[Andre]

Mr. Mark: You mentioned that you run the Cruise-Airs through the inverters while on the highway (because of the number of slides you can’t have OTR) and that when you get to the campground you fire up the generator because you don’t want to a heavy pull on the shore power by the Cruise-Airs and the inverters recharging the batteries. Don’t you have a huge 24 volt alternator running off your bus engine that keeps the house batteries topped off and the provide enough power for the inverters to run the Cruise-Airs? Or do the Cruise-Airs pull so much juice that inverters take all the 24 volt alternator output and leave little or nothing for the house batteries?

Dale: We’ve had our Liberty with OTR since May of 2014. This is our first ever motorhome. We rented a late 80’s Prevost CC for a long weekend race trip back in 2012 or 2012 to see if it would work for us (guess what the result of the test was!).

A friend introduced me to Liberty, Prevost, and OTR back in the late 80’s and into the 90’s. We made a number of trips in his coach and he was a very strong advocate of OTR. So when we went looking for a coach Liberty and OTR were very high on the list … right up there with a private commode.

I don’t see us in the desert southwest or tropical Florida in the summertime … except for maybe a trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats in August and September (hopefully on a regular basis). But we use the OTR on a regular basis.

If we’re driving into the sun and temp is above say 65 or 70, we need OTR to be on; outside air coming through the front of the coach doesn’t keep it cool. Sunny day with temps in higher 70’s or more, OTR is on. High humidity, OTR is on. When traveling long distances we typically overnight in rest stops along the Interstate. So when we stop after driving a few hundred miles it doesn’t take long and the heat from engine, transmission, rear end, radiator, coolant, etc. starts to creep into the bedroom. When we stop the coach batteries should be all topped off by the DN50 and I don’t like running the generator unless I need to. So about an hour before we stop I’ll make sure the coach temp is as low as possible and turn the fan up to get the back of the coach as cold as possible. That usually keeps the drivetrain heat out of the bedroom unless the outside temp is much over 70 or 75 … then we often run the generator and a Cruise-Air or two.

We hope and expect to go to Alaska next summer. We’re planning on going to Liberty Harbor RV park on New York Harbor in the fall to visit friends in the NJ/NYC/SI area for a week or more. I’m expecting that we’re going to use the OTR on both those trips, not as much maybe as if we were in AZ in July and August, but unless temps are seasonlly cool we’ll be using the OTR on those trips. Eventhough you intend to use your coach in Canada, I see that you often have temps in the higher 70’s and well into the 80’s in the summertime throughout the provinces.

One of the things I really like about OTR is that it works just like the A/C in the car. Turn it on, adjust the temp (front and rear like a Suburban), adjust the fan (front and rear like a Suburban). No need to turn on the generator and fire up the Cruise-Airs or roof airs and manage them or if you’re lucky manage inverter load.

That Liberty without OTR is one of three or four coaches built about the same time in what I’m told was an attempt to get the price point down back in the day. I discussed one of them with Jeff Rowe a few years ago and he seemed knowledgeable about them. I passed on it primarily because it didn’t have OTR, can’t remember the commode arrangement.

If you’re vaciliating between OTR and non-OTR and a non-OTR coach checks all the boxes, ask the seller how he or she manages the A/C to be comfortable in warm, hot, and/or humid weather. If the seller is honest,you should get a feel how it will work for you.

If you’re thinking about long trips and have to decide between OTR and a separate washer/dryer … while I don’t do the wash, I might vote for the separate W/D. We’ve done two three to four week trips to Florida so far and I can’t believe how often Cathie is washing clothes. I’d rather eat bees with Jon than make a trek to the laundermat every few days.

Originally we started out looking for a 40′, IFS, S-60, Liberty with OTR. 40′ because I thought that would hold the price down and we planned on towing the 24′ race trailer (w/3′ tongue) often (total 67′). At the All Prevost Show in Tampa we looked at many 45′ footers and then looked at a really, really nice 40′ Liberty being sold by broker in the Lakeland area. Having the 45′ footers fresh in our minds and looking at the extra room in the 45′ over the 40′, I made an instant decision that 45′ was for us. I also realized that not all the extra 5′ was in the wheelbase, some of it was behind the tag. Granted odds of high centering the coach with a 40′ is less than 45′. A 40′ coach is more manuverable in tight places (especially with the trailer) than a 45′; but probably not by much. I am very, very happy to have the IFS vs the SFA. We live on narrow town road and getting out and back in is tight. The coach gets parked in the 26′ (less over hang) between the race shop that also is where the race trailer is parked. I feel having the IFS really makes a difference for me. So far I haven’t had to deal with the consumables in the front suspension, unless those were included in the zero out that Jeff Rowe did.

