To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Topic: To Foretravel or not Foretravel (Read 2004 times) previous topic - next topic

To Foretravel or not Foretravel

October 03, 2018, 01:47:44 pm

Sitting up here in the Sierra's reading all of Jerry's issues and all of the reply's, makes me feel guilty for my Foretravel experiences. If you read my sig. you will see I have had motorhome experience. Skipping the 3 gassers, the '81 FXT I bought in 1994 and used until late 2012 gave me 18 years of great times. Never had a Foretravel part fail. Had to install an inverter, rebuild the Yanmar engine due to PO non use and had to repair the MoreRyde suspension once. Tires, batteries were the only other things I replaced. In 2012 bought the '96 Monaco Sig. to get air ride as that is the one thing the '81 lacked. From 2012 until 2015 I fought electrical problems, leveler issues which were not Monaco's fault. When I called Monaco's customer support for wiring help was told my year was no longer in the computer so no schematics to help. Support suggested I just run new hard wires to anything I was trying to get to work. Not a very pleasant idea. Enough on the Monaco. Bought the '99 Foretravel I am sitting in now enjoying the view and realizing I might be very lucky as I paid 45K in 2012 and still am under 10K in additional expenses. 3k for a new generator head due to my installation of the regulator, $2400. for new tires and $1,500. for new inverter. I have 1k in spare parts some of which were purchased from forum members take offs and no longer needed parts. The rest is for rebuilding the hyd. fan motors because of weeping seals, replacing air bags, changing all of the fuel lines, engine, generator and A.H. changing all fluids and filters and small items. I did not include the solar and Victron controller as they have nothing to do with the coach. Have no bulkhead issue or roof leaks. Have put on 7,000 trouble free miles so far. Not one vacation problem other than the gen. regulator which was able to be worked around until I got home.
Sorry for the long post but thought Foretravel deserved a positive post at this time. Foretravel is the only way to go in my opinion and if I live long enough and keep healthy enough hope to beat the '81 use record.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #1 – October 03, 2018, 02:28:07 pm

Like Chuck, we have had no real trouble with our '93 U300. Required maintenance has included batteries when we bought the coach almost 10 years ago and replacing the engine batteries a couple of months ago. That has been the biggest item at $300. A couple of airbags at different times and lots of small hardware items, relays, bulkhead fasteners, hyd and fuel hoses but those were minor. The TVs, solar, etc were improvements and not required. Getting ready for front tires this next year.

Yes, lots of complaints of how I would have like to have seen the coach designed and while I've not been that pleased with some of the materials used, it's been a good coach and has provided us with years of enjoyment. I try to stay ahead of the game for maintenance but that would apply to any RV.

Pierce

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #2 – October 03, 2018, 03:04:45 pm

Agree with others that our '97 U320 was a great coach. Had to replace an alternator and a fuel pump gear in the 6 years we owned her! Other than new tires, oil changes and fuel, I would say we were really pleased and lucky to have such a wonderful rig. Now, looking to get back into full time again and search for our next Foretravel! Wife says she would like this time to have at least one slide, but personally, we liked the fact that we had no slides and fewer problems to boot!

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #3 – October 04, 2018, 02:08:45 pm

I have 10,000 miles on My KISS 88 GV now with no dead on road incidences.
The Alt field wire broke and I ran the gen set for volts.
One major drive belt left scene and all of the belts were changed in NY, in the rain .
I disconnected the engine battery while parked for a month at a time . Hook it up and the Cat starts without completing a full spin. Awsum . Put in drive and run 300-400 miles in the darkness both ways. Rinse repeat next month .

Pretty much everything works. The jacks have a leak and the RF corner is inop. I just use the rears to load the trailer and keep the shower draining.

