The trip from hell! Now the drive shaft ended up on the highway!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thank Rick and LJ-TJ. 


We are going up to look at the Allegro Bay today, and maybe the other one this afternoon.  I plan on bargaining as much as I can with the guy.


I won't abandon our old RV and make it someone elses problem.  I plan on putting it on Craigslist for free, or we think the RV park owner might know someone that will tow it away, put a transmission in it, and sell it.


Kev

[legomybago]

Just got caught up on your situation kev, sorry for the big break (literally). The plywood covering the AC/vent port is covering up water damage for sure on that Allegro, I can see water staining on the ceiling also (looks that way to me anyway)....I agree with all the great advice you've been getting, I would steer clear of J.D. Chassis rigs too. I think you should go bus!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We looked at the Allegro Bay today, and it is a nice coach!!!  There was a leak where that plywood is, but the new rubber roof membrane is covering it on the outside, waiting for the vents to be reinstalled.  The seller put that Luan up there because he was trying to cover the water stains, and was going to cut through it from the top, and then paint it.  If we buy this coach, and we very well might, we'll either clean the water stains off the ceiling carpet, or use fabric paint to paint the whole ceiling. 


44K miles and it runs and drives perfect!  And it is so quiet!  It handles very well too.  We will have to really cut down on "things" if we buy this coach, since it doesn't have as much storage, but dang is it a nicely maintained rig!


Tomorrow we are going to look at the Champion, and then keep looking on Craigslist for new listings.  If nothing else comes up by Monday, and we don't like the Champion, we'll be driving back to Pensicola to buy the Allegro at the seller's credit union, where we can get the title and everything else taken care of right there.


https://panamacity.craigslist.org/rvs/d/marianna-john-deere-coach-champion/6762279381.html


Now I have to do some research on rubber roofs, and how to install vents, and how to install solar panels on a rubber roof.  I have no experience with them at all.


Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

What do you guys think about this Itasca?  It is a diesel pusher with an almost identical interior layout to what we have now.  We MIGHT be able to talk them down to 7K, our maximum budget.


https://lakecity.craigslist.org/rvs/d/lake-city-1995-itasca-diesel-pusher-60/6777669475.html


Kev

[Elandan2]

Good looking coach Kev!! But of course, it may look different in person. Just looking at the pictures again, it appears to be on the bigger chassis, a good thing!! Rick

[legomybago]

The Panamacity one doesn't look to hot, even looks like the steering wheel has/had mold on it when they took that picture??

The Itaska looks great in the pics, I don't know nothing about them though. I would be looking for service records on that diesel. If they have zero info on maintenance history, and "just want it gone" like the add says, then it's a big gamble.

[Froggy1936]

  ?  My experience with diesels is pretty limited, I owned A White single axle and maintained, incl trans repairs and engine valve work plus other stuff, Cummins JT With Blower, Plus working on VW and Peugeot And Mercedes Passenger cars . But i can tell you it is a whole different world From Gasoline engine powered . Seeing maintenance records with cost of repairs and maintenance are a must , If none are available it is because they don't want you to know something ! Be very cautious on this one ! Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Good lord!  The 87 Champion with the John Deere chassis is disgusting in person.  YUCK!!!

We just talked to the guy with the 95 Itasca Diesel pusher.  It is a dealership, and when we explained everything to him, he went through the whole coach with us over the phone, and then said he would take 7500.00, or go as low as 7000.00 if I threw in a couple of my rifles.  It is 180 miles from here, so we'll be leaving at 7am tomorrow morning, and driving to Lake City.  We'll be bringing the pups with us, as well as the Blue Ox tow bar and towing kits and license plate, and a few of my guns I'm willing to part with.  If we drive all that way and like it, we are going to buy it on the spot, hook the Jeep up to the tow bar, and drive it back to this RV park in Cottondale.

Wish us luck folks!

https://lakecity.craigslist.org/rvs/d/lake-city-1995-itasca-diesel-pusher-60/6777669475.html

Kev

[Elandan2]

Sounds great Kev, hope everything works out. Rick

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Elandan!  It is a serious upgrade, being a diesel pusher with a Cummings turbo diesel engine with only 60K miles on an Oshkosh chassis.  We will still have to lighten up our load significantly and get rid of a lot of "things" for lack of a basement storage type setup...but I'm okay with that!  Half the crap we have in our storage compartments we haven't used since we stored them there...lol!  Its interior setup is nearly identical, right down to cabinet space, as what we have now.  Tomorrow is hopefully the big day when we bring our "new" home...home! 


