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.

[stracos]

Thanks all.

You are correct, no awning or generator. We've never used the (full power with remote control & wind sensor) awning on our 40' class A's so I doubt we'll miss it on the 22'er. The generator would have been nice to have. But from what I can tell all trail-lites are already wired/prepped for a generator so adding one shouldn't be too problematic.

We probably wouldn't even need the generator except that we travel with a dog and sometimes need to leave the AC on when we park someplace.

We'll probably need to add a sat. dome as well. Sort of spoiled with our DirecTV w/Tivo service.

I suspect we'll enjoy it as is for 30 days and then if we're happy with the size & floorplan we'll add the generator and sat. dome. Or, it will be up for sale online and I'll be ordering a 30' model. Sure wish the Jayco melbourne 29D came on a chevy chassis. Or maybe the 2008 Roadtrek Adventurous will tempt me 🙂

Joe

[erip]

Congrats!!..You'll find those of us who own b plus's made at the trail lite factory pretty happy with our rigs...
When you get home check the seals and caulking in the windows in the rear door. They are notorious for leaking.. but a bit of silicone will take care of the problem
Good Luck

[Gene_in_NE]

stracos wrote:
I just bought a Trail-Lite B+ (on ebay of all places) and I'm going to pick it up on saturday. Any advice on trail-lite specific issues to look for?

Its an 06 w/64,000 miles because its a former rental. Seems like its in good shape from the pictures except for the photo that shows the somewhat deep scratch on the side.

I've had lots of Class A's but this is my first b+.

Like others I had been considering a roadtrek but the price point on this RV was too tempting. If the small size gets to me after a while I won't lose so much $$ reselling it.

Here is a link to the listing/photos. Any advice appreciated:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260170469135&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN...

Joe

Looks like you got a sweet deal Joe. Congratulations, the listing does not say the model; but I'm almost 100% certain that it is a 214. It appears to have a couple things lacking - awning and generator, neither of which are deal stoppers. With the rear exit (which we like) the awning is not as conducive as an expanded living area. We have found that almost all campgrounds have electrical power even in the middle of winter, so unless you "boondock"; likely will not miss the generator. The only advice that comes to mind is spend 2 or more hours in a pre-delivery inspection making sure you know how to do everything and whether is works of not. Then try to spend your first night within a very short drive to the dealership. Easier to return the next day and ask how to.....? Check the tire pressure for a smoother ride.

[Cenote]

If everything doesnt fall apart on your way home, looks like you got a sharp rig for a sweet deal stracos!

We are just about the same size and layout and we love it!

Good luck on Saturday!

[stracos]

I just bought a Trail-Lite B+ (on ebay of all places) and I'm going to pick it up on saturday. Any advice on trail-lite specific issues to look for?

Its an 06 w/64,000 miles because its a former rental. Seems like its in good shape from the pictures except for the photo that shows the somewhat deep scratch on the side.

I've had lots of Class A's but this is my first b+.

Like others I had been considering a roadtrek but the price point on this RV was too tempting. If the small size gets to me after a while I won't lose so much $$ reselling it.

Here is a link to the listing/photos. Any advice appreciated:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260170469135&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN...

Joe

[cheeze1]

Gene, Antique stores?...We have got to meet someday!!
Chas
uh, I hate to sound dumb, but what exactly do we mean about parking lot touring? (Maybe we have done it too);)

[Gene_in_NE]

burlmart wrote:
...Interestingly, I accidentally left the cap OFF and dangling for about 10 miles a day later, and the light did not come on.....We did extensive touring in many parking lots with very good results. About 11 mpg average.

I have had the "check engine" light come on for other vehicles and never return so did not figure out what the computer thought was the problem. I have often wondered if that "gas cap" situation applies to all computer controlled or just some of them.

We have also done much parking lot touring.:B Especially if there are antique stores nearby.

[burlmart]

Thanks to all.

Back home now with internet again (state/federal parks since the private Rivers Edge in Gatlinburg).

