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.

[cheeze1]

Welcome o/c. your mention of 450 mile days brings to mind how I can drive my 213 for much longer single periods and longer hours than any vehicle I have ever owned. I even have a Bimmer and about 3 hours is the limit.

[happyjack2]

O/C, Welcome to the B+ thread. We got our Trail Lite 211 B+ in April also. We have been to western NY and PA twice and to SC so far this year. Next week to IN then KY and back. I really enjoy our road trips now. It is easy to drive, has great visibility and is very stable. I don't feel pushed like I did driving my smaller SUV in interstate traffic. 450 mile days are doable again.

[o_c_strider]

I've been reading the forum for several months now and just registered as a member.
This discussion is very interesting to me becaue of our new rig.

We bought a new 26' Class A in '04, but, recently, because of a health condition, I was finding it difficult to drive for more than a couple of hours at a time and DW didn't care to drive it all that much. So, we downsized to an '03 Phoenix Cruiser. It is so much more comfortable to drive, for both of us, that we have put 5,000 miles on it since we purchased it in mid-april and have a 4,200 mile trip planned for this fall.

I am grateful the rv industry seems to have something for all of us.

[happyjack2]

Gene, I measured it empty except for a full tank of gas. Since we park in the back yard its easy to empty almost every thing out for cleaning when we get home. Unloaded it is 9' 10". I am begining to think perhaps most RVs are not carbon copies as an automobile might be. With all the suppliers in the northern IN area perhaps if the builders run out of one componet they just go down the street to another vendor. Since the suppliers build componets to common size, say 14 x 14 vent opening or 10' awning lenght, any part will fit the RV rough opening but maybe be larger or smaller in cube size. Just a guess.

Chas, I remember that underpass also but luckily I was in my SUV after visiting a friend in CCU at the UVA hospital a couple of years ago. Maybe the Yankees built it down here after The War Between the States to punish southern RV drivers.

[cheeze1]

Yes, Geoff, definitely a bad memory. I made a complete u (K) turn, sure wish that bus was in front of me!

[Gene_in_NE]

happyjack2 - I used a label maker and printed out a strip to stick to the dash that says [Clearance Required 10'-2"]. That way I can quickly glance at the dash when approaching a low looking overpass. When you are over 50, I don't trust memory. The difference in heights might be whether you are loaded for travel or empty. A little difference in tire pressure can change height a 1/2" or so.

[Geoff_H]

cheeze1 wrote:

Btw, downtown Charlottesville, Va, the main street: has a 9' underpass. Don't make the mistake I did by having to turnaround in the middle of town!!

I was in Charlotteville this February and my wife had a town map and planned our route to go under this underpass. I followed a bus to the underpass and when it took a right turn, suddenly I saw the low bridge notice and backed up a little to follow the bus. A nasty feeling as my 2003 Trailite 211 has a 9' 10" clearance. Cheeze1, you brought back a bad memory!

Geoff Hallett,
Perth, Ontario, Canada

[happyjack2]

I measured my 211 in April when I got it an is was 9'9" tall by 8' 3" wide. I wrote the height and width in the owners manual for quick reference on our first few trips. After reading the last few posts I measured it again this evening and used a level on the board I placed on the A/C. This time it was 9'10" which is probably more accurate. I also have a 4' CB radio whip antenna on the ladder top but I mounted it on a spring. Perhaps my 211 has a lower profile A/C to be under 10'. I have plenty of headroom inside, about 6'3" in the center and good ground clearance to change oil and run wires without jacking.

[ron_dittmer]

cheeze1 wrote:
That built in sewer unit is a nice feature. My 213 is 10'8", which almost resulted in my removal of the a/c by mistake, but we realized quick enough that the garage door I was pulling into was 10'. Btw, downtown Charlottesville, Va, the main street: has a 9' underpass. Don't make the mistake I did by having to turnaround in the middle of town!!

Yes, the fancy sewer management system seems a great way to manage sewage. It appears it would be a fast & clean operation. I haven't used it yet, but all indication is it's a nice setup. Phoenix USA added a conventional setup just behind it in case of mechanical failure, or if you want to hook up permanently.

