HEY-LAM.. new rv

[2FORCEFULL]

so I sold the little white born free... and bought a new 2018 22'r class C...we just got back from a 4 day cruise to the coast, went to Disneyland.. knottsberry farm, knotts scary farm, and down to huntington beach...they put the new 22'rs on the 158" wheelbase, where as they were on the 138"" before..so not the big over hang in the back.....first mod was to pull all the stickers off...now she's all white...it was a good test run ...windy as hell both ways...she tracked and handled great..we stayed at anahiem rv park and was able to go anywhere we wanted and easy parking...the tv situation in the class C is always a propble, this one came with a 40" that know where you sit could you see it,... and only could see half of it from the corner bed... so that was the second mod...the cabinet drawers were a joke.. 1/8" paneling bottoms... so I made new 1/2" plywood bottoms..now you can store bottles of water with out the drawer bottoms blowing out..

the coach handled well , but the next mod will be the tires... it has the little 225-75-16's.. freeway speed...(70 mph) it's spinning 2500 rpm's, it's geared low , and with the 6 speed trans. it's in 3rd before you cross the intersection... the tires I always use are the 235-85-16's it will bring the rpms down to about 2100 @ 70 mph...the coach it light weight..no slides..

[2FORCEFULL]

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[CarolynandBob]

Cool. What prompted the change?

[2FORCEFULL]

Cool. What prompted the change?

although the born free was very nice and worked good for me, the fact that it was an 05 was one of the move up factors...I hate sues alpine....in fact when I had it sold.. she stepped up and bought it...so It sits ...traveling on the open road with my born free was second to none...plenty of power..handling was top rated... but .. the only bed was the jack knife sofa..2 adults and 2 dogs was cramped at best, next the bath area was real small, but I loved it.. wife not so much...so we went to this 22'r..it is 10" longer than the born free.. the coach has sleeping for 6...the corner bed is a lot more comfortable to sleep in..but it's a challenge to make the bed up... we got that part figured out. start from the top of the bed and work down... easy breezy...next the new one has a lot more storage and cabinets...the born free got a solid 10mpg... where as the test so far on the 22'r is 8.1mpg coming from L.A. to vegas...lots of grades to pull and the wind was blowing pretty good...

[ChumpChange]

Congrats Steve!

[2FORCEFULL]

here's the corner bed.....54"x80"... the Denver mattress sucks, so that will be upgraded..

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[2FORCEFULL]

next,... the bath area...really a good size for a 22'r..it has a pop up shower sky light so tall people friendly .. the all in one BATH is nice ,... 6672066721also..the shower is 24"X36"

[2FORCEFULL]

THE COOKING AREA IS SMALL, but has a 3 burner gas cooktop, pop up counter space,big double door fridge, convection microwave... lots of cabinet space..

66722

66723

[2FORCEFULL]

one of the cool things about this rv, all LED lighting,..it only comes with one house battery, but has the box for 2 and is prewired for solar.. one of the next mods is to add a second battery... it also came with a 40" tv...what a joke....it is on a fold away tv mount... but .. no where in the coach but at the dinnet on one side can you see it...lol... so this is my mod... I moved the TV to the left side, although I used the same mount...I lowered the mount so it was easy to watch without have to look up, now you can watch it from the corner bed, and those sleeping on the dinette bed can also watch it.. this is probley one of the hardest things to figure out in a class C.. no matter where you put the TV, and choices are limited..you end up with areas that won't be able to see it..for us, we want to be able to watch it from the dinette and the corner bed so this is what I came up with....the over head bed is still useable...


.66724

[2FORCEFULL]

another plus on this coach is the big storage box..unheard of in small rv's..also gas 2 LED lights...

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[2FORCEFULL]

the awning is power, and LED camp lights


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[2FORCEFULL]

So to add to this , I wanna talk cost VS what you get..this coach has a msrp of around 83k, and an on sell price of 54,900..it has a 8000lb tow hitch..and although I know it will pull 10k, I also run with scissors...LOL...so for the price of a pickup,... you can be a happy camper...it will pull and lauch your boat ,haul your sand and off road toys,.. and at the end of the day, a place to shower and sleep.. these also hold their value better than a truck...

[HB Vic]

Nice. But lets see a daytime full pic of it.

And HB huh? You do know thats where I live right?

[2FORCEFULL]

Nice. But lets see a daytime full pic of it.

And HB huh? You do know thats where I live right?
we almost went to the donut shop...but decided to try to beat the traffic back to vegas...we were there from wed. to sun.

