New Bay Star review and questions.

[jazzguy]

I have taken two trips now with my brand new Bay Star 2901. Wow---what a great MH. I have had an rv for about 15 years with both tt and 5th. This is by far the best quality unit I have ever owned. I was impressed with the fit and finish of my 2001 Holiday presidential but this blows that away. I have now done about 1500 miles and I have pushed every button and turned every switch and everything works like a charm. Not one issue with anything and I am extremly happy with how it drives. It is on the upgraded 20500 chassis which also has optional traction and torsion bars installed. Not towing anything I am getting a little over 9 mpg. Needless to say I am very pleased with this purchase.

Now for a couple questions. Yes I have done searches and found many answers to these questions. It seems like if you search hard enough you will get the answer you want and maybe not the one that is correct. So...I am asking these again and just wanting some suggestions from my fellow Nemar owners. Here goes:

1. Newmar problems I should be on the lookout for?
2. Dish or Direct for the sat?
3. Pads or boards under the jacks?
4. Best towbar in your opinion? (so many to choose from...tell me why.)
5. Aux. brake for toad if 3500 lbs?
6. How often should I run the gen set if not used in awhile?
7. Should I use battery disc. every time I store even if just for a week?

OK....thats enough for now..lol. Yes...I am in love with rving again. This MH is perfect for two people that still work and dont live in it for months at a time. I can get in every state park etc.

Thanks in advance for all your answers and be safe.

[HMXDave]

Congrats on the Baystar...we love ours as well!

Newmar issues...watch for condensation water blowing in on the passeger's feet when running the A/C on NORM. I have a "fix 2.0" that I am trying...there is some info on that on these forums.

The only "Newmar engineered strangeness" I have with our rig is the genset is on the awning side with the exhaust pointing straight out the right....you know, on the side you hang out near. I have rotated the exhaust, added a Onan resonator, and extended it to run straight out the rear near the trailer hitch. It's a bunch less annoying now.

Depending on what type of satt dish you use will answer what provider to use. I have the Trav'ler and love it. (We're Canucks...so Bell for us) The Trav'ler is not a dome or in-motion dish, but it gets far better signal in remote areas and is less likely to rain-fade.

We don't tow, and we just leave ours plugged in when not in use...so hopefully others will chime in with your other questions.

[kcolivier]

Finally I have something to contribute to a post.

I have a 2010 Bay Star 2901 and we love it as well. It is our first MH. In fact, we haven't RV'd in over 30 years, but now is the time to do it.

1. Newmar problems I should be on the lookout for?
Ditto the AC drip. When on Normal, it drips on the passenger's feet. When on MAX, it is OK. I've read the suggestions and have printed them out. Maybe on this next trip I'll try some of the remedies.

Also, keep a watch on your house batteries. This may be related to when your Bay Star was manufactured relative to when Newmar purchased a batch of batteries, but after a year, both my originals had to be replaced. The first died an early death after traveling from Memphis to Little Rock on IH40. The battery was smoking at the campground and hotter than a firecracker. I had to replace this one with a lesser capacity since that's all I could find at Hot Springs. Just this month, I replaced the other one because of a bad cell. Actually, I was able to replace both the remaining original plus the undersized replacement since both had problems - under warranty.

2. Dish or Direct for the sat?
I chose Dish for the simple reason that I can start and stop whenever I wish. I don't have satellite in the house, so I can claim the RV installation as my primary residence. When I go somewhere to stay for a while, I can call Dish and change my location address to the campground I am staying at and get local channels. The monthly rates are reasonable and there is no long term contract or commitments. I had to buy the receiver, but found it through Amazon at a reasonable price without shipping charges.

3. Pads or boards under the jacks?
So far, I don't use either. I did read a post about not wanting to have a path to ground during thunder storms, so I might chose to get some Linx leveler pads or just bring up the jacks if lightening threatens.

4. Best towbar in your opinion? (so many to choose from...tell me why.)
I chose the Demco Dominator. After paying so much for the MH, I figured another thousand or two would not break the bank. I put the entire tow package in the financing. The Dominator is aluminum, so it is light weight and easy to handle. I do have some issues from time to time when stopped to release the tension on the connection to the toad so I can remove the tow bar, but other than that, I think it is a good unit. Of course, I have no comparison to any other vehicle tow bars.

