Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #25 – December 09, 2020, 07:23:12 pm Makes sense now Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #26 – December 09, 2020, 08:16:08 pm Think you'll handle it fine! Much more relaxing than driving any other Motorhome or 5th wheel I've been in. Bounder I had could only do about 6 hrs. I've driven mine 10+ hrs on consecutive days many times. Headlights are notoriously bad but I think yours had the headlight conversion so maybe it's better. If your cruise doesn't work or keeps turning off it's probably because the retarder joystick is not in the 0 position. (Ask me how I know). Welcome aboard its a great ride! Quote Selected 3 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #27 – December 09, 2020, 09:10:53 pm Quote from: Elliott – December 09, 2020, 02:36:55 pmThanks guys, this is all great stuff. 8-10 hours of driving per day with the 5th wheel is what we usually plan for when we need to make a big trip. That's assuming good driving conditions, alternating drivers, and that we're well rested going into it. Some days we plan for it but realize we're done after 3 hours and get off the road. I'm guessing there will be enough new stressors that we aren't able to put on the same kind of miles but we'll see. We can flex our timeline if it comes to it, our employers are used to us calling in from coffee shops. It's been a while since we've been pushed outside our comfort zone and I can't say I have missed it! We've done Houston to indy in 2 days and Indy to Houston in 2 days, a couple of times.... Not a problem just long days.. we've also done Houston to Custer sp in South Dakota there and back, coming home I was fighting a cold front moving with me so lots of wheel work, 16 hour days both ways........ when you still work , like we do, you have to do what you have to do to enjoy your coach....sometimes I think the retired folks have forgot this.. it's possible just know your Limits and don't hesitate to pullover. Enjoy your new coach and welcome to the family from 18070.. oh and get your tsd card for discounted diesel.. Hope to meet ya down the road. Keith Quote Selected 2 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #28 – December 09, 2020, 09:13:54 pm Ok, we got confirmation from Jeff that it'll be ready for pickup on Friday so we fly out tomorrow. What else do I need to bring with? So far I have...A spiral bound copy of the owner's manual (thanks Roger!)Trucker's atlasLaser thermometerTire pressure gaugeMagnetic cell phone mounts for the dashAn aux to cassette audio adapter so we can listen to tunesExtra belts for the engine (having them all replaced by MOT and will keep the old ones as spares)Our TSD fuel card (good reminder Keith, thanks)Insurance info[/list]What am I missing? We're flying in the cheap seats and only have a small carry-on so any tools I need I'll have to pickup on that end. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #30 – December 09, 2020, 09:17:59 pm Quote from: Elliott – December 09, 2020, 09:13:54 pmOk, we got confirmation from Jeff that it'll be ready for pickup on Friday so we fly out tomorrow. What else do I need to bring with? So far I have...A spiral bound copy of the owner's manual (thanks Roger!)Trucker's atlasLaser thermometerTire pressure gaugeMagnetic cell phone mounts for the dashAn aux to cassette audio adapter so we can listen to tunesExtra belts for the engine (having them all replaced by MOT and will keep the old ones as spares)Our TSD fuel card (good reminder Keith, thanks)[/list]What am I missing? We're flying in the cheap seats and only have a small carry-on so any tools I need I'll have to pickup on that end.Keith#5, no metal on dash to stick to.. you coming into Houston? Quote Selected
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #31 – December 09, 2020, 09:20:23 pm Quote from: gracerace – December 09, 2020, 09:16:56 pmCash......Good call! Completely forgot that...and have added it Quote Selected
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #32 – December 09, 2020, 09:22:08 pm Quote from: hdff – December 09, 2020, 09:17:59 pmKeith#5, no metal on dash to stick to.. you coming into Houston?The cell mounts use 3m tape to attach to the dash, and then there's a metal plate on my cell phone case that allows me to attach it to the magnetic mount. We're flying into Dallas to save a couple hundred bucks and heading back out that way too, I think. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #33 – December 09, 2020, 09:30:48 pm Quote from: Elliott – December 09, 2020, 09:13:54 pmOk, we got confirmation from Jeff that it'll be ready for pickup on Friday so we fly out tomorrow. What else do I need to bring with? So far I have...A spiral bound copy of the owner's manual (thanks Roger!)Trucker's atlasLaser thermometerTire pressure gaugeMagnetic cell phone mounts for the dashAn aux to cassette audio adapter so we can listen to tunesExtra belts for the engine (having them all replaced by MOT and will keep the old ones as spares)Our TSD fuel card (good reminder Keith, thanks)Insurance info[/list]What am I missing? We're flying in the cheap seats and only have a small carry-on so any tools I need I'll have to pickup on that end.Coffee pot. Quote Selected
