This is inside the Big Tent in Quartzsite, Arizona. With over 1.5 Million people in town during the RV Show this year, they are very busy. The best time to visit the Tent is between 3:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon on weekdays after the crowds dwindle and the Parking Spaces near the Tent start opening up.
https://youtu.be/Hv0s36Z_BDw
Wish everybody well for us. If this wind ever subsides might be worth a day trip down there.
Good video Gary! Looks like you got some sort of steadi cam...
Quote from: lvmci on January 23, 2023, 11:49:07 AM
Good video Gary! Looks like you got some sort of steady cam...
Nothing special, just my cell phone.
Quote from: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM on January 24, 2023, 08:48:21 AM
Nothing special, just my cell phone.
It's not the tool but the person behind it!
Gary,
Are there still a bunch of booths looking for volunteer work campers? They were begging people to sign up last year. Especially xanterra.
We didn't go this year.
David
We made our trip today,lol 1 good thing turned out best for me,Sonja Gary and I went shopping for a 32 ft RV with 1 slide.Sonja decided she didn't want one of the cheap made things and she doesn't like brown interior. Stopped for a while and had visits with some old friends so all was not lost today, we hung out with Cindy and Art for while 2 of our favorites.
Quote from: luvrbus on January 24, 2023, 06:15:04 PM
We made our trip today,lol 1 good thing turned out best for me,Sonja Gary and I went shopping for a 32 ft RV with 1 slide.Sonja decided she didn't want one of the cheap made things and she doesn't like brown interior. Stopped for a while and had visits with some old friends so all was not lost today, we hung out with Cindy and Art for while 2 of our favorites.
Cliff and Sonya confirmed what they already know, Stick-N-Staple units are not built like buses as they are made of cheap materials and are very flimsy and people wonder why they are lucky to get 50,000 miles out of them before they start falling apart, if not earlier. Whereas people like many of us who own Bus Conversions, have over 2 million miles on them and they are still going.
And two million dollars in fuel and repairs.🤣
Country Coach, Newell and Foretravel don't fall into the same class as the ones we looked at yesterday. Those were cheap with wiring on the walls covered with a plastic cover.and cheap made slides,the location of switches in the stairs.was laughable,along with the 4 ft high beds in the rear.Sonja has it out of her mind now but we see what today brings lol
Quote from: luvrbus on January 25, 2023, 05:56:42 AM
Country Coach, Newell and Foretravel don't fall into the same class as the ones we looked at yesterday. Those were cheap with wiring on the walls covered with a plastic cover.and cheap made slides,the location of switches in the stairs.was laughable,along with the 4 ft high beds in the rear.Sonja has it out of her mind now but we see what today brings lol
Just think what you could do with one of those new 35' MCI Buses. Just buy one of those, and order everything you want to put in it and all of your plumbing and electrical, then have a Bus Rally at your place, and we will all come over for two weeks and build it exactly the way you want it. I'll bet you will get a yard full of people willing to help in exchange for some of those Clifford Fajitas hot off the grill each day. You can lay out the interior any way Sonja wants it and have your last bus designed exactly as you want it. We will even put a Claw Foot tub in there for Sonja. Then you can travel all you want. :-)
We stopped in Parker and looked at 36 ft Hathaway made by the 3rd richest man in the USA Warren Buffet no way would I put my name on those. You could see the plywood on the floors where it wasn't covered.lol and brown interior.Looking at RV's the Tiffin seems to be the best made Class C on the market, that won't last long since Bob Tiffin sold and retired.I looked at a 42 ft 3 axle Newmar that had a 6.7 Cummins pickup engine that should be a treat driving in mountains.
Been to many rv shows at Hershey over the years. Tired at seeing same color patterns in every brand. Browns now. Used to have several colors years ago. One thing we laugh about is same ceiling vents on $45,000 and $400,000. Noticed this changing a little last couple of years..More house sized refers now. And huge windshields! They're still cheap looking, just lots of bells and whistles.
Quote from: chessie4905 on January 25, 2023, 07:43:43 AM
Been to many rv shows at Hershey over the years. Tired at seeing same color patterns in every brand. Browns now. Used to have several colors years ago. One thing we laugh about is same ceiling vents on $45,000 and $400,000. Noticed this changing a little last couple of years..More house sized refers now. And huge windshields! They're still cheap looking, just lots of bells and whistles.
They don't have a large enough battery bank either to keep the huge fridge running without being on a pole.Most had 2-100 amp life pro4 batteries and no room to install more lol and that was in total electric coach.with a 18 cf fride, electric cook top with a cheap inverter I never heard of,they did have Onan generators. Who in their right mind would have one financed for 12 or 15 years.
