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RE: Anyone have a Skyline Koala, or seen one at a RV show?
JenniferandJosh,
Interesting post in re Koala/Jayco24T. I also looked at the 24T and found it very interesting and just about perfect for us. The Koala advantage we are contemplating is a bit lighter, more narrow and lower in height. Still, the 24T is on the lot two miles down the street at a really good dealer.
What is attractive to you about the Koala (now that you have seen one) compared to your 24T? Your observations comparing them would be very helpful to me.
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PSW
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02/09/12 06:54am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Anyone have a Skyline Koala, or seen one at a RV show?
Atlee, we also have been looking at smallish trailers to supplement but not replace our Roadtrek. We saw the Koala at the Tulsa RV show last year and spent a good bit of time looking it over.
The manufacturer had the regional guy there and he was very, very helpful...as was the Tulsa dealer. I think we examined every inch of two different models, particularly the 21 CS and the next one up, the 23 something.
Going from a RT to a trailer, I know quality is going to go straight down unless I spend a fortune for a trailer, and we don't want to do that. We want one for boondocking in the Rockies in the summer for a month or so at a time.
Given that, after spending two years looking, we concluded the Koala and the Viewfinder models of CruiserRV met our needs more than most. Unfortunately, compared to Roadtrek, both of their websites are pretty primitive as to quantity of information. Roadtrek.com spoils me for other manufacturer's website. Koala was making these things a year ago and appears to have never updated the info on the site. CruiserRv is worse.
The Koala fit, finish and quality were certainly acceptable to us. I probably spent an hour pulling out drawers and looking at construction, crawled underneath and looked around. I certainly liked most of what I saw, much more than most trailers for our purposes. AND, the weight factor is such we can easily pull behind our Jeep GC, a very important consideration.
I would encourage you to seriously consider Koala on the basis of our research for two years. Being a "B"er for a very long time, I think I understand a lot of your concerns and issues since we are coming from the same perspective. We are going to go down to Dallas to their big RV show in a couple of weeks and look at some more stuff, and Koala is made right in that area (at least the ones sold in the SW are made in Texas).
Now.......if I could just learn to back up a durn trailer!
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PSW
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02/08/12 06:57am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: What Did You Do To Your Class B Today ?
Beautiful sunny day and fifty degrees. Drove up to the next county with the generator going and the heat pump going full blast for load. Every month, one hour at least under a good load. And the RT needs to be driven at least that often as well. I do about half the miles on the Interstate, come back on country roads so I am stopping and going at a lot of intersections so the tranny goes through the gears, the brakes get used, etc.
Also, I always run the AC for at least ten minutes to keep the system in good shape.
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PSW
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12/15/11 02:24pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: macerator operating switch
I took an old house key and then removed the top mounting screw on the RT macerator switch in the door. I then reinstalled the screw with the key mounted just like a washer, inserting the screw through the key ring hole at top of the key. What this makes then is an elongated washer which is really a lever.
This does not affect the door at all and all you have to do is depress the switch and swing the key down over it to hold it in place. To stop it, just swing the key back off the button. Free solution, no wiring, no nothin'. Did that five years ago and works like a charm. The price is right, too: free.
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PSW
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12/03/11 06:27am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Cracked ground effects
Loving Retirement,
I was wrong. It was not a Chevy code. I just went out to the garage and found it. I don't recall who/how I came up with this color, but it matched: Pontiac WA900J
Sorry I can't remember the source info on this, because now I am curious how I came up with the color. But, it matched so closely I was very pleased with the result. I had caught my right front ground effects on a boulder in a NF campground.
Personally, I wish I had never heard of ground effects. They are cool looking, but a nice chrome bumper would be more practical IMO.
