Prevost chassis owners.... need opinions.

[Mr_Mark1]

We have decided to possibly have a Prevost chassis coach built maybe next year (unless I could find the perfect used one). I know the new Prevost chassis units have the Volvo engines now offered since they were purchased a year or so ago. I can't find online literature on how much HP the Volvo engine has. Is it a good engine?

I'm 99% sure this will be our last coach taking us into the next 20 yrs. I'll then be 75 yrs. old and I think I'll be done with RVing by then.

For those of you who own a Prevost coach, would you prefer a certain conversion company?
Marathon
Liberty
Millennium
Outlaw (just heard of this one in Texas)
Any others?

I know I've said in the past that these are really not camping coaches, more of a trophy coach (no screen doors, etc.)

Do you find that they have just as many issues as the regular coaches?

I know the Detroit Diesels had 525 HP for a 50,000 lb. coach, I thought that was a little low. What is your experience if you have this engine?

Thanks for ALL the input. If we go new, I want a 2015 model.

MM.

[univmd]

I've seen a passenger XLII chassis lift its tag while turning. I am not sure about the current X3 chassis or H3 chassis.

[John_S_]

Ok I will check again and see.

[JTHarley]

Mr.Mark wrote:
JT, on the Prevost chassis, does the tag lift or steer?

MM.

My understanding is the tag lifts...

[John_S_]

On the heavier coaches it takes the pressure off so it does not scuff as much but it does not lift up in the air. Mine in fact does not life adn the new FTs do not either. Too much weight on the drive to take it all off the tag.

[Mr_Mark1]

John S. wrote:
i think it just releases. MCI has the steering tag .

What does that mean, 'just releases'?

On our Dynasty, the tag lifts.

MM.

[John_S_]

i think it just releases. MCI has the steering tag .

[Mr_Mark1]

JT, on the Prevost chassis, does the tag lift or steer?

MM.

[JTHarley]

Yes the X3 is the new chassis but there are so few coaches being made and sold as new......of course personal orders are the exception. Some of the pro's can tell the subtle differences in years on the XLII chassis. The most obvious being the square headlights in 2004 and early 2005 models and then the small round headlights in 2005 late models and 2006 and above. Tail lights are specific to converters. Liberty, Royale used the small round tail lights where as marathon used the larger ones either 2 or 3.

A good bit of advice I got was first to set your budget....that's going to lead you in a certain direction as to what years, how many slides ect......For me, it was only the XLII chassis and not the H3, only looking for 2 slides, loved the "wood" as opposed to laminate, OTR was not a deal breaker because of how we use the coach, ease and cost of maintenance, non cloth interior...ect. I also knew that it was fairly easy to swap out couches, chairs, booths, flooring. Some also may want to consider if the converter is still in business. I found out the two main engineers who worked for Royale have since opened a company in Elkhart called Royale Phoenix and can work on all the systems in the coach AND will do remods if needed. All that said the 2005 Royale we looked at fit our budget, wants and needs the best.

[John_S_]

univmd wrote:

JTHarley wrote:
When folks say "why a prevost"......I would suggest driving it and that will answer your question. Quality, fit and finish are off the charts. The one thing that stood out to me was the slide operations and the fact they have a bladder to seal the door and all the slides. So does Foretravel. No sound, none, not a rattle, squeak, nothing!!! SILENT driving. Also, another nice thing is that from 2005 to the current model year the exterior of the XLII's has not changed one bit so they are really timeless in the design. Park a 2005 next to a 2010, next to a 2014 and you can't tell which one is the newest coach.

The XLII chassis has been discontinued, all the new ones are X3 chassis, like former entertainer shell with longer wheelbase, so yes the exterior difference from the 2013 to the 2014 is huge. Of course there are still converters who may still be using the old XLII chassis for the their 2014 coaches, but many are already using the all new X3 chassis with longer wheelbase.

And of course there is the h345 chassis with taller bays and larger windshields, but fiberglass instead of stainless steel sides. The newest of this type chassis has the large headlights AND the LARGE taillights with LARGE wheel fenders.

