Foretravel or not to foretravel

[garycz]

I am not really worried, dont have a FT yet, But some of the discussion got a bit interesting so i was just doing a bit of day dream design/repair. What i did not, do not understand is what the problem actually is, a storage compartment coming loose or the coach breaking in half. I am still very interested in getting into a used FT because of what i have read about them as well as my preference for quality. I was brought up being told, "do it right, do it once" and "buy quality". Another storm coming to the east
Gary cz

[4travlin]

Gary,
It is more closley to the storage bay coming apart than the coach breaking in half. Being a " unitized construction " it is part of the frame work but not the main frame. Just go over to the fourm that was posted above and look at the info that is there or call F/T like has been sugested.

Pamela

[YNBOB]

Gary:
In 2005, we traded a 2001 34 ft 2 slide National RV Dolphin for a 40 ft 2000 no slide U270. We had some issues with each Dolphin slide and do not miss them. Each slide mechanism reduces your interior cabinet space by about a foot. That is a trade off for increased floor space.
Before the use of multiple slide outs, Foretravels had a semi-monocoque chassis similar to an over the road bus chassis. Drive a used Foretravel and compare it to a newer SOB motorhome and you’ll find that the newer SOB will not feel or sound as solid as the Foretravel. No frame rails result in large pass through storage bays and a low center of gravity. Our 2000 U270 is only 11’ 4’ tall.
Not mentioned in the previous responses is that Foretravels have disk (air) brakes in all four wheels. Those brakes, in combination with the Allison 6 position retarder give Foretravels excellent stopping power.
Foretravels do have some negatives. Low -but easy to clean ceilings, poor HVAC (dash and house), crowded sewer connections, low degree wheel cut.
We have full timed in our Foretravel since 4/05 and have not found another motorhome that suits us better. We have the CAI floorplan that features a desk and over 60 inches of useable kitchen counter space. Cabinets run from front to back. Our ‘little’ non slide bedroom has a residential queen bed and nine drawers and eight cabinets!
Bob

[RABBITFISH]

So right now I am looking at a used one from 1999, unicoach 40 with over 200 thousand miles, has a 350 cummins engine.. Does this seem a little too much miles, I was told that I can't purchase the warranty with that much milage on the unit. When it started, there was no smoke at all, black or white, and no evidence of any type of leakes from the engine or transmission. If the milage and warranty is not a concern I think I may take a closer look at it. Any input would be very appreciated..
Thanks...

[4travlin]

Rabbitfish,
If that is a cummins 350 it should be an 8.3 in a U 295, which the big problem that they have is breaking off the dip stick tube.(simple fix) With 200,000+ it doesn't have " lot rot " but that is a lot of miles for a '99. With that many miles you may have to look into having the inercooler cheched for air leaks.(this will cause loss of boost/power). I would also want to have an oil analysis done just for piece of mind and it is cheap. With that many miles it should give you some good bargining power.

[bbeane]

How's your hunt going for a Foretravel? As to the bulkhead issue I finally fixed mine (2 broken bolts in the front for the past 2 years) took about 3 hours in the drive way. Installed 6 3/8ths through bolts Grade 8 total cost for bolts hole saw, drill bits, bolts and plugs about 30 bucks. Just so you know the 320's are more prone to this issue on the rear bulkhead because of the bigger engine (more weight, and hp) but still not a big issue. My U295 is great and runs the road at 70-75mph if you want at 8mpg honest. The U295s for the most part will have Cherry or Walnut cabinets. Mine is for sale on this site, I want to restore an older 80's vintage ForeTravel or Barth, but only one coach at a time.

[Pjames]

Gary,

I too did considerable research prior to retirement and having owned a Allegro before it was well up on my list. While visiting a local RV reseller I looked at a 94 Foretravel and was quite impressed with what I saw. It was older than I wanted and they were asking more than I was willing to pay so decided to broaden my search to other states.

I found a 1997 U320 M3600 Foretravel and took a chance buying it sight unsean. Within the first 100 miles I was convinced it was the finest driving coach I had ever driven. My wife wanted slides also, but she acquiesced to my decision and now we don't really miss not having a slide.
Road handling and the Cumins M11 engine pushing its 29,000 pounds effortlessly is a dream for me. For my wife it is the attention to detail inside that makes it a home away from home. If I had to make one complaint it is the cost to repair things that do go wrong as many of the components are custom and therefor not available after market so new is the only choice. That said not a lot goes wrong so the issue has been minimal.
The most notable is the dealer threw away the sewer hose that was with the coach and tossed in a new commercial kit. When we went to dump the bayonet connector didn't fit. Luckily there was another Foretravel owner in the park who lent me the custom fitting so I could empty the holding tanks. A quick call to the manufacturer had one in the mail.