[HB Vic]

we almost went to the donut shop...but decided to try to beat the traffic back to vegas...we were there from wed. to sun.

Beat the traffic? Aren’t you retired? What’s the rush lol


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[ChumpChange]

Dig that awning light!

[2FORCEFULL]

Dig that awning light!
that was another feature we really liked

[2FORCEFULL]

Beat the traffic? Aren’t you retired? What’s the rush lol


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you mean whats everybodys rush...unbelievable

[HB Vic]

you mean whats everybodys rush...unbelievable

Us non retired folk are dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to traveling. We purposely choose busy weekend to drive freeway parking lots. No idea why


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[CarolynandBob]

Just drove through LA yesterday on the way back to San Diego to see our son, friends and hang out for the holidays.

Still own a home in San Diego, It is rented until the end of 2018. Will sell it then. Why? Because after seeing so much of the country this year I can't fucking stand California. We knew we were back in California. Crappy roads and disgusting rest stops. Everywhere we traveled the roads were pretty nice. Nice clean rest stops. Not in this state.

I do not understand how you guys that live in LA can stand the roads. How can there always be construction but the road are always shitty? As I said we have traveled a lot. Have put 15K miles on the new truck since March. We put 5k on the class C from Jan-Mar. ZTh only other place we were disappointed in the roads was Atlanta.

[2FORCEFULL]

Just drove through LA yesterday on the way back to San Diego to see our son, friends and hang out for the holidays.

Still own a home in San Diego, It is rented until the end of 2018. Will sell it then. Why? Because after seeing so much of the country this year I can't fucking stand California. We knew we were back in California. Crappy roads and disgusting rest stops. Everywhere we traveled the roads were pretty nice. Nice clean rest stops. Not in this state.

I do not understand how you guys that live in LA can stand the roads. How can there always be construction but the road are always shitty? As I said we have traveled a lot. Have put 15K miles on the new truck since March. We put 5k on the class C from Jan-Mar. ZTh only other place we were disappointed in the roads was Atlanta.
pretty sure it is all the big trucks constantly traveling the roads that just tear them up.... truckers every where in so cal...

[bigbluhallett270]

Just drove through LA yesterday on the way back to San Diego to see our son, friends and hang out for the holidays.

Still own a home in San Diego, It is rented until the end of 2018. Will sell it then. Why? Because after seeing so much of the country this year I can't fucking stand California. We knew we were back in California. Crappy roads and disgusting rest stops. Everywhere we traveled the roads were pretty nice. Nice clean rest stops. Not in this state.

I do not understand how you guys that live in LA can stand the roads. How can there always be construction but the road are always shitty? As I said we have traveled a lot. Have put 15K miles on the new truck since March. We put 5k on the class C from Jan-Mar. ZTh only other place we were disappointed in the roads was Atlanta.
80% of every tax dollar taken in by the state of Ca goes back out as salary and pension ... let it sink in , 80% ! So Cal is fast becoming a third world shit- hole , and no cure in sight .

[El Toro]

2FF would you mind telling what make RV & what dealer sold it for that price, Would like to to check it out.

[2FORCEFULL]

2FF would you mind telling what make RV & what dealer sold it for that price, Would like to to check it out.

Mike Thompson rv in colton, it's a 2018 thor chateau 22E http://www.mikethompson.com/


http://www.mikethompson.com/default.asp?page=xNewInventoryDetail&id=4075184&p=5&ac=class%20c%7Cclass%20c%20gas%7Cclass%20c%20diese l&s=Year&d=D&t=new&fr=xNewInventory

[2FORCEFULL]

Little more progress, got the in dash dvd, cd, gps/nav done, did the exhaust, this coach was loud, and raspy sounding so I took off the stock muffler, put the big rv magnaflow and a 30'' long, 6'' magnaflow round resonator...and a black powder coat tip. she's quiet now,... that and I got the new tires and wheels, went with the 235 -85-16's, and the moto metal aluminum wheels, the stock tires were crazy noisey, that and they road like rocks..nice quiet and smooth..when I got the gps, the speedo read 73 mph and gps was at 70 mph, so with the tire change it is now speedo at 70 mph, gps at 72 mph,... so pretty close,...when I do the 5 star tune it will be re calibrated to the tire size,.. I for got to see where the rpms where at 70 with the new tires, but it was at 2500/2600 with the old ones...

