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.

[CharlesOK]

Hi Burl; How about a flat screen. There are some nice ones now with 17"-19" screens. I ordered my 251 last year with nothing up there. When it came from the factory, they had installed nice matching cabinet doors on the front and finished out the back. I installed a 14" cheapo TV, cut a small hole in the back wall for the back of the TV, and installed twin blocks to keep the TV in place. Now I can close the doors and the TV stays in place. I read postings on this thread that dis-liked the big TV because of the infernal squeeking. Mine does not squeek. Good idea on your part, I think.

[burlmart]

Finally...

Got the gumption to remove the wood frame that held the 24" RCA TV in the cab overhead. Only the 8 1-1/2" wood screws that attached the frame held the TV in place. To keep it from sliding forward, at the rear base of the set there was a 12x1x1" wood strip nailed to the wood platform that the TV just sat upon (the pressed-wood sheet which supports the overhead cabinets also sit).

Test drive showed much quieter w/ no heavy set to amplify overhead vibrations. Still some wood to wood squeaks, but radically quieted overhead now.

Will now consider how to make some sort of storage space for stuff like blankets...something light.

Must decide what way to go for TV/DVD replacement...Anyway, will soon want a notebook PC for trip routing software (Streets and Trips and maybe the TL directory on CD, perhaps). Will miss the large TV screen, however.

Any thoughts...

[CharlesOK]

lopakamac-- I have owned both a RT 210 and then a Trail-lite 251. Quality is unquestioned in the RT, mine did leak at the rear doors and the AC was so shrouded in the rear that it would shut itself off above 90 degrees. I sold mine because we camp mostly in the desert SouthWest and the RT,although beautiful to look at was an oven at night when the outside temps were above 90. I now have ducted Dometic 15K unit which will keep everything nice and cold on even the hottest days we have seen in the Mojave last May. No more sleepless nights fiddling with doors and window covers and the AC trying to make it through the night till we could get moving again and turn on the truck AC. Now I sleep better at night and the Trail-lite has no leaks. Mine has no slide-out, though, so I can't speak to slides. Still the RT is about 87" wide and the TL is 99, so everything is a full foot wider inside, and it makes a great difference. Oh yes, I don't bang my head occassionally in the TL like I did in the RT.

[burlmart]

Happy Holidays!

Found this link from the parent 'Class C Motorhomes' forum.

http://earthroamer.com/main_truck/vehicles.html

I have never wanted a quarter million dollars more! Still time for last minute shoppers to get that perfect gift for the RV enthusiast on their list.

What Quality!

[burlmart]

Hello

Took the RV to the Chevy dealer to replace the seatbelt buckle covers as per the latest GM recall. They mentioned that alignment work was sent to one of the local specialty places - we had already discovered this as posted the B+ Forum around August 2005. We also got an RV inspection sticker for 1st time - never realized it was required!

[Lenc]

Hi everyone

We have our Trail-lite at home. We were planning on heading to Florida. Still waiting for Trail-lite to send information and missing items about our unit to us. They are very slow to respond. The weather has been warm here so I decided to winterize our unit and wait to try it out more in the spring.

[lopakamac]

THANKS for those who sent suggestions. Biker1 it was nice speaking with you and you confirmed many of the things we had been saying but just needed to hear it from others. There's so much good and not-so-good about each size that it makes it a little more difficult. We'll let you know when we finally decide.

THANKS again. If anyone has any other thoughts, we'd like to hear them.

[Devocamper]

Are you sure you have the 8.1 ? I don't think that motor is in that chassis. I think you have the 6.0 still a lot of power. I would like it if they did put the 8.1 in a class c other than the super c. Happy camping

[John___Angela]

Hi Cheese. yes Kind of. The Kodiak is built by Vanguard in Saskatchewan. 2006 will be the last model year for the time being until the Canadian dollar goes back down. Nice rig, true four season. The company seems in good shape but they have refocused for the time being. The build has a lot in common with the Bigfoot C's. Maybe Bigfoot will get into the B plus market.

As an earlier poster mentioned, the B's and especially the new sprinter series from various manufacturers feel like your in a hallway or a closet. The B+ feels like a well equipted tiny apartment.

JMHO

John

[cheeze1]

Congrats John and Angela! The Vanguard-is that made by Kodiak? I agree about the forum. I think that is why so many of us have kept this 'thread' going for so long.

[John___Angela]

As the new owner of a new (to us) 2001 Vanguard VXL2000, it would be nice to see a real forum for the B+ crowd. Wonder if the moderators would approve it.

Here she is. http://www3.telus.net/Retired_At_40/little%20rev.htm Our plan is to tow it south to California behind our Revolution where we will park the big rig and take the little one farther south into Mexico for a couple or three months. Should make day and weekend trips easier as well. Going to call it the inlaw suite.

John and Angela

[CharlesOK]

Hey folks, thought you were all on the road. Lenc, whats the latest on the new unit, have you been able to spend any nights out. WE are hunkered down with a Polar front coming through tonight. I checked the Trail-lite today and made sure the Battery Buddy was plugged in to keep the truck battery warm. Tomorrow its all ice and snow here.

[cheeze1]

Right Doctor T!
As for the decision, we also, once inside the B+ felt there was no comparison. The RT, tho' a beautiful unit, still feels like a van, while the B+ feels like a room. The bath is more livable as well.
So, how is everyone??

[doctort]

Amberbunny, this thread is a sort of "B+" subgroup within "Class C".

[Amberbunny]

How does a topic from 2002 suddenly reappear with over 1300 responses?