Maiden Voyage
May 7th we picked up our new 2013 LTV Unity TB from Johnson RV, in Sandy Oregon…A great dealership to do business with.
Before leaving with our new coach, we had them add a couple of things. We had Max Air II vent covers installed and had them hard wire in our surge protector. Initially I was just going to get a portable surge guard. After talking with the service manager, he convinced me to have the surge guard hard wired into the coach. Since we were new customers picking up a new coach, he said he would give us a great price on the surge guard and installation…couldn’t refuse his offer. Now we don’t have to worry about it being stolen or left behind.
We spent the first night in our coach parked in the dealer lot so they could finish the installation of the aftermarket items we wanted. They provided water and electric and everything worked perfectly. DW enjoyed watching TV in bed while I poured over all the manuals.
Operating the coach was very straight forward. Prior to leaving though, I asked that the tire pressures be checked. I am meticulous about maintaining tire pressure (some say anal). That comes from years of touring the states and Canada on a motorcycle. We looked at the sticker on the coach and it listed 61 psi. After checking current pressures (tires cold) they ranged from 66 to 69 psi. I had them set all pressures at 61 psi.
We left the dealership at 4PM. By 7:30 PM I told DW we should probably find a place to stay for the night. The great thing about traveling Hwy 5 through Oregon is there is a lot or RV parks right off the highway all along the route. We stopped at a small park with full hookups. Again DW was thrilled that she could watch TV while I read manuals. The next morning I dumped the BW and GW tanks for the first time. What a pleasure it is having the macerator system. Dumping was quick and easy and cleanup minimal. No sewer hose to install and then take apart and clean. Just pull the hose out of the compartment, place end in sewer connection and turn on the pump. Sprayed the end of the hose with Clorox disinfecting spray and wiped clean. Small diameter hose was easy to handle and easy to put away again since you don’t have to disconnect it from the coach. Wow what a great system!
Our first fuel stop the next day was just before crossing the border into Ca. I was truly amazed at the fuel mileage. On our first tank of fuel we got 17.36 mpg. I was driving at 55 and 60 MPH. That evening we stayed at a private campground near Hornbrook, Ca. right on the Klamath River. We were the only ones there as they don’t officially open until Memorial Day. Since the campground had showers and restrooms I didn’t even hook up the water hose. We did connect to shore power. DW was disappointed that she could not get TV reception. I assume because we were in a valley surrounded by hills.
The next morning we left the serenity of the campground and headed home. Our second fuel stop was at home and on this tank we got 16.26 mpg. We did travel more mountains the second day plus we traveled off the highway for several miles driving to the campground, driving back to Hornbrook for dinner then back to the campground again.
Overall we could not be more impressed with this coach. Driving and handling are amazing. No squeak’s or rattles; plenty of power going through the mountains; cruise control holds speed spot on set point even when going up steep grades. I love driving this rig!
Some things we discovered in the three nights we spent in it so far:
1.The toilet is very nice. To flush there are 2 separate push buttons – one for just liquids and the other for solids. The macerator pump comes on after the flush and is quite loud. Woke DW up the first time I used it in the middle of the night.
2.The thermostat that controls the Heating /AC does not display inside temperature. It only displays set point of the system you want to turn on. Also, it is not back lighted so it was very difficult to see set point values. Would be nice to have a thermostat that is back lighted and shows the current temperature inside so you know where to set the heat / AC set point. We will add an inside thermometer.
3.The in-dash GPS is nice in that you don’t have a wire to connect and hang down. The problem is there is so much glass in the cockpit that the light seems to interfere with seeing the screen. Also the screen faces straight back which also made it difficult to view, at least for me. I’m used to my portable GPS that I can angle to face me directly. Would be nice if the faceplate in the display would rotate toward the driver a little – like a pivoting TV.
4.Would also be nice to have an on-board computer that shows current and average fuel usage, miles remaining in tank, and a second trip odometer. I’m used to all that since we have it in our SUV. I’m thinking of adding a Scan Gauge II to give me these parameters. Will have to research how well people that have one like it, and how well they work on a diesel engine
We are very happy with our Unity TB coach. The fit and finish and quality of build are phenomenal. We look forward to personalizing it, getting all our stuff organized and loaded and hitting the road. Now we truly are members of the RV community!
