Hello

I am new to the site and have a question for you expert motorhome owners.

We have owned an Airstream TT for the last 14 years and am considering getting a MH in order to have a bit more room on long trips. (3 months+)

I was told that a diesel pusher should be at least 36' long due to some handling problems if it is shorter. Any truth in this??

BTW, we are considering a HMC or Barth coach but I must admit that I don't know much about Barth at all.

Thanks for any information.

Don

There are so many factors that enter into the dynamics of handling that a blanket statement on length alone cannot be accurate.

There are Barth owners, many of them, with 28' and 30' Barth Breakaway diesel pushers that have no handling problems at all.
If you understand the quality of an Airstream, which I'm sure you do, then you know about the quality of a Barth. The aluminum framing system and aluminum sidewall and roof, along with the highest quality cabinetry and interior appointments make it a superior motor home. Except for a few, like Prevost, Newell, Foretravel, there is nothing like them. And you can by a very nice 34'/36' Barth diesel pusher for $20000/$40000. I'd never have anything else.

Thanks for the reply. I indeed know the quality issues and really like our Airstream. We are the second owners and have owned it for 14 years. I am also convinced that you can get more bang for your bucks if you are willing to buy an older quality machine instead of one of the newer coaches. I have owned 3 Cummins diesels in Dodge trucks and have had no problems with them at all.

I really know nothing about Barth coaches but plan to learn lots more soon.

We had little knowledge of Barths or diesel pushers until we finally bought our 34' Regency two years ago. We drove it to Arizona and back last year.
We are currently in Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores Alabama and the SE Region Airstream group is having a rally here right now. There are 15 or so trailers that we have seen.
Our Barth has full air suspension on a 228' wheel base and handles like a car. No problems with side winds, passing tractor trailers, nothing.
We got caught in a thunderstorm/tornado warnings two weeks ago and saw a little over a foot of rain in 48 hours. She was rockin and rollin a bit right on the paved pad at the state park that day!The ranger came by and told us to get to the restroom nearby if there was a tornado!
If you are going to by an old motorhome, a Barth is a good choice, you can't beat the all aluminum skin and bones. But you already know that!
Good Luck.
Don and Patty

Hi Don & Patty,

Your rig sounds like it would be a perfect fit for our needs. We are planning to do longer trips both in distance and months and think a MH might be a bit more comfortable. 34' length seems to be just about right and the 8.3 Cummins is an ideal engine for that size.

I will look around at what is available in the Regency class.

Thanks

Don

One thing you will figure out quickly with the Barth line up is there are no slide outs. Many "expert" salespeople will try to convince you this is a must have in today's RV market. You will need to make up your own mind, but us Barth-mobilers have chosen to forgo slides to get the unique structure of a Barth. Not having a slide maintains the structural integrity of the cage and prevents squeaks, rattles, and pest intrusion as well as allowing full access under way to the back of the coach.

Other than length, you will have a choice of width in the Barth, the 102" wide-body being found in the later years.

Usually when a chassis has a rear pusher diesel, they are coupled with air ride suspension. This is accomplished rather easily as the diesels usually have an air compressor built in. In my mind this is a huge leap forward in ride, handling, comfort, and leveling convenience.

On the safety side the biggest leap forward with the "air package" is air brakes. I can't emphasize enough how important this evolution is, but there is a reason all big commercial vehicles are required to have air brakes. In a nutshell, the default position of air brakes is to go full-ON! If you lost air pressure, the brakes will apply as the pressure drops. When your coach is parked and air pressure is bled off, brakes are fully on. My biggest fear with bigger coaches with hydraulic brakes is the dreaded brake boil off or booster failure. I had this occur to me in a 1964 GMC converted schoolie in the early 80s coming out of the Shenendoas. It was shear terror to have no brakes and gravity trying to kill me and my family.

I have a 34' Barth, tow a 16' trailer with two motorcycles and a golf cart aboard and have never felt a second of terror concerning the handling or dynamic performance of my rig. Don't get me wrong, guiding 54' of rig down the road is always a handful but you already know that feeling.

By the way, I often refer to my Barth as the MH Airstream wished they had built! Their foray into powered RVs seems to be a bit of an embarrassment compared to the quality and thought put into their TTs.

