Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Topic: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind? (Read 1922 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #25 – August 10, 2020, 11:47:01 pm

BOUNDER! "A great machine", you forget who made the comment, a guy who probably started out as a used car salesman! All he wants to do is SELL!
So many RV sales people have never gone camping , know nothing about RV's in general and are technically inept!
The old Bounders were a low end, budget coach if ever there was one.
Twenty year old BOUNDER vs FORETRAVEL, one still works, the other is dead or dying with a lot of water leaks at the corner joints!
If you believe that the BOUNDER is a better coach than a Foretravel, he must be one hell of a good salesman!
Seriously, an underpowered front engine, small holding tanks, a small cheap generator, bargain basement interior, RV shower and plastic basin, not much storage, all on a chassis that flexes, and if I am correct a wood framed shell,
Even a blind person can see the difference, why did they use a Bounder on Breaking Bad? Because people could laugh at it and wonder where you would find something so awful.
Everyone to his own, I love how well our 21 year old Foretravel rides, just got back from 925 miles in the Pennsylvania mountains over the week end, and it's KING!

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #26 – August 11, 2020, 01:06:48 am

This wasn't a Bounder, probably slightly better build quality. Fortunately the occupants survived.

No real structural integrity. Likely a shoebox fastened to the chassis by means of wood screws into the wood floor.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #27 – August 11, 2020, 01:46:05 am

Deplorable..... really ,,,
Ad us to the nose blind group. Pretty happy with our pointy nose GV also.

And who the heck uses the water valve anyway. Go with direct fill and pump It out with the on board water pump, to be safe.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #28 – August 11, 2020, 02:53:13 am

One reason you see more of them is many are rentals.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #29 – August 11, 2020, 09:25:32 am

Quote from: "Irish" – August 10, 2020, 11:47:01 pm

Seriously, an underpowered front engine, small holding tanks, a small cheap generator, bargain basement interior, RV shower and plastic basin, not much storage, all on a chassis that flexes, and if I am correct a wood framed shell,

When we needed to replace the Rockwood, I was resigned to flexible chassis, and sticks and staples construction. But for the amount of money I wanted to spend I was looking at late 1990s Fleetowood Bounders. I also wanted the V-10. And just as the road to hell is paved with gold, and gently sloped I was budgeting $2,500 for that 100,000 mile spark plug change when Lynn innocently said, "Have you considered a Foretravel?" I was sold on the Unihome frame. Yes, just as it is with any limited production vehicle there are "issues," but I jumped on the best example that fit my wants and desires and have not looked back.

Yes I'd like a 6V92 but after 33 years of summertime driving the same 1950 Chrysler, I'm comfortable with the 5.9 Cummins and the 4-speed Allison. Air bag suspension? Very nice but the torsion bars are properly sized for the weight of the U225 and I'm o-kay with the stiff ride.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #30 – August 11, 2020, 10:01:49 am

Old TM,

I wonder if new progressive rate shocks would do for your ride? That's part of the way that they get the cars with the ultra low profile tires to ride well. Not much flex on a tire only 2 inches from wheel to pavement.

Pierce

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #31 – August 11, 2020, 10:10:58 am

Have an 01 Excursion with a V-10,read up on the spark plugs,the $2500.00 is only if the threads get stripped,was an easy change,
get the plugs,for the price get a set of new coils,Let the engine sit OVERNIGHT,and soak in some penetrating oil,take your time and change the plugs,not rocket science.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #32 – August 11, 2020, 10:31:23 am

Quote from: John44 – August 11, 2020, 10:10:58 am

Have an 01 Excursion with a V-10,read up on the spark plugs,the $2500.00 is only if the threads get stripped,was an easy change,
get the plugs,for the price get a set of new coils,Let the engine sit OVERNIGHT,and soak in some penetrating oil,take your time and change the plugs,not rocket science.

