Pusher problems scare me

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Pusher problems scare me

May 31, 2020, 03:00:11 pm

At times I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the potential problems an owner can have with these. I have friends who have newer coaches and still have problems.
Any words of wisdom

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #1 – May 31, 2020, 03:08:32 pm

Get a trailer, may have problems....will... but the engine is not connected

Was not my choice but other factors were weighed.

Might think of a Class A with gasoline engine, is simpler. Or a Class C....,I tried that first.

I bet I open a can of crickets!

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #2 – May 31, 2020, 03:19:31 pm

It's the nature of the beast. DIY and the cost will probably be much less, probably. No DIY, pull CC and smile if you have the bucks otherwise, consider the Golden Gate in worst case.

Pierce

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #3 – May 31, 2020, 03:40:06 pm

ALL mechanical devices WILL have problems sooner or later. That's life. Higher end coaches have more systems, which means more that can go wrong. Our coaches don't have drop-down jacks, though, so we don't have their problems. Instead we use the air bags and an aux compressor to keep them inflated so we stay level. We have traded one problem area for another.

Many people rightly worry about the high cost of engine service or replacement. These are the same engines that over-the-road trucks use, so they are generally pretty reliable as long as they are properly maintained. A few years ago we had our engine rebuilt. We were in a hotel for six weeks. Yes, it was inconvenient. Yes, it cost us money. We didn't lose any income, though. Imagine if the same thing had happened to an over-the-road trucker. He probably would have found some way to get home, leaving the truck to be repaired, and then gone back to get it when it was finished, so he wouldn't have had the hotel bill, but he would have also gone six weeks without work, so six weeks without income. THAT hurts.

My suggestion is that you choose one of the shops in Nacogdoches as your service place. Have them go over your coach thoroughly and make a plan to keep it in shape and bring it back to as close to a new coach as you desire. As Pierce said, doing what you can will save you money. Be willing to try things, but know your own limitations. Trying to save $100 by doing it yourself, only to damage something else that requires a tow to a repair shop isn't going to save you much money.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #4 – May 31, 2020, 03:57:40 pm

Quote

At times I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the potential problems

Well, let's see. You have a mechanical 8.3 so there's not much to go wrong with that thing as long as you keep up with the fluid changes. Your Allison 3060 transmission is also robust and unlikely to give you problems. The interior stuff is just like any other RV and stuff gets old and breaks. None of that is too expensive. Bear in mind that when you read this forum there are lots of posts about problems. Just the nature of a discussion forum. Also, many of the posts concern elective improvements which are not really necessary. You don't have to carry a full set of tools with you as some here do. Just a roadside assistance policy instead. I say, relax and if something goes tits up you will find all the help you need right here.
jor

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #5 – May 31, 2020, 04:22:48 pm

I agree with JOR 100%. Well said.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #6 – May 31, 2020, 04:38:44 pm

I fully agree with Jor.

All the issues we have had with our coach were more from a lack of use (brake slide pins) and some stuff just aging/wearing out at the time we bought the coach. (Tires, Batteries, Airbags, Shocks, Shift pad)

The oily bits in our coaches are pretty darn reliable unless they did not have the proper oil changes.

For us the first couple of years were expensive ones to catch up on the needed replacements of those worn out/aged out items.
The only truly big/expensive unexpected failure in our coach was the Aqua-Hot failure that cost us nearly $9K and 8 weeks to get fixed.

As for DIY. Another way to look at it. And this is applicable to me.
For repairs beyond a typical home level DIY. I use a shop.
We were in our late 50's when we bought our Foretravel, Our first and last coach. In fact it was our first RV of any kind. So when I do the math by adding up the cost of buying land, building a coach barn with a large shop area with 50Amp power and sewer connections. Then filling it with the appropriate tools. It just doesn't make any sense at all to spend $100,000 (or more) to save the cost of a shop doing the heavy lifting for the 10-15 years that we will be in a coach.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #7 – May 31, 2020, 04:49:57 pm

Newer isn't always better, and new doesn't buy trouble free. Your old Foretravel is destined to last longer than 99% of the new RVs made today.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #8 – May 31, 2020, 04:53:24 pm

"You have an RV, so you have a problem, you just don't know what it is yet".

It's mechanical as others said, so it will have issues. never will be perfect, even a brand new one.

If I couldn't work on mine myself, I wouldn't own it. Dislike having people work on my stuff. Usually end up disappointed.

Have had them all, PU camper, trailers, all types of class 'C's and 'A's. This is the best one I have owned.