Over the road air is basically like basement air. Super powerful. Takes up an entire bay on the passenger side, losing storage, the ducts will limit you to 2 slides, the ones that have it, mostly Liberty coaches, will have what looks like a side radiator in the middle of the passenger side, but is in fact otr air. All passenger coaches have otr to help provide comfort for 55 passengers.

For quad slide, you will still have to decide whether you want super slides in the rear or not. The super slide rear slides are longer, but mostly prevent you from having a bath and a half, because the slides extend too far rear for a rear bath.

If you choose regular sized rear slides, you will have to decide whether you want them shifted a little forward for a bath and a half floor plan, or shifted all the way to the back for a larger center bath.

Also pay attention whether your converter uses Prevost slides (Liberty and Millennium) or Valid slides (Marathon) or their own slides (Featherlite).

Marathon and Liberty have switched to Lithium batteries. Millennium still strongly believes in non-lithium batteries.

Millennium seems to produce more quad slides than any other converter, especially since Liberty seems to really like otr.

Browe Prevost-Stuff.com to keep yourself informed about the direction of the Prevost market.

Have a great time shopping & enjoy your journey, with warm regards, James

Well said. The way to chose a Converter s to write down what you have to have.
Me i want Prevost slides if I get one with slides. I want OTR as well. I would like wood so that means Royal. I can go with a wood look Laminate as well. If everything else is ok. So I also want a retarder. That is Liberty of Featherlite. So I am down to three but I have really liked Mellenium conversions and how they stick with their owners. So in order for me: Liberty, Mellenium, Royal. Now to find the coach I like.

[univmd]

JTHarley wrote:
When folks say "why a prevost"......I would suggest driving it and that will answer your question. Quality, fit and finish are off the charts. The one thing that stood out to me was the slide operations and the fact they have a bladder to seal the door and all the slides. So does Foretravel. No sound, none, not a rattle, squeak, nothing!!! SILENT driving. Also, another nice thing is that from 2005 to the current model year the exterior of the XLII's has not changed one bit so they are really timeless in the design. Park a 2005 next to a 2010, next to a 2014 and you can't tell which one is the newest coach.

The XLII chassis has been discontinued, all the new ones are X3 chassis, like former entertainer shell with longer wheelbase, so yes the exterior difference from the 2013 to the 2014 is huge. Of course there are still converters who may still be using the old XLII chassis for the their 2014 coaches, but many are already using the all new X3 chassis with longer wheelbase.

And of course there is the h345 chassis with taller bays and larger windshields, but fiberglass instead of stainless steel sides. The newest of this type chassis has the large headlights AND the LARGE taillights with LARGE wheel fenders.

Over the road air is basically like basement air. Super powerful. Takes up an entire bay on the passenger side, losing storage, the ducts will limit you to 2 slides, the ones that have it, mostly Liberty coaches, will have what looks like a side radiator in the middle of the passenger side, but is in fact otr air. All passenger coaches have otr to help provide comfort for 55 passengers.

For quad slide, you will still have to decide whether you want super slides in the rear or not. The super slide rear slides are longer, but mostly prevent you from having a bath and a half, because the slides extend too far rear for a rear bath.

If you choose regular sized rear slides, you will have to decide whether you want them shifted a little forward for a bath and a half floor plan, or shifted all the way to the back for a larger center bath.

Also pay attention whether your converter uses Prevost slides (Liberty and Millennium) or Valid slides (Marathon) or their own slides (Featherlite).

Marathon and Liberty have switched to Lithium batteries. Millennium still strongly believes in non-lithium batteries.

Millennium seems to produce more quad slides than any other converter, especially since Liberty seems to really like otr.

Browe Prevost-Stuff.com to keep yourself informed about the direction of the Prevost market.

