Hi,
It's my opinion that the Barth design, by virtue of the rugged construction methods and related water shedding capabilities, is eventually going to give present the owner with problems that an SOB owner will not have to confront.

For instance, a guy I know had the side wall fall off his SOB while on the highway. Easy solution, junk the SOB.

That won't happen to a Barth, and unless the Barth meets an errant tri-axle dump truck or a falling redwood, then the issue comes down to money.

So I'd like a topic dedicated to hearing from guys who scrapped their Barths, and the reasons why. I'd also like to hear from guys who've taken measures to avoid scrapping their Barths.

From what I've seen and heard, these are the top items for preserving your Barth, feel free to discuss or add:
- be proactive with tire replacement
- keep the brakes in good shape, especially critical for the P30 Hydroboost system
- cloth tape may have been used to position the aluminum to the 1x1 steel framing downstairs, remove it to prevent enhanced rusting processes ( ask me how I know )
- keep a close eye on the roof vents, and repair or protect as needed to prevent water from entering

Right now my Barth is running great. I have it out most weekends to bring a son to quarter midget racing and tow a trailer. Keeping the rig on a schedule of activity is going to help it out.

Engine coolant temperatures are down, and there is no misfiring. Both matters used to be a concern, but I attribute the situation now to having replaced the fan clutch, and using Moroso plug wires with a 135 degree plug boot angle, and woven heat sleeves for the plug wires. (I am running Gibson headers) I think that the fan clutch should probably be replaced after a certain number of years anyway. It will fail in ways that aren't immediately obvious. With a P30 rig, and a trailer, I am going up hills on 80 degree days and not going over 210 degrees. I'd seen 240 in the past, with the old clutch and straight plug boot wires, and no trailer.

Take care of the cooling situation and that is going to keep the engine happy and hopefully avoid a catastrophe.

The thing I worry about also is the topic of "galvanic corrosion". I've seen this happen where aluminum and steel are secured together with rivets, especially where water might be present, like on the underside. Now I think I'd heard that structural engineers of bridges might specify an electrical connection to suppress corrosion. Is there something that can be used on a Barth to limit the harm done?

Has anyone rebuilt their Barth basements and shared info about this?

happy motoring!!!
Matt

I'm asking about the cloth tape you mentioned, and how you removed yours. I'm a new Barth owner, well almost new. After going over my Barth checking it all out, I was so impressed how well it was built. However the only issue I have is the basement steel framing and the amount of rust on the steel. Other Barth owners have commented on the same issue. Some of my steel appears to have a coating on it that is coming off and exposing rust.

In earlier post other owners have mentioned cutting out some of the bad steel and fabricating in new pieces. They have added a barrier material between the aluminum skin and steel tubing.

By the way what is a SOB? ha ha other than the meaning I'm thinking of.

Tom

Tom,

SOB means "some other brand" of motor home.



Jim

Thanks Jim

If it's not a Barth it's an SOB!

Tom

It's another Barthism

SOB: Some Other Brand ~ NOUN: duality - being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses; "the dichotomy between a Barth and a SOB"

The vernacular SOB really is a nice way of dissing another motorhome with a play on words. The duality in meaning really makes most SOB a class unto itself.

Example: A Barth and a Newell are luxury coaches. A Winnie is a POS SOB. Any questions?

alternative meaning: Something Other than Barth