Glenn
Forum Replies Created
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As often as you trade coaches, it is hard to imagine that you use up a roll of toilet paper, much less bushings. Those of us that keep our coaches for at least two tanks of fuel have to think long term.
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You get a basically brand new truck from Freightliner, KW etc, just no engine or trans. Options are limited due to wiring I think, maybe one or two models from each oem. Install your pre egr engine (most likely just rebuilt) and the truck is EPA compliant not on the year of the truck, but the engine.
I think they also save on federal excise tax…more info here
We are lucky that as motorhomes we can go in and out of california without emissions. I think all commercial trucks need to be at least a 2007 or newer right now to go into CA.
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Huh … so the body and frame wears out before the engine, trans, and rear axles?
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2 – 3 hours on bulk/absorption should get you to float at which time you could kill the gen. Like Jon said, there are many parameters that need addressed to give you an accurate answer.
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Come on Tom you can see all the bing on the side!!! I’m old but i can still see that. I know you just want eveyone to drive a real bus. lol
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The only time we had information straight from the horse’s mouth was at a rally in South Dakota where we had several SD Highway Patrol officers weight our coaches and then do a safety seminar. They made it clear they have no interest in private coaches, and are only concerned about commercial operators. However they qualified that by saying if we are doing something stupid like speeding, tailgating, etc. then we can expect they are going to write us up for something.
With a couple of my toads I have exceeded the 65 feet most states allow and have never had an issue in 24 years.
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I’m a newby to the Prevost community but I have had 3 years full-timing in a Bluebird towing an HHR. We are about to purchase a 45 ft Prevost and I am concerned about the overall length restrictions. I just can’t go through life hoping that the gendarmes are in a good mood or that I passed the law abiding citizen quick look. Additionally I am truely concerned about the liability issues in the event of accident. Comments? Thanks, Jim Barone
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Pretty cool there gman. You can check your oil going down the road.
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GIGO…. I fixed it.
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Mark, glad you got it back and going, please report back if you see an increase in mpg.
Speaking to one Detroit service managerr 65K is when the overhead should be set, then it is 500K or whenever there is a decrease in performance or mileage.
I am going to try and get mine doen and test the charge air cooler for leaks… my Detroit shop is literally across the street, have only bought parts from them but they have a great rep….so will tear into bedroom tomorow to get the acess panel loose.
I suspect I will gain some mpg and performance and will be good to know everything in the top end is set and torqued correctly. Also going to pull another oil sample and changes oil and filters this week along with full chassis lube.
Have had the coach 6 mos now and about 20K miles on it, runs good and mpg is consistent but think it can be better!
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Here is a suggestion for small, safe, easy to install heaters. I had one hard wire installed in our engine room of our twin diesel boat.
I see where they offer a small plug in 600 watt now.
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I have no real basis for comparison, but I have been hands on regarding servicing and maintaining my coaches. I do know the underside of the typical high end motor home has what is described as comparable systems and components, meaning air brake systems, diesel engines, heavy duty transmissions, etc. So from a maintenance point of view there is no difference. You still have oil changes, lubrication, air system maintenance, tire and battery service and replacement. You still have age related service that should be done.
Where I see the difference is in the actual construction, starting with the chassis. You do not need to see and feel and hear much of the chassis to know you are in a different world. Start by slamming the door. Open a bay door. Look at the finish and rub your fingers across the various colors. Each of those speaks volumes about how much effort and expense goes into the coaches.
Then if the coach has slides look at the structure supporting the slide and the mechanism associated with it. Notice how the slides move in and out, not from inside pushing a button, but from the outside watching to see what flexes, see what bows, see how smooth everything runs. Again, a simple comparison but generally quite revealing. If you get a chance look under each chassis and compare the structure, how secure everything is, and look especially at the massive suspension components used on the Prevost.
Then start looking at systems. Look at the chassis and house wiring. Compare the quality level of how they are done. Look at how the plumbing systems are set up and compare. Look at the water pumps, the hot water heaters, and the size and quality of the plumbing.