Before leaving with our new coach, we had them add a couple of things. We had Max Air II vent covers installed and had them hard wire in our surge protector. Initially I was just going to get a portable surge guard. After talking with the service manager, he convinced me to have the surge guard hard wired into the coach. Since we were new customers picking up a new coach, he said he would give us a great price on the surge guard and installation…couldn’t refuse his offer. Now we don’t have to worry about it being stolen or left behind.
We spent the first night in our coach parked in the dealer lot so they could finish the installation of the aftermarket items we wanted. They provided water and electric and everything worked perfectly. DW enjoyed watching TV in bed while I poured over all the manuals.
Operating the coach was very straight forward. Prior to leaving though, I asked that the tire pressures be checked. I am meticulous about maintaining tire pressure (some say anal). That comes from years of touring the states and Canada on a motorcycle. We looked at the sticker on the coach and it listed 61 psi. After checking current pressures (tires cold) they ranged from 66 to 69 psi. I had them set all pressures at 61 psi.
We left the dealership at 4PM. By 7:30 PM I told DW we should probably find a place to stay for the night. The great thing about traveling Hwy 5 through Oregon is there is a lot or RV parks right off the highway all along the route. We stopped at a small park with full hookups. Again DW was thrilled that she could watch TV while I read manuals. The next morning I dumped the BW and GW tanks for the first time. What a pleasure it is having the macerator system. Dumping was quick and easy and cleanup minimal. No sewer hose to install and then take apart and clean. Just pull the hose out of the compartment, place end in sewer connection and turn on the pump. Sprayed the end of the hose with Clorox disinfecting spray and wiped clean. Small diameter hose was easy to handle and easy to put away again since you don’t have to disconnect it from the coach. Wow what a great system!
Our first fuel stop the next day was just before crossing the border into Ca. I was truly amazed at the fuel mileage. On our first tank of fuel we got 17.36 mpg. I was driving at 55 and 60 MPH. That evening we stayed at a private campground near Hornbrook, Ca. right on the Klamath River. We were the only ones there as they don’t officially open until Memorial Day. Since the campground had showers and restrooms I didn’t even hook up the water hose. We did connect to shore power. DW was disappointed that she could not get TV reception. I assume because we were in a valley surrounded by hills.
The next morning we left the serenity of the campground and headed home. Our second fuel stop was at home and on this tank we got 16.26 mpg. We did travel more mountains the second day plus we traveled off the highway for several miles driving to the campground, driving back to Hornbrook for dinner then back to the campground again.
Overall we could not be more impressed with this coach. Driving and handling are amazing. No squeak’s or rattles; plenty of power going through the mountains; cruise control holds speed spot on set point even when going up steep grades. I love driving this rig!
Some things we discovered in the three nights we spent in it so far:
1.The toilet is very nice. To flush there are 2 separate push buttons – one for just liquids and the other for solids. The macerator pump comes on after the flush and is quite loud. Woke DW up the first time I used it in the middle of the night.
2.The thermostat that controls the Heating /AC does not display inside temperature. It only displays set point of the system you want to turn on. Also, it is not back lighted so it was very difficult to see set point values. Would be nice to have a thermostat that is back lighted and shows the current temperature inside so you know where to set the heat / AC set point. We will add an inside thermometer.
3.The in-dash GPS is nice in that you don’t have a wire to connect and hang down. The problem is there is so much glass in the cockpit that the light seems to interfere with seeing the screen. Also the screen faces straight back which also made it difficult to view, at least for me. I’m used to my portable GPS that I can angle to face me directly. Would be nice if the faceplate in the display would rotate toward the driver a little – like a pivoting TV.
4.Would also be nice to have an on-board computer that shows current and average fuel usage, miles remaining in tank, and a second trip odometer. I’m used to all that since we have it in our SUV. I’m thinking of adding a Scan Gauge II to give me these parameters. Will have to research how well people that have one like it, and how well they work on a diesel engine
We are very happy with our Unity TB coach. The fit and finish and quality of build are phenomenal. We look forward to personalizing it, getting all our stuff organized and loaded and hitting the road. Now we truly are members of the RV community!