Finally, a good friend of mine has a 1957 "Bubble" that is completely restored. What a beauty!!!

Good luck!
Corey

I have a 28' Breakaway, with an absurdly short 146" wheelbase. It drives like it's on rails.

Thanks Corey & Rusty,

I can identify with the brake situation. I have overheated the brakes on my tow vehicle on long downhill runs and it is not fun to smell smoke and realize that it is coming from your vehicle.

Airstream has not faired so well with their MH attempts. Also, I think since they have gone the corporation route with Thor they have compromised a bit and the newer models do not have quite the appeal of the older ones. That is, of course, the opinion of only one person. The newer models of TT are quite expensive and IMHO not as well built as the earlier ones. A new A/S the length of ours would cost about $72K.

I was not aware of the "Wide Body". I assume the regular width is 96".

We have decided that slide outs are a bit of a pain. We have a friend who has a new Country Coach and had to return the thing to the factory in order to get leaks fixed in the slide outs. These new coaches have much more living space because of the slides but we, instead, like to spend time outside and think a normal sized coach will have plenty of space for us.

I am becoming more interested in this line and really want to learn more about them.

Don

Hi Cantrade,

I'm also new to the motorhome scene. I bought a 34' Regency a few weeks ago and although I have only driven it 24 miles much of it on narrow winding country roads and it handled like a dream. Good luck on your search.

Roman

quote:

I am becoming more interested in this line and really want to learn more about them.

Don

Yup, sounds like me two years ago. I got rid of my MCI bus conversion project and went on "the search". My MCI was a 35' narrow (yes 96" sounds right) and I thought the length to be perfect for a compromise between room and maneuverability.

After much elimination, I ended up looking at Barth, Newell, and a full up bus conversion. Price on the latter two made me realize what a bargain the Barth was/is!

I found this site, watched for a while, saw a 1996 Monarch with 18K on the odo, bought it, end of story.

What I find interesting is how integrated the Barth is in our life due to the friends we met here on the Barthmobile site. Although I own BMW bikes, a Corvette, and have had many cool toys I always avoided the "club thing". Not so with this group!

I really look forward to postings and boy did we have a blast when we went to the Florida gathering. It's really a first to find a group so friendly and undemanding. I think we have a lot to thank the Barthmobile founders for, but especially Bill who is a great on-line leader of this gang. I'm not sure what that is worth, but I'll bet you'll learn to appreciate it.

Corey

As the owner of a 33 foot Breakaway, I would say that you would not be uncomfortable driving a pusher less than 36' long. It handles great and is very quiet going down the highway.

Good luck,
Rick

Corey,

It seems to work that way with lots of things. I have always thought that one "projects" himself into things by learning about them, then investigating the possibilities, then actually doing it. I think this applies to careers, travel and most hobbies. I auto-x a Miata now and it took me a couple of years to decide to get back into sports cars but now I am having lots of fun in the regional competition here.

Once you decide to do something, like selling a vehicle, and start placing ads, etc., the rest is simply the logistics of getting it done.

It is good to hear that you have had good experiences with the group. From what I can tell Bill has done a great job with the web site and has provided a great service to Barth owners with the forums and classifieds.

I have seen that integration of the MH lifestyle with others. Some Canadian friends snow-bird it to the same places in Mexico each year and have done it for years. They have a core group of friends and some even travel together. They love that semi full-time way of life that revolves around their coaches.

Thanks for the input about your Monarch.

Don

Rick,

It is good to hear that you have not had handling difficulties with your 33' Breakaway. I had originally thought that was the ideal size for us. Then, a friend mentioned that there was a rule of thumb about the length of the chassis. I was skeptical about it, but what do I know? I am a real newbie to motorhomes.

I have always liked diesels and think in a MH a pusher is the way to go.

Don

Just thought I might add my 2 cents in here. We have a 30' Breakaway, which is a diesel pusher and I can honestly say that I don't have a problem driving it down the road. And until I bought this one, I never drove a MH! It travels down the road as would my car or truck. Don't get me wrong, in a 30mph cross wind you are going to feel it push you around some, I don't care what you are driving. But, the Breakaway handles that situation admirably.
Bruce