I found mine (88GV ORED ) on accident while looking for a smaller unit. I researched it and found this forum.
You all are a little nuts about Foretravels

Read much about the Unihome coaches/Chassis/bulkhead rot and windshields/ caps falling off .. and decided to pass . Looked closer at the ad and year and found that this is the Oshkosh with body on frame and took another look at the Data.
Called the factory to verify that windshields could be bought, yes.
The Cat/ Allison combo checked out to be very strong , while the wedge brakes are not.
I went ahead and swapped out some items to more serviceable units. IE the dryer with cartridge style element, primary fuel filter to easily sourced parts and fewer leak points.
I serviced the brakes a couple of times to get them as good as there were designed.
I tiled most of the floor.
Fresh by me; Airbags, tires, all fluids, filters, trans service.
Muffler delete

I am going to change the belts again to Continental , change the steer tires to Toyo 9R, rebuild the bathroom , remove the water tank and fix the floor and senders. I also have to de-race it a little /homify it maybe a little for my bride.

Love my Bus.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #4 – October 04, 2018, 03:12:34 pm

The wedge brakes can be improved. There is an lq4 valve under the dash that disables the front brakes below 60 psi application pressure. It's to stop shuddering in reverse.

Replumbing under the dash allows all the brakes to work.

The "cans" on the backing plates are a certain volume. They can be replaced by bigger ones.

The "pill" in the air foot brake pedal assembly can be changed to add more air quicker.

I had many ommercial truck fleet owners owners who changed theirs,

Brakes get hot and smell. Maybe better shoes and more pressure can improve the brakes and lessen the fade from heating?

Keeping the brakes lightly applied transferred the shoes heat to the drum better than no contact in my testing.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #5 – October 09, 2018, 10:15:48 am

Craneman, I have zero experience with any RV, motorhome, etc. I bought Foretravel because they are still being made here in Texas, have a active support group, and for the most part, parts are available to fix. I bought a 1999 because people said it was one of the better years, because I could afford it, and because this one came up at the right time in a price I could afford while having the solar and lithium batteries I wanted to put in. I went with this year knowing full well that there would be expenses that I would have, stuff would break, upgrades would be needed, things that PO did will have to be redone, etc. So far I am impressed with the build quality of this coach while being dismayed by some of the crap I have found that others have done to it. Some I can fix, some will just be. In the end, if it manages to give me what I need, and I believe it will, which is 10 years of good service and 150K miles, without a major headache, I will be ok with it. Time will tell. In the meantime, I continue to upgrade, tinker, add, subtract, plan, dream, store, empty, fix, clean, repair, and enjoy this remarkable piece of machinery. Won't really put it thru it's paces until June of 2020, but that is right around the corner.
In the meantime, I will continue to learn from this group, and pass on what I have learned.
Bob

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #6 – October 09, 2018, 12:29:39 pm

I believe that taking care of a Foretravel is based on the model year and the ability of the owner. That ability can be in the form of mechanical/electrical ability or financial ability to pay someone with the mechanical/electrical ability. We bought our coach when I had the former and the DW was able to do the entry steps and her share of the maintenance. Now that have reached the time of life when the ability needs to move to the dollar side of the equation we find that we have pretty much burned through the ability to enjoy the trip. Too bad, we enjoyed the 18 years of full-timing but Father Time can be a cruel parent. Moving of from there...take as good a care of your Foretravel a you can physically or fiscally. When that all fails then do as we are doing and put her on the market. Good travels to you all.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #7 – October 09, 2018, 12:55:34 pm

Larry,

While reading that inflation is low, I see ever increasing costs for health care, insurance, vehicle maintenance, etc. For a retiree on a fixed income, the ever increasing cost of coach ownership takes a lot of joy from traveling. Being able to sit and relax while someone else does the work is sure inviting. When we had our seats done, it was difficult at first to allow someone else to remove the seats and do the work. I quickly learned to relax over lunch while watching the waves and leave the heavy lifting to someone else.

Living fairly close to the Mexican border or traveling a couple of days to get there can extend the time you can RV by keeping the expenses and anxiety level way down. Many of our cars, trucks and big rigs are manufactured south of the border so they have the facilities to do most anything from painting, upholstery, flooring to just cleaning. We have taken advantage of this and now mark the calendar until the next trip.

My dental work was done there five years ago at 7% of what I was quoted my my dentist here. Five unit bridge and cap still in good shape. Office and equipment was also better plus they even took our personal check.

