researching 97 36ft Bounder Ford gasserwould like some info regarding the slide outs and the tag axlesonly one slide , it contains dinette booth and sofa on drivers sidetype of mechanism, problems etc..?i know nothing about tag axles, except (2) more tires to buy, when the time comesi figure the members with this one or its brother can fill me inthanksPS: please skip the I don't want slides or won't buy or all junk and troublei'm not looking for an RV with slide, it just happens that this one has one,,and i want to know about it, before making any decisions

17,000lb chassis + 3000lb for the tag. 4 wheel power disc brakes (hydro boost) + drum brakes on the tag, with separate master cylinder and power booster (vacuum i think). 245 HP @ 3600 rpm, 400 ft lbs torque @ 2000 RPM. That ol 460 will suffer at 20,000 lbs. Add a 3500 lb toad (max) and it will be a slow day. Average 6.5-7 MPG. Add a set of headers and the ol 460 will wake up a lot! No catalytic converter 94-97 F53 chassis. E4OD 4 speed OD transmission, is a soft shifter and will wear out the torque converter locking clutch. Add a banks trans commander for about $250.00 or I can show you how to build a voltage divider, to increase the line pressure, for $5.00. My E4OD was working great at 130,000 miles when I pulled it to beef it up for my 528 stroker engine.Don't go cheap on those 16" tires. Ford installed Michelin XPS 235/85R16 all steel cord tires as OEM for a reason. Bridgestone also makes an all steel cord in that size. Duravis R250.Make sure the front end has a touch of tow-in and a pan hard bar and it will drive well.Rear sway bar bushings are prone to failure. $50.00 on ebay. (skuterdude)Ford says you need to remove the disc brake calipers every 2 years and clean and lube the slide pins. I find it good maintenance.

it has the Banks power systemsomething i did not think to mention, since i was asking other questionsthanksPS:no 'toad' just a 300# motorcyclethe worst hill climb, we have done the last couple of years is drive to 'Q'I will add a couple of batteries and some solarto the next RV,

With the Banks Power Pack, the 460 could easily make the climb from Blythe to Q, never dropping below high gear (3rd). Now with the 528 I drive past the trucks in OD (4th). See big ol grin on my face. Boys never out grow their toys, they just get more expensive.Richard

I agree with everyone so far. I added the banks last year and have not regretted it. The "do not go cheap on the tires" gets a huge AMEN from me! 93,000 miles so far. The slide is hydraulic operated swing arms moving polyethylene blocks in a metal channel. DW and I have decided that we will keep going as long as we or the Bounder can.

spent 2 hours this morning going over iti went thru the manuals and looked at the "EZ Glide" fleetwood slide mechanismthe front/right side is binding, i think the swing arms need to be lubed upthat setup really takes up almost all, the 'would be' storage space for that area, leaving one little compartmentabout 1/2 of inside slide seal is loose,i asked about leaks, he said it doesn't leak if the slide is in, but does if the slide is outthat is my only real gripe, everything else is minor, the inside is very cleanthe exterior paint is fading, but so is anything that got take to the desert salton sea/ dunes for 'toy riding'no body damage, roof has been recoated it has the side by side freezer/fridge, 10 cuft I thinkit has (8) good looking Michelin tiresengine runs great,he is the second owner, has had it for 15yrs, bought it in 2002smog and tags renewed in Mayi'm leaning heavily toward getting it, but need to stop and think thru all the Ifs and Buts, the bedroom is exactly what ive been looking for, along with the kitchen layout, and the side entry door, loosing outside storage to the slide is bothering mei'm running things thru my head, trying to figure if i can compensate with the additional inside storage space, under bed, under dinette, under sofaTommy and Richard and everybody, thank you

1997 Class A Bounder questions | Good Sam Community

MrWizard
Moderator
Aug 27, 2017
it has the Banks power system
something i did not think to mention, since i was asking other questions

thanks

PS:

no 'toad' just a 300# motorcycle

the worst hill climb, we have done the last couple of years is drive to 'Q'

I will add a couple of batteries and some solar
to the next RV,
RLS7201
Explorer II
Aug 27, 2017
17,000lb chassis + 3000lb for the tag. 4 wheel power disc brakes (hydro boost) + drum brakes on the tag, with separate master cylinder and power booster (vacuum i think). 245 HP @ 3600 rpm, 400 ft lbs torque @ 2000 RPM. That ol 460 will suffer at 20,000 lbs. Add a 3500 lb toad (max) and it will be a slow day. Average 6.5-7 MPG. Add a set of headers and the ol 460 will wake up a lot! No catalytic converter 94-97 F53 chassis. E4OD 4 speed OD transmission, is a soft shifter and will wear out the torque converter locking clutch. Add a banks trans commander for about $250.00 or I can show you how to build a voltage divider, to increase the line pressure, for $5.00. My E4OD was working great at 130,000 miles when I pulled it to beef it up for my 528 stroker engine.
Don't go cheap on those 16" tires. Ford installed Michelin XPS 235/85R16 all steel cord tires as OEM for a reason. Bridgestone also makes an all steel cord in that size. Duravis R250.
Make sure the front end has a touch of tow-in and a pan hard bar and it will drive well.
Rear sway bar bushings are prone to failure. $50.00 on ebay. (skuterdude)
Ford says you need to remove the disc brake calipers every 2 years and clean and lube the slide pins. I find it good maintenance.

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