hi, i am a new guy. don't own a barth yet but seriously looking at a 1991 32' regency or breakaway, don't know which, how can you tell. it has the same paint scheme that i have seen on Regencies. do any breakaways have that paint scheme. also, i am told that it is a 4 speed transmission and a 240 horse cummins engine. would the 4 speed transmission most likely be the AT545, at542, mt643, or md3060? thanks, i am out of the door now and will be on the road until late tomorrow but i will check the forum for answers while on the road. thanks, dave diamond

Dave, have you used the search feature of this site? Yours is a common question, and there is a lot of info here.

If I am not mistaken, unless the engine is modified, it will not be a 240 HP, I don't think anything over 190 in the Cummins was available from Barth with the 4 speed.
When Barth went to the 6 speed Allison MD3060, they used the 230 HP which is the highest HP 5.9L Cummins of that day in stock configuration for RV installation.

If you can get the Barth number off the tag, that will tell for sure what it is, Breakaway or Regency.

Welcome to the forum! I, too am a retired swabbie.

There was a '90 32' Regency listed on the forum (here) with a 240 HP Cummins.

Anyway, the paint schemes aren't consistent indicators of the model, but MWrench is quite correct on pointing out that no known Breakaway had a 240 HP Cummins 5.9L, unless an owner bumped it up. The 4-speed Allison was common on the 28' and 30' Breakaways of that vintage (from what I think I know).

32' Breakaways are somewhat rare, so there's not much data shared here on them. There was a 32' Breakaway sold before I could look at it, and IIRC, it had a 210 HP 5.9L.

As MWrench also notes, the data tag can provide some real insight.

There is a 32' Breakaway owned by a forum member, but his has the GM 6.5L TD.

So things seem to point to its being a Regency. If there's a small center panel in the windshield, it's a widebody, and definitely a Regency.

Thanks for the replies. I am going to try to send a link to a photo of the Barth that i was trying to identify as regency or breakaway. Here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11540814@N06/2191016099/
hope it works. I looked thru all the photos in the gallery and there were no breakaways with this paint scheme. However, i read somewhere that all regencies had basement storage and this one does not. i guess it must be a breakaway but i have not been able to get the data tag info yet.

the other question is not answered in any of the archives. The MD3060 can be ordered in 4,5, or 6 speeds. has anybody ever seen a barth with a 4 speed md3060? I saw one guy say he had a mid 80s barth with an MT643 transmission. Has anybody seen a barth manufactured after 1989 with that transmission. If nobody has seen either of these things then it is almost certain that if it is a 4 speed it is the AT542. a 4 speed md3060 or a 4 speed mt643 would be preferable to the AT540 series as the 540 series torque converters don't lock and provide very little engine braking in the mountains. I have owned 2 motorhomes with the AT540 series and i would like to get away from that transmission.
thanks, dave diamond

Looks like a Breakaway. Can't see it all, but it doesn't appear to have a side radiator like a Regency. Roof edge looks not as rounded as a Regency.

I agree, that it's most assuredly a Breakaway; the basement panels don't have the size I've seen in Regencies, especially the one most forward on the driver's side, which, on Regencies, contains the electrical panel. There's no center windshield panel confirming a widebody (Regency).

As far as basement storage is concerned, all Barths had some, but pre-'94 Breakaways had a paucity, and even 32' Regencies were not blessed with an abundance...my '94 28' Breakaway has more than pre-'94 Breakaways (by a factor of about 4:1) and actually more than 32' Regencies I've seen.

If the wheels/tires are 8x19.5, it's most assuredly a Breakaway.

If a photo of the driver's position can be had, the main clue is the console in the center. In Breakaways, it's parallel to the dash; in Regencies, it's canted towards the driver.

In any event, I'd class this as a Breakaway unless other info proves otherwise. Which makes the claim of the 240 HP Cummins somewhat suspect.

That said, each model has its plusses and minuses.

But the data tag will tell all...if it were I, I'd reserve pricing conclusions until I were sure of which model it is.

The MD3060 thru MD3560 are all 6 speeds for RV use. The MD3060 was used in fire trucks as a 5 speed but it could be a 6 speed by a change in the electronic programing/valve body, the rotating guts of it are 6 speeds. I don't believe that the MD 3060 was ever offered in a 4 speed.

If you can get interior pictures of the driving area, it would be easy to tell what transmission it had. Lever shifted transmissions would be 4-5 speeds and if it has a push button trans panel it probably is a 6 speed MD3060.

I have been looking for the first year the Allison offered the MD3060 series and have been told it was right around 1991-92.

I looked at the picture and can't tell what model it is, It sure looks like it could be a Breakaway but doesn't look 32'. Again the tag will tell.

I believe Regency had air suspension and the Breakaway had springs.

I also think the Regency had 22" wheels and most Breakaways had 19.5".

There is a 32' Breakaway for sale at PPL in Houston. It is listed as a 190hp and and also a 240hp.

Breakaways had 542 Allisons thru 1992. Our '92 will soon be a 5 speed.

We have a Regency with the Cummins 8.3 turbo diesel rated at 240hp. It has a MT643 Allison 4 speed transmission. The rad is front mounted, not side mounted.
Really long rad hoses!
Full air ride suspension,air brakes and a Stone-Bennett air shifter.
It also has a 7.5kw diesel genny. Breakaways seem to only have lpg generators. I have seen two 1993 Breakaways with 22.5" wheels, both were 33 footers.
Btw, the 34' 460 Ford gas pusher on an Oshkosk chassis we looked at in Pa last year also had 22.5" wheels.
Don

I think you will find that this Barth is the 1991 Breakaway 30 ft that is, or at least was, for sale at PPL in Texas. Barthmobile link
and yet another link

thanks for the help everybody. i called ppl yesterday and asked the salesman to go out and get the info off of the data tag and give it to me. he called back and said the data tag has apparently been removed and the area where it would have been has been repainted. i told him that i suspected somebody was trying to hide something and that i was quite sure that this was a 30' vice a 32 and that it was 190 hp vice 240. He pulled the file and told me that the appraiser had measured the coach and it was 30' 11" overall (closer to 30' than 32')

I told him to call me back if they decided to make a substantial reduction in the price and I might be interested.

i see now that they have changed the ad and now say that the coach is 190 HP but they are still advertising it as a 32' and have not reduced the price.

30'11" probably is the length including the bumpers, that is what my 30' measures, but if you measure the "box" is is exactly 30'

There is a tag above the driver's left shoulder on the wall above the left driver's window, that should still be there.

If it is a 190 HP Cummins, it will be a 4 speed.

the salesman tells me the tag is not there and the area where it should have been has been repainted. i won't drive that far to look for it myself and i am almost certain that the tag would just confirm that the rv is overpriced.

quote:

Originally posted by MWrench:
30'11" probably is the length including the bumpers, that is what my 30' measures, but if you measure the "box" is is exactly 30'

Barth designated its coaches by the length of the box, not length overall. Besides 30'11' ain't closer to 32' than it is to 30'.