Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE OWNER'S CORNER FORUMS > Alpine Coach Owner's Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-29-2012, 09:49 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Washington State
Posts: 870
Moving On

Polly and I have decided to move on to a new chapter in our lives. We purchased a condo in Rancho Mirage, CA (near Palm Springs), and are going to spend our winters there in the condo instead of our coach. This will reduce our time in an RV from about 5 months a year to about 1 month, primarily for my annual elk and deer hunting and a little razor clam digging and other camping with our new grandaughter.

It's hard to justify the coach for one month or less a year so we have put it up for sale on the internet and will downsize back to around a 25' travel trailer to tow behind our Tundra pickup for the hunting and close-in-camping needs in Washington.

Sort of like the Shannons, we like Palm Springs so much after spending the last 6 winters there we're buying a place that we can leave our stuff and travel there via auto or plane.

Given the used coach market it may take some time to sell the coach so we may continue to need advice on ours via this forum while we're still using it and have it up for sale.

Personally, I want to thank all of you who have given me such good input and advice on how to deal with the start-up issues we have had with the coach. It's sort of amazing because the last year and a half or so the coach has run with few issues. It's like it takes 30,000+ miles to get it "tweaked" and then it runs like a dream. Wouldn't change a thing about the things we've done to it (well, maybe wouldn't have spent the money on the motion control units), but the rest has been worthwhile. We just returned to Palm Springs from an 18-day round trip from Palm Springs to Texas and Florida, and it was almost a glitch-free trip, except for one minor issue.

So, thanks again in advance for all your help. Couldn't have got here without you!

And, if you know someone that wants a well-maintained coach that's still on warranty, PM me and we'll go from there.

Thanks again,

Bill Blankenship
__________________
2019 Winnebago 22M
2015 Jeep JK Rubicon
Former Owner, 2006 Alpine Coach 36MDDS
Former Owner, 2005 Tioga 31M and Arctic Fox 22GQ
OldForester is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 03-01-2012, 11:03 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Auburn, CA, Havasu, AZ & Mulege, BCS
Posts: 5,385
Gunna miss you Bill, but of course times roll on.

Somebody's gunna get a beautifully maintained coach.
__________________
Baja-tested '08 2-slide 36'
Alpine: The Ultimate DIY'er Project
EngineerMike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2012, 06:51 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
bcbowers's Avatar
 
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Surprise, AZ
Posts: 836
OF - You're comment about MCU's caught my attention. I've been thinking about getting them to stop the rolling and dipping everytime I turn or go over small surface irregularities. They didn't make any difference on your coach? Have you done any other modifications that stopped or reduced the rolling &/or dipping?

I don't think my shocks are bad based upon the absence of porpoising (extended up / down / rolling back & forth). The coach rolls back & forth when going over a hump or curb but stops pretty quickly. It also "dips" in the outside front corner when turning but levels back out pretty quickly.

Good luck and enjoy your "new life" on stable ground.
__________________
Bob Bowers (Surprise, AZ)
2003 Alpine Coach 40' FDTS
2014 Jeep Cherokee Lattitude
bcbowers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2012, 09:53 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Washington State
Posts: 870
BC,

We installed Koni shocks first, and they helped, especially with proposing. We changed the tires from the high pressure factory Toyos to the lower pressure Bridgestones (15-20 psi less), and they helped a bunch. Then we installed a steering stabilizer and the MCUs. I have been very happy with the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer because I don't have to do as many course corrections, it helps with sidewinds, and I don't get as tired driving it as I used to.

I thought adding the MCUs would make a big difference on the "wobble" over irregularities like speed bumps, ruts, etc., and their help has been marginal. It still wobbles and is very stiff when the rear goes over a bump with one side of the coach ahead of the other. I haven't found I can take those speed bumps any faster.

We haven't noticed the front end dip on the side going around corners.

It may be the other improvements made enough difference the MCUs couldn't add much. Or it may be our shorter coach makes a difference vs the longer ones, like the 40's. Or it may be a function of the Peak chassis vs. other chassis. But I can truthfully say the side-to-side wobble hasn't changed much. I would have to drive one with none of the improvements we made and one with only MCUs to properly asses how much difference they make.

So that's why I said I probably wouldn't spend the money on MCUs again. But maybe others who have installed them have seen a bigger difference than us. We drive about 10,000 miles a year, so feel like we've had a good chance to observe how much they should have helped us.