It is officially a 1995 Itasca Sunrise 32rQ.  I found owners manuals online and brochures from Winnebago directly, but haven't been able to find the Oshkosh chassis manual from 1995, so hopefully they are included with the RV.  I don't know a heck of a lot about diesels yet.



Kev

[Rickf1985]

Well then you are doing something wrong! I have had several 429's and 460's and they for the most part got 8-10 MPG in pick-ups. Well the one with the 6-71 superchaarger was a little less.................................................................. 3 MPG if I kept my foot out of it. W% W%


Maybe it is that lead foot and 4.88 gears. :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Rick.  I could deal with the fuel economy of the 460...but the coach itself was disgusting!  Dirty, not enough cabinets, disgusting carpets, wouldn't start (and they knew we were coming for days), just a basket case.  Yuck!


Kev

[Rickf1985]

Kevin, I missed a bunch of posts but the diesel is just what you need. It is a pusher which means it has the heavier rear chassis for towing. It has the diesel for mileage and longevity. And bonus is that it has a diesel with extremely low mileage.  Does not seem to be a good deal on the rifle trade though, 500.00 for two rifles? Depending on the guns I might have given you more for them. (even though I shouldn't, but guns are ok to buy, right dear?........................ dear?) I hope this one works out for you and I really hope you can pull this whole mess together and get home. Hopefully it is a Cummins diesel. If it is a GM V8 diesel out of a pick up that would not be good since they were grossly underpowered.

[Rickf1985]

LOL Rick.  I could deal with the fuel economy of the 460...but the coach itself was disgusting!  Dirty, not enough cabinets, disgusting carpets, wouldn't start (and they knew we were coming for days), just a basket case.  Yuck!


Kev

Best to find out these things right off and leave it. Amazing people don't even try to clean something.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I will update you all tomorrow night about the Itasca, and if it all went well.


Please keep on sharing our Go Fund Me to your social media accounts though.  If we buy this rig at 7K, we still need fuel and food to get us out to Arizona, and the food needs to last us until we start back to work on February 1st.  I'm okay with Ramen...lol!  Just keep the Go Fund Me at the top of your feeds. 


Thank you all SO much for your love and support!  We are humbled and eternally grateful!


[size=78%]https://www.gofundme.com/get-siege-the-day-back-on-the-road[/size]


Kev

[Rickf1985]

Is there any mention in the manuals you got what engine is in the Itasca?

[Rickf1985]

YOU can eat Ramen, the pups are not going to eat Ramen!!!!!

[Rickf1985]

I see it says 230 turbo diesel so it is probably a Cummins. Keep that thought. If it is a 6 cylinder than it is a Cummins, V8 is a Chevy.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I know Rick.  I'm only willing to sacrifice at a low price some of my lesser rifles...like the Mosin Nagant M44, and the Savage bolt action .223 with the bull barrel and scope.  I might consider getting rid of the Glock 30 if I have to, but Patti really likes that little handgun and has kind of claimed it as her own.  But at this point I would get rid of most of my guns at a loss if it meant getting us back to work.  Hopefully it doesn't come to that, since the investment I have in firearms can't be gotten back quickly...you have to find the right buyers, which we aren't in the position to do sitting in the middle of nowhere...lol!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Rick:  Looks like it is the Cummings...since the rear engine I've seen in these things from the manuals is the Cummings, and the front engine ones are the ones with Chevy diesels. 


As far as the doggos go, we always stock up on bags of dog food before winter...we can go hungry, but I won't let them!  We still have 5 bags of food for them, so they and the cat are all set.


Kev

[Rickf1985]

Great! The Cummins is a great motor and will last a long time. Keep the oil changed and keep good fuel filters in it. oil once a year but keep a supply of fuel filters, sometimes you can get a load of fuel and the filter gets clogged quick. Better that than a wiped out pump and injectors. Filters are cheap.
Now, I could tell you how to get about 600 horsepower out of that Cummins! Hm? Hm? N:( N:( N:( N:(

[legomybago]

Great! The Cummins is a great motor and will last a long time. Keep the oil changed and keep good fuel filters in it. oil once a year but keep a supply of fuel filters, sometimes you can get a load of fuel and the filter gets clogged quick. Better that than a wiped out pump and injectors. Filters are cheap.
Now, I could tell you how to get about 600 horsepower out of that Cummins! Hm? Hm? N:( N:( N:( N:(

Yeah, probably lots of upgrades you could do to that motor, probably start with a simple pump adjustment or kit. I would change out the anti freeze soon and use 50/50 or straight concentrate mixed with DI water and replace the water filter if it has one.

