Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 10, 2025 ...

Motor Homes are expensive to operate. If tires are an issue, you probably can't afford the coach. They just are more expensive to maintain than say a gas class C. Price of fuel is not fun right now. Insurance has doubled in the past years.
Really consider your budget before this purchase.

Personally I would not drive the coach on  tires that have been sitting for 10 years. They may be older than that, check the date codes.

Everyone will have varying opinions on how often to replace coach tires but that is with normal use and maintenance. If I want my wife to join me in the coach we need to replace the tires every 5-6 years. Many go longer but this is what we are comfortable with.

It comes down to how much risk you are willing to take and that is a personal decision.

Best wishes with the acquisition and safe travels.

Enjoy your purchase. If you do most of the work yourself you will gain valuable knowledge of your coach. Having Mine near by is great. I know tires are a big expense before you even get the coach home, but the safety issues, and the damage they can cause it's just not it worth do all six.

Zack, you couldn't ask for a better neighbor and knowledgeable person on Foretravels than Mike.  I have called him on numerous occasions and he always was spot on in his diagnosis of a problem!  You will be in the best of hands!

With regards to tires, Dave Ward, the Michelin tire re-seller I and others purchase tires through, will provide Michelin brand tires at less cost than FMCA, sign you up for free to Michelin OnCall, and arrange for a dealer to come to the coach's location to install them.

Dave Ward. (321) 607-2265

Zack with you being a auto mechanic and Mike as a neighbor you should be fine. I have been
reading Mikes posts for a few years so I can tell he is very knowledgeable. Have fun with the
coach and good luck. 

Hi Peter
I think so as well. Having Mike nearby is the main reason I went ahead and agreed to purchase the coach. Without his assistance, I'm not sure sure I would have done it. I'm afraid the learning curve might have been more than I wanted to tackle doing it just myself. Of course this forum and having Keith 75 miles to the South would have been a couple good resources but not like having someone 3 blocks from me. I think it will all work out really good this way.

Zack,

With your neighbor Mike as well as being near Nachgdoches and all of us on the Forum to back you up, you and Genny are in for a fantastic adventure.  I look forward to meeting you somewhere down the road. 

Richard

Hello everyone, thanks for the add.

I am seeking some info about a few issues with a coach that I am looking to buy. The coach is a 1998 U270 3600wtfe. This coach belonged to my uncle who was extremely meticulous in the care and maintenance. Sadly, He passed in 2019 and now my aunt has it and has agreed to sell it to me. The coach has been sitting for approx. 10 years now on concrete inside an enclosed shop. My cousin has driven it a few times during the last 2-3 years to keep things lubricated. The tires have approx. 700 miles on them but due to their age, they are probably questionable for use. The batteries are down, and there is an air ride issue which is what has prompted this post. The coach is located 300 miles from my home, so it is not readily available to me currently. I have not purchased the coach yet because I am trying to get some ballpark idea for what I am facing cost-wise and what all repairs/replacements I will be faced with just to get it to my home as outlined below.

1st question:
The air ride will raise it up, but it will not stay even while running. Eventually it bleeds back down and must wait for it to air up again. I talked to a local (to me) ForeTravel repairman about this, he said without looking at it, he suspects this could be a "six-pack" O-ring issue. I have been an auto mechanic my entire life, but I know nothing about this. So, I am asking for any of you to please share your thoughts, ideas, advice on how best to diagnose this air ride issue based on the limited info I have provided. Ultimately, I will have to hire a coach mechanic in the area where it is located to look at this so it will be a long-distance thing for me. Obviously, I cannot drive it back the 300 miles to my home in this condition, so it is imperative that I get this diagnosed and repaired. Any speculation as to the cost of repair for something like this provided it is something like an air valve(s) or O-ring issue? Yes, the entire coach drops equally, not just one side, corner, front or rear.

2nd question:
Being that tires are so expensive and buying all 6 at one time would be a hard hit financially at the onset of this purchase, would it be reasonable for me to consider only replacing the 2 fronts just to get it home the 300-mile trip? Yes, the tires are aged, and I am sure most of the integrity of them is gone but they are not visibly dry rotted or cracked. So, my thoughts only due to the cost involved, put on 2 new fronts, and try it with the rears as is. Once I get it home, I can then take my time, tire shop, and replace the rears once I am more comfortable financially. Once I overcome the initial purchase cost, I will be in a much better place financially. Thoughts???

3rd question:
It needs 2 batteries. What would be a good replacement battery but reasonably priced?

Additionally, the generator will start and run but dies shortly after. Tank full of fuel, still dies. Prior to sitting up, it ran perfectly. Any ideas what the issue might be here? Something as simple as a clogged fuel line? Clogged fuel filter?

Other than these 4 items, the coach needs nothing else currently, except maybe a bath. Again, my uncle was extremely meticulous about the maintenance and repair of this and all his previous coaches. Of course, now many years later and being honest and realistic with myself, once I start using it after it has sat for so long, I'm sure there will more than likely be some (hopefully) small issues from time to time that will need to be addressed but that is just part of owning one of these and I accept that. I am not new to RV's or camping. I am, however, new to D/P's and this will be my first experience with that side of the RV world. I have read many pros and cons online about D/P's and have concluded it all comes down to; is the reward worth the cost, for me and my wife, it is. So, any help with these 3 issues would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Congratulations on getting it home safely, well done.
The photos look good.
May I suggest for the generator, that you start with filters before anything, mine took 2 changes before it worked like it should.
They are cheap (relatively speaking) and easy to switch it out.
Dash AC is often not worth fixing, in the majority of cases people use the generator to run the main units while traveling.

Zack & Ginny,

Just want to say that we watched this thread with much interest as we are in the early phase of our acquisition of a Foretravel. We are very excited for you and so happy this came together in such a positive way. Looking forward to following your progress as you get your coach shipshape for the coming camping season.  Please keep posting - all the good and all the "wish we would of know that".

Enjoy the journey!
Dave and Jennifer