B+ motorhomes

[Daniel_C_]

I just bought a Trail Lite B+ 211s with 8.1 Chevy
engine. This is my fifth motorhome (others range
from an old 20' Vagabond, and three Winnegagos, from 19 to 32'. This vehicle is fantastic. I am
using it as a mobile office (and sneaking in a fun
journey from time to time). It gets about 9.5mpg
and I believe I could pull a bus behind it if I wanted! I paid low $40's which is about what I had expected to pay for a five or six year old Chinook with a nicer interior, but fewer features
(slide). I am delighted thus far.

[Scottiemom]

cheeze1 wrote:
Scottie, I would suggest you carefully remove small amounts of the damaged/rotted area and review the internal construction. You might be able to remove a section of of the fiberglass and replace all the rotted sub framework, and then go over it with new fiberglass sheets?

Thanks for the reply, cheeze1. Once I get to my place in Texas tomorrow, I thought I would take the patch off and let it air out and take a better look at it. Where the screws pulled out looks pretty crumbly. I'm thinking whatever needs to be replaced can be covered by maybe a larger bracket for the tire. But none of this is anything I could do. Prolly should have the roof resealed, although I haven't seen other evidence of any leaks. It may be the caulk around the spare tire mounting plate failed and allowed moisture inside. Thanks again.

Dale

[cheeze1]

Scottie, I would suggest you carefully remove small amounts of the damaged/rotted area and review the internal construction. You might be able to remove a section of of the fiberglass and replace all the rotted sub framework, and then go over it with new fiberglass sheets?

[Scottiemom]

Hope you guys are still lurking on here. I ended up making a third trip to Indiana from Florida since April. The last one was in September and I stayed almost 2 months. Unfortunately my 96-year old Mom had a stroke, then another, then died. Miss her a lot. Got back home to Florida, stayed a month and now I am on my way to my place in Mission, Texas. My daughter is with me in MinnieMee. Tight quarters for sure, since I have my dog too! I am pulling my 6 x 12 enclosed cargo trailer and so far, so good. Plan on bringing back all my personal stuff and my golf cart.

One problem though, and thought some of you had experienced this. I was doing a walk around the first night out and noticed the spare tire leaning forward. OOPS! Turns out most of the screws that were holding the mounting plate for the spare tire to the coach were pulled loose from the back side of the coach. The material behind it appears to be rotted. There were still screws holding it in and we didn't want to pull, so we first tried to remove the tire from the plate, but of the 2 screws, one would not budge. Those screws were long and I didn't have any long enough sockets to go around it. So we finally were able to get the plate mounting screws undone and got the spare tire off. Put it in the trailer so we are good to go. I covered the area with a plastic cutting mat, duct taped (horrors!) it to the back.

Have any of you had experience with this problem and how did you repair it? I'm guessing the best repair is to replace the entire back with new material, but that would be a job for an expert. I don't know of any other way to carry a spare. I normally carry a trunk on the back Terry had fixed with a custom hitch. It holds all the sewer stuff, water hoses, etc. It slides into the hitch receiver.

Would be interested in what you all might suggest. Thanks!

Dale

[cheeze1]

Hi Folks, there’s a < chance> we might be getting another B+ or C. Since I’ve been out of the loop since 2012, I don’t have all my RV resources anymore.
We will be looking for a smaller (up to 25’) one with hopefully 1 slide out, rear bed preferred, but we have to be flexible in the used market.
Lower mileage is a plus.
What are the ‘newer’ websites where we might start looking?
Thanks everyone!!

[Scottiemom]

Orion_42 wrote:


Found them here.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/281596233725

Really made a difference. A bit tricky to put on, but patience and maybe an extra set of hands works good.

Thanks a lot, Orion_42!

[Orion_42]

Found them here.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/281596233725

Really made a difference. A bit tricky to put on, but patience and maybe an extra set of hands works good.

