2000 Harney Riata

[casualemt]

I am shopping for my first Class A. I am looking at a 2000 Harney Riata. I have done multiple searches on the internet, and am amazed that I cannot find ANY information on the builder, Harney, no information on the Riata, and no information on the Magnum chassis.
Does anyone have a Riata, or know of any source of information on the unit or the Magnum chassis? I do know that the company went out of business in 2001, but with all the resources available on the internet, it just blows me away that there is NOTHING....
Much appreciate any input as to the quality of the Riata.
Thank you,
Rich cannon

[trap1]

I have a 2000 Harney Riata. It has been very dependable over the past 5+ years. It has a Cat engine and Allison tranny. Have been all over the Southeast with it with no major problems. The roof is solid. The best thing I have found is that most of the time the fuel mpg is good. Have been in 13 mpg range on many tanks of fuel, avg 10-11.5 mpg, (not towing). Manufactured in Oregon.

[wolfe10]

Couple of comments:

Suspect hydraulic over hydraulic (just like Safari).

Torsilastic Suspension/Velvet Ride was made by B.F. Goodrich Aerospace division in Jacksonville FL (I have been to the plant-- 15 years ago). They sold that division to Lord Corp-- one of the largest metal to rubber bonders in the world. They build no torsilastic springs/parts.

And, yes Harney build coaches on both torsilastic and air suspensions. We had one at our Diesel RV Club Rally this week.

[pusherpilot]

I havn't hears of any Harneys being built on the Torsilastic chassis. The construction method was unique in that the "house" was built as a unit and then mounted on the chassis in one piece. A couple of interesting factiods, the "rubber ride" or Velvet ride suspension was built by Firestone for use in emergency response vehicles to allow them to move off on the alarm rather than waiting for air up in the chassis and to eliminate a rather elaborate air system to be maintained and is a possible failure opportunity. They had "air over hydraulic" brakes that mystified mechanics when they first encountered them not having seen air brakes that had a hydraulic master cylinder. The rubber ride chassis had an air compressor in the storage bay to run the brakes. Having driven both chassis i didn't like the rubber ride as it was stiffer and a bit harsher over the bumps. The company line was that it drove like a Testerosa as opposed to a Sedan DeVille.

[Gary_]

Harney Coach Works was headquartered in Bend, OR 97708. They had a P.O. box number 5639 and no address listed there. The Plant Address was 12860 Snow Mountain Pine Lane, Hines, OR 97738. Their phone number in 2001 WAS 800-639-0648.

I own a 2000 37' Riata with a 3126B 300 HP Cat. and an Allison 3060 transmission. It has 4 bag air suspension, and 1 large slide. I have put 44000 miles on it so far. We have driven it to Redmond, OR for Good Sam Rallies in 2005 and again in 2007. I tow a vehicle and had no problems going over the hills, even going up a very long and steep one East side of Salt Lake City. It has a PAC-brake to keep me from running off the mountains on the way down, SO I AM GOOD TO GO.

It is an entry level and I have not had many problems at all. The one I did have was the hydraulic hose to the slide had a whole lot of bubbles in it after a few years and I took it out and replaced it with a 5,000 psi hose from NAPA for $220.

[Ivylog]

I'd call Monaco at 877-466-6226 with the last six numbers of the Vin... hopefully you will be surprised as they may still have the build sheet..
Let us know if this works.

[jplante4]

Safari is no more. Beaver also used the Magnum chassis. Torsilastic is basically torsion bar. The absence of air bags on the axles indicates Torsilastic or Velvet ride suspension. There are after market fixes to the ride height and ride stiffness. In general late 90's and early millennium Safaris (pre-Monaco) are well built.

[casualemt]

Whoops, didn't thoroughly read the first reply about Safari buying Harney..

[casualemt]

How would I tell if the MH has torsilastic suspension? I have seen that Safari was listed as the manufacturer?? If that is the case, who is Harney coach works? Info on this MH is very minimal

[sch911]

Safari is the manufacturer. That piece of information was found in the first hit in a Google search of "2000 Harney Riata".

[wolfe10]

Safari owned/bought Harney. Magnum was the in-house chassis for Safari and Harney.

2000 could be either Torsilastic suspension or air. Air MUCH preferred. If torsilastic, verify ride height before buying-- parts are not available for the torsilastic.

Check the roof for leaks/soft spots-- as I recall (can not confirm) the roof is rubber vs FG or aluminum.

Suspect Caterpillar 3126 and Allison 6 speed. A good drivetrain.