Here is another "fix" for certain scrapes and abrasions. I goosed the left front edge and just knocked the finish off the front ground effects panel when my RT was nearly new. The ground effects "bumper" kind of sticks out on the front corners. I went to Home Depot and bought a ten dollar landscape pond repair kit. It is a piece of a rubber like material with a very, very durable peel off adhesive on the back. I cut two pieces about four inches square and radiused the corners on each piece for appearance. I then applied the "patches" to the damaged front left and undamaged front right corners.
What this did was cover the really bad abrasion and at the same time made a very nice looking protector for both front corners. It is not obtrusive at all and looks like it has always been there and should be there. Works great and has not come lose in five years.
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PSW
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11/24/11 07:57am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Cracked ground effects
I have fixed a couple of place on mine with J&B. My cracks were such that I could snap them back in place and then I simply laid on the J&B on the backside that doesn't show. I have a Chevy paint touchup kit with the exact color of the ground effects, and I carefully filled in the crack line from the front, buffed it a bit after it dried. You would never know it was broken and that was four years ago.
I had forgotten all about it until I read your post.
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PSW
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11/22/11 07:23pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: 2002 Roadtrek Dash A/C stopped working, and now works fine
I had a 96 190P on a Dodge and the AC did this ever now and then. I would just turn it off going down the road for a minute or two and it cleared and was fine. Used it that way for years. Just freezing up a bit.
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PSW
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11/16/11 06:47pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Roadtrek overhead cabinet hinges
The hidden hinges on the overhead cabinets in our RT are designed to hold the cabinet doors wide open, which is 90 degrees to the cabinet.
All the hinges are weak and hold the doors at about 60-70 degrees, assuring hitting your head on the edge of the open door and limiting full and easy access to the cabinets.
I found a great hinge at Lowes that is made similar to the original hinges but is much heavier duty, probably 50% wider and therefore significantly stronger. These things cost $3.65 each and it takes 15
(a couple of cabinets use three hinges) to replace all of them.
Now, the doors really work properly and open fully. My wife thinks (and I believe she is correct) the doors never completly opened 90 degrees, even when new. This is another example of a part that is just a little cheaper and a little undersized creating a problem for the owner.
The hing is a Richelieu BP1062GU.
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PSW
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11/10/11 04:42pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Brake Problem - RT 05C210P
Water Daisy, I have had that same shimmer on long downhill grades since our RT was new. Even running downhill at a slower speed in a lower gear, you are going to pick up some speed with over 9000 pounds of loaded RT on four tires/brakes.
I am talking about long steep grades like you describe. Coming down a steep pass in the Rockies, for instance. And, like you say, they cool down in a few miles and the shimmy goes byebye. I checked the pads the first time this happened and they were perfectly fine. Therefore, I assume it is a function of grade, speed, distance, weight and design.
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PSW
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11/03/11 07:50pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Side double door on RT190 - Will it open wider?
I am like senf in the previous post. On my 2007 RT 210 the knuckle on the strap gave way. I had to order a new one for about $80 from Chevy.
Makes me wonder if those Chevy side door straps are misdesigned. I was surprised at how flimsy it was when I took it off. I would have expected a little heavier gauge of metal for its construction. Anywhere these guys can save a quarter an ounce or two cents they do it and the result is an inferior product part.
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PSW
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11/03/11 07:39pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: What Did You Do To Your Class B Today ?
I just went out and got a flashlight out of the RT. We have a nine foot door on one of the doors of a three car garage, so it is always just out the door into the RT. What a great setup! I probably go out there at least once a day for something. It is always ready to roll.
Just like the previous two posts, I love to just monkey around with my B. It is more than a vehicle. It is a genuine hobby that brings great joy just being here. Sometimes, I just go out and lay down on the bed and watch tv. Seems strange with tvs in the house, but it is a fun thing to do. These Bs are addictive and you either get it or you don't. Folks on this forum do.
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PSW
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09/27/11 07:23pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: New to forum
Roger, welcome!
You said you were going to get another Roadtrek next spring. You might think about starting to look now. I always have found that fall and early winter is a great time to buy. Dealers and private owners alike try to keep from holding their "for sale" for months of cold and no lookers. Just a thought.
