Forum Discussion

McIntraveler's avatar
McIntraveler
Explorer
Jul 19, 2014

2000 Born Free 26 RB Front End

Hi Everyone,

Today I looked at a 2000 Born Free 26RB with a 7.3 Power Stroke. I noticed a few issues and wanted to ask for feed back from the membership here.

1. Front window in the overhead compartment has a very slight water stain in the lower left hand corner. It also looks like the seal between the glass and rubber strip is coming loose and laying on the glass. How big of a deal is this repair?

2. The rear bumper has been dinged and is cracked underneath the far left hand mounting bolt.

3. The generator has 261 hours on it. How much of the overall life of a propane powered generator is this?

4. The harmonic balancer seal on the 7.3 is just starting to show some moisture from oil seepage. Would the be normal on a 7.3 with 107,000 on the clock. Does anyone know if they all do this and how tough of a job is the repair?

5. I found some sort of spring mechanism that was added to the steering axle of which I attached some pics. Does anyone know if this is a factory piece, if it was added later on and why? Is it masking a problem with the front end?

6. There seems to be a bracket that used to contain a shock for a steering dampener that now is empty (pic also attached). Would this have been removed to add the spring gizmo or did it fall off?

Finally, they guy is asking 25,000 for the unit. Overall, it seems to be in pretty good shape, the interior is nice and everything seems to work. What do you all think about the value of this unit?

Thank you for your input.
  • I bought a 2013 Born Free (new) and love it. The support from the factory is beyond amazing! Talk to Kim Olson at the factory. He is fantastic. We also have a club...Leap'n Lions...good luck!
  • Just looked at the Lazy Daze site and yes, they do have floor plans worthy of consideration, nice looking RVs.
  • I looked at BF too and decided on Lazy Daze. Be sure to look at Lazy Daze before buying (much better layout).

    The rust would scare me away. And the price is too high for a unit that is almost 15 years old.

    I paid 28k for a '99 LD Rear bath which included the toad (2002 Honda CRV).

    Todd
  • Thanks for the information, j-d and tommy. I am concerned by the amount of rust and the age of the rig. Today I visited the Born Free factory and was quite impressed. We have decided that we require a newer model than this. I want to keep the maintenance items as few as possible and the one pictured above won't be getting any younger. As much as I liked the price point, I'm willing to wait and pay for a newer one than a 2000. The factory guy I talked to said that the 2013 and newer models have seen many improvements than those manufactured earlier.
  • I see the results of northern salted roads

    the 7.3 is a great engine..but that oil pan will rust through from the salt...make sure it is good...

    engine has to come out if it needs replacing...the engine is a 1000 pounds...
    lots of things to check...pay a pro if in doubt.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    The Springy Thingy is a Steer Safe. It's a centering device that they claim keeps the coach on course in event of a blowout as well as little jounces on the road. The missing piece is a Steering Damper. Horizontal Shock Absorber if you will. You can get a Monroe version for about $30.