SoundGuy
S Ontario
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Joined: 02/11/2015
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mountainkowboy wrote:I also like that it can be towed by our Ranger, 5,900lb tow capacity, with a moderate load out for local and weekend play too.
Maybe, I guess it depends on your expectations. I know forum member Last Train tows his own 192RBS with a Honda Pilot but I personally wouldn't be comfortable towing it with anything less than a V8 1/2 ton gasser, such as my Silverado.
Quote:Thanks for the heads-up on the water tank issues, I will have to remove the underbelly cover and see if they have addressed that. If not, I will make supports for it similar to SoundGuy's.
To be clear, the only tank that IMO isn't supported properly is the fresh water tank. I've never had any problem with the grey or black tanks, the latter of which always has content on the way home from a camping trip as I never dump at the campground but always service my tanks at home using my FloJet Waste Macerator. If the tank is full it does unload the tongue somewhat but it's never been an issue in terms of handling, even without sway control which I don't use.
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TheHound
Toronto
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mountainkowboy wrote: Thanks for the heads-up on the water tank issues, I will have to remove the underbelly cover and see if they have addressed that.
Would really like to know this as well. If you do check it out, can you post an update? Thanks!
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mountainkowboy
Socal/NE Oregon
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SoundGuy wrote:mountainkowboy wrote:I also like that it can be towed by our Ranger, 5,900lb tow capacity, with a moderate load out for local and weekend play too.
Maybe, I guess it depends on your expectations. I know forum member Last Train tows his own 192RBS with a Honda Pilot but I personally wouldn't be comfortable towing it with anything less than a V8 1/2 ton gasser, such as my Silverado.
It's well within the capabilities of the Ranger, but thanks.
Chuck & Ruth with 4-legged Molly
2007 Tiffin Allegro 30DA
2011 Ford Ranger
1987 HD FLHTP
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mountainkowboy
Socal/NE Oregon
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TheHound wrote:mountainkowboy wrote: Thanks for the heads-up on the water tank issues, I will have to remove the underbelly cover and see if they have addressed that.
Would really like to know this as well. If you do check it out, can you post an update? Thanks!
We haven't bought a unit yet, still in the research phase, but we're pretty sure that this will be the unit we buy.
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jjjandrbaker
San Antonio, TX
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SoundGuy wrote: Annoyingly, Coachmen still mounts the tank monitor / water heater control panel where it's blocked by the slide when in the travel position.
Like I said earlier, SoundGuy is a good spokesman for us. Now, I remembered one thing I really don't like. Like SoundMan, I have memorized the buttons for the panel, but shame on Coachmen for not just putting it a few inches to the left in the first place!
Jim Baker
San Antonio, TX
travel blog and photos
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mountainkowboy
Socal/NE Oregon
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I just looked a the 2018's and they also have the controls mounted in the same place. If I get one that would be one of the first things that I would change.
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SoundGuy
S Ontario
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SoundGuy wrote:Annoyingly, Coachmen still mounts the tank monitor / water heater control panel where it's blocked by the slide when in the travel position.
jjjandrbaker wrote:Like I said earlier, SoundGuy is a good spokesman for us. Now, I remembered one thing I really don't like. Like SoundMan, I have memorized the buttons for the panel, but shame on Coachmen for not just putting it a few inches to the left in the first place!
While Coachmen IMO got the general design of the 192RBS right there's certainly more than "one thing" about it that can only make one wonder if those who design these trailers actually ever use them. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/mad.gif "mad") Yes, kudos to Coachmen for extending the bed to a full 80" length and providing a vent over the main cabin (both of which are lacking in my 2014) but surely if one gave this any thought at all both these details shouldn't have been missed in the first place. Mounting the tank monitor / control panel where it can't be seen is just one of the continuing flaws - several others come to mind as well.
The 192RBS is one model that cries out for cabinet doors on the end of the bed platform, so one doesn't have to lift the heavy bed platform & mattress in order to gain access. I solved that myself by identifying the cabinet door above the galley as the correct size, ordering 2 along with all the hardware, and installing them myself on the end of the bed platform. Hard to imagine it would cost all that much for Coachmen to just make this part of the design. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/rolleyes.gif "rolleyes")
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/dl0cVTIl.jpg)
The tall pantry to the left of the fridge, next to the entry door, still comes with 2 doors, the lowest section is simply paneled over even though there's nothing behind that panel but open space occupied by a couple of tail light wires. Again, I identified the correct door size from another Freedom Express of the same model year, cut out the panel, and installed the door. We've used that space for storing shoes, last season I carried odds 'm ends of hoses, cables, etc. Current 192RBS models still don't have a door.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/RLwemiEl.jpg)
A pet peeve of mine - the orientation of the slide and awning switches makes no sense at all. After all, when I want to pull the slide in surely I'd want to press the 2-way switch in at the end nearest to me ... instead it pushes in at the end facing toward the outside of the slide wall. Really? ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/doh.gif "doh")
The 192RBS's stock fridge is 6 cu ft. After seeing our camper a few years ago friends of ours decided to finally upgrade from their beloved Jayco popup and replaced it with a Starcraft Launch 21FBS which is virtually a clone of our 192RBS. Their trailer came stock with an 8 cu ft fridge ... so if Starcraft can fit this larger fridge into this design why can't Coachmen?