Have a great time shopping & enjoy your journey, with warm regards, James

[JTHarley]

aarondeere wrote:

JTHarley wrote:
When folks say "why a prevost"......I would suggest driving it and that will answer your question. Quality, fit and finish are off the charts. The one thing that stood out to me was the slide operations and the fact they have a bladder to seal the door and all the slides. So does Foretravel. No sound, none, not a rattle, squeak, nothing!!! SILENT driving. Also, another nice thing is that from 2005 to the current model year the exterior of the XLII's has not changed one bit so they are really timeless in the design. Park a 2005 next to a 2010, next to a 2014 and you can't tell which one is the newest coach.

If you get a chance can you compare your Dynamax to your prevost as far as fit and finish and quality of ride/power. Thanks

I can probably do this better after I've had the prevost for a while......that being said I can tell you that the dynamax fit and finish was the best I had seen in any truck conversion. The "house" part of the coach had no rattles or squeeks when going down the road but with the engine up front of course you hear it...I happen to love the purr of the diesel though. It did drive better than both of my previous class A diesels and most of the time it was one arm out the window driving and since it is a class 8 truck, they are meant to be comfortable for OTR drivers who drive these types of trucks 10-12 hours a day. The power of the Dynamax is incredible.....going up even the steepest grades, I never had to downshift even in the mountains. Now, since I just drove my prevost for about a half hour it was nothing short of incredible. The only way I can explain it is SILENT, responsive and a joy to drive. I've been in about 4 prevost coaches in the last 6 months and with regard to the fit and finish....well, I don't know what to even compare that too other than my stick house....solid woods, solid doors, granite showers, ect.....To give you an example of how solid, you have to open the small "toll" windows in the front before you can bring the slides in because of the air pressure. Once they are locked in place a rubber bladder fill like a bike innertube creating a sound proof, water proof seal. Even the slide operation is silent and smooth, not jerky like my other class A's. One look at the plumbing bay and electrical will show you how much attention to detail and engineering went into the thought process. Wires perfectly placed and everything within reach, not hidden behind panels or walls.

I'll post more once I pick up the coach at the end of September. We are going to Branson for our first Prevost rally in October so that will be the first time we will be in it for an extended stay.

[aarondeere]

JTHarley wrote:
When folks say "why a prevost"......I would suggest driving it and that will answer your question. Quality, fit and finish are off the charts. The one thing that stood out to me was the slide operations and the fact they have a bladder to seal the door and all the slides. So does Foretravel. No sound, none, not a rattle, squeak, nothing!!! SILENT driving. Also, another nice thing is that from 2005 to the current model year the exterior of the XLII's has not changed one bit so they are really timeless in the design. Park a 2005 next to a 2010, next to a 2014 and you can't tell which one is the newest coach.

If you get a chance can you compare your Dynamax to your prevost as far as fit and finish and quality of ride/power. Thanks

[JTHarley]

When folks say "why a prevost"......I would suggest driving it and that will answer your question. Quality, fit and finish are off the charts. The one thing that stood out to me was the slide operations and the fact they have a bladder to seal the door and all the slides. So does Foretravel. No sound, none, not a rattle, squeak, nothing!!! SILENT driving. Also, another nice thing is that from 2005 to the current model year the exterior of the XLII's has not changed one bit so they are really timeless in the design. Park a 2005 next to a 2010, next to a 2014 and you can't tell which one is the newest coach.

[JTHarley]

Flyawes wrote:

JTHarley wrote:

mike brez wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
JTHarley, congrats on the Prevost! Now you can get back into the Class-A resorts! Ha Ha!!

I sure hope you keep us updated on your experience good and not so good if anything happens.

MM.

For a couple of years anyway :B

I will post this new learning curve and experience....having my truck conversion and attempting to get into A resorts.......believe me I'll never go back to some of them.

Just wondering if you will return to Riverbend. I know you have previously posted that it was one of your favorite spots. We are spending the winter there again this year.

Marc

We ended up buying an ocean front site in St. Augustine so we will be there for the bulk of the 3 months we spend in Florida but yes, when they begin landscaping our site we plan on running over to Riverbend and visiting some old friends. Probably will only be there for a week in late January.

[John_S_]

I will say that Prevost are alway the ones to pass me. You get more power to when you keep he cruise on in some vintages too.