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.

[ron_dittmer]

rcwaz,

It sounds like your leaks were the result of awning mounting screws piercing the skin. Not split seams. Did I understand you correctly?

My old 1983 RV SEEN HERE leaked water when brand new, where the marker light wiring passed into the motorhome. The water had leaked past those rubber marker light gaskets. I simply unscrewed the marker light from the vehicle, sweezed silicone caulk into the hole, and then mounted the light again. I did that for every marker light and the problem never happened again.
About water dripping from the cab-over onto the windshield. My old 1983 RV had that too, but I simply lived with it. Good luck was on my side with my new Phoenix Cruiser. It's much less an irritant, having only the streaking.....No direct water drops. None of those water bombs on the glass.

[rcwaz]

The dealer re-opened for the season and I got my MH in for the leak repair. They mentioned that they knew right where to look, the brackets holding the awning. Apparently there have been others leaking in the same spot. For those who might be confused, the awning bracket extends up over the top seam to the roof where it is anchored. Unfortunately they used silicone sealant so I will have to redo this when it gets warmer. They insist they ran water and had no leaks. I will look at the eternabond material for a permanent fix.

Unfortunately while I was there they asked if I had noted the frame had twisted. Apparently other units like mine had an issue where the frame extensions twisted after towing vehicles (apparently heavy vehicles). I inquired further and was told the point of attachment of the frame extension is the weak point and needed reinforcement with welded plates. I will monitor mine although I tow a lighter vehicle. I'll consider a pre-emptive fix when the warrantee runs out.

An issue that would apply to many B+ owners is the cab-over dripping morning dew, condensate, and dirt onto the windshield. Mine drips directly onto the middle and when cleaned it is difficult to remove the marks. I tried Rain-X a three times but it seems the dripping removes it at the point of contact. I don't have a solution except adding the vinyl gutter from Camping World. I used it in the past and it does re-direct the condensation that runs down the sides to a location other than the glass. I have about 15 ft of white left over in the garage but I really need black for my full paint 293TS. Any better ideas?

[cheeze1]

Following BPlus' advice I used Eternabond on my major roof seams and it's true, seems like a bomb would have to take it off. It's not overly pretty, but it is up high and if you do a neat job, it won't look bad, and you only can see the front/rear edges from the street. It has a death grip once in place, for sure. I called there for additional advice when I received it and they were very helpful.
btw, hey BPlus, is the e that close to the t on the keyboard???:)

[B-Plus]

Do a search for Eternabond, I did mine a few years ago and have never had a leak and its still like new. Do it one time and you never have to worry about leaks or re-sealing your seams again. Well worth the $50.00 for the 4" by 50' roll ,enough to do your complete rig. The first year I had my B-plus, I cleaned off globs of factory sealant ( not really necessary ) and redid all of my seams with the eternabond tape which last a lift time and I have never been happier. My B-plus stays in the driveway ,uncovered all year long and I never have to worry about melting ice or rain again. The tape is white and blends in with the top pretty good. I go up on the roof every year and give a good look around and I have never had to fix any of the seams yet. If I remember correctly from the Web site that I bought it from it says that it can be put on wet? Not sure but I think I recall it saying so. Whatever, I can't say enough about it because it's a great product and it saves me having to do any major work on the roof every year. The goop that is on there from the factory seems to shrink back and come up allowing water to leak under it .
Good luck, B-Plus

[rcwaz]

Unfortunately new my Trail Lite 293TS is parked outside and leaking. It was only 8 months old when I first noted the leak. The warrantee manager at R-Vision denied any warrantee on the roof seams after 6 months. Until the dealership has returned from it's winter hiatus I've been watching it drip with every thaw. I don't have a warm place to repair it myself although I tried when it got warm enough that the ice on the roof melted. Other dealers won't quote a repair just time and material.

I have always inspected my roof seams regularly but I never expected R-Vision would do such a shoddy job. I use the best RV caulk, one that says it will work on wet and cold surfaces but apparently it didn't or I did not fix the source of the leak.

[happyjack2]

We park HappyJack2 in the back yard uncovered and I beleive the original owners did also since it was new. I considered a cover but reading about problems on the forums it seemed more trouble than it was worth i.e. lasts only a few years, falling of rig trying to install etc. I priced out a metal carport at about $1000 and may go that route instead. Re-caulking seams seems to be good idea and was recommended to be done on a regular basis in some thing I read. I noticed some caulked seams starting to raise when I changed the vent cover that blew off last fall but didn't get it done before winter set in. With it parked in the back yard I check it out after rain /snow and weekly and so far no problems. I wonder how much CW would charge to re-caulk?

[burlmart]

We recently moved to a new home and there is room to park the RV on site. At our old home, the RV spent its first 3 years under an awning cover at an off site storage.

Was wondering how many B+ owners park their rigs uncovered, and how the roof and caulking has held up. Also wonder about other issues, such as venting in the summer yet keeping rain out (opening rig up between rainstorms?)

