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Old 11-11-2020, 07:46 PM   #1
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TRAVEL SUPREME vs BEAVER PATRIOT

I 'think' we're getting close...

I'm very interested in both of these and am wondering what you folks might think.

The TS has a king bed which my DW insist on, but the Beaver appears to have room for a king.

What I'm wondering, are these apples to apples or is one a much better unit than the other?

I read a post from back in 2014 about the TS's chassis having a lot flex to it and they had to install cross bracing, anyone else heard that?

Any issues I should be aware of?

Thanks.

Travel Supreme

Beaver Patriot
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Old 11-11-2020, 07:56 PM   #2
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Those seats in the TS look pretty bad. I know of a TS with that same paint job and it had serious checking, so bad you could see it fro 10 foot away. For me, I would take the Beaver
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Old 11-11-2020, 08:02 PM   #3
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I am not experienced enough to tell you which is a better build, but based on pics I like the looks of the Beaver for sure!

Also first thing I noticed was no mention of the tire age in the Beaver ad, I would double check on that. Also I would be curious of the service history on both. Both look to be very nice coaches, 500+ hp pushers must be something else to drive!
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Old 11-11-2020, 08:40 PM   #4
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Yes the engine alone caught my attention.

Yes I have no idea about the paint but would imagine the darker colors might be checked.

I have to agree the Beaver is my favorite.

I think they are worth going to see...but for some reason my DW isn’t very interested.

It’s a 2 hour drive to go see them and 2 hours in our sardine can, aka Sidekick, is a looooong drive. Might consider renting a car. Just gotta get the other half interested.
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Old 11-11-2020, 08:46 PM   #5
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We have a 2004 TS that we absolutely love. Looking at the pictures ours is almost identical. Let know if you have any questions. We are in St George, UT if you want to come look at how they are built.


The flexing issue was only on the K2 chassis.


We are thinking of selling ours if you are interested.



We looked at the Beaver when buying ours. It's a well made RV also.


Aa with any RV in this age and class, the devil is in the details
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Old 11-11-2020, 09:00 PM   #6
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Well if we were near by we would love to! Yes anything you can tell us about yours and any concerns we should know about would be great!
Thanks!
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Old 11-11-2020, 09:49 PM   #7
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Like the extra 25 hp and 200 extra ft/lbs of torque in the Beaver.
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Old 11-11-2020, 09:54 PM   #8
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I'm pretty sure the Travel Supreme Select is a Select, not a Select Limited. The Limited was on the Spartan K3 chassis with a Cummins ISX. The Select is on a K2 chassis with a Cummins ISM. This chassis will need multiple X braces in the basement. Regardless, this is a nice coach. They are all electric. You will need to inspect the floors and marble counter tops for cracks. About 50% of the Selects we looked at had cracks in either the counter tops or floors, or both. Also, this chassis tends to porpoise on certain roads.

The Beaver is also a nice coach. The Cat C13 is a powerhouse. If you like torque and lots of it, this is the coach. The interior wood work is the finest available at any price.
The Beaver has 55k miles and the Travel Supreme has 85K miles.

I think with some updates and lots of repairs both coaches will be great. It will come down to your preferences and condition of the many systems in each coach.
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Old 11-12-2020, 08:39 AM   #9
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I never owned a Beaver so really can't comment much on it. The only thing I gleaned from the photos that would be a critical item for us is that in the Beaver whoever sleeps on the left side of the bed will have to step up and down getting in and out of the bed. Some Travel Supreme Layouts have the same issue but not the one you are looking at.

We looked at many Travel Supremes before purchasing ours and never saw any cracks in the Granite counter tops or in the floor tiles.

The seats in the photos are 15 years old with lots of miles they are not gonna look new. Our seats are 16 years old, they do not look new but are comfortable and work.

Th flexing on the Travel supreme occurs on all the 42 and 45 foot models and there has been an issue with popping and cracking windshields. In cruising this forum for the last couple of years this problem affects many other manufacturers, not just Travel Supreme.

Ask the TS owner to send basement photos if the cross bracing has been done it will be visible between the uprights in the basement.