Cheers.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #9 – May 31, 2020, 05:24:24 pm

I must accept that I CHOSE to purchase an OLD cottage, wired for both 12V & 110V, plumbed for both water and propane, sitting atop an OLD chassis wired for 12V, plumbed with nonmetallic fuel lines to TWO engines and with pressurized metallic air lines to four brakes and eight air springs.... ALL either deteriorating from disuse AND/OR jostled and shaken from travel....... like.... maybe.... just maybe.... something might go wrong

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #10 – May 31, 2020, 05:45:08 pm

Quote from: Michael & Jackie – May 31, 2020, 03:08:32 pm

Get a trailer, may have problems....will... but the engine is not connected

Was not my choice but other factors were weighed.

Might think of a Class A with gasoline engine, is simpler. Or a Class C....,I tried that first.

I bet I open a can of crickets!

I agree completely... we could have reached in our budget for a older Foretravel Diesel... but went with a classic and rare FT Grand Villa front gas engine... we did early homework and could not fathom the belts, filters, fluids, hoses, and the myriad of things we read about on this forum every day.. we know we can pull into almost any GM/Chevrolet service shop or even a gas station and get something done if need to... we dont have to get towed to a Cummins or Detroit Diesel Certified Shops hundreds of miles from our breakdown...

In Winner TX one late sunday night we lost our alternator ... drove without lights to a 4 way stop gas station in town and slept the night away. Morning rode my bicycle to get a new alternator and battery and had the Napa store tech follow me to replace in one hour and on the road another 1000 miles back to Colorado home... just my opinion...

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #11 – May 31, 2020, 06:46:22 pm

Quote from: Subsilked – May 31, 2020, 05:45:08 pm

I agree completely... we could have reached in our budget for a older Foretravel Diesel... but went with a classic and rare FT Grand Villa front gas engine... we did early homework and could not fathom the belts, filters, fluids, hoses, and the myriad of things we read about on this forum every day.. we know we can pull into almost any GM/Chevrolet service shop or even a gas station and get something done if need to... we dont have to get towed to a Cummins or Detroit Diesel Certified Shops hundreds of miles from our breakdown...

In Winner TX one late sunday night we lost our alternator ... drove without lights to a 4 way stop gas station in town and slept the night away. Morning rode my bicycle to get a new alternator and battery and had the Napa store tech follow me to replace in one hour and on the road another 1000 miles back to Colorado home... just my opinion...

Sounds like you made a good choice. Lots of ways to enjoy yourself without as much worry. Every time I look at the hydraulic pump/fans and the way they put the radiator in the back, I get a bad feeling and it would not take much to smash the pump and motors with a baseball bat.

Pierce

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #12 – May 31, 2020, 07:00:12 pm

Some people stress about the things that never happen and miss the opportunities created.

Staying home has its advantages.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #13 – May 31, 2020, 07:25:13 pm

Staying home has its advantages.
Sometimes the DW will raise her eyebrows when she sees a MH bill. My standard response is when you are ready to stay home just let me know and the FT will be on the sale block. We just bought a can am to take to the desert this winter (DW wanted one) so I guess we will be keeping the FT for a while longer
Chris

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #14 – May 31, 2020, 07:30:55 pm

As I told countless customers "this is a want, not a need." "You pay for everyone of your pleasures and if you did not pay as much it probably was not as much fun, was it?"

Not for the faint of wallet.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #15 – May 31, 2020, 08:28:52 pm

But I look at things that go wrong as a challenge and like fixing most stuff. Imagine if you don't have a clue and you get shop bill after shop bill. Then it's not a want or a need, it's a disaster.

I remember a bunch of guys from Florida pooled their funds and bought a 51 foot Formosa (brand name) sailboat. They had no clue about sailing (and this is the dead of winter) so decided to motor the sailboat from Taiwan to the main island of Luzon and down the coast to Manila Bay. Just a few hours later, the propeller fell off into thousands of feet of ocean. They tried to put up the sails in violent weather, had no idea of navigation but thought they would head south until they hit the main island and then follow the coast for a few hundred miles until they got to Manila Bay. The diesel tank was full but came loose and pulled off the fittings and mixed with sea water from a prop shaft packing leak. The smell was overpowering so they took all the cases of beer and had to spend a week on deck in wet sleeping bags with nothing to eat but to drink beer.

I remember when they arrived in Manila, the boat listing about 15 degrees and all of them sicker than a dog. They flew back to Florida and had a broker try and sell the boat.

So, things can go wrong and spoil most any adventure.

Pierce

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #16 – May 31, 2020, 08:59:20 pm

Hey all. Great commentary on this. I feel better and your correct in your responses. I've owned all types of campers over the years. I've been very blessed to have little trouble with any of them. I bought this last October for a project and it didn't disappoint! ha ha

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #17 – May 31, 2020, 09:27:21 pm

Always remember, "an RV is a depreciating asset!"

