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| What does it take to be a Barthmobiler? | Login now/Join our community |
 12/12 |
Way to go Rusty...Just put my morning coffee through my nose! LOL  Can't wait to use that line on my Bro-in-Law's Southwind........  | |||
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5/10 |
And I just had that wonderful feeling of "upgrading" and " modernizing" after 10 years as a busnut with a 1960 GM 4104. We are going 30 years back in to the future with our Barth. Doris 1999 Bluebird Custom 33' 8.3 Cummins diesel pusher Former owner 1989 Barth Regal 25' | |||
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First Month Member 11/13 |
That sums up why I own a Barth. This is RV number 8 or 9 for us, going back to the Sixties. All previous were stick and staple. Cheap construction by unskilled labor and dry rot finally did me in. I was always limited my investment (both emotional and financial) in previous RVs, as I knew they would not be around long enough to see any return. . 84 30T PeeThirty-Something, 502 powered | |||
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| 6/12 Formally known as "Humbojb"  |
Olroy, your post was right on. You either have to have the skill to do it yourself or deep pockets. Add to that, physical ability. I don't have the skill, have a bad back, and don't have deep pockets. When I bought the 85 Regal, I thought my son-in-law would help, but he doesn't have the time, what with being gone 50% of the time and 4-year old triplets and a 35 acre horse farm to take care of when he's home. Tere's a good sport, but we are both 'technically challenged'. Maybe an alternative would be a Barth trailer. We have the technical know how to keep one of those running. At this point, anything is a possibility. Tere's out there working her a** off, and the more she does, the more problems she finds. She replaced the starter motor yesterday only to find almost all of the wiring near the exhaust manifold is toast and has to be redone. Add to that the rusty gas tank, rusty fuel tank sending unit, rotting gas lines that she is trying to replace, right side manifold heat shield that won't fit the way it's supposed to, aux radiator fan that doesn't work, timing that's off, and Milford seems to be most unlikely. Maybe someone who has a nice Barth trailer might want to do a trade for the Regal. It's really quite nice and we've had everything replaced by professional mechanics that had to be replaced. Money has just now become an issue. Jim
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| The Old Man and No Barth |
I'm right there with Jim. I had the skill, but physical ability was declining, though I had a 19-year old grandson to help with the heavy stuff. I managed to drop about $6K in repairs, mods & improvements to the Barth, & things went fine until 2005 when I spent 6 days in a hospital in Phoenix with a heart problem that turned out to be an uncorrectable blockage that knocked my heart capacity down by about 30%. One of my sons flew down & helped drive home. While I recuperated I had ambitions of finishing the upgrade with grandson's help, but he died in an auto wreck that summer. We made one local weekend run in the Barth, but I decided I couldn't handle it any more. I was determined to not let it molder away from disuse. We marketed it for about a year, & finally sold for less than half of what we had in it. We now have a 1995 Class "B, low miles, well-maintained, pristine for its age, that I hope we will be well enough to get some use out of locally this summer. We've had boats, and/or RVs for more than 40 years. It's hard to give up the dream, & I still have something to putter with when enough ambition arises. There are cheaper toys, but I never learned to play with them. | |||
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| 5/10 |
I suggest a membership with Coachnet or similar road service so when you have one of this Luddite moments as your horseless carriage leaves you stranded on the side of the road no mafia wrecker service or tire service will take you to the cleaners. And remember Murphy's law. 1999 Bluebird Custom 33' 8.3 Cummins diesel pusher Former owner 1989 Barth Regal 25' | |||
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| 6/12 Formally known as "Humbojb" |
Like I said, if you own an old motor home, don't be in a hurry to go anywhere. No matter whether you can fix it yourself or have to get someone else to do it, Coach Net at least will get you towed to someplace comfortable. I think about Carl and Betsy Feren in some small town in maybe Nevada for a month. But they had the time and the patience, and the willingness to work on it and the money it took. And attitude makes a big difference. Jim
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| First Month Member 11/13 |
Also........try not to travel home on Sunday evening. Everything is closed. Over all the years of weekend recreation and travel, I have had to do some horribly makeshift jake-leg fixes because all the parts stores were closed on Sunday night.  . 84 30T PeeThirty-Something, 502 powered | |||
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"Host" of Barthmobile.com 1/19 |
I wouldn't know what you were talking about.  That's my story Mr. D.O.T. Officer, and I'm sticking to it. 
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| 5/10 |
On the not so serious side you do not have to name your dog "Barth" to point out what kind of coach you are driving. Talked to a man walking his little dog (a snarling little jalapeno popper) and he told me his dog's name was "SOB" because his coach was a SOB (he was also wearing the matching jacket for the SOB). Cannot keep them newer SOBs apart, they all look the same, no personality or character. On the other side I could walk thru the RV park at 5am and holler "Barth Barth" (Doris)1999 Bluebird Custom 33' 8.3 Cummins diesel pusher Former owner 1989 Barth Regal 25' | |||
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| First Month Member 11/13 |
Heck, Mrs Gimble named her oldest son after their motor home. Anybody remember Barth Gimble? . 84 30T PeeThirty-Something, 502 powered | |||
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12/10 |
Are you talking about Fernwood 2 Night? (later renamed America 2 Night)? I think his name was Barth Gumble and his sidekick was Jerry Hubbard?  Patch1st 35' Regency 1985 MCC Chassis 8.2 Detroit Diesel "Partly Cloudy" | |||
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FKA: noble97monarch 3/12 |
Jim and Tere, Perhaps there is an honest mechanic type that you can work a symbiotic deal with, sort of a time share kinda thing like they do with airplanes. There are probably dozens of people who would put in the mechanical time for a weekend or week of use throughout the year. As hard as it may be to see her taillights leave the yard, in the right circumstances this could be a win/win for people in your situation. I'll call it the "Barth First Mate" program. Tere can be promoted to management then!  Formerly: 1997 Barth Monarch Now: 2000 BlueBird Wanderlodge 43' LXi Millennium Edition DD Series 60 500HP 3 stage Jake, Overbuilt bike lift with R1200GS BMW, followed by 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” | |||
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| First Month Member 11/13 |
Yeah, that's the one. His sidekick was played by Fred Willard, but I don't remember the stage name. That might be my all-time favorite TV series. That and The Invaders . 84 30T PeeThirty-Something, 502 powered | |||
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| "Host" of Barthmobile.com 1/19 |
Here you go Bill... host Barth Gimble (Martin Mull) and his fractious sidekick Jerry Hubbard (Fred Willard). Never heard of it til now.
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We are committed to the history, preservation and restoration of the Barth Custom Coach.
We are committed to the history, preservation and restoration of the Barth Custom Coach.