Pierce

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #8 – October 09, 2018, 01:04:59 pm

When we go Xtreme for the headlight conversion 3/11/19 it will mark the first time someone else had worked on a vehicle of mine. I know I don't have the ability to do the project. I am going to attempt to do the step conversion myself. The Kwikee 42 will be waiting for me when we return home Sat.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #9 – October 09, 2018, 01:32:45 pm

Chuck, if you get a chance to see a step conversion they have done look at it very closely, take pictures and compare it to your coach. As I recall it was not just a bolt in thing. Rance made new brackets under the coach for it to mount to and a new outer trim cover piece. I can send pictures of mine if you want. You can add an inside switch to make it close even if the ignition is off, a feature we use all the time. We also got a grass-like door mat at Walmart or somewhere that I cut it to size and attached vertically on the front side of the wheel well and behind the step assembly. It will keep a lot of road dirt and sand from getting on the steps and mechanism when you drive.

Use a "dry" spray lube on the sliding parts liberally and frequently

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #10 – October 09, 2018, 02:32:45 pm

Hi Craneman,

I had Xtreme do the Kwikee 42 installation for us last summer. It took Rance 3 days to do so because first he had to fabricate an angel iron subframe. Unless you like welding and have lots of patience, you may want to rethink your own install. I have welding equipment but chose to let them do the job. Total price including the step was just over $3 coach bucks. They also painted the step to match our coach.
Jim

2002 U320

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #11 – October 09, 2018, 04:36:01 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – October 09, 2018, 01:32:45 pm

Chuck, if you get a chance to see a step conversion they have done look at it very closely, take pictures and compare it to your coach. As I recall it was not just a bolt in thing. Rance made new brackets under the coach for it to mount to and a new outer trim cover piece. I can send pictures of mine if you want. You can add an inside switch to make it close even if the ignition is off, a feature we use all the time. We also got a grass-like door mat at Walmart or somewhere that I cut it to size and attached vertically on the front side of the wheel well and behind the step assembly. It will keep a lot of road dirt and sand from getting on the steps and mechanism when you drive.

Use a "dry" spray lube on the sliding parts liberally and frequently

Question-- What is the advantage of the Kwikee step over the Foretravel step? I had a kwikee on SOB and it was a headache!
Thanks
Chris

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #12 – October 09, 2018, 05:27:09 pm

The Kwikee 42 Series steps are somewhat upscale compared to most of the Kwikee steps seen on SOB's. In fact, the only SOB that I have seen the series 42 steps on is Country Coach though there may be more.
Lippert Kwikee 42 Series Electric Step - 2 Steps - 6" Drop/Rise - 25-1/4"...
There is apparently a new model that does away with the lip on the bottom step. Instead, it uses a flop down lower step and a double slide on the upper.
Kwikee 42 Series Double Tread Electric Step - Lippert Components Inc 372779...
Here are a few pictures of the conversion process at Xtreme: You can see the angle iron supports that Rance welded. At his suggestion, I had him offset the steps towards the rear to maximize the useable area. He made a fiberglass trim piece out of a damaged GV compartment door that was out in their scrap pile.
It is hard to judge from the pictures, but I think I prefer the earlier model. The lip doesn't bother me at all...
Don

Quote from: Chris m lang – October 09, 2018, 04:36:01 pm

Question-- What is the advantage of the Kwikee step over the Foretravel step? I had a kwikee on SOB and it was a headache!
Thanks
Chris

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #13 – October 09, 2018, 06:08:05 pm

The Kwikee step is all electric and therefore no problems with air cylinders, air valves and waiting for air pressure to build-up.
Jim

2002 U320

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #14 – October 09, 2018, 06:13:05 pm

Jim, have you had your 02 converted?

