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.

[karebear]

Gene in NE....I think it is you that has a "fish-eye" to look out the back, we have the dark windows.....will we need to replace the back window for this to work??? And Charles since you have the same model, do you think we could see out the back window to back our boat that way??? Any help backing would be a GOOD thing. Thanx.

[karebear]

Thank you Gene in NE...gas is $2.99 in the state of Washington at the least, state taxes on gas high here. Glad you had a great trip. Do you haul your motorcycles with you?? I bought a scooter to maybe take with us, haven't looked into a carrier yet though. Leave in the afternoon for our maiden voyage.

Refer is on propane, kinda neat to just have it auto ignite instead of the push and pull and physical lighting of the old camper. I can't wait to have my very own bathroom....YIPEE!!!! Years of outhouse use!!!

[cheeze1]

Cupping can also occur from one of the wheel alignment adjustments. Not sure which, tho' I think it's excess camber. How's the tire pressure?

[Gene_in_NE]

cheeze1 - 1st trip was to a small town NW of Chicago, then up to Manitowoc, WI, then West to Elkader, IA and back home. Primary reason was visiting motorcycling friends. 2nd trip was to YellowStone Park and then South to Denver and home where we visited relatives.

The foregoing was the friendly chit-chat, now for a question. Noticed on this trip that the right front wheel has a segment of tire (outer edge) where some minor "cupping" is occurring. Can hear the tire every revolution. Normally, cupping is a result of weak or bad shocks. Any other opinions?

[CharlesOK]

On an earlier post I made 07/24/06 I included info on the Trail built Holiday Rambler. The first one I saw on the internet for sale can be found at the URL below. It was for sale on RVTraderonline.com at that time. There will be more. Same coach as the Trail-lite, just upgraded fabrics and big HR stickers on the front and sides. Speaks well to the quality of our little coaches in the first place. Hope this helps.

http://adcache.rvtraderonline.com/3/8/9/85081689.htm

[desertone61]

I do appreciate very much the imput from ya all very much. Being I will be using the rig for full timing I have been kinda thinking about room inside and all. I am also wondering about other brands like Gulf Stream, Coachmen, and still tying to get info about the Holiday Rambler someone menioned having somethng new coming out like these we are chatting about, but cant find anything? The Itasca Cambria is might nice. Guess I need to drive over to Arkansas and check out the Trail Lites as it maybe you get as much for your money with that brand versis any other? Thanks again for suggestions.

[cheeze1]

Gene, welcome back! Sounds like both trips were ambitious. Where did you go?
Desertone, I think you will find that when it comes down to final deal, you will get a better one with the TL. Itasca is Winnebago's slightly upscale model.

[Gene_in_NE]

desertone61 - You have gotten good advice - now it is a matter of personal preference. They were building the TL 252DS on a Ford E450 chassis when we visited the factory in 2005. Looked nice.

karebear and jeanniewes - Welcome to the world of Trail-Lite Class B+ owners. Hope you enjoy your new (to you) units as much as we have.

We have just returned from a 1300 mile trip and a 2100 mile trip. Not a problem even when encountering 103+ degree temperature. That is one thing that impresses me - the cab air conditioning cools the cab and the rest of the unit without too much problem. Price of gas ranged from $2.76 to $3.19 and gas consumption varied between 12.1 and 15.4 (tail winds help).

[CharlesOK]

Those of us who have 251's will likely tell you it is really nice to have a bed made every day all day with no more daily hassle than shoving back the comforter and going to bed at night. Trail-lites are 99" wide bodies and for my money do not need the extra weight, expense and hassle of slide-outs, not to mention you will pay about 10K less for a 251 than a 252. Mine has the twin sofa option and uses a table that stands on twin pedestal legs when needed. Table goes behind the driver's seat when on the road. It is surenice to take an afternoon nap if tired. Geromio drives his down to Mexico each year and stays in it for weeks if not months. Just a thought.

[desertone61]

Getting more info each day. went over locally to check out the Itasca Cambria 26A earlier today and fell in love with it. Now I am really excited about the Trail=Lite 252DS and wondering how these two match up ? In this catergory of 25', 26' I am wondering what else might be out there. Dealer here, Dallas area, is looking at around 70M for the Itasca 26a and Bud Brown in Ark is quoting $61M for the Trail lite 252ds. Still curious about these and others.

[desertone61]

Thanks so much for the updates re B models of motor homes. I have checked into the website ob brown rv.com and see they have good info. I really am impressed with the 252DS model Trail Lite B Plus. more wardrobe space, kitchen and even bath areas. I kinda think this one might be the answer. will also check into the Holiday Rambler you mentioned. I do appreciate your suggestions and will continue to monitor these forums as well.

[karebear]

Will be checking the blinds tomorrow, battery has been watered and oil in the onan changed as hadn't ever been done (41 hours). Thank you very much.

[cheeze1]

Daniel, good to see you back and in good shape. I had my check engine light go on in Black Mountain, NC, and the local Chevy dealer took good care of me. As for the rug, will you be replacing with another? I was thinking of changing to linoleum throughout, but worry about the noise and comfort. I hate my rug, it's a dirt magnet. I don't think it would be hard to replace, since everything unbolts from the floor.

Desertone, CharlesOK has good advice for you. Tho' I did like the Concord very much, I cannot deal with the Ford Cab. Check both out and you will see what us Chevy people are talking about. In addition, Charles' remark about this being a national market is completely true. I used a printout from Holman RV in Ohio to get my local dealer here in NJ to give me the price I wanted. In fact, we made the deal at an RV show, and he went online right there to verify the numbers. I paid about $43500 including tax. So, do a lot of internet shopping before you make a deal.
Another thing Charles is right about is the fact that almost all of the coach builders use the same components like the fridge, a/c and all the rest.
Good luck!

[CharlesOK]

Take a look at the Trail-lite 251 B+. I own one and it would work very well for what you describe. The same floorplan can be had from Holiday Rambler very soon as well. 26 feet long, Chevy chassis for room, MPG and handling and thousands less for a nice little coach. I am very well pleased with mine and have almost 12K miles since Jan 06. Take a look at BrownRV.com. He is in Rogers, AR not to far from you and willing to deal on price. I bought mine there and they have treated me well. I am pretty sure you can buy a new 06/07 from him for less than the asking price on that used Coachman in Dallas and Trail-lite uses all the same appliances and has build quality that is just as good as Coachman IMHO. You are in the "Cat-bird seat" as they say, because you do not have a trade-in, so don't let yourself be taken advantage of because something is nearby and easy to get to. You are definitely buying in a market that goes cross-country.

[Daniel_C_]

Just a quick update. I have been out of touch for the past couple of months. I now have 87K miles on the rig. I got stranded for the first time EVER, when the 8.1 "reduced power" light came on and would not go out - the vehicle came to a gradual complete halt as I was transporting three pets home from their annual Vet visit. Had to get a taxi to take them and my wife home. My USAA towing service towed the vehicle 50 miles to a Chevy dealer in New Braunfels Tx, where I knew it would fit and they would work on it right away. The culprit was the "throttle position sensor". The computer didn't know how much throttle I was applying, so it decided to shut it down to idle - I am told. Works fine now - added some preventive maintenance. Good for another 50K miles? Has anyone out there had carpet replaced? It is about time for that and reupholstery. I have never put so many miles on any vehicle I owned and intend to wring out every mile it is capable of!