New FT owner

Topic: New FT owner (Read 1600 times) previous topic - next topic

New FT owner

September 06, 2023, 07:33:23 pm

I have been a camper most of my life. But, not my wife. Covid changed that.

I bought a new camping trailer and we took a trip out west to visit all of the national parks. My wife realized that camping wasn't as bad as she originally thought. We discussed it, and she liked the idea of a diesel pusher. So I started my search.

After MUCH research, I narrowed it down to Tiffin, Newmar, Country Coach, and Foretravel (I had never heard of Country Coach or Foretravel before the research).

While any of those were acceptable, after conducting my research, I realized that Foretravel is what I really wanted.

So my search began. My budget dictated an older model (especially since I wanted a U320). I looked at a lot of Foretravel's, and kissed a lot of frogs.

Finally, yesterday, we closed on our 1999 U320 and drove it six hours from Huntsville.

Let the games begin!

Re: New FT owner

Reply #1 – September 06, 2023, 07:41:00 pm

Welcome to the Foretravel Family.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #2 – September 06, 2023, 07:45:48 pm

Welcome,if no history of oil or coolant changes start to do them now,are you a do it yourselfer?

Re: New FT owner

Reply #3 – September 06, 2023, 07:51:49 pm

Welcome to the best coach forum. Here is a few pics of the sister coach of yours. Same year and model.

Gel Coat Maintenance- Aqua -Buff Compound?

Re: New FT owner

Reply #4 – September 06, 2023, 08:32:37 pm

Quote from: John44 – September 06, 2023, 07:45:48 pm

Welcome,if no history of oil or coolant changes start to do them now,are you a do it yourselfer?

This was all done recently. I can DIY for that level but not much more on the engine.

I plan these DIY upgrades:
Flatscreen in the middle of the front
Flatscreen in the bedroom
New stainless microwave and faucet
Change out light above table
New seatbelts
New wiper blades

Also plan to get new chassis batteries and new tires.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #5 – September 06, 2023, 08:34:38 pm

Craneman, that was a mistake... I will be bugging you for advice!

Re: New FT owner

Reply #6 – September 06, 2023, 08:40:09 pm

Welcome to the group lots of great info here. Now you can do a lot more than you think with the help you will find here.
How many miles are on this coach? The reason being is with it being a '99 you may need to add adjusting the valves to your to do list. Yes this can be a DIY on that M-11 with simple hand tools.

Mike & Pamela

Re: New FT owner

Reply #7 – September 06, 2023, 09:24:30 pm

Welcome to the group and have a big time........ by the way, I think I see lots of neat toys in your building.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #8 – September 06, 2023, 10:25:13 pm

Welcome aboard. I am also a newby and been learning a lot from this forum. It is an incredible source of info.
Love your choice of coach as well.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #9 – September 07, 2023, 07:19:06 am

Congrats on your new to you coach! Now, go out and enjoy the ride!

Re: New FT owner

Reply #10 – September 07, 2023, 10:43:07 am

Your path to your coach seems to be simular to others and myself. Yes ive become biased but have not regretted ever getting it. This forum was a contributing factor for purchase I think for most. The search function can revile years of information.
Congratulation on your purchase. Being biased I think you have made good choices.
Scott

Re: New FT owner

Reply #11 – September 07, 2023, 01:49:35 pm

Welcome!

Re: New FT owner

Reply #12 – September 07, 2023, 03:58:48 pm

Hola. Congrats and welcome.

Bill

Re: New FT owner

Reply #13 – September 07, 2023, 04:26:45 pm

Kevin, Congrats and Welcome!
Don't be afraid to tackle some jobs that you may be skeptical of. This Forum is filled with lessons and information that is priceless when you work on your coach.
One of the first things you should do is get safety stands. NEVER get under your coach without them in place.
Get yourself a good creeper and just roll around under the coach looking at everything. You'll be amazed how many things you can learn. At least try to familiarize yourself with everything's function.
Much easier in the comfort of your garage than on the side of the road.

There will be days when you question why in the world you purchased the coach, but once you're out and enjoying the comfort and happiness it brings, you'll know it was a great purchase!

Good Luck and ENJOY.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #14 – September 07, 2023, 04:37:05 pm

Welcome! Seems to me that you made a great choice. I'm a newbie as well and I can't begin to tell you about the wealth of information you will find on this forum all put together for the love of Foretravel by these fine folks.