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PSW
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09/24/11 07:25am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Falcon 190 Front Windows
Remember the program a few years ago when the car manufacturers were on the edge? You got $4500 trade in for anything older than a certain year on a new more efficient vehicle, at least as I recall.
Anyway, I was driving by a new car dealership in Oklahoma City and saw a Falcon at the back of their lot. I stopped and inquired and they had taken it in on a trade in this program. I looked it over and wanted to buy it from them, but they refused to sell it. It was going to be crushed, as all the vehicles in that program were to be. Paper work already been sent in. No sale.
I wanted to buy it just for parts. I thought I could have a lot of fun advertising it as a "parts car" and really help some Falcon and Horizon owners. I would have met a lot of very interesting people. It was pretty garbaged in places, fine in others, and was all there. I distinctly remember the windows being discussed in this thread. They were, for some reason, in really great shape on the Falcon I saw.
I had a Horizon in the 80s and thought it was grand. It was my first B and got me hooked!
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PSW
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09/15/11 07:32pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Roadtrek Popular 210
I get 14+ on average. I drive the speed limit. I drive with full water tanks and usually a couple of weeks worth of supplies and lots of outdoor gear, so I am pretty loaded.
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PSW
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09/09/11 05:39pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Rocky Mt National Park
We had a great stay in the Estes Park area last week. Our Roadtrek is fine going over the roadway through RMNP. Enjoy. We have toured that area for years and have taken a Class C over that same road in September in previous years.
It is some of the most spectacular scenery in North America. Personally, I think September is the best month to see it. The crowds are fewer, everything around the Park is open and going full blast. Estes Park is a fun,funky town that is very pretty, family oriented and remarkably clean.
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PSW
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09/09/11 06:44am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Roadtrek/Pleasureway etc. Pricing
Tonijim,
We also owned a 2003 BT Cruiser...and we loved it! When we bought it, we decided to keep our 1996 Roadtrek to see which we would love the most.
About eighteen months later, we sold the Roadtrek. About eighteen months after that we sold the BT and bought a new 2007 RT 210P.
We could keep the RT garaged at home, keep stuff in it stored all winter and go anywhere on a moments preperation. The BT was down the road in a $100 a month storage unit, wintered half the year.
The BT was perfectly designed for what we wanted, but driving something eight feet wide and almost ten feet high presented some challenges for some places we like to go to. It was a little too big not to tow something behind, and a little too small not to do so, because when you were camped you couldn't just take off like in a RT.
Plus, we love to "tour". The fact that the RT could be parked most anywhere was a big plus for us. Granted a B tends to get a little cozy at times. We spent a month in the cool of the NM and CO mountains escaping the heat this summer and we were not really that cramped. The first night out on a long trip always requires a little mental "readjustment", but after that, we are perfectly ok with it.
The quality of a PW or RT is just superb, IMO. I can sell my RT now for about 70% of what I gave for it five years ago. The fact that Bs are almost a "cult" product (low number manufacturered and a good constant demand from a diverse group of purchasers) seems to work to hold value.
All that said, a small C is a terrific way to go camping. We loved our BT Cruiser (by the way it was a 23footer on the 450, not 350 Ford) and it gave us many great weeks in the wilds (we always dry camp). But the RT is really something special and to us it is worth the price and limitations.
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PSW
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09/07/11 07:17am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Re: Class B Vans
I doubt if I buy another Class B. I have had three of them over 25 years and I love them. My 210RT will last us a very long time and we really love it, but I just can't see paying the price for one today. I look around at the prices out of curiosity and they really blow me away.
I have a dual background in industrial management and finance, so I understand the reasons for the higher prices. I just think the new units are just two doggone expensive, at least for my taste. The Canadian $ is now equal to the US $ and the safety standard increases plus the inflation of a few years has just made them very, very expensive. And yes, I agree Sportsmobile could certainly be an alternative.
