B+ motorhomes

[Daniel_C_]

I just bought a Trail Lite B+ 211s with 8.1 Chevy
engine. This is my fifth motorhome (others range
from an old 20' Vagabond, and three Winnegagos, from 19 to 32'. This vehicle is fantastic. I am
using it as a mobile office (and sneaking in a fun
journey from time to time). It gets about 9.5mpg
and I believe I could pull a bus behind it if I wanted! I paid low $40's which is about what I had expected to pay for a five or six year old Chinook with a nicer interior, but fewer features
(slide). I am delighted thus far.

[Daniel_C_]

Update:
Just changed the oil for the first time. The Chevy dealer quoted $69 for an oil change! I got it done at Jiffy Lube for $32! That engine appears to use a quart every 2,000 miles, which is comparable to the 454 chevy in my last motorhome. I can tell that I am a little more tired after driving it in traffic, but the difference between the B+ and a regular commute vehicle is really minimal. One difference I seem to notice is that other traffic assumes I cannot accelerate as well as other cars, and pull in front quite a bit. Parking is pretty easy also. Last week I parked in a parallel spot, and cars parked on either side of me with only about a foot of clearance on each end. Though it took several "back and forth" movements I suprised myself how easy it was to get away. The back steps protrude a few inches, which gives some additional movement when turning sharply in both directions. Also the overhang swings the rear more.
I am looking at replacing the rims and hubcaps with aftermarket wheels (aluminum or stainless). I would get the stainless liners, but am concerned about wheel balance with those - especially the rear wheels. Any ideas on replacement wheels for $5-700?

[Daniel_C_]

I assume you are talking about the transmission clutches in the automatic transmission. You could have had the same thing happen on a 100k Chinook with the same chassis! I guess we could get angry with quality control with the Canadians whom I believe built the chassis! Good luck on your repairs. I have determined that my slide is out of adjustment. the bottom makes contact before the top when extended - a recipe for leaks. As long as it is buttoned up, I am fine. I have already notified the dealer of a number of items to be fixed in about three weeks. They are very cooperative, and will coordinate my leaving the coach with them for a few days.

[Br-]

Update:

Apparently the clutch housing was cracked in the process of installation. The stress of driving broke the housing apart and in turn destroyed the clutch. New parts on the way and we should have the RV back on thursday or friday. Things happen I guess, but never expected something like this.

[Daniel_C_]

I am just about convinced that if you can get through the first 5-10k miles, the rest is easy.
Sorry to hear about your problems. I assume that the Chevy dealer you talked to has sufficient lift capacity to handle your unit. Otherwise, it shouldn't be much different than getting an Impala worked on. The transmission you have has been around for awhile, so you can either figure that the problem is minor, or it is good to get a defective transmission replaced early in the wear cycle. My unit had an engine light show up before I took delivery. The service department set up an appointment before I got the coach with the Chevy folks, and they replaced an Oxygen sensor, but found (after several hours of trouble shooting)that a screw had penetrated part of the vehicle wiring harness during the coach construction. In spite of the potential for mutual finger pointing, R vision authorized payment with no delay. Total time down was two days! I look at the first couple of months as more of a "shakedown cruise" than buying a new car and try to be patient about some system failures, resulting from one of many suppliers of equipment for the coach.

[Br-]

Took the B+ on a test drive, 70 mi. to relatives house. Two miles before we got there, the "check engine soon" light came on. No idea what caused it, maybe an emmission problem. Drove 70 mi. home and two blocks from our house the trans started acting up. Pulled in the drive, backed up to straighten out and couldn't pull forward.
Wouldn't move. Dealer said to have it towed to a chevy dealer and they would pay for it. So there it sits! Won't know anything until monday.

Hope it's just a computer glitch and nothing major. Still on the first tank of gas. And you think you have problems with dirty pants. (just
kidding)

[Daniel_C_]

Br-
The mirrors are adjustable in both directions. If you look up the mounting stalk, you can see a pivot for up and down movement. I didn't get a jack or lug wrench. I let the tire down and looked behind it to see (I'll send you a cleaning bill for my trousers). I did note that the owner's manual discourages owners from tire changing! I changed the inside dual on my old Winnebago one time several years ago, and will probably use the cell phone jack instead of a tire jack from now on! I'll try to keep folks posted as time goes by, since I plan to put 15-20K miles in the first year.

[Br-]

I just bought a new B+, 26 ft. model 251, 8.1 Ltr.
Haven't been on the road with it yet. I have been reading your comments with interest, and was wondering if your's came with a jack. Are your outside mirrors adjustable up and down or just left and right? Any tips you can offer?