John,

You have it. A friend of our neighbor did a plug change on his PU and then had to have it towed to the dealer to have the heads pulled. Like you said, overnight, something like Liquid Wrench and then out they come. Anytime the heads or a oil pan is made out of aluminum, you need a torque wrench to install them correctly and make sure the next time they are pulled, they don't take lots of aluminum with them.

If you do use anti-seize on the threads, a little goes a long way and reduce the torque by about 20%. Here is a discussion on it: No Anti Seize on NGK Spark Plugs For Aluminum Heads? | For B Bodies Only.... 4 thread aluminum heads only get about 11 ft.lbs.

Pierce

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #33 – August 11, 2020, 02:06:04 pm

When I put the new plugs in I used a 1/4 inch ratchet and if you do reuse the plugs get new washers.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #34 – August 11, 2020, 02:10:15 pm

Steel plugs into aluminum heads, turn them anti clockwise slowly till they drop into the thread pattern. Wish I had a dollar for every small engine aluminum head that I've had to fix, heli coil or scrap bin mmm, had a rental store.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #35 – August 11, 2020, 02:12:03 pm

And, by HAND. If too deep to reach by hand, slip a hose over the top/outer end and start it that way.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #36 – August 11, 2020, 04:21:29 pm

Two different levels/classes of motorhomes.. Assumed we all knew that before now.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #37 – August 11, 2020, 05:14:40 pm

Quote from: John44 – August 11, 2020, 10:10:58 am

Have an 01 Excursion with a V-10,read up on the spark plugs,the $2500.00 is only if the threads get stripped,was an easy change,
get the plugs,for the price get a set of new coils,Let the engine sit OVERNIGHT,and soak in some penetrating oil,take your time and change the plugs,not rocket science.

Well, I passed on the Fleetwood Bounder and am happy with my 5.9 Cummins. But I am the proud owner of a shiny new M12 X 1.25 TiCN coated thread forming tap because after all of the above, over the period of a week, I found the tap had an aluminum bug welded in at the start of its thread and I wound that all the way out. Luckily reforming the threads saved my bacon. The first generation Honda V-4 motorcycle engine is like working on a watch.

FWIW the problem was that the spark plug center electrode broke and was arcing to the side of the shell, right where the bug formed. About 30,000 miles ago.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #38 – August 11, 2020, 05:41:19 pm

Quote from: Dub – August 11, 2020, 04:21:29 pm

Two different levels/classes of motorhomes.. Assumed we all knew that before now.

I honestly did not believe that anything less than a bus conversion could be built this well.

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – August 11, 2020, 10:01:49 am

Old TM,

I wonder if new progressive rate shocks would do for your ride? That's part of the way that they get the cars with the ultra low profile tires to ride well. Not much flex on a tire only 2 inches from wheel to pavement.

Pierce

Yeah, about those shocks. When that task surfaces I'll deal with it, but for now there is no dampening on the front.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #39 – August 11, 2020, 05:47:03 pm

No Koni FSD's for the U225 and U240. The Koni shocks are the red/brown adjustable shocks (rebound dampening is what is adjustable). The suggestions on the Koni website are from our coach in working with one of Koni's engineers. This was before FSD's.

Not enough volume in the U225 and U240 line to warrant marketing a unique shock.

KONI NA | List

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #40 – August 19, 2020, 10:11:11 am

Bounder?

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #41 – August 19, 2020, 11:07:54 am

I don't think any of them are going to fair very well once you run em down in a ditch, then slide em down the road in their side. That going to junk em.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #42 – August 19, 2020, 11:17:16 am

Close proximity of the chassis after upset looks like it got tired of hanging on the coach and flopped off.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #43 – August 19, 2020, 12:03:34 pm

The cabin looks fairly intact and square. Not a complete failure .IMHO

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #44 – August 19, 2020, 12:58:54 pm

We sold our 1995 33' Pace Arrow for a 2008 36' Mobile Suites fifth wheel, had it for seven years, and bought our 1997 40' Foretravel.

The Pace Arrow is two trim lines above the Bounder. Bounder, Southwind, Pace Arrow.