5. Aux. brake for toad if 3500 lbs?
Definitely. I chose US Gear, which is a permanent install in the toad. It looks like a kludgy install of cylinders, pulleys and wire cord, but all I have to do is connect the umbilical cable and connect the cable for the break away switch. Just make sure the person who instalsl it does it properly and test it before you take it on a long trip. Mine wasn't installed properly from the start and it wasn't until after a 3500 mile trip that I discovered it never engaged the brake in the toad when I applied the brakes in the MH. Works now and I'm sort of glad I didn't know it wasn't working during the long trip. The installation is hidden under the floor mats in both driver and passenger side and under the hood. Have the installer show you the wiring so you can make repairs if needed. I had to chase mine down, since they ran it too close to the exhause system in the front and chaffed on the suspension in the rear.

6. How often should I run the gen set if not used in awhile?
I think Cummins recommends once a month, under load.

7. Should I use battery disc. every time I store even if just for a week?
I do this as a practice. It disconnects everything except a bare minimum. So far, I've discovered the steps, genset and the Jensen dash radio keep alive power run off the unswitched side of the house batteries.

I'll be leaving on a 2 month trip next week, part with the grandkids and part with long time friends.

I just installed Firestone Ride Rite air bags front and rear and they seem to make a big difference on ride smoothness, driveability and much to my surprise, noise level. Now we can hear the music and talk to each other without shouting or repeating. If that doesn't fully satisfy the angst I have when driving the MH and toad, most likely I'll try a steering damper.

For what it's worth, my toad is a 2008 Jeep Liberty.

Happy travels!

[Mr_D]

Quote:

We have a 2002 Dutch Star 4090 1. Newmar problems I should be on the lookout for? Ditto the AC drip. When on Normal, it drips on the passenger's feet. When on MAX, it is OK. I've read the suggestions and have printed them out. Maybe on this next trip I'll try some of the remedies. Never a problem for us, the only one I know of (and it's been fixed now) is the "checking" of the sidewall finish. Cost is about $20,000 to fix at Newmar. Also, keep a watch on your house batteries. This may be related to when your Bay Star was manufactured relative to when Newmar purchased a batch of batteries, but after a year, both my originals had to be replaced. The first died an early death after traveling from Memphis to Little Rock on IH40. The battery was smoking at the campground and hotter than a firecracker. I had to replace this one with a lesser capacity since that's all I could find at Hot Springs. Just this month, I replaced the other one because of a bad cell. Actually, I was able to replace both the remaining original plus the undersized replacement since both had problems - under warranty. We still have the OEM batteries, both starting and house, now 9 years old and still doing fine for our use. 2. Dish or Direct for the sat? I chose Dish for the simple reason that I can start and stop whenever I wish. I don't have satellite in the house, so I can claim the RV installation as my primary residence. When I go somewhere to stay for a while, I can call Dish and change my location address to the campground I am staying at and get local channels. The monthly rates are reasonable and there is no long term contract or commitments. I had to buy the receiver, but found it through Amazon at a reasonable price without shipping charges. We have Direct in the stick house, just take one of the receivers with us. 3. Pads or boards under the jacks? So far, I don't use either. I did read a post about not wanting to have a path to ground during thunder storms, so I might chose to get some Linx leveler pads or just bring up the jacks if lightening threatens. I have some 2 X 12's that I cut and stacked, rotated them 90° then glued and screwed them together, also drilled holes near each corner so I can use the awning rod to move them. The little Lynx blocks just crushed under our weight. 4. Best towbar in your opinion? (so many to choose from...tell me why.) I chose the Demco Dominator. After paying so much for the MH, I figured another thousand or two would not break the bank. I put the entire tow package in the financing. The Dominator is aluminum, so it is light weight and easy to handle. I do have some issues from time to time when stopped to release the tension on the connection to the toad so I can remove the tow bar, but other than that, I think it is a good unit. Of course, I have no comparison to any other vehicle tow bars. Friend had Blue Ox, we have RoadMaster Sterling. He bought his refurb unit at a rally so he got a good price. I ordered mine off the Internet. The reason I went with RoadMaster was their factory was 20 miles away from home, now they moved and are even closer. However, due to a screw up on Honda's part we now have a Demco Kar Kaddy 460 5. Aux. brake for toad if 3500 lbs? Definitely. I chose US Gear, which is a permanent install in the toad. It looks like a kludgy install of cylinders, pulleys and wire cord, but all I have to do is connect the umbilical cable and connect the cable for the break away switch. Just make sure the person who instalsl it does it properly and test it before you take it on a long trip. Mine wasn't installed properly from the start and it wasn't until after a 3500 mile trip that I discovered it never engaged the brake in the toad when I applied the brakes in the MH. Works now and I'm sort of glad I didn't know it wasn't working during the long trip. The installation is hidden under the floor mats in both driver and passenger side and under the hood. Have the installer show you the wiring so you can make repairs if needed. I had to chase mine down, since they ran it too close to the exhause system in the front and chaffed on the suspension in the rear. On a WorkHorse or Ford chassis aux braking is required if anything is towed that weighs 1,500 or more (it's in the warranty info). On a Freightliner or Spartan supp. braking is required if the towed brings your weight over the GVWR NOT the GCVWR. That's all the chassis is rated to stop under Federal law. Some states require supp brakes but it's actually very few. The chart that RoadMaster (and probably others) uses is put out by AAA and it is wrong in most cases. I know that CA and WA are wrong. They did finally get OR correct. HOWEVER: you must be legal in EVERY state you travel through, not just your home state. That makes brakes pretty much mandatory as there is no reciprocity like on drivers licenses. 6. How often should I run the gen set if not used in awhile? I think Cummins recommends once a month, under load. I run our gen set 1 hr a month, use the heat pumps to load it, run one on heat and the other cool, then switch them after ½ hour 7. Should I use battery disc. every time I store even if just for a week? I do this as a practice. It disconnects everything except a bare minimum. So far, I've discovered the steps, genset and the Jensen dash radio keep alive power run off the unswitched side of the house batteries. We store the rig beside the house and keep it plugged in all the time and after 9 years the batteries are still the OEM units it shipped with so I must be doing something right For what it's worth, my toad is a 2008 Jeep Liberty. Ours is a 2005 Honda Odyssey