On my first RV road trip in 1984, I pulled our brand new Toyota/Mirage into a shop for it's first oil change. I had no a/c, but they messed up the roof vent. From that moment on, I've done my own oil changes.....period. I make a good effort in leaving my work area clean and try to be inconspicuous. Ususally picnic areas in National parks are good during the week as they are empty. It's not officially allowed, but law enforcement leaves me alone anyway. If they stop, they'll ask if all is well, and I explain what I'm doing, and I'll be clean & quick. By the time I'm done, my wife has lunch ready.

A nine foot underpass? Woah!

[cheeze1]

That built in sewer unit is a nice feature. My 213 is 10'8", which almost resulted in my removal of the a/c by mistake, but we realized quick enough that the garage door I was pulling into was 10'. Btw, downtown Charlottesville, Va, the main street: has a 9' underpass. Don't make the mistake I did by having to turnaround in the middle of town!!

[ron_dittmer]

Gene in NE,

Yep, 10'-2" was the common height of most B+ units. Even the longer Phoenix Cruisers built on the bigger E450 chassis are 10'-1". We had very little to choose from in the used market, which steered us into this new one. In all my search over a 7 month period, there were only 3 or 4 used rear corner bed models to be found. But they were all expensive Isatas. Our Phoenix Cruiser brand new, cost only $10k-$15k more than their 5 year old used ones with 20k to 60k miles. We got a full warranty and got the RV made to our exactly specifications. It was well worth the extra cost.

I am 5'-10" and our model 2350 interior ceiling height is plenty high. Given the width and length are not all that much, a lower ceiling height shows it off in good proportion. Go to my profile and scroll down. I took an interior picture with my cell phone seen there.

A lower Roof has less wind resistance too, though hardly worth noting the difference.

[Gene_in_NE]

ron.dittmer - You are very fortunate to own a unit only 9'-10" high. Most, if not all, of the Trail-Lite's measure 10'-2" to the top of the A/C. Width would not be a problem for any of them and length would only be a problem for the 250 and 251 series.

happyjack2 - I found the web strap to work the best for securing the rolled foam. Can even snug up on it a little after doing a tight roll.

[happyjack2]

I rolled up the queen memory foam topper from Costco tightly and it was about 20" diameter. Secured with four bungee cords for now but will make up velcro or web straps for tighter wrap. It fit under the jack knife sofa after a bit of work and also came back out with a bit more fighting. My sofa only opens up about 20" and the front access behind the removable board is only about 16" high. But, next weeks trip to the R-Vision rally in Elkhart IN should have more comfortable sleeping than the trips to NY and SC.

[ron_dittmer]

Thanks for the compliments guys on the garage and rig.

My garage door measures:
Height = 10'
Width = 8'-8"
Garage depth is exactly 25'

Our Phoenix Cruiser model 2350 measures:
H = 9'10"
W = 7'-9"
L = 23'-8"

So it fits snug, but not too snug.

Only the Phoenix Cruiser and the Isata Sport would fit. We require a dedicated bed and so the rear corner bed was the focus. That rulled out many other makes & models.

One key factor is their new lower profile a/c unit. I first considered older Phoenix Cruisers, the Carri-Go, and a few others, but even if I change out the a/c unit, those RVs still would not clear the 10' door height.

If you go into my profile and enlarge my signature picture, you'll see black plastic over the a/c unit. I had to cut my soffit in the garage that boxes in the "I" beam and heat duct. The plastic holds up the insulation. As there is 8" to the beam and duct, I'll be tearing down the soffit in that bay, raising the ceiling height 6" more.

[Gene_in_NE]

ron.dittmer - Welcome to this topic where owners of the so-called B+ can exchange ideas. I too am jealous of your garage, you must have 12' high doors.

happyjack2 - We sleep fore and aft and my being 6'-4" can relate to what you are saying about running out of room. I just let my feet hang over the end of the jack knife couch when I need to stretch. The topper we use is only about 2" thick and rolls up fairly small. We then put a strap around the roll to keep it rolled tight.