Gene, I know Daniel C. has a trailer now, but I think he kept his B+ too.

[Gene_in_NE]

happyjack2 wrote:
For all of the R-Vision B+ owners on this thread there is a R-Vision Rally in WI this year during the first week in August. PM me for details or go to the Rvisioncamping.org web site. We were the only non TT unit in the IN rally last year but had loads of fun.

Thank You, we'll write it down and see what happens. I would hope that the R-Vision Camping Club provides more information than "It's a new year and with that comes the planning of the major Rallies for 2008.
This year, it's been decided that there will be two major Rallies for this summer. One will be located in Wisconsin and one in Tennessee.

Visit the Rally forum to let your intentions be known."

[happyjack2]

For all of the R-Vision B+ owners on this thread there is a R-Vision Rally in WI this year during the first week in August. PM me for details or go to the Rvisioncamping.org web site. We were the only non TT unit in the IN rally last year but had loads of fun.

[Gene_in_NE]

Has anyone seen anything of Daniel C. lately? This topic needs an update on his unit. I believe the last update was on page 170 on Sep 28, 2007. Someone needs to go over to the Tow Vehicles forum and get him back. :W

[rcwaz]

Gene,
I did the test but only for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes I had the answer I needed. This is from my previous post;

In a previous test I did on the Parralax 7300, it was putting 11 amps into the batteries at 12.2 volts after 30 minutes. (It started at 30 amps and quickly dropped before it lined out at 11.0). That means that it would take 9 hours to replace the amps withdrawn from the batteries and that was without any other 12 volt loads. I also read the Parralax FAQ and it had pretty much stated that I would get the results that I did but indicated that the design recharge rate and methodology was to protect everything else connected on the 12 volt system. I say that's baloney, it's just a cheap charger.

[Gene_in_NE]

ron.dittmer wrote:
...We took our first major road trip last September The 2nd night dry camping and we drained the twin batteries dead...But it seemed to take 96 straight hours on 110v to bring them back to a full charge...

I recall reading that the converter portion of the 120V AC to 12V DC has a fairly low amperage rate. Testing with a voltmeter does not give you the answer. Has anyone tested the amp flow on their converter? That might explain the 96 hours. I typically plug in a simple 10 amp battery charger to 110V and connect it to the coach battery. Usually brings a weak coach battery to fully charged in about 8-10 hours.

[ron_dittmer]

rcwaz wrote:
the picture included with your posts causes me to be very jealous. I certainly wish I could park my MH inside especially now with below zero temps. It needs a bath and a wax.

......One issue I can't figure out is where to put the batteries. I thought about hanging them on the frame underneath using some battery trays made for that purpose

We got extremely lucky to find a motorhome that fit in our garage. With a 10' tall door, and 25' depth, there was only one choice for a Class-C with roof a/c & a full-time bed. It really is nice to have the motorhome stored at home with heat. A real blessing. No worries at all.

It a big challenge to add more batteries in these smaller coaches. I'm trying to understand it's power consumption "do's & don'ts" for starters. As my other post on Solar Panels states, I'm now rethinking that one.

Thanks for the PM.

[rcwaz]

Ron, Yes we are almost neighbors! I sent you a private e-mail. Looking at the picture included with your posts causes me to be very jealous. I certainly wish I could park my MH inside especially now with below zero temps. It needs a bath and a wax.

My last RV had six 6V batteries and two Iota 45A chargers with the controller. We could go days without charging in the winter even while using the 110V TV and coffee maker. So now I'm determined to get similar results in my Trail Lite MH. One issue I can't figure out is where to put the batteries. I thought about hanging them on the frame underneath using some battery trays made for that purpose, but what a pain it would be to check the water. Because of the poor weight distribution on my Trail Lite , the best place for heavy batteries would be in front of the front wheels. How could I accomplish that?

[ron_dittmer]

rcwaz,

We had never owned a self contained motor home before. We took our first major road trip last September The 2nd night dry camping and we drained the twin batteries dead. Watching TV for hours, making 3 pots of coffee, lights, furnace, etc. and that did them in. We didn't realize the need to keep the batteries charged as full as possible all along the way. We never stayed long enough in 110v places to get the batteries back to full capacity. Now back at home, plugged in all the time, all is well again. But it seemed to take 96 straight hours on 110v to bring them back to a full charge. We'll never allow that to happen again.

Your approach to keep the batteries in shape is interesting. We are thinking a Sunforce 160 watt solar panel kit sold by Costco for under $1000 is our best choice, so the batteries get help all day long, driving or sitting. We typically dry camp in national parks. We are out and about every day in our towed car. We will have to pick camp sites without shade now for the sake of solar panel efficiency.

I will be ordering the Costco solar panel kit next month and have it installed before our first trip in 2008.

BTW: you and I are practically neighbors.