The Pace Arrow retailed around $70K during the same period our Foretravel retailed at $340K. A Bounder probably hasn't gone for more than $40K after it left the dealers' lot. Fleetwood did make a DP Bounder, but not in the 90's. Those were all gassers.

We bought the Pace Arrow off Ebay for about $14K because we couldn't afford both a big pickup and a fifth wheel. We needed to do something because my elderly wife (in her early 40s) couldn't sleep well on the 4" mattress and canvas walled bed in our pop-up anymore. We had to replace the supplementary air bags (the front of the Pace Arrow had coil springs with an air bag in them), the tires, shocks, refrigerator, water pump, and exhaust manifold. To work on the engine, you had to lay on the floor inside and reach around to the front of the engine from the dog house (the interior hood of the engine).

Camping in a trailer bolted to a UPS delivery truck chassis is a different experience than a Foretravel. They're not even in the same class. Foretravel wasn't even in the same class as most diesel pushers of the time. I refer to it as a $200K motorhome with $140K of options.

As noted in other posts, the Foretravel is kicking our butts in upgrades and "deferred maintenance". I miss the popup for it simplcity. I probably had about $10K in the Pace Arrow for total cost of ownership over five years. I think we hit $10K in the Foretravel within five months. I don't miss the Pace Arrow. It was overloaded, drove like the steering was connected with bungie cords, the interior was tight with no slides (our no slide Foretravel has MUCH more room), I hated working on it, and it had the rotten green switch (parking brake pump valve), which I've changed out on the side of a busy road. Ever had your parking brake apply at 60MPH? Not fun.

We had great times in it, but it wasn't a keeper. For a mid-90s camper at $40K, you want a keeper.

A mid-90s Bounder for $40K. Naw. I bet you can find them all day for $4K.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #45 – August 19, 2020, 01:40:56 pm

Quote from: trailertrashrick – August 19, 2020, 12:58:54 pm

A mid-90s Bounder for $40K. Naw. I bet you can find them all day for $4K.

I'm going to eat my words here. They're much higher than they used to be, but still not $40K. Not $4K either, though.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #46 – August 19, 2020, 03:49:26 pm

Quote from: craneman – August 10, 2020, 04:03:45 pm

My brother and I have a saying "just about everybody buys a Bounder, once" Like the old Pace Arrows from the 70's

Mine was a Southwind.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #47 – August 19, 2020, 03:58:51 pm

Quote from: Tom Lang – August 10, 2020, 05:07:42 pm

So why not just sell your Foretravel and trade up to a Bounder? Do whatever makes you happy.

I'm very happy with my 2003 U295. No bulkhead issues. No fastener issues, Thetford sewer fittings used to be on high end rvs only, including my Revcon. Used to be you'd buy the ends and hose separately and assemble yourself. You still can. Or buy an adapter. If you want to use readymade hoses.

I find the water fill valve very easy to reach while sitting on the commode. It's right there under the sink.

Tom

You had a Revcon? Did it have the poop burner upgrade? I was chassis shop Forman 70-71. Everyone quit and went to work across the freeway in Fountain Valley to Hall GTC new plant.

Original owners of Revcon, started it.

I moved to Nor Cal, started my Van shop when it got ugly around there.

We had a jingle we sang to the Micky Mouse jingle...... "R_E_V_C_O_N M_O_U_S_E"

And yes, they had a option that took black tank water along with the tank trout, and plumbed it into the exhaust. It worked. Installed several!

Still have a brochure/book of a tour through the factory.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #48 – August 19, 2020, 04:03:44 pm

Bet that exaust smelled like crap.

Re: Are Foretravel Owners Nose Blind?

Reply #49 – August 19, 2020, 04:08:54 pm

Quote from: craneman – August 10, 2020, 05:32:55 pm

You are correct about them being bottom of the barrel, but price sucks some in, but only once.

Sir, I need to correct you. Georgie Boy was the bottom of the barrel. Trust me, I took a factory tour as a tech. We sold them for a short period at the Coeur D Alene FT store.

Chris

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