A friend just bought a 40 foot Class A diesel for $140,000 brand spankin' new. It is a house. I don't want one. But compared to the costs of new decked out Bs on Sprinters it is not that much more for that Cummins pusher. My point is, the differential may have passed the pain point for some folks.
Some are really passionate about their Bs and we have always been in that crowd. But they may have exceeded the pain threshold pricewise for many of us. Time will tell.
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PSW
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08/21/11 03:02pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Roadtrek built-in TV antenna in fiberglass roof
We had a 96 Dodge RT Popular and the antenna worked pretty well.........always surprised me how well it worked as a matter of fact.
We bought our 210 Popular five years ago this month and the built in antenna was a sorry affair from the outset, even before the analog/digital conversion. After digital, it didn't work at all it seemed.
In any event, when we got the 210P I took an old set of rabbit ears from the back of a very old 13 inch or so tv in the attic. Threw away the tv, and took the ears and bent them fully extended into the length and width of one of the cabinets in the RT. They were long enough to form sort of a square "U" with the ribbon lead in the center.
I taped them to the top of the cabinet and ran the lead to the tv and it works great, assuming you are within the close proximity of a station(s). Say, 25 miles or so.
We live in a metro area and I can get 26 stations digital on this little setup.
For camping, I bought a small collapsable tv antenna and built an outside bracket to accomodate it, attached to the vent on the AC unit. With digital signals now, I have picked up stations many miles away with this rig, which I think cost me aboujt $35. I simply put it up to watch a little tv or overnight, and take it down when we leave the camp. It sticks up about three feet above the RT.
Another issue: our RT came with an analog Samsung 19" monitor. When digital came to full use, I bought a 20" digital Toshiba that is incredibly thin, about an inch or so. I converted the existing mount and it works great. As I recall, the 96 RT had the tv in a cabinet with a swivel and pull out device, but given digital now all sorts of conversion possibilities exist and the cabinet could be used for other stuff I suspect.
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PSW
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08/14/11 08:08am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: How much cooling should I expect from Penguin 11000 BTU a/c
No wonder you couldn't get it cool. You live in Tulsa. I live in Oklahoma City. It is hot.
It is more than hot: the month just completed, June, was the second hotest since records have been kept going back to the 19th century. July is starting out just the same. We are in a Cat 3 or 4 drought in the southern fourth of the US.
With your RV sitting in your driveway, you are sitting on reflective concrete with direct sun and we haven't seen a cloud in days. My driveway is hot to the touch at 5:30 in the morning. It is a heat sink. There is no way your AC is going to cool your unit under those conditions. Everything inside is probably 110-120 degrees when you start trying. The ambient air in the RV is probably well over 100.
Once you drive for several hours, all that stuff (cabinets, rugs, metals, in your Pleasure Way will be cooled down. You will be driving a hot highway, but not sitting on top of a heat sink. It will be fine. Once you leave Tulsa going to Maine, you will be out of the worst of this heat bulge in six hours.
It ain't the B. It's the weather. You have a great RV. Enjoy Maine. IT'S COOL UP THERE !
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PSW
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07/03/11 06:47am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: RT macerator hose
I love the macerator on my RT. The original hose started leaking in the second year of ownership. I went to Lowes and bought a twenty foot piece of pvc hose in the water landscaping department. It was to be used on pond or fountain pumps. Cost me twenty bucks.
This is the third year I am using that hose and so far no problems. Heavier duty than the original, or so it appears, and longer. It still fits neatly in the hose cabinet.
I pump out my RT at home through a hundred foot 3/4 inch hose I bought at Tractor Supply for $48. I pump directly into the sewer cleanout connection at the house. That saves me a trip to the Flying J down the street and they now charge $10, so I paid for my hundred foot hose in five dumps.
If I wanted more hose to carry with me (I don't) I would just buy another length of pond hose and add the appropriate connections.
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PSW
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06/26/11 11:59am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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