good opening to talk about coaches.

Any of those early coaches around?

Bob

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #14 – July 22, 2012, 02:26:55 pm

Intrigued by the talk of the higher seating positions of the U280/300's vs. the Unicoaches. I haven't been inside the GV types yet, but just looking at the pictures, it seems like the Bus style would sit higher... not true? Also that they have higher ground clearance in travel mode? hmm... The bus style is taller over all though, right? Any pics side by side?
Don

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – July 22, 2012, 12:44:18 pm

Another factor to consider is ground clearance. We go off paved roads quite a bit and like the advantage of the higher road height. Have hit the 90 degree on the generator muffler but not scraped the belly pan yet. As a couple other members have noted, the view out of the windows in the tall rigs is outstanding.

36 feet fits better in the national park and state park campsites here in the west.

Sure would be nice to have a roof location for the engine air intake. Our air cleaner chokes rapidly off paved road.

Don, love your bike rack!

Pierce

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #15 – July 22, 2012, 02:37:16 pm

I much prefer the visibility from the deck of the GV's. My seat is about a foot higher than the bus types and I sit at eye level with the truck drivers. Lots easier to judge side clearance in the mirrors and the mirrors set at equal distance so you don't have to refocus all the time.
Gary B

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #16 – July 22, 2012, 02:40:29 pm

Well crap! Now I have to build a set of aluminum front bike racks.

Thanks a lot, Don!

Craig

PS: Just looked and no receiver on my '93 U225. But it looks like it would be easy to fabricate something to hold bikes or a Trail 90 or something light.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #17 – July 22, 2012, 04:04:01 pm

Quote from: acousticart – July 22, 2012, 02:26:55 pm

.......................................Any pics side by side?.................................
Don

Here's a couple Don.
Even though the sites in this Boothbay Harbor park are tiered (roughly 12" to 14" from site to site), it's clear that the GV pilot seating is much higher than a Unicoach's seating (which is low in the total vertical span of the windshield). The third picture shows level side to side, but not quite as clearly. Overall height isn't that different but approach angle of the GV is much better, for when it matters.
FWIW,
Neal

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #18 – July 22, 2012, 04:31:23 pm

Thanks Neal! It certainly does look that way... I can't wait until I get to see a boat load of Foretravels all togeter like that in person!
Don

Quote from: Neal Pillsbury – July 22, 2012, 04:04:01 pm

Here's a couple Don.
Even though the sites in this Boothbay Harbor park are tiered (roughly 12" to 14" from site to site), it's clear that the GV pilot seating is much higher than a Unicoach's seating (which is low in the total vertical span of the windshield). The third picture shows level side to side, but not quite as clearly. Overall height isn't that different but approach angle of the GV is much better, for when it matters.
FWIW,
Neal

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #19 – July 22, 2012, 05:19:15 pm

Don, The floor level in the GV's at the drivers and passenger position is about a foot higher than the rest of the floor. That and the WS being mounted higher in the body gives the driver a much better view of the road. The main disadvantage is that anything close to the front bumper is almost invisible where in the Bus types you can see a lot more closer to the bumper from the drivers seat.
Gary B

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #20 – July 22, 2012, 10:52:11 pm

@Don @Gary I tested the blind spot on my GV by putting a water bottle on the pavement in front of the coach. Then sat in the drivers seat and couldn't see it. Got out moved it further. Back in the drivers seat still no see. etc...etc...etc... How far out was it before I could see it? 17 FEET!

see ya
ken

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #21 – July 23, 2012, 10:47:52 am

Ken,

That's why operating an older Foretravel on an occasional basis can be challenging. Professional drivers develop a sixth sense for their space and whether they realize it or not, are able to automatically memorize traffic behind and in front of them. Sort of like a pilot who frequently scans the flight and engine instruments as routine procedure. If you are rusty, you may be distracted by banging cabinets, sliding doors, trying to read the GPS, etc.

In the FD, we would always stop at a traffic light leaving at least a vehicle length between us and the car/truck ahead. If we had to suddenly respond to an emergency, there was room to go around. With the older long nosed apparatus, it was easy to forget if there was a car directly in front. Several cars were crushed when they didn't move when the light turned green. So, by habit, I always stop a little early with our U300.

As Ken says, that 17 feet of hidden space in front is something to focus on until it becomes second nature. If Gaylie is in the other seat, I always ask her to check traffic before I move to the right. Without a passenger over there, I focus more on memorizing the right lane traffic if I have a turn coming up. Another good reason to have a GPS that gives a two mile warning for turns ahead on the freeway. Seven tenths of a mile indication on some GPSs is not enough during freeway rush hour. Getting caught in the left or middle lanes with freeways that merge and a turn off a half mile ahead can be stressful.

The old saying "measure twice, cut once" in carpentry works for RVs also. Check at least twice and don't guess before you move over.

Pierce

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #22 – July 23, 2012, 11:02:00 am

@Pierce I was a repair facility in Little Rock, AR right after we bought the coach heading back to Colorado so only had a few hours driving under my belt. The tech asked me to pull the coach head first into a parking spot and as close to the building as possible. Pulled in as close as I dared got out and checked and I was 8 or 9 feet from the wall! Tried again and it looked like the wall was touching the front bumper. Got out checked and was still 6 feet away. Finally had Dori wave me in and still didn't have the nerve to get any closer than 2 feet! It looked like the wall was in the coach!

I had a 34' SOB 10 years ago and thought I knew how to drive a big rig. WRONG!

see ya
ken

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #23 – July 23, 2012, 12:13:58 pm

Ken, we did a similar test when we were in Nac earlier this summer. I set the driver's seat where I would have it, and Jo Ann stood outside facing the coach along the center line. I motioned her to move closer or farther away until I couldn't see her shoes. Then I got out and measured the distance from the front of the coach to her. As I recall, it came out around 15' or so. When we buy our full-time coach I'll do that test again, adding in the distance from my eyes to the windshield, and also measure the height of my eyes from the road. With that information I can draw a triangle that will give me the height of what is hidden. I suspect that something like a Honda Fit might be able to be completely hidden, and a motorcycle certainly would be, but then if I'm coming up on them at a signal I ought to know that they are there.

Has anyone installed a backup camera up front? That might be one way to reduce the blind spot.

Re: Cow catcher?

Reply #24 – July 23, 2012, 12:29:42 pm

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – July 23, 2012, 10:47:52 am

In the FD, we would always stop at a traffic light leaving at least a vehicle length between us and the car/truck ahead. If we had to suddenly respond to an emergency, there was room to go around.

I have noticed a lot of drivers are leaving a car length (or more) between them and the vehicle in front. This practice - at least in a relatively lightweight car - can create some problems if you are struck in the rear. Remember the desk toy with those little steel balls that all but one stay static when one end ball is impacted onto the group? Only the other end ball moves away. All the rest stay in place.

In a rear-end collision - with all other conditions the same - a group of cars will behave in exactly the same way if they are all touching; only the first car in the group (the one in front) will be accelerated by the impact force at the rear of the group. Of course there will be some crushing forces to contend with and practically no group of cars stops touching each other.

Nevertheless, if you want to reduce the sudden acceleration followed by the equally sudden deceleration that would occur in a typical rear-end impact on a group of cars, leave as little room between you and the car in front as possible. It is these acceleration and deceleration forces that cause the most injuries in a rear-end impact.

It seems to me that the safety considerations of leaving as little room as possible outweigh the convenience factors of being able to switch lanes.

Craig

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