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.

[Orion_42]

Keeping her current, nice Scottiemom. Yep, the infrastructure (roads) are def getting worse, but we won’t go there here.

I’ve been upgrading my 2001 B211 continuously over the past 10 years and this is the list of the most recent upgrades.

- Garnett Bluetooth tank monitor (accurate local and remote monitoring of fresh, gray, black, LP, and batteries) - no more dead tank gauges

- in dash and over-bunk USB charge ports.

- backup camera/mirror

- added a shower curtain extender to provide more room to shower.

- added external propane tap to run Blackstone grill off main LP tank.

- 8” in-dash Jensen touch screen navigation/radio.

- Dash-mounted TPMS

- replaced all bulbs with LED inside and most outside.

- New skylight over bathroom

- removed white overhead lights over sofa and dinette and replaced with full-length indirect LED light strips on each side.

- added a full length under-awning remote-dimmable LED light strip on side of coach

- replaced roof vent with MaxxAir Deluxe Fan (awesome! BTW, there is a 12V feed available at the overhead light near the vent and a tube-channel to run the wire to the fan already there).

- Converted dinette and sofa to two semi-permanent twin beds with a Lagun table bracket to support a swing-table between them.

- plus many external and internal cosmetic upgrades.

Was going to trade for a Leisure Travel Van, but with all the upgrades I now prefer the no-guilt, no-payments, old gal. She’s my retirement hobby to tweak.

[Scottiemom]

Up here in Indiana once again visiting family. My Trail-lite B+ now has all new decals. My BIL set up scaffolding for me to finish the front one and the back one.

Today I took her into a truck repair place in Elkhart that we had used with the Phaeton. In fact, they had removed the mud daubers nest from the gas tank vent last year. I've been having some rough riding on bad roads. . . I know everybody does. But it seemed to be getting worse.

I wasn't paranoid. The sway bars and bushings were all shot. Got them replaced and was ready to go 2 1/2 hours after I arrived. Boy does she ride smooth now!

Dale

[bobndot]

Have you looked into how much a body shop would charge you to paint what you need ?
No fading and last longer. Get a few estimates. Might be worth it.

[Scottiemom]

Moving right along. . . MinnieMee is certainly shaping up. Her decals are removed, the spare tire is mounted back with a new tire cover and she got a good wash last week.

Today guys are coming to replace the awning fabric. The awning still works great, but the fabric is shot. It was delaminating and Terry and I kept it in place with white awning tape. It actually works, but it is stretched, etc., and I want to be able to use it by myself. Then when the weather warms up I hope to be able to get those new decals on. Whoo Hoo! She will soon be ready for camping season!

Dale

[bobndot]

BTW, the lakes region is my favorite place. Lake 'W' to north country 'The Burg" , headwaters of the Connecticut River.

[bobndot]

Make sure the scaffold can accommodate the front cab portion of the rv. Many scaffolds have a set of diagonal cross bars .

Have to tried to open the hood and carefully stand on the frame above the radiator ?

or.....Having a secure foundation to use a pair of ladders would be very easy.

If you could make two wooden plywood base-plates each about 4'x4' , lay them flat on the ground then drive the front wheels onto them, you would have a secure platform to mount a set of ladders. All weighed down by the rv.

Secure the ladders so they don't tip. Mount two legs of a 5' or 6' folding ladder to that plywood base by bolting two of the ladders legs to some short lengths of 2x4 that are bolted to the plywood near the outer edge of each front tire.
Just drill a hole through the 2x4 and ladder leg then pin it using something like a 1/4" safety pin. That would be quick n easy to assemble.

All you would then need is a 2x12 to run the width.
The ladders are still completely useful to use for whatever and the plywood bases can be stored flat not taking too much room.

[bobndot]

Laugh every day then do it again tomorrow . :C

My friend has a fork-lift attachment on his tractor that offers a stable platform to lift a person to the front of the cabover.

$75 sounds great ! That would work for me .

Climbing: We all get to a point in our lives where we say, "not a good idea anymore" . I think they call it 'mature thinking' ;).
It's nice to do things yourself. It gives a person satisfaction to be able create as well as achieving self accomplishment.

[Orion_42]

Funny stuff Dale and Bob. I wish someone got pictures of that death defying trapeze act! We’ll done.

I’m thinking of renting a scaffold at Home Depot to wet sand and heavy machine buff and polish that nose once and for all. I store it inside now, so should last once done.