The cross bracing solved the flexing problem for MOST of the TS models. Some also required a "windshield hoop"

The cross bracing , if not done, costs about $5,000, a windshield hoop, IF NEEDED , is another 6K.

It is most likely that in a 2005 TS with that many miles the xbracing and windshield hoop have been done. Not many models that old haven't had these mods.

I really don't think you can tell the condition of the paint from RVTrader photos, you have to look at both coaches in person in good light.

Our paint job is 16 years old and looks close to new.

As I mentioned I can't really comment on the Beaver but we are happy with our TS, great condition, everything works, reliable, and comfortable.

Do a lot of research on both (these forums are a great resource for that) look the coach over carefully and make your choice.

No matter how thorough you are you are buying someone else's problems in a 15 year old coach and need to plan on some significant after purchase expenses.

Good luck
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Old 11-12-2020, 09:19 AM   #10
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AirBoss68, WOW! That's a fantastic post! Very much appreciate your input!

So on the off chance that cross bracing HASN'T been done as well as the hoop for the windshield, I wonder if I can use that as leverage for the price. Although, the price seems reasonable based on the NADA...but obviously I 'need' to get it as low as possible as I do understand any rig will need ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

One little bump in the road...we own an RV site here in Outdoor Resorts in Melbourne Beach, FL and I JUST measured our driveway and while a 45 foot 'might' fit...it's going to be tight, and the driveway slants down after about 34 feet so those front tires are going to be downhill and once it's leveled that 1st step might be a high one! Sigh.....

So funny, I've been sort of pushing my DW to look seriously at these two rigs and finally today she's "Oh YES! I LOVE that 45 footer!!!"

Now I'm starting to pull back on both rigs and maybe consider staying with a 40 or LESS! Sigh.....why is this so HARD!!!!
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Old 11-12-2020, 10:18 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMoot View Post

So on the off chance that cross bracing HASN'T been done as well as the hoop for the windshield, I wonder if I can use that as leverage for the price. Although, the price seems reasonable based on the NADA.

In my opinion if the xbracing HAS been done that price is 3-5K high if it hasn't I would offer 15K less if that is the coach you want.
.

.it's going to be tight, and the driveway slants down after about 34 feet so those front tires are going to be downhill and once it's leveled that 1st step might be a high one! Sigh.....

Sorry can't offer any ways to make your lot bigger.


Now I'm starting to pull back on both rigs and maybe consider staying with a 40 or LESS! Sigh.....why is this so HARD!!!!
Because life itself is difficult

Since it is a private seller call the owner and aske about the cross bracing and windshield hoop.
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Old 11-12-2020, 10:37 AM   #12
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I don't know anything about the Travel Supreme brand. It looks like they went out of business in 2008 (as did many Coach brands). Will parts be available?

On the Beaver - the 2005 is the best year (with the 2006 coming in second) IMO.

This era CAT engine does not have any emissions devices (the KCB engine used prior to 2007) so it's easier to maintain and less expensive to fix. Also this Coach has the Allision 4000MH transmission so towing is not a concern.

The 2005 PT doesn't use the multiplex system (as the 2006 Beaver PT has) and there are no circuit boards used in the front or rear Run boxes - that makes it easier to troubleshoot and fix anything. The later models with the circuit boards and multiplexing can be a real problem if a board fails since there are no new parts available, and the boards have to be programmed.

BTW - the ad for the Travel Supreme says it has an "exhaust brake". I think that is a typo. It should have an "engine brake (a.k.a. Compression Brake) as the CAT does. An exhaust brake would not be powerful enough for a Coach of that size.
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Old 11-12-2020, 11:57 AM   #13
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The Travel Supreme is very close to a Newmar -- Paul Miller was part owner of TT -- He`s the son of Marvin Miller , one of the founders of Newmar -- The TT was built on a Spartan Chassis with IFS & The Beaver on either a Magnum or Roadmaster Chassis -- Bill Willard
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Old 11-12-2020, 11:59 AM   #14
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I believe Travel Supreme (or the assets left from it) were purchased by Jayco and became Entegra Coach.
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