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #18 – May 31, 2020, 09:44:39 pm

When we purchased our U225, there were things I knew, things I suspected, and stuff that was a complete surprise.
She made the 1,400 drive home with no problems. Sort of. Lynn's first words upon arrival were "It's warm in here." And the next morning, "I'm not moving into that thing until the heating is fixed."
I mean, what are the odds that two furnaces and the cab heat would be tits up? And in my defense, if Lynn had tied the thermostat wires together he would have had heat from the front furnace. The rear furnace needed blower oil to help the air to move.
The fridge was a known death and I already knew where to get a replacement Amish cooling unit.
The torsion bars were a surprise and I double checked with Brett for ride height because I couldn't believe my luck, but I already knew the cost and source for replacements.

Any motorhome will have problems. But being afraid of a diesel pusher? As I say RTFM. All of it is just stuff, and as such is amenable to understanding and repair.

I wanted the air bag suspension after riding on the travel stops of the Chevy P30 chassied Rockwood, overloaded the day it rolled out the factory door, for 8 years.

But, what I gave up in ride comfort, I gained in simplicity. Same thing for the 12V Cummins and the 4-speed Allison, which I have affectionately renamed the, post war, pre-fire, Hydramatic. I drove a model T Ford long distances for 3 summers in New England. Do you really think a line of cars behind me on the on ramp is a cause for me concern?

And I have built in leveling jacks. Luxurious!

Don't allow the complexities of a city apartment on wheels get to you. It's just stuff.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #19 – May 31, 2020, 09:52:56 pm

May not be popular to say but the ownership of these does get expensive I you use them. Think my biggest expense was fuel and tires. Sure there were repairs but the fuel and tires were much more. In my class c now, I replaced 4 tires for the cost of one tire on my FTs. The FT lives better the class c is much cheaper to run and own. If I was wintering of going for a longtime the FT can't be beat. You should also look at the super c on the full sized truck chassis. They are easier to service and find service for the chassis side. I have owned three class c and 3 different Fortravels and have put 370k miles on my FTs

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #20 – May 31, 2020, 10:17:32 pm

My personal comment to customers was that these can cost $10 a mile. 10k miles over five years. $100k depreciation.

I have told many customers "I am glad you used the coach more to have lowered your costs to two or three dollars a mile.

Told them their used coach was worth the same to me with 10k miles or 40k miles.

Why? Do you ask? Or everyone would disconnect their Speedo's. Deduct for extra miles. No add for low miles.

I told them easier for me to sell with low miles. No problem,

After fixing everything I laugh as going down the road I envision and have stated it's like throwing out a dollar per mile out the window.

IF you get to 10 cents a mile you are very fortunate.

Can you hear me talk to customers in this post as a Foretravel Sales manager? Absolutely true. Word for word.

If they objected I sent them down the street many times as the grief was not worth it and the club chapter could be poisoned after all the time and money I had spent to get them fixed up and happy.

$75k in 1986 and 1987. Treated them nice. Out of warranty repairs. Best Foretravel money I ever spent. 88 and 89 the store generated $2 million dollars profit, 200 units new and used.

This is a pleasure item. If you get off cheap you were lucky. If not oh well. Roll the dice

Bob

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #21 – June 01, 2020, 12:30:22 am

I do enjoy the comfort ride and quiet coming from a 1999 Bounder v-10 which was cheap to drive but I did maintain everything and upgrade the f-53 chassis.
This FT is beautiful inside and out.
I'll keep it for a couple years for sure. Time will tell what's next.
Thanks again

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #22 – June 01, 2020, 07:07:27 am

"I do enjoy the comfort ride and quiet coming from a 1999 Bounder v-10"

I must be missing something here...... a quiet Bounder with a v-10? 😳

Must have been parked.

Sorry, couldn't resist the sarcastic comment.

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #23 – June 01, 2020, 10:37:54 am

He saying he enjoys the comfort and ride of the Foretravel .. coming from the bouncer.. speed reading. Commas help just a little or the ...

Re: Pusher problems scare me

Reply #24 – June 01, 2020, 11:07:46 am

I tell friends, who ask, to budget what they paid for their coach in future non-cosmetic repairs. Might not spend that much but have the money in the bank. If you can and like to DIY then this budget may be considerably less but the money needs to be there regardless. We enjoy reading all the DIY threads here....and have great respect for those who can and choose to do it. From long years of experience I know my hands are best suited for writing checks to people I know and trust.

How you spend that money can be (1) in advance for known wear items, or (2) when they break. Since we plan a decade of long annual trips (4-10k miles/year) we have chosen to replace items we know are original to our 20 year old coach before they break knowing that they will likely outlast our ownership, e.g., shocks, air bags, fuel lines, radiator (at first sign of leakage), and brakes. We're also religious on annual service (fluids and all filters) regardless of mileage. Have we spent more than "needed"....yes....but the peace of mind and 3 trouble free years of retirement adventures made it worth it to us.

And, yes, we also have Coach-Net....just in case.

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