Thanks

[Daniel_C_]

AJ:

Looks like you got a sweet RV. I was not aware of that unit when I was shopping, and it looks like the price is about 5+K more. It also looks like you have some trim upgrades over the Trail Lite (wheels, bath, steps, etc.). Is your slide an electric or manual unit? Mine is manual. Probably more reliable, but I never know how much to twist the crank at the end of travel. I am currently driving about 600 miles a week and will continue to drive at that pace until May, when I plan to get the discrepancies fixed, and start sharing my work driving with my PT Cruiser. I really believe that you will be excited about the increased stability of the duals over the usual single rear tires of B's. I find the handling deceiving. Sometimes, I inadvertently forget the mass I am hauling and lean too much in turns (too fast). The chassis can handle that fine, but the usual junk in the cabinets complains as it shifts around! Curious about your gas mileage as you go. I have read that the V10 gets a little better mileage than the chevy 8.1. It is interesting what drives a buy decision in a vehicle of this size. I suspect that you will forget your B shortly, as you stretch out, and perhaps have a better handling vehicle to boot. I was trying to compromise between my old 1986 28' Winnebago Chieftan (bought new in 87), and a fairly new Winstar. I sold them both for the Trail Lite.

[crewcut]

AJRV,

I have also been looking at the Gulfstream - is your coach on the Chevy chassis or the Ford? Please keep us posted on your experience with it.

crewcut

[AJRV]

We just purchased a new B Touring Cruiser by Gulf Stream. 23.9'with slide. It has a V-10 Ford engine. It sounds similiar to the Trail Lite B. I'll give an update on ours after we take a few trips in it. We moved up from a Roadtrek. We needed a bit more room. I sure hated to part with the Roadtrek but, life goes on. AJ

[Daniel_C_]

Update time!

Another 1000 miles. Engine is using about a quart of oil every 2000 miles. Settling in on about 10 mpg. I am still "playing" with it some,and haven't really tried to get the best mileage, but do not anticipate better than 10.5. On the other hand, if I wanted to, this vehicle would easily top 100 mph! And quiet on the road! I have had some discrepancies though; the slide is going to need adjusting - the bottom makes contact before the top, so leaking will be a given until fixed. I love that slide, but suspect I will be cussing at it in a couple of years! There have apparently been a couple of errant screws that caused some engine electrical problems (fixed quickly at factory expense), and the factory stereo only works on mono (I suspect that there may be a speaker wiring problem causing this - I will get fixed, because I want to put my own better stereo in and don't want to have to troubleshoot the speaker wiring myself). The dealer and factory have been great on making things right. I haven't bought a new rv in fifteen years, but am very pleased. Any time I am tempted to wish I had gotten a more expensive unit (any Dynamax, Chinook, even an Xplorer), I get in my new PT Cruiser Limited Edition and take a ride (about the difference in the next more expensive unit).

[Daniel_C_]

The Motorhome in Moturis is a Trail Lite, but not the slide model. The slide uses a different couch, which is somewhat smaller, but with better quality covering. With the slide extended, the interior gives the feel of a much larger coach. I drove a version like the one listed in Moturis, but, with the 5.7L engine it is not as inspiring to drive in traffic. Those two additions (engine and slide) give an entirely different feel (driving and parked) to the 211s model with the larger engine. To put the power in perspective, drive a class A with the 8.1 workhorse chassis, then imagine the same engine with about 5,000 fewer pounds, a low center of gravity, and begin to grin.

[mdreilly]

I just noticed on the Moturis website (www.moturis.com) that they have a new D-21 'supervan' for rent, and it looks like the Trail-Lite 21 ft. They have locations around the country so it might be a good way to try one and see if you like it.

[Daniel_C_]

Labtek; I have already driven 1500 miles in two weeks!. I will average about 500 a week for the next couple of months,then about 1200 a month. I do not expect mileage to increase much, but I am having so much fun with that engine that I really don't care (a different tone will prevail when gas returns to $2 a gallon!). I had driven about four different brands from a couple of Rialta's, and three van conversion brands, one with fancy air bags, that could be adjusted from the cab and all at least 20K more new, and none with the same room. They all were rather vague on the highway. My Trail Lite is much more stable (due to the duals probably). I plan to use the slide a lot, and that may be achilles' heel in the construction. I suspect that the mechanism was not designed for repeated use, and may begin to separate over time. Added screws will help there. I plan to put a swivel under the passenger's seat at some time in the future. I also plan to get some pads for the couch and dinette (for better sleeping). Both are only about 40" wide, and though the unit is rated to sleep 4, I suspect that they grow pretty small people at the factory!
Since I do not plan to sleep in the unit much, I am not much concerned with that. In fact, I have been thinking about getting a sizeable trailer in the future to pull behind the B+ when I am retired and want to stay in one place for longer periods than a couple of days. Sorry for the long reply.... I have obviously been obsessing a lot over this vehicle over the past few months!

[labtek]

Daniel, There is a tremendous interest in the Trail Lite B+. Please keep us posted as you roll up some miles. For starters,how do you like the dual wheels as they affect handling and ride? I expect the fuel mileage will improve after break- in. Any thoughts on that? Finally,any comments on the bed? That is one feature that seems not up to par with the rest of the design. Thanks for any thoughts you might have.-------Labtek