NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Topic: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6" (Read 7113 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #75 – May 20, 2014, 03:10:47 pm

In my opinion one of the best coaches Foretravel built for just two people to travel in, was the U320T withe one or Two slides,my self I would like the U320T with a single slide.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #76 – May 20, 2014, 05:36:20 pm

Every Foretravel I've owned was just for two people .Have had a few folks ask , how many does it sleep , and I always say two . Then the next thing I usually hear is , why does a coach this big only sleep two , I have a friend that says his coach sleeps six . I usually say ok , but they cost too much for me . Word games , yep . Got to get a little fun any where you can .

Brad Metzger

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #77 – May 20, 2014, 06:13:20 pm

Old wooden sign in Foretravels

Motor home capacities:
Six for cocktails
Four for dinner
Two for night night.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #78 – May 21, 2014, 05:45:46 am

Just my gut feelings,

Either Foretravel has let the Fox into the chicken coop, or they left the door open so they would come in.

If I owned the largest RV dealership in the country I might start thinking about what would be next.

Maybe eventually buying or controlling a first class name so I could manufacture a downgraded product with a first class name on it.
Its been done thousands of times.
This could be the first baby step towards that end goal.
That's the way this smells to me.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #79 – May 21, 2014, 09:04:34 am

Quote from: Lon and Cheryl – May 21, 2014, 05:45:46 am

Just my gut feelings,

Either Foretravel has let the Fox into the chicken coop, or they left the door open so they would come in.

If I owned the largest RV dealership in the country I might start thinking about what would be next.

Maybe eventually buying or controlling a first class name so I could manufacture a downgraded product with a first class name on it.
Its been done thousands of times.
This could be the first baby step towards that end goal.
That's the way this smells to me.

You may be right in this one. When it comes to money & survival, people do weird things. Many are no longer around today. Another economic downturn and many others may not make it. On the other hand, the market Foretravel goes after has done very well since 2009, and not much significant volume was generated with the very high end of things. Perhaps an alliance is not all that bad a thing.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #80 – May 21, 2014, 10:35:01 am

Quote from: kb0zke – May 20, 2014, 02:59:28 pm

Our U300 has no slides, a walk-through bath, and a rear bedroom. As far as I'm concerned, that's the ideal arrangement.

I agree.

Kitchen on the road side. Dinette on the curb side looking out at your campsite under the awning works well.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #81 – May 21, 2014, 10:44:27 am

Lots of manufacturers discover that their own products - on the second-hand market - have become their biggest competitor. Cisco (maker of very, very, good routers and switches for the computer networking world) discovered that (but manage to control it with a stringent software update policy). When you have 10-year-old motor homes that are pretty much as good as the ones rolling out the door for 8-times the price you have to differentiate or die.

I'm wondering if this spells the end of "we build our own frames". And whether it matters.

And will they have an "entry level"? Or just let the second-hand market cover that niche? Do they even have anything like an entry level coach now?

Craig

Realm Coach #9025 "Spec" Sheet Attached

Reply #82 – May 21, 2014, 11:36:04 am

Coach #9025 spec sheet attached

Realm Spec Sheet

Reply #83 – May 21, 2014, 11:40:05 am

General spec sheet attached

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #84 – May 21, 2014, 11:58:52 am

No retarder - guess that means it has something like an exhaust brake?

No mention of leveling although wasn't it mentioned here on the forum that it would have hydraulic jacks?

13'3" tall, like an IH.

I wonder how well MHSRV will be able to differentiate it from the Entegra Cornerstone they sell, also a K3 chassis, for $200K+ less.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #85 – May 21, 2014, 12:59:04 pm

Boy, is this thing a disappointment.

I really don't understand why they couldn't just restart the 320 line with just a couple smart floorplans and hit this same price target. At least it would be a real Foretravel.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #86 – May 21, 2014, 01:14:46 pm

Quote from: SteveB2 – May 21, 2014, 12:59:04 pm

Boy, is this thing a disappointment.

I really don't understand why they couldn't just restart the 320 line with just a couple smart floorplans and hit this same price target. At least it would be a real Foretravel.

I agree, or come out with a no frills Nimbus with enough production volume to kick the cost down to the same range as bolting a box atop a Spartan high volume chassis.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #87 – May 22, 2014, 08:28:22 pm

Quote from: kb0zke – May 20, 2014, 02:59:28 pm

Our U300 has no slides, a walk-through bath, and a rear bedroom. As far as I'm concerned, that's the ideal arrangement.

Amen!