We had no maintance records on our coach when we bought it (even though it was essentially as one owner) and the tires were well beyond five years. Figure $10,000 for tires (Michelin deal) and batteries (get the PC Forum discount on Lifetimes through Tom). If someone who knows what their doing (like Jeff Rowe) and treats you fairly (like Jeff will) zero’s out the coach expect to spend $20,000 (pretty much regardless of vintage/age of coach). Hoses, belts, air bags, brake chambers, filters, fluids, inspection time, Cruise-Air inspection, roof air inspection, OTR inspection, etc. There just isn’t any easy way around it. We found our coach 18 miles from Jeff’s shop. He wouldn’t drive it when he saw the date codes on the tires, seller drove it over to his shop. Jeff wouldn’t let me drive it without new tires. The coach had just sat for almost two years with almost NO miles put on it. We bought at 70,000 miles. We’ve had some surprises since buying it … original Amana refrigerator crapped out (it isn’t cheap to remove the dead one and install the new one) and if the numbers are right, I am one of seven Prevost motorhome owners in history who have to replace the Carrier OTR A/C compressor (I think that was around $3,400 with labor at Jeff’s) in spite of Prevost owners in the HVAC business who told me those compressors go for like 10’s of thousand of hours and decades of use in commercial applications. My experience is out in the tail of the distribution!

I hope this helps put things to perspective.

BTW: I don’t think there is anything wrong with what Jon refers to as “the simple coach”, eventhough we have what was probably one of the most sophisticated coaches built back in that day. The only time we turn the Tivoli lights on is during visitor tours or to impress a neighbor in the campground. I can’t get the neon under the coach to turn on. During those tours I often mention that when you buy something used like we did, you get what the original owner spec’d out even if he or she used a vintage New Orleans bordello motif in the stateroom. I like the Creston and Sunmullon switches but in a few cases they are in the wrong places, don’t change color when the Sunmullon’s are pressed, and don’t control what I want them to control. I live with it and love the coach. You will likely do the same.

[John]

Dick, your wife says you don’t talk much but I don’t know (ha ha… long post).

Anyway, we DON’T have Cruise Airs, we have FOUR roof-top air units. We have four alternators to run the four inverters.

We ‘do’ use a some of the battery power with the alternators running when using the roof air. Honestly, if I didn’t run the generator, it would take a little time to top off the batteries once I plug into shore power. I never timed it but it doesn’t seem to be too long.

Early on, I never thought about the power usage and would run whatever I needed once we parked. We never had a problem, never tripped a breaker. Now that I’m a little more ‘power savvy’ as I’m learning, I take notice of the power usage and try to keep each leg under 40 amps.

With all four units running on shore power, I can keep it about 34 on one leg and 38 on the other. Now, if the aux compressor comes on or the electric hot water tank, it will jump it up. We never have tripped a breaker because of it but I want to keep it in check.

Mark

[Tim]

Per/Dick/Mark,

Thanks very much for your time and input.

One thing I think about being an old RVer albiet a truck camper for many years, I tend to think I should have gas stove because I will be dry camping alot.

What is the most important options for dry camping ? I would think a good genset, water storage, lots of batteries, fuel storage and solar panels ? and of coarse adult beverages !!

Dale

[Archived]

Dale can you put me in contact with the Beaver Bus dealer you talked about in Quebec?

Greg

[Tim]

I think all conversions are good for dry camping. None are perfect and there are variations among the converters.

The general feeling is for dry camping we need a lot of water and battery capacity. I’m not sure I fully agree because with careful usage a couple can stretch the water supply to a week or more even if it is 100 gallons. And that allows for showers daily although you cannot just let the shower run or be a long affair.

Battery capacity may be important if you plan to run high power draw items, but again, with care you can stretch your battery power. We had 6 group 27 batteries in our first Liberty and used it in places where we could not run our generator. With careful use of power we could squeeze several days out of our battery power.

Today when we dry camp we just run the generator continuously because we are well past the age when we want to be “camping”. We could get along with very little battery power, although our current 4 8D batteries allow us to go all night long with the generator off and still have the lights, refrigerator and other current draws.

[stephen]

Greg,

Go to atuotrader.ca and search for Prevost Beaver and you will find it.

Dale

[Archived]

Just for the record on Country Coach’s version of Over the Road air conditioning, I have the CC system and have found it to be very satisfactory. I recommend it and find it to be a benefit if on any coach. It, like all OTR systems, does have a consistent issue over time, however, of losing the compressor. It is about a $2000 fix. After further consideration of how I view the use of the OTR system, I have elected at this time to not fix it and therefore use the roof airs which freezes us out of the coach. I will see if my decision sticks. If not, I will repair it.

I need to add that we do not travel a great deal on long trips. Our average outing is less than 1000 miles round trip.That at least gets us out of Texas if we go East.

My philosophy about using these engines for the max output in very hot weather is to not stress the engine. That is my oil field upbringing. I learned early on that heat is the enemy of an engine.We shut down too many rigs under stressful heat for repairs. In 100 degree ambient weather, and being 120 degrees on the pavement, the engine is dealing with a lot of heat. Adding an additional compressor draw down on the Series 60 with 475 HP seems to be asking a lot of the situation. I do not know the HP required to turn the compressor but I guess it would approximate 25 HP….if not more.

So, just to add to the conversation and to correct potential adverse opinions of CC OTR, I wanted to provide this comment.

Pres