[El Toro]

Mike Thompson rv in colton, it's a 2018 thor chateau 22E http://www.mikethompson.com/


http://www.mikethompson.com/default.asp?page=xNewInventoryDetail&id=4075184&p=5&ac=class%20c%7Cclass%20c%20gas%7Cclass%20c%20diese l&s=Year&d=D&t=new&fr=xNewInventory





:thumbup: :)

[tchb]

I have one exactly like this except a pop out bedroom. I love the way it drives and handles.
The only change we did was to remove the fake tile and put new tile up. Great little RVs. Mine is a Thor 22 with a pop out bedroom.

[2FORCEFULL]

I have one exactly like this except a pop out bedroom. I love the way it drives and handles.
The only change we did was to remove the fake tile and put new tile up. Great little RVs. Mine is a Thor 22 with a pop out bedroom.
I cut new plywood drawer bottoms, the 1/8'' paneling aint gonna cut it,,you should ride in mine and see how quiet it is now...and smoooooooth riding with the 235-85-16's

[tchb]

I cut new plywood drawer bottoms, the 1/8'' paneling aint gonna cut it,,you should ride in mine and see how quiet it is now...and smoooooooth riding with the 235-85-16's

Again my 2017 rides very nice and pretty quiet. I have no complaints with the ride or noise. Stop by and lets switch then I can see the difference.

[2FORCEFULL]

Again my 2017 rides very nice and pretty quiet. I have no complaints with the ride or noise. Stop by and lets switch then I can see the difference.
will do. what do you guys do with the overhead Cramper part???? I wish it wasn't there at all..sue won't climb up there to lay down on trips so we had to get the corner bed model

[2FORCEFULL]

:thumbup: :)
did you buy one??

I kinda liked these forest river models, but they only come on chevy chassis's..not enough torque to tow my trailer...but the chevys have more foot room for the passengers..

they also only have 5 k hitch..

http://www.mikethompson.com/default.asp?page=xNewInventoryDetail&id=3252935&p=2&ac=class%20c%7Cclass%20c%20gas%7Cclass%20c%20diese l&s=Year&d=D&t=new&fr=xNewInventory

[tchb]

will do. what do you guys do with the overhead Cramper part???? I wish it wasn't there at all..sue won't climb up there to lay down on trips so we had to get the corner bed model

I like the overhead area for storage and a sleeping if needed. My wife calls the pop out bedroom here cruise ship bedroom. I have put 3,000 miles on it and still like it. We will start our Glamis trips when we get back from Maui.

[2FORCEFULL]

here's some pics with the wheels and tires...


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[2FORCEFULL]

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[HB Vic]

Super clean looking, but it also looks like a mobile X-ray lab. Put some racing stripes on it or something [emoji41]


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[CarolynandBob]

Wheels look great. I agree that the all white needs some graphics.

[2FORCEFULL]

with the awning out...

..6674766748

[2FORCEFULL]

Busy day yesterday, got all the vent covers installed on the roof..



..............66749

[2FORCEFULL]

it came pre wired for solar, guess this is a quick connect .....never seen this before??


66750

[2FORCEFULL]

we ran into a problem with the bed... the mattress sucks ,.. it was a foam Denver mattress... but made for little kids...so I took it out... it's advertised as a queen size.... but is only 54'' wide... that's a full size... when I took the mattress out, the wood on the bed frame had only two screws holding the wood down....so I took the wood out....no insulation....so, I insulated it and screwed the wood down like drywall...with cheeta screws.....


6675166752

[2FORCEFULL]

next problem was running around looking for a new mattress, it needed to be foam to be able to cut the corner off...found this one at wall mart.. this probley the comfortable mattress I have ever slept on....don't know how long it will last, but it was only 200 bucks66753..and sue likes it so it a done deal...



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.

[2FORCEFULL]

the fit was pretty good, but the corner, so I had to cut it off..they come in a zippered cover so pretty easy,..had to sneek out with Sues electric knife...




66756

[2FORCEFULL]

finished bed..



66757

[2FORCEFULL]

added some messkin blankets to the dinette seats...


66758

[2FORCEFULL]

Super clean looking, but it also looks like a mobile X-ray lab. Put some racing stripes on it or something [emoji41]


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maybe it needs a hotboat sticker????lol

[HB Vic]

maybe it needs a hotboat sticker????lol

A giant one?? Now there's an idea :)

[El Toro]

did you buy one??



I went halfies with my son on one of these (2455BHS), have grandchildren so got bunk beds.

https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2018/minnie/overview

https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2018/minnie/floorplans

I've yet to buy a truck that can tow it, though.....

[tchb]

finished bed..

66757

We need to put a pad on our upper bunk area!

[2FORCEFULL]

We need to put a pad on our upper bunk area!
do you ever sleep up there???