Then look at the bays themselves and notice how heavily they are constructed. If you sense a recurring theme relating to heavy construction and durability it is because the chassis on a Prevost is intended for mileage in the seven figures. It is not uncommon to see entertainer coaches of 6 to 10 years old with 600 to 800 thousand miles.
A motorhome with only 200,000 miles is still a baby with years of reliable service ahead of it. Think about the last time you saw a conventional motor home with 200,000 miles. How did it look? How was it holding up? If you can find one of them do yourself a favor and take it for a drive. Then find a similar age and miloeage Prevost and take it for a ride. Notice especially how each one tracks going down the highway, how each feels when you hit bumps or expansion joints, and notice how much noise is going on with shakes and rattles of each.
Then start looking at interiors. The typical conventional motor home I have seen is great looking. They are nicely done in terms of colors, and decor. But look close. How sturdy are the cabinet doors? How well are the drawers constructed? Look at the fabrics and seating areas. Compare how that older coach looks compared to a relatively new motor home. The ones I have seen have loose leather coverings, fabrics that look worn and flooring surfaces that show their age. The Prevost converters all do an excellent job of selecting materials that are durable over the long run. Can that be said of a motor home built in high volume and sold far less expensively?
Once you decide on a Prevost however you likely will bump into age related end of life service requirements. If you read the posts on the forum you may notice coaches in the 8 to 15 year range are getting air bags, brake chambers, suspension valves, tires, batteries, etc. These items, like on a motor home are affected by age and the work you read about is typically done by owners to refresh their coach and generally speaking bring it back into mechanically new condition. No different than the typical motorhome, except it makes sense on a Prevost because the coach is still so valuable and has so much of a future. You don’t see that much on a motor home because by those ages they have lost so much value it hardly makes sense to do that work.
Am I sold on a Prevost? Yes.
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Jon,
I read the manual and all the 4WD suburbans are flat towable… that’s not the problem… it’s the steps to do so mentioned in the earlier posts that are annoying… we have always put it in neutral and it was a done deal.. Extra steps are required because of the new “locking steering wheel”… GM is aware of the problem and supposedly looking for a fix also…
One of GM top guys just happens to be in Lufkin and they are looking at all the possible options, such as a way to save the data settings on clock navigation and radio etc.
Also not a problem to install a battery cutoff switch instead of having to unhook the negative cable each time as that is what is a pain.
Just switching the battery off will not be a killer for me.
Will keep you posted.
Diane
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JUST SO NOBODY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND I AM GOING TO EMPHASIZE A FACT THAT IS APPARENTLY DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT:
IF YOU PARK YOUR COACH AND TURN THE KEY OFF (COACHES NEWER THAN AROUND 1995 OR OLDER COACHES WITH THE REVERSE LOGIC UPGRADE) YOUR PNEUMATIC SYSTEM AIR PRESSURES MEAN NOTHING.
YOU CAN HAVE A COACH DROP DOWN EVEN THOUGH ALL THREE AIR SYSTEM PRESSURES ARE AT 120 PSI, AND CONVERSELY YOU CAN HAVE A COACH REMAIN AT THE HEIGHT IT WAS WHEN PARKED EVEN THOUGH ALL 3 AIR SYSTEM PRESSURES DROP TO ZERO.
There are coach or converter specific exceptions to this, such as a leveling system that is active with the key off that is always attempting to maintain the coach in a level position.
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Just so everyone is clear, in most cases aux air as supplied by a converter installed air compressor is usually inadequate for coach leveling with the engine off.
As stated above house air pressure needs are usually much lower pressures than that needed to level a coach so the aux compressors are usually set for cut-in and cut-out pressures lower than typical bus aux air pressures.
The only benefit of the additional tank is for added volume which will increase the time between aux compressor operations, but which will also increase the time required for the compressor to run.