Outside the trailer the large entry door handle makes no sense at all. It's there simply because it's a generic item that's used across the entire lineup, in fact on probably all Coachmen models. The problem with the 192RBS is that handle, when folded to the rear to clear the door, sits across the rear awning support arm. Close the awning without thinking about this and that entry door handle will be crushed, just as my wife did on our second trip out when a sudden storm came up and she retracted the awning. I got lucky - only the handle was damaged, the awning hardware was fine so I ordered a new handle but cut it down in size before installing it so this design flaw would no longer be an issue.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/pooCqg8l.jpg)
Coachmen wisely chose to not mount the spare tire in the conventional manner by hanging it off the bumper where the weight would only unload the tongue. Instead it hangs under the A-frame - good for maintaining proper tongue weight but IMO a lousy solution considering that over time that spare wheel will be exposed to all manner of road debris and rust accordingly. I removed the crank assembly hardware and moved the spare to the front pass through cargo compartment ... tongue weight is still maintained but the wheel isn't exposed to the elements.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/kmv06oil.jpg)
I really like how the external grill pulls out from the side of the trailer even though it was an "option" in my model year but disagree completely that it's a grill and not a stove. A grill will only introduce greasy cooking smells into the camper so I instead park a Weber Q on the campsite picnic table for grilling well away from the camper and replaced the stock grill with a Coleman 2-burner stove which remains free of any cooking smells. I use it every time we camp but only wish Coachmen had instead plumbed in their own permanently connected stove.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/IVZizysl.jpg)
And finally there's that sagging fresh water tank which AFAIK hasn't been corrected at all on current models. Fill it with water and it will sag noticeably ...
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/F4zWS02l.jpg)
On current models you just can't see it because the underbelly is now enclosed, unlike my 2014 which has an open underbelly. Lucky me, I saw this flaw right away and was able to correct it before the tank fell off the trailer. How could Coachmen possibly continue ignore such an obvious flaw? ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/scratchead.gif "scratchead")
Bottom line - over 5 seasons of use we've really grown to enjoy our Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS immensely and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy to tow, easy to park couple's model of this size. However, it's not perfect, the shame being these issues are details Coachmen could easily address to bring this model just that much closer to being "perfect". ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
2012 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
2014 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2003 Fleetwood Yuma * 2008 K-Z Spree 240BH-LX
2007 TrailCruiser C21RBH * 2000 Fleetwood Santa Fe
1998 Jayco 10UD * 1969 Coleman CT380
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jjjandrbaker
San Antonio, TX
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SoundGuy wrote:
The 192RBS is one model that cries out for cabinet doors on the end of the bed platform, so one doesn't have to lift the heavy bed platform & mattress in order to gain access.
A pet peeve of mine - the orientation of the slide and awning switches makes no sense at all. After all, when I want to pull the slide in surely I'd want to press the 2-way switch in at the end nearest to me ... instead it pushes in at the end facing toward the outside of the slide wall. Really?
I really like how the external grill pulls out from the side of the trailer even though it was an "option" in my model year...
Okay... SoundGuy reminded me of a few more things that I find a little annoying.
That underbed storage is a very important place for me. I wish they had put in the things that make it easy to lift and hold it up. I keep thinking about doing it myself, but just haven't gotten around to it. I like the door idea, but I keep large things like my multi cooker and ice machine in there. Easy access from the top would be best for me.
I noticed the slide control thing. Seems like you should push the button closest to the direction you are going. But, the awning one is worse. It is so low that it is awkward to see the buttons. I would have put it up higher.
The grill, I like. However, I obsessively cover it in foil before use and clean it to the point that it is like new after every use. Doing that is a HASSLE. But, I grill so rarely, that I haven't given much thought for another approach.
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SoundGuy
S Ontario
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SoundGuy wrote:The 192RBS is one model that cries out for cabinet doors on the end of the bed platform, so one doesn't have to lift the heavy bed platform & mattress in order to gain access.
I really like how the external grill pulls out from the side of the trailer even though it was an "option" in my model year...
jjjandrbaker wrote:That underbed storage is a very important place for me. I wish they had put in the things that make it easy to lift and hold it up. I keep thinking about doing it myself, but just haven't gotten around to it. I like the door idea, but I keep large things like my multi cooker and ice machine in there. Easy access from the top would be best for me.
It would be rather simple to add a couple of gas shocks to the bed platform which would ease lifting all that weight. Before installing the cabinet doors I did make a notched platform support with a piece of 2" x 4" cut to length, as illustrated in a previous post. That said, the openings I cut in the bed end are large enough to easily pass a clothes hamper through so I'd imagine a multi cooker & ice machine would as well.
jjjandrbaker wrote:The grill, I like. However, I obsessively cover it in foil before use and clean it to the point that it is like new after every use. Doing that is a HASSLE. But, I grill so rarely, that I haven't given much thought for another approach.
The grill supplied with my own 192RBS is still brand new, never been used. Certainly it's smaller than a Weber Q so I'm tempted to try it out but concerned it just can't grill as well as a Q I've avoided messing it up. Perhaps I should try your foil idea but when I've done that in the past with my Q220 we have on the deck the results have been disappointing. Hard to find something better than a Q for camp grilling! ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/tongue.gif "tongue")
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SoundGuy
S Ontario
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mountainkowboy wrote:I just looked a the 2018's and they also have the controls mounted in the same place. If I get one that would be one of the first things that I would change.
Easy to say, tough to do without opening the entire wall. Not only is there a large bundle of wires running to the tank monitor panel which also has controls for the water heater and water pump but there's also a metal stud running up inside the wall just to the left of the monitor panel location. If you want to move the monitor left to where it can be seen when the slide is in the travel position you'd somehow have to get this bundle of wires past this metal stud. That's why when I replaced the stock bi-metal thermostat with a digital version I ended up running the wires along the outside of the wall, not inside ... easy when we're talking just 2 wires but not practical when it's a large bundle of wires. The real solution to this is for Coachmen to wake up and install the monitor panel & furnace thermostat where they both can be seen and operated with the slide in the travel position.
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