Quality control encouragement

[cody]

Thats exactly right Jack, we control our quality and material list.  Any problems can be directly traced to the builder and that person is usually pretty easy to find lol.

[Lin]

There is a wide range of quality and design issues on home conversions.  Some are done by masters, others by the less-than-competent.  I have put a lot of effort into tracing out and repairing things done by the former owner even though the bus was originally, I'm told, a professional conversion.  These same issues could happen in an S&S, since people are always modifying something.  My guess is that quality control varies from company to company, and some are probably okay.

I am curious about something here though.  We call these manufactured units "Sticks and Staples."  I know that that is the basic construction of trailers and other low-end RV's, but what about the others?  Do these Bounders, Pace Arrows, and Winnies still use wood frames?  Looking at the size and weight of some of these popular units makes that concept rather frightening.

[cody]

At an RV show at Ft Meyers last winter I looked at a few 500 to 750K coaches that were cosmetically very nice but the drawers were a cheap grade of plywood with exposed voids that had been filled, the workmanship was terrible, mitres that didn't meet, corners that were loose, tile that had been reglued just to hold it down, it was sad.

[belfert]

I doubt that any motorhome still uses a wood frame.  Winnebago is using metal sidewalls now.  There are even a number of fivers and travel trailers with metal sidewalls, but many are still wood.

[buswarrior]

Have they just graduated to steel studs same as the home builders?

No different, just tin instead of twig.

See one after an accident, you'll be a believer!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[belfert]

Motorhomes are using welded frames with real tubing and certainly not metal studs.

I still wouldn't want one as the body and frame aren't integrated into one unit like a bus.  Still, if I won the lottery or something I would have to consdier a Kingsley coach or similiar instead of a new bus conversion.  It is so much easier to repair a front engine, but if I could afford a new conversion then I probably wouldn't be too worried about extra costs to repair a pusher engine.