I hope this has helped you with you research.

Paul

[Ch1ckad]

We are looking at a1994 foretravel new roof and shocks with 104000 miles everything inside looks good except upostery on one chair. We are having a difficult time finding the value they seem to be all over the board. The dealer is asking $25000 any thought ideas help. Thank you

[GOLDWINGER2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ch1ckad We are looking at a1994 foretravel new roof and shocks with 104000 miles everything inside looks good except upostery on one chair. We are having a difficult time finding the value they seem to be all over the board. The dealer is asking $25000 any thought ideas help. Thank you

This one was 15,000
1993 Foretravel Grandvilla M3600-022C for Sale - D730 - PPL Motor Homes
J

[4travlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ch1ckad We are looking at a1994 foretravel new roof and shocks with 104000 miles everything inside looks good except upostery on one chair. We are having a difficult time finding the value they seem to be all over the board. The dealer is asking $25000 any thought ideas help. Thank you

Ch1ckad,
In '94 they made several models (U-225, U-240, U-280, & I think a U-300). Within these models there were several engine/trans. options, length options, air ride, along with mass amounts of interior options. Some of the price is driven by what someone wants as to what it will actualy bring but more important than that is the price is determined by which model/engine/length does the coach have.

You say that it has a new roof, that brings the question as to do they mean that they just painted the roof or what? Foretravels have a one piece fiberglass roof and due to how it is assembled (if it is a "new roof")was it done at the factory? There are several good companies that paint the roof when the gelcoat starts looking tired and this may be what they are talking about. Look clost and don't be fooled.

The new shocks are nice depending on what brand they are but the biger thing that you need to be looking at is the age of the tires. If they are getting near 6 years old they will need to be replaced within a year. Look at the date code on each of the tires. To replace them is going to be in the $3500 range. The upostery can be done at any good upostery shop with your choice of materials and not a lot of $ compared to other things like the tires. The miles are no big problem on the engine & frame they still have lots of miles left. Hope this give you some insite.

[Ch1ckad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4travlin Ch1ckad, In '94 they made several models (U-225, U-240, U-280, & I think a U-300). Within these models there were several engine/trans. options, length options, air ride, along with mass amounts of interior options. Some of the price is driven by what someone wants as to what it will actualy bring but more important than that is the price is determined by which model/engine/length does the coach have. You say that it has a new roof, that brings the question as to do they mean that they just painted the roof or what? Foretravels have a one piece fiberglass roof and due to how it is assembled (if it is a "new roof")was it done at the factory? There are several good companies that paint the roof when the gelcoat starts looking tired and this may be what they are talking about. Look clost and don't be fooled. The new shocks are nice depending on what brand they are but the biger thing that you need to be looking at is the age of the tires. If they are getting near 6 years old they will need to be replaced within a year. Look at the date code on each of the tires. To replace them is going to be in the $3500 range. The upostery can be done at any good upostery shop with your choice of materials and not a lot of $ compared to other things like the tires. The miles are no big problem on the engine & frame they still have lots of miles left. Hope this give you some insite.

Great great info thank you for taking the time to share all this. We are checking all these items

[parmm]

Gary,
I'd like to invite you over to foreforums also. Wealth of information and good folks over there. Also complete write up on the bulkhead separation issue/non issue deal. It is only a issue if you ignore it.

If you want to see how a 1994 Foretravel compares to something new, take a drive west some weekend and come and see mine. I'm just off of I-86 at exit 20, and about 9 miles north on NY 353. I love going to RV shows and comparing my U225's fit and finish/quality to brand new SOBs.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4travlin The new shocks are nice depending on what brand they are but the biger thing that you need to be looking at is the age of the tires. If they are getting near 6 years old they will need to be replaced within a year. Look at the date code on each of the tires. To replace them is going to be in the $3500 range.

None of the tire companies say to replace the tires at 6 years. What they say is that it will depend on their condition and to have them inspected yearly starting at 5 years.
They also say that the risk of tire problems does increase as they ago but absolutely replace them at 10 years. I went 8½ years on ours and the fronts were overloaded 99% of the time according to the Michelin load/pressure charts.