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Manuel B · 12-15-2012, 11:03 AM

On my '90 Hawkins Motor Coach the Oshkosh chassis tag was used as the VIN, there is a sticker with a slightly different number but it is still an Oshkosh number, my title does not mention HMC at all, shows the make as Oshkosh and the model as chassis,
I know there is a list of boat manufacturers by company VIN, same with old cars, is there such a list somewhere for motorhomes ?,
I've searched but found nothing, I've posted on the HMC forum but still no info as to the HMC company VIN, this is my 4th motorhome and they all showed the builder of the coach as the make on the title, not the chassis builder.

450Donn · 12-15-2012, 11:12 AM

So what are you wanting to do? Change the title? This has been a debate for a long time. Some states will use the coach builders VIN for title purposes. Some will use the Chassis MFG VIN. The real problem comes in when people buy an early XXXX year MH only to discover it is titled as a WWWW year.

Manuel B · 12-15-2012, 11:33 AM

I'm hoping maybe to pay less on my tag fees, I'm paying twice what friends with 9/10 year newer models of same size coach are paying.

On a funny note when I first had it inspected for the DMV the cop filling out the form looked it over and wrote down "grey/white" for color, when I went inside I told them he was color blind and they looked out at it and crossed it out and wrote blue/white.

phatpony · 12-16-2012, 10:11 AM

I don't have an HMC placard inside my '88 anywhere. I have a small exterior sticker next to the house door but it doesn't come anywhere near close to the proper model number. I used the floorplan layout posted on the HMC club page to nail down the proper model number of my motor home. DMV uses the chassis vin number and all the service documentation that came with it also used the chassis vin.

This is the only placard / sticker by HMC I can find. The Vehicle ID # is H432. As far as I can tell that is not a model # and it is way too short to be a VIN. It doesn't seem to indicate length per se either since I measured it at 34' from front bumper to end of hitch receiver. The guy I bought it from said it was a 32'-er but all floor plans for the 32' models were drastically different. He basically knew nothing about the coach since he only owned it for 6 months, and he lied about a bunch of stuff that I found later. I don't even know what the recommended tire pressures are, I'm guessing that 85 psi is the correct pressure but without weighing the coach it's just a guess.

I hope you find the information you are looking for, but being as the company is long defunct you may be out of luck.

Manuel B · 12-17-2012, 08:05 AM

Thanks for the post phatpony, I have that sticker by the door, but this one is in the corner behind the drivers seat on the front facing end of the sofa, I also have a small metal tag with the chassis I.D number at the entry step to the drivers door, but both come up as Oshkosh numbers when I search online.
You can get ballpark tire pressures from my sticker if your weight is close, there is also a sticker inside my rear wheel wells with rear airbag min/max pressures.

phatpony · 12-17-2012, 03:05 PM

Thank you very much!

wa8yxm · 12-17-2012, 04:59 PM

There are books that will let you translate a VIN, also VIN DECODERS on the internet (But they do not always work well if you are checkign truck vins) But the problem is you use the chassis vin, and they will only give you the chassis from that.

If you want to know, and the chassis maker is still in business (This is generic advice) contact their customer support with your vin, they can tell you to whom they sold the chassis, that might help.

True story: Had a car once that had an expermental (unbeknownest to me at the time of purchase) part.. Well the standard part was a .. Piece of refuse The expermental part worked far better, but.. alas,, it too had an "issue) which was easily remedied, A merger of the two parts . IDEAL and i have both the skills and tools to negotiate such a merger.

Problem was the company stopped stockign the expermental part.

I wound up calling the HQ (a few miles from my house at the time) and after playing a round of the Credit Card Song (By Dick Feller if you care to google for it) (Actually it was not that bad I think i went through only 3 transfers) I found myself talking to a near retirement warehouseman who, From the sounds of it, pushed back his hard hat, scratched and said "Well we got those from __company name__.

I called that company, gave them the numbers the old man had given me and they said "Well we also sold that exact same part to ___ (another company) for use on theri ___( model vehicle) and they call it a ___ (neme) it's their part number ___ (part number)

Turns out a dealer of that brand was just a short distance off my normal path to work, and even closer if I took an alt path.

Got two, they were small.

But your problem is like that,, The chassis .. Was sold to multiple builders. In your case that is the problem, In mine,,, the solution.

Manuel B · 12-18-2012, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

There are books that will let you translate a VIN, also VIN DECODERS on the internet (But they do not always work well if you are checkign truck vins) But the problem is you use the chassis vin, and they will only give you the chassis from that.

If you want to know, and the chassis maker is still in business (This is generic advice) contact their customer support with your vin, they can tell you to whom they sold the chassis, that might help.

Oshkosh was bought out by Freightliner, which is now a Daimler owned company, customer support is really, really excellent,
I know who they sold the chassis to, it's on the sticker in the photo above, I just can't find the HMC VIN,