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #88 – May 22, 2014, 08:34:04 pm

Those of us with itty bitty 36-40 foot coaches, driven ourselves to campgrounds, don't fathom the target market. These are headed for NASCAR races, and professionally driven.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #89 – May 23, 2014, 05:54:17 am

Quote from: Tom Lang – May 22, 2014, 08:34:04 pm

Those of us with itty bitty 36-40 foot coaches, driven ourselves to campgrounds, don't fathom the target market. These are headed for NASCAR races, and professionally driven.

X2, I don't think we will ever see FT get down to the "entry level 250-300K". Been a long time since a FT of any kind sold for that new. Even at the 250K mark is still well above most folks entry level mark. I suspect any agreement to build a private label is just an attempt to up production, no diffrent than the medical units they are building. With FT's remodel shop running wide open along with paint, parts and repairs (long wait times to get in) Ft is doing just fine, and all that shop work is relatively no risk high profit money in the bank today stuff.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #90 – May 23, 2014, 08:33:28 am

Appears to me to be a production line. If they can sell enough of these they could become a regular line of Foretravel just like 295 or 320. Lots of Buyers out there with different ideas of quality. Another way to meet some different market. I like it. Foretravel to be competitive must venture into new ideas. DAN

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #91 – May 23, 2014, 11:10:23 am

Dan you are right. I think it is a good way to go too. Thinking outside the box might be a line on the spartan K3 and a Prevost shell too.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #92 – May 23, 2014, 10:07:50 pm

What goes around comes around. All early pre unihome coaches were on frame rail chassis. Probably why the fores resisted the slide outs till almost too late. Later they had to quit using their semi Monoque body and frame setup. You can see the forward slanted load bearing steel in the sidewalls on mine easily as the vacuum bonded sidewall exposes the structure. Cool.

Without those you need main frame rails. Taller box. Not as elegantly engineered. Heavier. More expensive to build by a ton. Everything has to be bigger. More parts. Bigger axles and tires and a tag setup.

$230h u300 at 24,000 pounds(?) actual weight versus 45,000 pounds IH at $1.2?

Shame a non slide would not sell new. At $500k?

Bob

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #93 – May 23, 2014, 10:44:46 pm

If what I suspect is true, these 45 foot coaches are not designed for the owner to drive, at least not much. Maybe once to a pricy resort, or by a paid driver to the NASCAR races. So features we as drivers want are not so important.

That being the case, outboard air bags only on the drive axle are fine, they provide the bulk of your side to side leverage. Disc brakes only in the front are fine, they provide the bulk of your stopping. Semi-monocoque rigidity is not needed for a better driving experience if the owner is rarely or never behind the wheel. Why pay more for safety features like a retarder when the owner is only aboard when it is safely parked. Why pay more for convenience features like air leveling when the paid driver sets it up, and besides, it feels more like a brick house on jacks than on airbags.

These are not the droids we're after.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #94 – May 23, 2014, 10:47:56 pm

More Fore Parking than Fore Travel.

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #95 – May 23, 2014, 10:55:32 pm

Yes, it's clear that most of us are not the market they're targeting with these coaches. Fortunately for guys like me there are a lot of Unihomes and Unicoaches for me to move up into once I get tired of tooling around the narrow roads of Baja.

Craig

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #96 – May 28, 2014, 01:29:02 am

I think, in all my uneducated prejudice, that FT ought to stick with engineering. They make traveller's coaches to a yacht standard. If they want to go after a larger but lower pricepoint market, they should explore making thier own class B. It may be that this segment is so well served by sprinter/mercedes that there just isn't room, but I'd like to see what these guys could do in a footprint that size. At least it seems to me they could do that without diluting what they re kown for. This thread sure. seems to point out this tendency with this new thing. It rather sounds like it's making my 25 year old relic look better and better...

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #97 – June 19, 2014, 10:12:24 am

The most recent Jackie saw on this, some chat blog or such. Anyway, a Spartan statement yesterday

Spartan Chassis and Foretravel, Together? | MOTORHOME CHAT

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #98 – June 19, 2014, 05:48:19 pm

Link to new Foretravel K-3 Spartan Chassis specs:

http://www.spartanchassis.com/rv/riding/specs/2015/foretravel/2015_foretravel.pdf

Re: NEW Foretravel "Realm FS6"

Reply #99 – June 19, 2014, 06:09:51 pm

Quote from: JeffOnLakeConroe – June 19, 2014, 05:48:19 pm

Link to new Foretravel K-3 Spartan Chassis specs:

Most interesting. Thanks for sharing!

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