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.

[Gene_in_NE]

RJ4 - Your idea makes sense to me as we don't use the sink either. However, one would need to get different faucets to control the shower. My Model 211-S has the exact same shower stall as yours. "cheeze1" has a model 213 that has the stool separate from the tub/shower. It does not look like the dimensions are right to fit our space. You can see the back side of the shower sink by looking in the storage place for the shore power cord.

Our Shower -


Your Floor Plan -


cheeze1 Floor Plan -


Years ago I did know a fellow who made molds for fiberglassing by making a mock-up out of cardboard and spraying the outside. He painted the outside of the cardboard and it seemed to leave the paint on the inside of the fiberglass and the cardboard merely peeled out. Would need a lot of patience to line up with the floor drain and stool drain. Good Luck.

[cheeze1]

interesting question RJ, and I don't blame you for attempting the redesign. I live 1/2 from where my 213 is stored, so I won't be able to get you the dimensions of my shower pan right away. I think it's a great idea tho'.

[RJ4]

I have a 2002 Trail-lite Model 212 on a Chevy chasis. The bathroom is a combination shower, sink, and toilet. The existing shower tray and sink is one molded piece of fiberglass. I want to replace the shower tray with a standard tray leaving just the shower and toilet. Basically remove the sink because it takes up so much room. I have been unable to locate a shower tray with the correct dimensions - 30" x 34". Has anyone done a bathroom remodel and/or have any recommendations? I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you

[Gene_in_NE]

PhilWH - I know the cost of owning an RV is tough to justify, but one has to put things into perspective. We only live once. We work so we can play. An RV is not that expensive to own as it does not wear out if it sits. Tires are the one exception I can think of. Insurance is an ongoing expense, but shop around and find a company that will insure one year at a time. The company expects that you will not be driving 12 months of the year and the total rate will be less. I learned that when insuring motorcycles. Licensing (registration) can be expensive in some states, but in those states with high registration other costs are a little less like sales or income tax.

Finally, the cost of fuel. It is not like we all drive 20,000 miles a year in the RV. When we consider the alternate form of transportation for those 3,000 to 5,000 miles the "delta" cost is not out of sight. The cost of that fuel is now more expensive for any other form of transportation - even flying.

[PhilWH]

I don't know if I can justify the expense associated with an RV but wife and I have enjoyed RV life styles for years so maybe that is justification. The Winnebago View 08 24H does have a slide which really makes a big difference in that unit. We took it for a 200 mile round trip to the Lake Wales area from Fort Myers and found it easy to drive, handled well and took bad roads a bit better than the Chev 2001 211. Mileage was about 14 mpg on diesel. After many years driving Chev vans it is taking some getting used to the different layout of the German design. I always liked my Trallite very much but by moving up 7 years and a bit more upscale am finding this a very nice unit. I'll be going to Illinois soon to take care of a bunch of rental houses and this will serve as our full time livingquarters, truck, and transportation. I know I'm going to miss that rear door which was so great for hauling drywall, lumber, carpet, tools and lawnmowers.

[Gene_in_NE]

happyjack2 - I didn't replace any tires. I exchanged the right front with the right rear inner tire. Then I replaced the front only shocks. The cupping did not re-occur on the one now on the right front and the right inner rear seemed to wear more even. The ride did not noticeably change.

PhilWH - Thanks for responding. The Model 211 was built on both the Ford and Chevy. We looked at those Sprinters and like them, but couldn't quite justify the difference in price. You've made the leap, you'll have to let us know if it was worth it.

[PhilWH]

I had installed Bilsteins on my 2001 Trail lite 211. I just sold it last week and have replaced it with a 2008 Winneabago View 24H. I am anxious to put a few miles on it now that it is insured, licensed, oil and filter changed.

[happyjack2]

Gene,

I have noticed cupping in my front tire. Did you just replace the fronts or all six. I don't really notice any bad swaying in turns and very few trucks ever bothered us with their draft. The few times trucks affected us caught me by surprise and I think it has to do with relative wind direction, differential speed and terrain.

[Gene_in_NE]

PhilWH - What kind of RV do you have? I found that putting new Bilsteins on the front of my Chevy at about 20,000 miles did not do anything noticeable. I believe it may have stopped the minor "cupping" of my right front tire.

[PhilWH]

The ride with Bilsteins remains harsh, actually more harsh than OEM, but the stability has been remarkably improved with less leaning and more resistance to swaying on curves and passing trucks.

[cheeze1]

Gene, I use Discount as a reference all the time, and a tire place I've dealt with for years is an installer. However, I still ask their advice. I put General Grabbers on my Element before I gave it to my daughter and they were SO much better than the original Goodyears. I have Uniroyal on the 213 and tread depth is not a factor...it's the sidewalls that concern me.
Phil, my only problem with Costco is they are so dictatorial with what they will and won't do, so I havent bought from them in a long time. I've also found that a "favorite tire guy" usually beats the price. I had seen some mixed discussion about which Michelin to get on another forum. The Bilstiens didn't improve the ride???

[PhilWH]

I was looking for a tire that would improve the ride and had been directed toward Michelen which I purchased at Costco because the date stamp indicated they were less than a month old. Other vendors could supply the tire but I saw some as much as a year old already! As we know ageing is a bigger factor than miles on most motorhomes.
Unfortunately it still rides hard especially in the rear and Bilstein shocks and as little as 60psi.

[Gene_in_NE]

cheeze1 - I know exactly on what you speak. Been thinking it is time. I have over 35k, but tires only look about 40% gone. Sidewalls still look good cause it is stored indoors when not out traveling. I don't know how you balance time, mileage, cost, etc. I have had new tires blow out. I have driven on 20 year old tires on the farm tractors without problems. Found this website - Discount Tire. I have been satisfied with my Generals thus far so am leaning towards replacing with the same.

[cheeze1]

Hey gang, anyone replace their tires? Any recommendations? I only have 18k on mine, but I am now starting to think about dry rot.

[Lenc]

If your having problems with your electrical on a Trailite then you can get information from this site:

http://www.parallaxpower.com/index.htm