[Scottiemom]

Thanks for the condolences. Terry kept going a long time even with serious heart problems, but eventually it all caught up with him. It was still a shock and I don't like being alone, but it is what it is.

The other decals on my 213 are in good shape and don't need replacing, just those circular Trail-lite decals. I will try to see if I can find them on line. Didn't even think of that. I figure a graphics outfit could duplicate them. I'll see what I come up with.

Dale

[cheeze1]

My condolences Dale. My wife and I over the last 2 years have both undergone successful (fingers crossed) cancer treatments but the fear is still there.
Agree with Orion, wish I still had my ‘05. I tried to paint my own swoosh on mine and the proportions/curves were so bad I didn’t even try to to the other side. I eventually removed it.

[Orion_42]

Sorry to hear about your loss Scottiemom.
Aside from the graphics, your rig sounds like it must be in nice shape. The previous owner of mine crudely removed the graphics with a razor blade resulting in some scratches. I would have used a heat gun and more carefully peeled them off. I purchased replacement Trail Light ovals online and a large vinyl swoosh for each side. I’ll try to post a pic.

Good to hear from you Cheeze1.

[Scottiemom]

We bought our 2004 213 Trail Lite in 2012 with 7800 miles on her. Our intent was to use her for a trip to Alaska, so we didn't have to take our 40' Phaeton. We had our mechanic go through and change the fluids, filters, belts and hoses. After the second shakedown trip, we lost the fuel pump, so had that and the fuel filter replaced. It involved dropping the driveshaft, which is why our mechanic didn't do that. But she made the trip to Alaska and back. We decided to keep her because she was in great condition and we thought we would do the east coast state parks, for which a small unit would be great. She was in climate controlled storage all those years and we only took her out once a year to exercise her.

Last year my DH passed away last year and I sold my Phaeton. I kept "MinnieMee," as I could easily handle her and decided my days of towing a car were over. I am on my second big trip with her now. The one thing I intend to do but haven't done yet is to replace the cracking/peeling decals. They look bad but the rest of the coach is still in great condition.

I agree that she's built better than a lot of the coaches nowadays. I am looking to buy a newer coach, but for the time being, I'm happy with her.

Dale

[cheeze1]

SO nice to hear from you guys once in awhile. Tho we sold our 213 in 2011, we still miss it.
I also converted ours to 2 single beds which made the coach roomier and a certain person didn’t have to climb over me to make her regular mid night trek to the bathroom!
Hope you are all doing well!

[Orion_42]

So, how many Trail-Lite B+ owners still out there on this forum? I have owned my Chevy M211 since 2009 and now have 54,000 miles on it. I dare say it’s a far cry better than new with many upgrades not even available when it was built in 2001. I have sold our lake house so this is my new hobby and I spend many hours perfecting the old gal. Not sure what it’s worth on the market, but even though I can easily afford a new unit, I enjoy the features of this coach and the challenge to keep it like new or better. It’s stored in a soft-top shelter tear-round.

Some of the enhancements include converting to twin beds by adding a Lagun table bracket; in-dash nav unit Bluetooth radio; LED indirect lighting LED awning light bar; alloy wheels; flat panel TV; MaxxAir delux fan vent; TPMS; LED marker lamps and tail lights; new bath and kitchen sink fixtures; external propane tap for Blackstone grill; power windows and locks; alarm; bedside and in-dash USB charge ports; and new exterior graphics.

Doing short trips around New England and a longer trip to Gettysburg at end of month. B+ Campers are certainly in demand these days.

[bobndot]

Tnx for the update Dale.
Stay Safe,
B n D

[Scottiemom]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:
I am back on the road, leaving Indiana this morning and heading to Charlottesville, VA, to visit my daughter and family. No problems fueling. Yay!

Dale

Good to hear,have a safe trip!

Thank you!

[IAMICHABOD]

Scottiemom wrote:
I am back on the road, leaving Indiana this morning and heading to Charlottesville, VA, to visit my daughter and family. No problems fueling. Yay!

Dale

Good to hear,have a safe trip!