Hope that helps; if not, PM me and I'll give you my phone number and we can talk some more about it.
__________________
2019 Winnebago 22M
2015 Jeep JK Rubicon
Former Owner, 2006 Alpine Coach 36MDDS
Former Owner, 2005 Tioga 31M and Arctic Fox 22GQ
OldForester is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2012, 05:07 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Cinequip's Avatar
 
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 293
BC,

I also installed Safe-T-Plus and MCU's, along with the Koni shocks on our 40'. Initially, I didn't experience much difference in body rock and roll over irregular bumps at slow speeds. I have to make a diagonal turn over a curb to exit my storage place. If I'm not careful, the coach really rocks coming off that curb. I mentioned this to the manufacturer while at Redmond Rocks two summers ago, and not too long after the MCU's were installed. They install higher resistance MCU's on the rear only. This didn't completely eliminate the problem, but it made a noticeable difference.

I will echo Bill's comments on the Safe-T-Steer reducing road fatigue from constant steering wheel corrections. I can now easily drive 450-500 miles in a day, whereas before the upgrade I was done at 350 miles.
__________________
Scott & Marcia Hicks
2009 Alpine 40' FDQS 425 ISL
Portland, OR
Cinequip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2012, 09:00 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Summer Rowlett TX (Why?)/Winter Palm Springs CA Two Springs RV Resort https://www.twospringsrv.com/
Posts: 526
[QUOTE=
Sort of like the Shannons, we like Palm Springs so much after spending the last 6 winters there we're buying a place that we can leave our stuff and travel there via auto or plane..........-
[/QUOTE]

We are also moving on...sort of. We just bought a house in the Dallas area and will "summer" there. Does that make sense? . Anyway, like you, we will "winter" in our beloved Palm Springs for the immediate future.
__________________
Basil & Sue Shannon
Former Apex owner (Gary & Renee have it now)
Was Traveling Circus (2 clowns/Sage the Wonder Dog) Tent rotted. Circus folded.
Basil Shannon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2012, 09:08 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,862
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldForester View Post
Polly and I have decided to move on to a new chapter in our lives. We purchased a condo in Rancho Mirage, CA (near Palm Springs), and are going to spend our winters there in the condo instead of our coach. This will reduce our time in an RV from about 5 months a year to about 1 month, primarily for my annual elk and deer hunting and a little razor clam digging and other camping with our new grandaughter.

It's hard to justify the coach for one month or less a year so we have put it up for sale on the internet and will downsize back to around a 25' travel trailer to tow behind our Tundra pickup for the hunting and close-in-camping needs in Washington.

Sort of like the Shannons, we like Palm Springs so much after spending the last 6 winters there we're buying a place that we can leave our stuff and travel there via auto or plane.

Given the used coach market it may take some time to sell the coach so we may continue to need advice on ours via this forum while we're still using it and have it up for sale.

Personally, I want to thank all of you who have given me such good input and advice on how to deal with the start-up issues we have had with the coach. It's sort of amazing because the last year and a half or so the coach has run with few issues. It's like it takes 30,000+ miles to get it "tweaked" and then it runs like a dream. Wouldn't change a thing about the things we've done to it (well, maybe wouldn't have spent the money on the motion control units), but the rest has been worthwhile. We just returned to Palm Springs from an 18-day round trip from Palm Springs to Texas and Florida, and it was almost a glitch-free trip, except for one minor issue.

So, thanks again in advance for all your help. Couldn't have got here without you!

And, if you know someone that wants a well-maintained coach that's still on warranty, PM me and we'll go from there.

Thanks again,

Bill Blankenship
Send me the details of your coach that will be for sale please.

Don
akadeadeye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2012, 02:46 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 146
Hi: Would also like details of your coach for sale.
Thx, Bob
01 Safari 40+ Mid Door Ivory
Propane Injection
roberto is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Advice on 1st Diesel Pusher purchase darcan Class A Motorhome Discussions 62 03-18-2012 08:59 AM
50 amp on a 30 hookup - what do you lose? sadrand MH-General Discussions & Problems 37 03-06-2012 08:53 AM
What age do you figure on stopping RVing ctcamper iRV2.com General Discussion 38 03-01-2012 12:25 PM
Places to stay on the Olympic Peninsula Jmd987 Alpine Coach Owner's Forum 8 02-29-2012 09:48 PM
Idea for Glare on Rvnd 7710 nrc1963 Gear and Product Discussions 16 02-29-2012 05:16 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:31 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.