Light went out the next day, and I don't think we even filled the tank before it did. I checked the cap after your responses, so maybe that did it.

Interestingly, I accidentally left the cap OFF and dangling for about 10 miles a day later, and the light did not come on.

Had a great 2000 mile loop from Roosevelt SP (MS), Desoto SP (AL), Rivers Edge (Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, USA), Cumberland Mountain SP (Crossville, TN), Hillman Ferry Campground (LandBetweenLakes, KY). Followed by a marathon 600 mi return to Baton Rouge in a single 10 hr day!

23,400 miles now, with over half in the last 6 months, and really no major issues. (I no longer notice the squeaking now that it may be diminishing, I am getting accustomed, radio is on more, roads are smoother elsewhere). We did extensive touring in many parking lots with very good results. About 11 mpg average.

[Reno3]

I had this happen several years ago on our car when we were traavelling up in Nova Scotia. I always pump my own gas but up there they won't let you and a young lady attendent pumped the gas for us and she apparently didn't put the cap back on tight. Panic ville for awhile NS is a long ways from New York state but we did find a garage that knew what the problem was. (MH was parked in a RV park and we were exploring the area with the toad )

[cheeze1]

Burl, I had the same thing happen when we were in Asheville, with about 5K on the rig. I located a Chevy dealer in the next town, called, and they had me come in. Took less than 10 minutes and they wouldn't take any money. They did say that it will frequently happen if the gas cap is reinstalled incorrectly or not as tight as necessary. I have had it happen to other vehicles since and it was the gas cap each time.

[Geoff_H]

Warning light
Never had this with my 211 Trailite but a 2003 Sierra did. It was simply a reminder to change the oil. At each oil/filter change a button? had to be pressed to reset a link to the odometer or somewhere. If the garage were not familiar with this, and did not press the button, then the light would come on at some later time. See if it mentions this or an air filter warning light in the manual.

Geoff Hallett, Ontario, Canada

[happyjack2]

Burl- With my experience with GMs, some check engine lights were not serious such as the loose gas cap. I've tightened down the gas cap and on the next fill up it goes out. I've never had a parts store check the OBDII but that is a possibility. I plan to get a Scan GaugeII which hooks up to the OBDII connector and reads the engine computer codes plus fuel mileage, tranny and engine temps etc. On running with the light on, I had a '82 Malibu that had the light on most of the time for years. When the light was out it would run rough. I think the newer lights / diagnostics are better. I have put over 300K on other GMs without a serious light.

[burlmart]

Happyjack, that is really good news...I have been thinking about your situation and how hard it was to change a radiator in the tight space. It amazes me that the rig is not too sensitive to tranny fluid mix, or, hopefully, you have little non-tranny fluid in there.

I need help. We are in Gatlinburg and the check engine light came on as we ascended the steep bypass road and stopped at an overlook. We were shifted and running in the 2nd low gear with no apparent problem. The book says it is a fuel related issue. As a newbie to these things, I am clueless, and am having trouble searching these posts for help with

check engine light on 2005 chevy vortec 6.0.

Can anyone advise, please?

[happyjack2]

I wanted to update the other Trail Lite B+ owners with Chevy chassis on the radiator change in Happyjack2. Drove about 1000 miles to KY and back and everything went fine. I couldn't find a shop that could flush the transmission in the time before our trip, but found that it has a drain plug on the pan and changed the fluid myself. The pan held over a gallon. I'll do a couple more changes and hopefully any remaining antifreeze will be diluted. The old fluid looked and smelled fine that I removed.

[happyjack2]

Hello Daniel. Your thread was very helpful in learning about the operational aspects of my 211 this spring. We put 5200 miles on Happy Jack so far this year but the transmission / radiator problem and my work schedule have had us sidelined since Labor Day. I finally found time to instal a new GM radiator and hoses and plan to get tranny flushed this week. So far about $ 400 in parts and some aches and pains. Forgot how much "fun" 😞 it is to work on something in a van engine comparment. Hope to get a few more trips before winter.