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #35 – December 09, 2020, 10:10:41 pm An aux to cassette audio adapter so we can listen to tunesI prefer no tunes while driving, I like to listen to the coach and be on alert for any unusual noises. Quote Selected 5 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #36 – December 09, 2020, 10:20:50 pm Quote from: Bill and Marsha – December 09, 2020, 10:10:41 pmI prefer no tunes while driving, I like to listen to the coach and be on alert for any unusual noises.Absolutely agree! Especially with a brand-new-to-you coach, you need to keep your ears just as open as your eyes. Get a good idea of what your coach sounds like at different speeds. Be alert for weird or unusual noises. Later on, after you have become comfortable with driving it, you might be OK with listening to music. But I strongly vote for "No Tunes" on this first trip.One other thing. If your rear inside dual wheels still have the short valve stems, they are very hard to reach with standard angle head pressure gauges. I have found "straight in" type pressure gauge chucks to be much easier to use on the short inner valve stems. If the rear inside wheels have extended valve stems, then no problem...although the extensions can sometimes be a different problem.See photo of the "straight in" type air chuck. Quote Selected 4 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #37 – December 10, 2020, 09:09:27 am If you have a fairly flat surface the silicone sticky pads work well. Quote Selected
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #38 – December 10, 2020, 09:35:18 am Elliot, I think you'll find that once on the highway, with the long wheelbase and excellent balance, you'll find that your new to you Foretravel drives just like a van. Until you take your foot off the foot feed and it feels like you're not slowing down at all.Enjoy the ride. Excuse me, with 6 wheels that would be drive.Congratulations on your new chapter. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #39 – December 10, 2020, 11:53:52 am Quote from: Old Toolmaker – December 10, 2020, 09:35:18 am Until you take your foot off the foot feed and it feels like you're not slowing down at all.Along the same lines, you should anticipate that your speed will increase very rapidly even on gentle downgrades. Have a great trip, you are going to love it. Richard Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #40 – December 10, 2020, 01:06:52 pm Elliott,Don't forget the air hose and air chuck, to go along with the tire pressure gauge. The Milton style quick connect for the air should be in the right front bay, above the LP tank.Congrats on your new coach. Welcome to the family.Greg & Cathy Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #41 – December 15, 2020, 12:37:52 pm Well, we made it home without any good stories to tell, so I suppose that's a blessing. Five hours on the road was enough the first day but I was ready to hammer the rest of the way on the 2nd day until I realized how poor the headlights are on these things. We ended up calling it quits at dark on the west side of New Mexico and finishing the drive the next morning. MOT was simply awesome to work with. My wife is about to start a fight with cancer and if we hadn't picked it up this last weekend, it would have been February or March before we could. Knowing that, Jeff Bowser not only got us in for a ton of service work with only four days notice, but he was able to pull Keith Risch off other projects at my request. As usual, Keith was awesome and so were the 2-3 other guys MOT threw at the rig to get it all done. Both Keith and Jeff stayed late into the evening, on a Friday night, making sure we were ready to hit the road Saturday. In addition to the slide repair, we also had the engine belts replaced, all the caliper slide pins replaced and helper springs added, the boost solenoid replaced and a few other small things I can't remember at the moment. There are three things I've noticed since taking ownership that will need to be addressed:1) The rear bags seem to lose air over night. It's slow and I think the aux air compressor is kicking on to compensate but I'll want to figure this out asap2) The dash AC doesn't work. I