[2FORCEFULL]

So after I got the engine quieted down , you can hear all the rattles everywhere, the dinette, and the stove was the worst... they put a cover over the cook top that rattles like crazy...got that fixed...used the fuzzy part of Velcro to insulated the places where it was rubbing...same with the dinette...I know this is a bottom line build and lots of corners where cut... lots of places that just needed the screws tightened , or just a couple more...all the cabinet doors rattled, so felt pads where added..they used a frameless single pane tempered glass on the sliding window at the dinette... rattles like crazy...somehow I have to figure out how to stop the window mullion from rattling with out taking the whole window out and apart... that's my last rattle to fix..... I got the sumo springs coming for the rear, and still want to take it out and weigh the coach... I'm guessing it's around 11,000 lbs...that loaded with water and fuel and all the gear I will be hauling... gonna add a spare tire also..with the 6 speed and the tire change I can now run 55 mph in 4th and turn 3200 rpms,... that's right at peak torque and should be able to pull a 6% grade hauling my box trailer..that gives me two overdrive gears left...on gps I now run 2200 rpms at 70 mph and only 2000 rpms @65 mph... should save some fuel..

all in all pretty happy with the coach, like I said ... pretty cheep build, not insulated very well, and a lot of little cosmetic fix's..but so far nothing worth the time to take it in for repairs...I don't know how they pay these guys , but betting it's piece work... lots of places where some one said, that's good enough... they never took the time to vacume out the area's where they drilled and just left piles of saw dust on the floors and covered it up with the panels..

I put drawer bottoms with 1/2'' plywood.. then added carpet to all the drawer and cabinet bottoms... that and put carpet in the storage box and on the closet floors..

[2FORCEFULL]

I went halfies with my son on one of these (2455BHS), have grandchildren so got bunk beds.

https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2018/minnie/overview

https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2018/minnie/floorplans

I've yet to buy a truck that can tow it, though.....
question,...? how do you haul your RZR's and boat? do you guys go together?

[El Toro]

question,...? how do you haul your RZR's and boat? do you guys go together?

well my son sold his boat right before he bought his first house. he on his second house & all his friends have toy hauler or travel trailers. I have thought about a rhino, I drive down to pismo beach almost every other month.

[tchb]

66760
2017 total length is 24ft on a E450 Chassis 6 speed.

[2FORCEFULL]

66760
2017 total length is 24ft on a E450 Chassis 6 speed.

do you have power mirror's?...I didn't know mine didn't till after it was delivered...

[tchb]

No power mirrors. My last Class C had powered mirrors.

[2FORCEFULL]

Another day of working on the new class C....here's where I'm at..the cross roads again....this rv might or might not be the right one for me...it's too small to big, and too big to be small....
this motorhome would work perfect for me as my only coach, not so for Sue.. she calls it a cramper, not a motorhome....here's a comparison to the born Free built for two. as you can see it is bigger in every way, the box is bigger and such66761

[2FORCEFULL]

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[2FORCEFULL]

something is going on with the scroll lines????

[2FORCEFULL]

anyway, first thing to do was the hitch...it's a 8,000 lb hitch... I upped it to 10,000 with a lateral bar back 40'' to the cross member..also stopping any deflection when using spring bar hitch66763

[2FORCEFULL]

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[2FORCEFULL]

you can also see the backup camera over the ball to ease loading the trailer..also added a 12v supply line to work the stuff in the trailer, and a electric brake controller



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[2FORCEFULL]

although this coach rides and handles great in stock form, I think it will suffer when towing an 8000 lb trailer...the compression of the tongue weight will unload the front tires and cause sway problems..I didn't try pulling the trailer first as I think I know what the result would be and didn't want to compromise the hitch,... also, the compression in stock form to the rear leaf springs will be too excessive, again...gonna be a tail wager...I'm working off past experience with these little coaches pulling big trailers...so just went forward with the things needed...
I ordered sumo's for the rear,.. in the current installation instructions is say to put the bags in front off the axel,..I have been down this road before and it flat doesn't work to get the maximum results,... I work with Gerry at sumo and help with the R&D, in fact I have worked at their factory fine tuning the kits for F53 motorhomes...and the class C's..if you look at these pic's the installation to the right is how they do it, to the left is my revision...I will be working with Gerry on this Mod to further correct...when I installed theses on a previse motorhome, the results were horrible...lots of bucking...



