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.

[burlmart]

I think it appropriate for sanantaniorvdan to be restored as THE senior member.

[sanantoniorvdan]

What I forgot to mention in my last reply was that I am keeping the B+ for my work (and short/fast trips). I plan to refurbish the furniture and carpet in the next year. Mechanically, everything is sound, except the ongoing issue with the slide; so I see no reason to stop using it for my "mobile office". I must mention that I would get the slide fixed once and for all, except that I need the vehicle almost every day. I will probably not do any slide repairs until I get ready to sell in a 3-5 year period. In the meantime, invest in oil stocks! I changed my signature because I couldn't remember my old password, and moved to San Antonio three years ago.

[Gene_in_NE]

sanantoniorvdan - Welcome back from me as well. In case you missed my post, I maintain a list of current or previous owners of the Trail-Lite B+. I would suspect several are the result of your thread. We have certainly enjoyed our 17,000 + miles and have not had any major problems. Always wanted to say Thank You.

[sanantoniorvdan]

Now for the rest of the story. I was trying to decide if I should get a somewhat larger MH, which I could still use for my counseling business, but had more comfortable beds, or get a different type of rv. I just purchased a 32' Keystone Outback Sydney edition pull trailer with a huge slide. Until I bought a HD 1500 (2002) Silverado 4X4 to tow it with, I was toying with putting a class V hitch on the Trail Lite and tow with it! I have not completely abandoned that notion, but need to get used to towing a trailer again first. I had the trailer delivered to my house, and once it was in our environs - it looks huge! I still have to troubleshoot the hitch wiring (factory), and adjust the trailer brakes, before I venture into the "outside world". Our plan is to move it to the Texas coast (maybe we can lure a hurricane here so there will finally be some rain after about a year) in an RV park for a couple of months, while we look for property to move it to and eventually ourselves.

[cheeze1]

Dan, good to see you back. With our move to our dream home, we have had little time for our 213. I go visit her once a month or so.
Anyway, as for that rattle in the cab, take out the tv and get hold of ALL the wires running around in the overhead cap. Mine had lots of unnecessary romex, as well as other wire. I made hooks, used wire ties, and silicone sealer to fix them all in place. Those rattles are gone. (Helps to have had a 1978 Scout 2!)

[burlmart]

Precisely why I want to know - to plan ahead.

Whether I have 3 or 5 gallons left makes a difference if we are in a bind, and I know some vehicles (like a Toyota 4runner) have a large reserve after the light comes on.

At 10 mpg, I am very antsy with only 3 gallons remaining, but properly warned with 5. The question of reserve fuel addresses the level of warning being delivered to the driver.

[ryegatevt]

burlmart wrote:

Anyone...How many gallons in our 2005 213 with the 6.0 chevy engine? The Chevy 3500 Eexpress Van manual says 33, but a Trail Lite Brochure says 35. At 30 gallons, the empty light comes on. We need to know how many gallomns are left. (Mileage was only 10 mpg against a lot of wind).

Glad the thread is alive!

I always wonder why folks wait until the "empty" light comes on. What if you are caught in a traffic jam with no fuel, or if the next gas station (happens up here!) is 35 miles away?

[burlmart]

Hello All

Glad to hear from you Dan - fantastic update! I followed your new Trail Lite exploits long befote our RV purchase back when you started this thread, and while we never corresponded, I am sure the purchase of our 2005 213 is directly attributable to your postings, especially the decision to forego a slide. We have had our RV 13 months and it has 9300 miles - it has not been back to the dealership for any fixes! We just returned from the RV Rally in Daytona and a few days at Disney Fort Wilderness Campground (our first time at Disneyworld).

The mattress fix we used to cover the dinette top when making it into a bed was to purchase two 1"x24"x96" foam sheets at walmart and cutting them into 5 1"x24"x~40" layers and encasing it in cloth - did the trick for $22.

Ph, our noise problem is w/ a squeaky TV over our heads, so probably not much help to you.

Anyone...How many gallons in our 2005 213 with the 6.0 chevy engine? The Chevy 3500 Eexpress Van manual says 33, but a Trail Lite Brochure says 35. At 30 gallons, the empty light comes on. We need to know how many gallomns are left. (Mileage was only 10 mpg against a lot of wind).

Glad the thread is alive!

[Ph]

We purchased a used 2001 Trail Lite 211 in January and have had fun getting acquainted with it. Several minor improvements and fixes are behind us such as toggle bolts to support falling stove hood, relocating support bases for micro wave, installing a sewer hose container made from 4 inch PVC and now for the real stumper. There is a rattle that sounds like it is above the drivers head but when a passenger sits behind the driver it sounds like it is in front of the driver!? Trim has been removed from the door post-nothing, upholstery at ceiling dropped--nothing appears loose. The fiberglass panels upon which the radio speakers are mounted can be unscrewed on the inboard side but then I don't know how to remove then further for inspection. Any ideas appreciated.

Love driving that machine with Chev 5.7L which seems to have adequate power. Will be driving to Illinois from Fort Myers in a week and will probably wish for better mpg.

[gkreutzer]

Hi Dan,
Glad to see you back also. I've learned a lot from your thread. Always nice to see the B+ thread pop up again. I'm really glad to hear the update on how your rig is holding up. I've got a long way to go to catch that mileage. Thanks for reporting.

[Br-]

Hey Dan, glad to finally see you back.

[Cowboy_66]

I have wondered where you have been this has been a great thread. Thanks for starting it.

[doctort]

Hey sanantoniorvdan,

Awesome! I hope my year old BT Cruiser 5211b does as well. Only 5400 miles on it so far, but no major issues. We're loving it.

[sanantoniorvdan]

I started this topic four years ago when I ordered a Trail Lite 211s. My motorhome now has 82,000 miles and is still going strong. The main problem I have had is the slide. It leaked from the beginning, and is not well designed. I just don't open it up often, but lament the loss of space by the mechanism. The 8.1 engine is still a dream to drive. I have replaced the O2 sensor and the crankshaft sensor, and very little else. Some problems with oil leaking around the filter, and consumes about a qt every 1k miles - always has. It flew over the high passes in Colo last summer. I plan to keep it another 3-5 years - will need to recarpet and new upholstery in the meantime.

[Cowboy_66]

Gary has put a lot of neat things on his coach always fun to see.