[LJ-TJ]

Well they should be getting home pretty soon. Can't wait to here how they made out. I'm hoping good. Kind of feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to see what Santa Clause brought. i?? It looks like it would be a nice rig if the pictures are right. It would be an incredible up grade from what they have. As well as a great way to cross the United States as they do every year. Here's hoping.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It is ours, and we drove it back 180 miles to the campground today!  It is actually a 1995 Itasca Suncruiser, not a Sunrise. 


Rick...I don't think I need any MORE horsepower out of that Cummings.  Good lord does it want to go!  I kept looking down at the speedometer and having to slow down, since I don't trust the front tires...I would be going 65 up hill, towing the Jeep loaded with my tools, thinking I was going 50 or so...and nope!  65 plus!


Driving this thing (and maintaining it) is going to be a learning curve for sure!  It doesn't wander on the road, and doesn't seem to get pushed by passing semi trucks, like the last 3 RVs we have owned.  Because the engine is in the back, it is a surprise when it shifts, because you can't hear or feel the RPMs like with a gas front engine.  And speaking of shifting, we were ready to take off, and I couldn't find a shift lever!  Patti pointed out a digital screen on the left of the dashboard, and that is how you shift it.  It has six speeds, which leads me to believe it is an Allison transmission.  And it has different modes you can set it in, which I will figure out when I read all the manuals that came with this coach.


It actually didn't run all that great when we first set off on our maiden voyage... diesel tank was almost empty.  Once I filled it, it started running like a dream.  So yeah, I'm definitely going to change the fuel filter and get some extra filters, and definitely drain the water separator. 


We noticed a few things on our maiden voyage, like the front tires, which are cracked.  But they are the same size, 8r-19.5s, that we are running on the Holiday Rambler, which are pretty new.  I don't think the bolt pattern is the same on the rims, so if they aren't, I'll bring at least the front tires, and the two best tires off the HR, to a tire shop to have them mounted and balanced.  I'll check the rear tires carefully while I am at it.  If they are the same rims, I'll switch out all the tires on the Itasca with ones from the HR...since we are on a tight budget. 


We also noticed that one headlight is out, and the headlights are super dim.  It was pouring out on our drive home and got dark on us, so that last 80 miles sucked.  Also needs new wiper blades, although they got us home.  One marker light doesn't work, an easy fix.  Power steering started making some noise by the time we got home, so it might have a leak.  Cruise control and horn doesn't work, and although the dash AC seems to be working, the heat wouldn't come on (fan works though).  We'll figure it all out this week.  And the trailer plug is a 6 pin deal, instead of the 4 pin setup we have for our magnetic tow lights, so I'll have to get an adapter or rewire in a 4 pin trailer plug (we drove back with the hazard lights flashing on the Jeep, since we didn't have any other choice).


The seller originally wanted 9200, but we talked him down to 6800, plus my old Mosin Nagant M44, a Savage bolt action rifle, and my Glock 30. 


After making the transaction, we drove the Jeep right down the street to the DMV and transfered our plates and got a new title right there.


So it is ours, for better or worse!  It really is a nice coach, inside and out. 


Next up after and during the maintenance and travel checks:  The great pairing down of our "things" and transferring what we are going to keep from the HR to the Itasca.


And it is a 95, so it is still officially a "Classic Winnebago,"...lol!


I'm putting my motorcycle and carrier on Craigslist tomorrow, as well as the Holiday Rambler.  I figure if I list it for 1000.00 or b/o, someone might be able to get a nice enough coach for occasional camping if they replace the transmission.  I just wouldn't trust it anymore to transverse the States every year like we do.  And/or I might part it out for some of the good parts we aren't going to transfer over, like the tires we might not be able to use, the Splendide washer/dryer, the Dometic fridge which works perfectly, the brand new front Duo Therm A/C, the on demand Gen 2 water heater, and the ThinLite fixtures, 12 of them, already converted over to LEDs.  And the strong running 454, etc.  We have to be on the road by January 7th, so we won't have time to sell anything for top dollar...it will all have to go quick, or go to the salvage yard.


The new coach has ducted air and ducted heat, and the quietness of them is so different from what we are used to.  Gotta learn about those too. 


So we are going to keep the Go Fund Me up until we have at least 1500 in travel money...as soon as we hit that goal, hopefully through my Craigslist sales this week, the Go Fund Me comes down, and off we go.


Thank you everyone!  I'm going to start a new thread tomorrow once we get working on the Itasca. 


Kev

[joanfenn]

 W% Dont forget the Natures Head, Kevin.