I have watched a few videos of the big tent and didn't really see anything new, just basically same old stuff!!!
Do you really need a seat attachment for a five gallon bucket?
Quote from: chessie4905 on January 25, 2023, 07:43:43 AM
Been to many rv shows at Hershey over the years. Tired at seeing same color patterns in every brand. Browns now. Used to have several colors years ago. One thing we laugh about is same ceiling vents on $45,000 and $400,000. Noticed this changing a little last couple of years..More house sized refers now. And huge windshields! They're still cheap looking, just lots of bells and whistles.
Don't kid yourself we have friends with a 2.5 million dollar Prevost with all the bells and whistles that has a lot of cheap @$# stuff in it to,all the laminates and mirrors can hide a bunch of things like MD board on cabinets.You have to laugh when you read the build sheet on their Prevost, 100% wood products and that does not mean solid wood as they found out
I'll be the first to show up to Gary's barn raising, oops, I mean bus build. On the cheap RV's now days, I had been tempted in the past to go that route, but I just can't get past not only the cheapness, but the unnecessary technicalities. What I mean by that is, I want my bus to be fully serviceable. It seems like the new RV's now days are trying to outdo each other with technology. I have a friend whose brother-in-law bought a $450,000 RV (I believe it was a Tiffin, but don't quote me on that). They ended up having to drive it to some other state to have something worked on (electrical issue). They got there and had to camp out for a couple of weeks waiting for parts or whatever. A good friend has a '98 Country Coach. It runs great and everything, but the electrical house systems are so complicated that hardly anyone can work on it. I've tried to help him on some things, but it is so complicated, I fear that I will do more harm than good. He has to drive it about 200 miles to a service place in Oregon for simple things like the entry steps that won't extend, things like that. I am building my bus with a level of technology, but I am trying to keep it as simple as possible (I certainly won't have electric shades and doors!!!). All that stuff is nice when it works, but... you get the point.
Quote from: Glennman on January 25, 2023, 01:10:10 PM
I'll be the first to show up to Gary's barn raising, oops, I mean bus build. On the cheap RV's now days, I had been tempted in the past to go that route, but I just can't get past not only the cheapness, but the unnecessary technicalities. What I mean by that is, I want my bus to be fully serviceable. It seems like the new RV's now days are trying to outdo each other with technology. I have a friend whose brother-in-law bought a $450,000 RV (I believe it was a Tiffin, but don't quote me on that). They ended up having to drive it to some other state to have something worked on (electrical issue). They got there and had to camp out for a couple of weeks waiting for parts or whatever. A good friend has a '98 Country Coach. It runs great and everything, but the electrical house systems are so complicated that hardly anyone can work on it. I've tried to help him on some things, but it is so complicated, I fear that I will do more harm than good. He has to drive it about 200 miles to a service place in Oregon for simple things like the entry steps that won't extend, things like that. I am building my bus with a level of technology, but I am trying to keep it as simple as possible (I certainly won't have electric shades and doors!!!). All that stuff is nice when it works, but... you get the point.
A 98 Country Coach should be piece of cake if you understand relays try a 2007-2008 with the Muliplex computer systems.1 remote controls everything blinds awnings,TV, sound system, lights you name it the remote controls and all switches are push buttons or remote.you can work around the remote if needed to but I haven't figured all out in 3 years.LOL I do like the power shades push a button for 1 or all to open and close. I do love my Country Coach it a pleasure to drive and built like a tank and power the ISX 15 Cummins it loves to work without breaking a sweat ,I don't like all the electronics though, who needs to turn on a bathroom light from the drivers area
We took a 2003 Allegro bus full time for a year in 2005. Engine and trani always worked and drove it all over America. Enough to get new tires twice. Slide wouldn't come in 3 times. Levelers wouldn't go up twice. Replaced the big awning motor twice.
Can't imagine trying to keep up with the "We can add more gadgets than you can" craze. Different generation going "camping" these days. They started life in a mini van with a touch screen on the back of mom's seat. Bathed in electrons before they could talk or were out of diapers. They crave and expect a TV at the foot of every bed, a big one in the belly bay, and one that comes up out of the floor next to the fake fireplace.
I don't mean to sound acidic. Just a new generation raised differently with different expectations.
Very glad I am older and don't need voice activated shades.
Alexa, play Travis Tritt
Odessa, turn up the heat
Ophilia, raise the shades on the left side
Amanda, dim the lights in the bathroom
Just shoot me now.
author=dtcerrato
link=topic=36561.msg424303#msg424303 date=1674587599]
It's not the tool but the person behind it!
So true, I've made a career out if that statement...