[Scottiemom]

bobndot wrote:
Here ya go Dale,

class c cabover access training

Got a good laugh from that, bobndot! As it was, my neighbor had a 2x10x9 I could use but it was a little short. So I closed the ladders up and just leaned them against the motorhome. Not a good thing to do but I was out of ideas. I put the board across the nose resting on the ladders. Two different ladders, so the board slanted one direction. I had to add a tall step stool to access the board because I could not go up the closed ladders. I tied a rope on the ladder on the back and threw it over the roof and down the front. I tied that under my arms. I put on my life jacket, no, not around water, but I figured if I fell, that would protect my torso. And I put on my bike helmet. That last thing I planned (and forgot to do) was to drag my large aluminum sturdy patio table over and set in front of the rig to catch me and keep me from hitting the cement. I got up on the walk board on my knees and started to remove the decal. The first thing I did was drop the second battery. I couldn't stay on my knees, too painful, so I finally stood up. Got it almost done and the battery died (of course), so had to get down and get the second battery. That done, I finished it, but it still has some glue that doesn't come off well with the wheel. I used WD-40 on the others, but I have quit washing the rig myself. I have a business that does it for $75 and does a great job. My lawn guy told me to have them buff out those spots to get the discoloration out a bit, so that is who will finish that. Not sure how I will get that graphic on, but I will prolly hire it done at an RV or graphics place. So I finished without killing or injuring myself, but I was quite shaky when I finished. My legs were like rubber the rest of the day. I had to dump my tanks from my adventure a week ago, so I got that done. Then I just putzed around the rest of the day.

Dale

[bobndot]

Here ya go Dale,

class c cabover access training

[Orion_42]

Glad you found the graphics. An extra set of hands will help getting them on for sure. The front overhead is a royal pain to keep up because it’s hard to reach for sure. I’ve reached down from the roof and over from an 8’ stepladder leaning on the side near the mirrors, but never feel like I can polish it as well as the sides.

I’ve got about the same miles on my 2001 and after selling my vacation house was tempted by the Coach House and Leisure Travel Vans RTB, but I’ve got this one customized for us, it’s paid for, and runs well, so holding on to it.

[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.

So Orion_42, I ordered a rubber wheel that fits on the end of a drill and removed two of the oval Trail-Lite graphics on the sides. It worked like a charm. Today I hope to get to the one over the cab. A bit tricky, but I'm going to set up a walk board in front. I'm also rigging up a harness and will wear my bike helmet. Hopefully it will all go well, but I certainly don't want to fall. The graphic on the back is not very bad and looks great so I won't be removing it just yet. I ordered new graphics from the link you provided me on ebay and I got them just a few days later. They are perfect in every way. Hope I can do a good job putting them on.

I got my mirror replaced that was hit by a rogue road construction sign and got my spare tire remounted on the back. We moved it over and up a bit and put a metal plate on the inside under the shower liner and bolted through the back wall. After 17 years, that wall is still very solid, just a bit soft where the lag screws went in, so we bypassed those spots. I ordered a new cover for the tire. My awning is still functional, which surprised me a great deal, so I can use it, but I will be getting new fabric installed on it.

MinnieMee will look almost new! She has 45,000 miles now and still running great. I would still like to get an almost new Coach House with twin beds, but for now, I'm content!

Dale

[Scottiemom]

Thanks bobndot. I'm ready!

[bobndot]

Nice, that sounds solid. I’ll bet that makes you feel good. Its a good feeling to be ready to roll again. Good job Dale.

[Scottiemom]

So I ordered the mirror complete with arm from Amazon. And I ordered a hitch mount spare tire carrier. A friend helped me get the tire mounted on that. I really didn't like it because then I cannot use my trunk which slides into the hitch receiver. But it works.

Yesterday I traveled down south toward Port Charlotte to camp a short distance away from an RV repair guy. Today he swapped the mirror arms out and my new mirror looks great. He was familiar with the R-Visions and said they are among the best built little coaches. He checked the wall where the spare tire mount pulled out and determine that the wall itself was solid. There apparently was some water intrusion over 17 years and caused it to to infiltrate where the lag bolts were. To fix it, he removed the shower surround and put a metal plate behind it. He pre-drilled holes to match the spare tire mount and bolted through the wall with the aluminum plate on the inside and the spare tire mount on the outside. He moved it from where it was originally placed due to wanting to avoid any damaged wood and because the original was lower behind the tub which we couldn't remove. He put the surround back on and a very small section of the aluminum sticks out but is hidden by the shower curtain. I don't mind that, though, because I believe this is a better fix.

I thought I needed a new awning as this one is delaminating and we last repaired it with eternabond tape. Apparently it was a very good fix because Mike unrolled it and it actually all works and appears to be stable. We got the numbers off the tube and he said I didn't need to be in a big hurry to replace it. . . he thought it would be good for another year. And he schooled me in its operation, which I had long since forgotten. He said any RV dealer could assist with the awning and I have since found someone local who can replace the fabric, so I may do that.

So things are going well with MinnieMee. She's back in business, ready for her next adventure!

Dale