.6676766768

[2FORCEFULL]

The bags you see in this pic Is the stiffest they offer....although I knew they would be too stiff, I wanted to try just too see..if the RV was my only one, and I was going to constantly tow something heavy...I would go with these... I installed them to 3/4"" compression, that and with a spring bar hitch...it would be perfect... but , just like an unloaded dually, the ride would suffer..so I have the option to go with a less durometer bag...right now it has a slight bucking in the rear, which I could fix with custom shocks with more rebound...


...6676966770

[tchb]

I pull a trailer that weights around 4K pounds and wondering if the small bump stop Sumos would help. So far it tows my Jeep like it is not there but no tongue weight. Thanks for posting!

[tchb]

Did you put a spare tire under the rear. I feel better now that I have put one on the RV. Thanks for the spare tire Steve.

[2FORCEFULL]

Did you put a spare tire under the rear. I feel better now that I have put one on the RV. Thanks for the spare tire Steve.
i'm putting it in the big storage box...I got a tire the same as the other 6 on a steel rim so it will go any position

[2FORCEFULL]

maden voyage to Utah...we'll see


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[2FORCEFULL]

Well,...... took the RV to Utah...towing a 10,000 plus trailer....Awesome tow rig,dropped to 4th gear up the big grades and pulled all of them @ 32-3400 rpms... right around 7 mpg..the 6 speed really works great as the gear drops are right where they need to be when towing... the motor is quiet with the double magna flows and the 3'' tail pipe...the added 2 rv battery's ran the heater all night in the 23 degree weather....the sumo's kept her straight in the wind and passing trucks, and the added trailer brakes stopped her with ease...I never did the 5 star tune yet , but I'm sure it will be a plus to this rig...the power was spot on... but hey, we can always use a little more...right?....for a 22'r .. this has got to be the roomiest little rv ever for me ...sleeps 6... and travels with room for 6 with seat belts...though it was only Sue and I....plenty of room for camping...now the problem....we have the DP Alpine...doesn't get any better...only compromise..SO.... I sold this one...getting picked up today...kinda sad...but there is no way Sue will let go of her Alpine..to go in the Cramper as she calls it.....so BYE BYE little RV... gonna miss you

[HB Vic]

Well,...... took the RV to Utah...towing a 10,000 plus trailer....Awesome tow rig,dropped to 4th gear up the big grades and pulled all of them @ 32-3400 rpms... right around 7 mpg..the 6 speed really works great as the gear drops are right where they need to be when towing... the motor is quiet with the double magna flows and the 3'' tail pipe...the added 2 rv battery's ran the heater all night in the 23 degree weather....the sumo's kept her straight in the wind and passing trucks, and the added trailer brakes stopped her with ease...I never did the 5 star tune yet , but I'm sure it will be a plus to this rig...the power was spot on... but hey, we can always use a little more...right?....for a 22'r .. this has got to be the roomiest little rv ever for me ...sleeps 6... and travels with room for 6 with seat belts...though it was only Sue and I....plenty of room for camping...now the problem....we have the DP Alpine...doesn't get any better...only compromise..SO.... I sold this one...getting picked up today...kinda sad...but there is no way Sue will let go of her Alpine..to go in the Cramper as she calls it.....so BYE BYE little RV... gonna miss you

Well that didn't take long. And I didnt even see an ad lol

[2FORCEFULL]

Well that didn't take long. And I didnt even see an ad lol

although it worked out great...Sue wasn't buy'n in on the get rid of her alpine...sooooooooo...bye bye....lol

[tchb]

Steve now it is time for golf!!!

[ChumpChange]

Wow. Just read all the improvements and got the climactic end. Sold! lol

I just picked up the Banks intake for my MoHo but have nothing for the exhaust yet.

[2FORCEFULL]

Wow. Just read all the improvements and got the climactic end. Sold! lol

I just picked up the Banks intake for my MoHo but have nothing for the exhaust yet.
so as I said it was ging up for sale my youngest son stepped up and wanted to buy it, good thing is I'm getting the born free back trade in....I love that little coach and have missed it since it was sold...still like to find something even smaller...the whole Idea was that I would take Sue into getting rid of her alpine, but then I couldn't talk my self into it....hard to beat the alpine for long stays...she runs down the road like a mouse in slippers....6686066860

[2FORCEFULL]

Steve now it is time for golf!!!
fuc golf...

[2FORCEFULL]

Wow. Just read all the improvements and got the climactic end. Sold! lol

I just picked up the Banks intake for my MoHo but have nothing for the exhaust yet.

make sure you dyna mat the intake...they get real loud...

[ChumpChange]

make sure you dyna mat the intake...they get real loud...

Do you think it's worth it to get the tunes?