Quote from: luvrbus on January 25, 2023, 08:46:07 AM
Who in their right mind would have one financed for 12 or 15 years.
I always wonder about the stupid SOB holding the paper. If interest rates spike up and they start getting back 2 or 3 year old units the taxpayer will be bailing the banks out again.
Quote from: Tedsoldbus on January 25, 2023, 03:16:27 PM
We took a 2003 Allegro bus full time for a year in 2005. Engine and trani always worked and drove it all over America. Enough to get new tires twice. Slide wouldn't come in 3 times. Levelers wouldn't go up twice. Replaced the big awning motor twice.
Can't imagine trying to keep up with the "We can add more gadgets than you can" craze. Different generation going "camping" these days. They started life in a mini van with a touch screen on the back of mom's seat. Bathed in electrons before they could talk or were out of diapers. They crave and expect a TV at the foot of every bed, a big one in the belly bay, and one that comes up out of the floor next to the fake fireplace.
I don't mean to sound acidic. Just a new generation raised differently with different expectations.
Very glad I am older and don't need voice activated shades.
Alexa, play Travis Tritt
Odessa, turn up the heat
Ophilia, raise the shades on the left side
Amanda, dim the lights in the bathroom
Just shoot me now.
Most all new Prevost conversion have the Crestron System even Foretravel you can be into a Crestron system for over $25k in hurry ,when you set it up you cannot add anything to the Crestron without paying a service man 300 bucks a hour to reprogram the damn thing,takes sometimes 3 hours to reboot one,paying a guy setting on his @$# watching the screen
My goal in life was to eventually buy a Prevost conversion. After a couple of years reading posts on Facebook and also on Google forum, and age, of course, I'm no longer interested. Too many items shoehorned into bays, Cruise airs no longer available, Webasto issues and service every year, electronic transmission and engine issues, wiring issues since every builder is different, every builder changes too much even in similar builds. To many components going obsolete, on and on. I'll stick with my Buffalo. Conversions are meant for traveling and enjoyment, not constant problems to disrupt trips. Fuel price is enough of a headache these days.
I still recall when fuel spiked during Arab oil embargo. Was tough to fill the tank on that Brill since we has far less money in our life and it got 4 to 5 miles to the gallon on gasoline.
Here I complain about too much technology and electronics, so I build my bus with simplicity. However, I have the multiplex system in my bus. What was I thinking? It's a simple house sitting on a very complicated foundation. Woe is me!
Quote from: Glennman on January 25, 2023, 10:55:57 PM
Here I complain about too much technology and electronics, so I build my bus with simplicity. However, I have the multiplex system in my bus. What was I thinking? It's a simple house sitting on a very complicated foundation. Woe is me!
Yea but the J is sure a nice good-looking bus ,If I was younger converting a bus it would be a J or the Prevost H-45, Electronic engines and transmission last a million mile you notice you very seldom see a later model bus behind a tow truck or on the side of the road like in the past years lol one just came in yesterday a older MCI that got overheated.
So far I've seen no reason to change my opinion that the '96 102DL3 is the sweet spot. Very few fancy electronics and the ones there (engine and transmission) appear to be dependable. Got the good engine, the good transmission, and a boatload of other nice touches. I'd have liked to have bought one that hadn't been high centered at some point in it's life, but that's cosmetic and I'd not have done it for what I paid so I'm satisfied.
Jim
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on January 26, 2023, 10:21:59 AM
So far I've seen no reason to change my opinion that the '96 102DL3 is the sweet spot. Very few fancy electronics and the ones there (engine and transmission) appear to be dependable. Got the good engine, the good transmission, and a boatload of other nice touches. I'd have liked to have bought one that hadn't been high centered at some point in it's life, but that's cosmetic and I'd not have done it for what I paid so I'm satisfied.
Jim
The D is a workhorse it replaced a workhorse the MCI 9,nothing fancy about the D like the E and J it was just a people mover the transit operators wanted in a 45 bus,The G came and went they made to Greyhound specs but the D is still going strong after 25 years out selling any bus made today.Prior to 2010 you will see a Cummins,Cat or series 60 engine in the D now due to EPA the ISX 12 Cummins is the only engine available it was built for a bus but has now moved on to trucks , MCI hit a home run with the D
Quote from: David Anderson on January 24, 2023, 11:16:18 AM
Gary,
Are there still a bunch of booths looking for volunteer work campers? They were begging people to sign up last year. Especially xanterra.
We didn't go this year.
David
If you arrive as they are setting up, there are always people hiring. You can also post your want ad outside the office at Tyson Wells across the street before the show. The vendors are always looking for help too.