The search engine here is a great tool to utilize. Most of the issues I've had with my coach were already addressed by someone before me and cataloged here. I don't think a day goes by that I don't check out this forum to see what's going on.

Happy trails

Re: New FT owner

Reply #15 – September 07, 2023, 07:27:03 pm

Join the Motorcade and attend a chapter meeting. If you can find a Foretravel owner nearby have them over for a walk around your coach and take them out for dinner. It will be very helpful.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #16 – September 08, 2023, 11:50:49 am

SUCH a good choice! This Forum is your VERY best resource for any and all questions. When we had an issue that required waiting for a repairman (whether it was for our '93. the '95 or the "02) we hit the Forum for ideas. We usually had great information for the repairman to begin his job by the time he arrived. The Factory in Mac is responsive and supportive ... a situation that may very well be lacking with other brands! When you visit the "Mothership" and stay in Camp Foretravel in Nacogdoches, you will see what we mean.

Get ready for a huge learning curve just figuring out what all the switches are for!! I swear we discovered new lighting hidden in all sorts of places. You have SUCH fun ahead! Recommend getting the Silverleaf, if you do not already have it. Makes using the retarder a lot easier and I (Navigator) loved keeping tabs on all the temps for my husband (driver) when we travelled in the mountains. Invest in a good honking surge protector to be used at the pole (with a good lock, as well) and a good water filter. The surge protector made us the ONLY coach saved in a spanking new military campground when a ferocious storm rolled through and took out a substation a few miles away. Everyone else lost their tvs, refrigerators, etc. We only had the protector destroyed. It was immediately replaced for free as per their guarantee! Water in campgrounds may not be the best, and we never had an issue using a 2 stage filter. I always kept a bottle of sanitizer handy and sprayed the fittings at all locations before hooking up. (You never know who dumped their tanks and THEN addressed the water connection!).

Never be afraid to ask ANY question. Please tell your wife that is she has any queries to please reach out!! We all have tricks and gimmicks that were figured out over the years.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #17 – September 08, 2023, 12:08:37 pm

"This Forum is your VERY best resource for any and all questions."

Got THAT right!

Re: New FT owner

Reply #18 – September 08, 2023, 01:42:35 pm

Quote from: Carol Savournin – September 08, 2023, 11:50:49 am

The surge protector made us the ONLY coach saved in a spanking new military campground when a ferocious storm rolled through and took out a substation a few miles away. Everyone else lost their tvs, refrigerators, etc. We only had the protector destroyed. It was immediately replaced for free as per their guarantee!

Which surge protector do you use?

Re: New FT owner

Reply #19 – September 08, 2023, 08:22:45 pm

Congratulations to you both on your FORETRAVEL.

We use a 50 amp surge guard from SouthWire.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #20 – September 09, 2023, 05:15:58 am

Quote from: kstine98 – September 08, 2023, 01:42:35 pm

Which surge protector do you use?

I put this one in, installed it between the transfer switch and the breaker box. I can monitor the loads on the system and it protects incase the generator has an issue too. 50 Amp Bluetooth Surge Protector with Auto Shutoff - Hardwired - Hughes...

Re: New FT owner

Reply #21 – September 09, 2023, 09:29:04 am

Quote from: Lt403 – September 08, 2023, 08:22:45 pm

Congratulations to you both on your FORETRAVEL.

We use a 50 amp surge guard from SouthWire.

X2. I installed mine after the transfer switch. Hardwired in. Also protects against transfer switch issue and generator failure, "BUT" takes like four minutes to power up air conditioning from generator start. The additional head is nice to see what's going on.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #22 – September 09, 2023, 10:00:14 am

Quote from: kstine98 – September 08, 2023, 01:42:35 pm

Which surge protector do you use?

We also used a Surgeguard purchased at Camping World. We had misplaced the receipt, but they looked it up for us in their system and the replacement was sent with no problem by the manufacturer. They have a good guarantee.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #23 – September 09, 2023, 01:21:26 pm

It's an adventure with hopefully more ups than downs. I was always the cat that had to see for myself and still doing it after decades so I suppose there is something about it. A road runner needs something to run the roads in, every individual knows if he is a roadrunner or not. It's always there or not.

Re: New FT owner

Reply #24 – September 21, 2023, 12:02:09 am

The camp host at Gun Creek CG on Rend Lake in southern Illinois came by my campsite this evening and said "another Foretravel just came in, it's over in the next loop".....

I checked this out and found Kevin, the OP of this thread and new Foretravel owner. Welcome aboard Kevin, mighty nice U320!

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