I'll be back

[TW]

We drive ours now for 4 years. No big problems, just a wird slide locking system with that 'funny' tool
.
ONAN Generator gave us the biggest problems:

at 11 Hours a broken Valvespring (Warranty)
at 150 Hours the ECM had to be replaced (my cheque)

18,500 miles on the clock, but 3,000 was for Delivery

["007"]

Welcome jazzguy to the Newmar forum & irv2.
Congrats on your new Newmar and safe travels for you.
We have a link COM_NET in Quick Tips & Mods that will give you information on your coach and Tech bulletins for your coach.
As far as your chassis and house batteries go you have a B.I.R.D. SYSTEM in coach that will keep them at peak charge as long as you have 120 fed into coach when not on road.
We have Bay Star owners that will fill you in so I will let them handle your questions.
Enjoy the forum and do post often.

[jazzguy]

You guys are the best. Thanks for the help so far. I unfortunatly can not store the unit at my house because of home owners rules so I cant keep it plugged in. :( But I will just have to make sure I use it enough to keep the batteries up to snuff.

kcolivier--we are in Houston as well. Katy area. Nice to see someone close. Having to use air bags surprises me as so far my MH has handled very well. Last week I even had about a 15 mile an hour cross wind and it did not walk at all. Maybe the upgrade chasis and sway bars really make a difference. It actually drove better than my truck/trailer combo did in the wind.

Keep the advice comming. You have all been helpful and I'm sure there is more out there.

Thanks

["007"]

When you have coach stored make sure you operate the battery cut off switch and also the LP Gas detector switch in your display area so you do not drain your batteries..

[kcolivier]

I actually bought mine in Katy at Holiday World. Jose is the best as a sales person. I live in a condo, so I can't keep it plugged in. I got the airbags as step 1 after a harrowing trip from Lake Whitney back to Houston a couple of months ago. After 4 hours, I was exhausted from the cross winds. I think the bags will help. I have the 18000 pound chassis, with no extra mods. We'll see after the next 5000 mile trip.

Shameless plug. Look for Terry Cooper to give a seminar at a local RV store. Terry is the best and always gives good RV advice. There is one this Saturday at PPL. I have no financial or other interest in this plug. Just one way to learn more about the systems in my RV.

Happy traveling.

["007"]

kcolivier welcome to irv2.
If your air bags do not work out your may need a rear track bar.
The bags are for an aid for your spring suspension.
The bar will stabilize the tail wagging the rear end.

[RetiredBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by "007" When you have coach stored make sure you operate the battery cut off switch and also the LP Gas detector switch in your display area so you do not drain your batteries..

I'll bet he doesn't have an LP gas detector switch--my 2011 Canyon Star doesn't.

["007"]

If he knows where the fuse is he can pull that, its one of those mysterious drains off your engine battery.

[TW]

Now I have no problem to store the RV. Our Housing area has power to the MH's...... Great. All the years b4, I went once a week to the yard and looked at things. Started the Generator for 30 minutes to an hour. Once a month I drove it for about 30 - 50 miles around.

[wmpbauer]

Demco tie bars with a Toad Stop proportional braking system (it all fits under the hood). I Like Directv....more HD.

I use pads, not boards....they don't get bugs that you could bring onboard the MH.