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #15 – October 09, 2018, 06:31:11 pm

Yes, by Rance at Xteme. Great place to take your coach.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #16 – October 09, 2018, 06:33:32 pm

X2 on Rance and step conversion

Tim Fiedler
Gen-Pro.biz
630 240-9139

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #17 – October 09, 2018, 06:48:16 pm

With Don's pictures and his help I know I can build the frame and mount it. I will not be able to do the body match work eXtreme does. I will ask when I am there if they would do that part. I know it is like walking into a restaurant with your own eggs and asking them to cook them. The 3 CB's just isn't in the budget after having the headlight conversion. I am only doing the step conversion because the DW is having issues in her legs and don't need her slipping going out the narrow factory step.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #18 – October 10, 2018, 12:46:55 am

Save the cost of step conversion to a better mod, to have Rance convert the heavy rear door to a "hinge" up door like he did for us.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #19 – October 10, 2018, 10:41:10 am

Quote from: Barry & Cindy – October 10, 2018, 12:46:55 am

Save the cost of step conversion to a better mod, to have Rance convert the heavy rear door to a "hinge" up door like he did for us.

The step is already purchased. The headlight mod is for night driving safety and the step for the DW's safety. I can live with the rear door and seeing the safety idea posted earlier by you will work for me. Budget won't allow for a lot of cosmetic mods, but my new free time will let me do the seelevel, battery monitor and 5th solar panel projects.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #20 – October 10, 2018, 12:08:42 pm

Chuck, you and your wife will use the step every day. The increase in safety is the biggest reason to do it. The small fold down step works for some but is a pretty small target especially getting out of the coach with stuff in your hands. Getting in is much easier too. I think you will find it a welcome change. Of all of the changes you could make this one is probably the best real value based on $/use and improvement is your own everyday safety.

Rance made a metal trim piece for ours. Not sure if that is just easier or the way they do it now.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #21 – October 11, 2018, 12:27:52 am

Ah crap, now you guys done did it.... shouldn't of showed me that step conversion...
Don it looks like you have a dead guy under your coach.
Thanks for the pics of that. Really sweet. I don't like my steps so might have to consider this for a future project.....
So from looking at this, its a self contained electric step that bolts into the area where are fold down steps are now. They push out on slides instead of folding out. I like it. So why do you need welded braces for this project, can you not use the lippert outriggers for it? Seems if you can it would be a 1800 $ savings in the pocket for a future need. The glasswork doesn't look to be that hard. You can mold almost anything in fiberglass, check out boatworks today on youtube. Some epoxy, glass, and fairing compound plus paint and it will look good enough.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #22 – October 11, 2018, 09:50:12 am

Will any of these steps install flush with the existing lower framing or do they all hang down a couple inches? Having grounded the generator framing, hard, on a rather innocuous looking railroad crossing I'd have concerns about this.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #23 – October 11, 2018, 11:03:38 am

Quote from: Chuck Pearson – October 11, 2018, 09:50:12 am

Will any of these steps install flush with the existing lower framing or do they all hang down a couple inches? Having grounded the generator framing, hard, on a rather innocuous looking railroad crossing I'd have concerns about this.

Good question, I believe if it could be mounted with the bottom flush, eXtreme would have done so. When I get home it will be waiting for me and I will know for sure. The height of the step might be the issue as it can only mount as high as the bottom of the floor of the coach at that point.

Re: To Foretravel or not Foretravel

Reply #24 – October 11, 2018, 11:30:56 am

Quote from: Don & Tys – October 09, 2018, 05:27:09 pm

The Kwikee 42 Series steps are somewhat upscale compared to most of the Kwikee steps seen on SOB's. In fact, the only SOB that I have seen the series 42 steps on is Country Coach though there may be more.
Lippert Kwikee 42 Series Electric Step - 2 Steps - 6" Drop/Rise - 25-1/4"...
There is apparently a new model that does away with the lip on the bottom step. Instead, it uses a flop down lower step and a double slide on the upper.
Kwikee 42 Series Double Tread Electric Step - Lippert Components Inc 372779...
Here are a few pictures of the conversion process at Xtreme: You can see the angle iron supports that Rance welded. At his suggestion, I had him offset the steps towards the rear to maximize the useable area. He made a fiberglass trim piece out of a damaged GV compartment door that was out in their scrap pile.
It is hard to judge from the pictures, but I think I prefer the earlier model. The lip doesn't bother me at all...
Don

Very nice looking fix for the steps! However, they are proud of them for sure! On our '97, we never had a problem with the air actuated steps. Is the reason for the change to add another step for easier entrance? Just asking.

Affiliate Notice