ordered a new vacuum pump (behind the entry step) because I know mine is not engaging. Hoping that fixes that issue. (side note: MOT only has 4 more of those and they don't make the part any more, so get one now if you need one!)3) There is a "bubble" in the roof. It's about 2.5 inches wide and maybe a foot long. Delamination possibly? It runs from the edge of the AC unit towards the driver's side. There is a corresponding line in the living room ceiling where you can see the "sub-roof?" is sagging where two pieces of wood meet. It looks like the glue may have just let go a little bit, it's still sturdy though. It's subtle but obvious once you notice it. The bubble in the roof scares the hell out of me and I'm still trying to understand how big of an issue it is.Thanks again for all the advice as we've been going through this process. Pic below is our first night dry camping somewhere east of Abilene TX Quote Selected 7 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #42 – December 15, 2020, 12:53:16 pm Glad you made it all in one piece.My U320 has the original headlight setup, and I have not driven at night with them, but if you say yours is bad, and it is the Headlight mod which I see in the pic, MINE must be really terrible.Thanks for the advise of the vacuum pump as my dash air does not work well either. My boost solenoid also requires changing...which I am doing in the spring along with the isolatorBest of luck, and "fight the beast"!! Cancer can be beat.... RegardsPeter Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #43 – December 15, 2020, 12:54:07 pm Congratulations on your new coach. It is really good looking. As for the probable roof leak, there is essentially nothing on these coaches that can't be fixed with a bit of time, effort and $$. Good luck in your future adventures. I will offer a prayer for you and your wife in her up-coming cancer battle. Richard Quote Selected 2 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #44 – December 15, 2020, 01:13:35 pm Quote from: Jan & Richard – December 15, 2020, 12:54:07 pmAs for the probable roof leak, there is essentially nothing on these coaches that can't be fixed with a bit of time, effort and $$. That makes sense. Neither Keith nor myself caught the bubble in the inspection even though I watched him go up there and look at everything, but I did notice the slight sagging in the living room. We kind of shrugged it off as an unknown. However, it rained hard the night we picked it up so I bet water is entering near the AC unit and making that bubble appear as it runs towards the edge of the coach. Ugh. And thank you both for the warm wishes for Kim Quote Selected
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #45 – December 15, 2020, 01:25:26 pm Congrats on your new coach glad you made it home safe.Best wishes for you and especially your wife as you deal with the cancer. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #46 – December 15, 2020, 01:38:07 pm Hope Kim has a speedy recovery! Congrats on the coach. Quote Selected 2 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #47 – December 15, 2020, 05:41:55 pm I drove my u320 36 from TX to WA. I quickly learned about speed and everything moving in the Motorhome! I found that the speed limit signs and corner recommendation signs are the ticket. Do what they say and relax! Now on the bike, 9 over speed limit on straight roads and twenty over corners suggestions as long as it does not exceed 9 over speed limit. Been doing it for years. No tickets, no accidents. But that definitely did not work for the motor home! Quote Selected
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #48 – December 15, 2020, 08:08:33 pm Quote from: Ldillow – December 15, 2020, 05:41:55 pmI drove my u320 36 from TX to WA. I quickly learned about speed and everything moving in the Motorhome! I found that the speed limit signs and corner recommendation signs are the ticket. Do what they say and relax! Now on the bike, 9 over speed limit on straight roads and twenty over corners suggestions as long as it does not exceed 9 over speed limit. Been doing it for years. No tickets, no accidents. But that definitely did not work for the motor home!I don't think you should push any harder than that in the coach. Congrats on the coach, Take care of the Kim. Projector headlights are the fix. Stop the leak, always better to get ahead of problems on everything. Looks good already using it!Scott and Kim Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: U320 for Dummies Reply #49 – December 16, 2020, 12:03:06 am Great to hear y'all got home to Phoenix without issue. Your coach is a real looker. We're hoping Kim has a 100% recovery.Greg & Cathy Quote Selected 1 Likes
Topic: U320 for Dummies