As a newbie, can you tell me why you are so sold on the Barth. Have owned seven, class A motorhomes and except for the Apollo, they were all pretty much the same. Barth looks good, but what make them so?

quote:

Originally posted by chast:
As a newbie, can you tell me why you are so sold on the Barth. Have owned seven, class A motorhomes and except for the Apollo, they were all pretty much the same. Barth looks good, but what make them so?

see this thread: https://www.barthmobile.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000022.html

Barth exterior is heavy gauge Alcoa aluminum, not a foil skin on a sandwich panel. The coach is a completely aluminum framed box, including the floor, set upon a full length bumper-to-bumper(usually Chev P30) chassis. Many manufacturers use a short chassis and attach weak extensions to support outrageous overhangs. There must be a reason why so many more Barths than other makes were ordered for police command units, mobile medical offices, bookmobiles, etc.
I am looking at 30 year old Barths. The only other coaches I would consider that are so old would be FMC, AVCO, Foretravel. None of them had the quality cabinet work of a Barth (which reminds me of old Avion travel trailer compared with the inferior interiors of Airstreams).




[This message has been edited by bill h (edited April 18, 2004).]

Well spoken! And welcome to the forum, MD.
(I edited your post to make the hyperlink work)

I should add here that somewhere here last month there was a post by Dave that shows Barth construction compared to typical Winnebago)MH construction. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is the OED.

We have an 84 Barth gas 30 footer. We have had TTs, 5ers, Class Cs and As. They all got loose on me. Our last was a Southwind. It was only a 27 footer, but was strictly white knuckle on curves or wind. I knew I wanted to beef up the chassis, but couldn't see putting too much money in something that was slowly going to collapse, either from the inevitable dry rot (been there) or just all the staples loosening up. It went down the road like some parallelogram, creaking and wiggling in loose formation. And it only had 22000 miles! So we decided to get something that would last forever, at least the coach part. That meant all metal. We had to be at or under 30 feet, as most Calif beaches and many national parks limit your length. That ruled out a lot there. I looked at Airstreams, Revcons, Superiors, GMCs and then got brainwashed by Dave's cult site. We were helpless. We had to have a Barth! We found this 30 foot Barth with a tag axle. The tag allows me to play with air bags and allow for different tongue weights or a motorcycle on the back, or both. Barth used the heavy duty P30 chassis with disks in the rear. I may convert the tag brakes to disks later. It feels a JILLION times better than the Southwind. I have put in a crate HT502, BIG trans and oil coolers, Thorleys, IPD bar, Bilsteins all around, heavier front springs, Air Lifts on the drive axle so far. More improvements to come. I am afraid to add it all up, but whatever it is, I am sure there is no way I could have the quality and durability for that amount of money any other way. I would do it all over again, but changing the engine from underneath was really a job. That 502 was worth it, though. I have an advantage, as I do all my own work, except I farmed out the tranny and carb to a couple of good race shops.
I have dismantled and removed the beds and dinette for remodeling. I marvel at the craftsmanship even in hidden areas. It is of the highest quality. Not a staple or nail in there. All good wood and fitting, even where no one would ever see it. I saved all the wood and use it now and then for other projects. Not the pallet scrap and pucky board the others had. All cabinets are solid cherrywood. I laugh when I go in a quarter or half million dollar coach and see those crappy K mart hinges glaring at me.

However, if I were looking for a longer coach, I would not rule out a Bluebird. The Foretravels are good coaches, but the older ones do not appeal to me visually. Barth has a timeless style that will never look dated. There is a bit of prejudice at some parks toward older coaches, and there is an age limit. If your Barth is shiny, tell them it is 3 years old.



[This message has been edited by bill h (edited April 18, 2004).]

quote:

Originally posted by chast:
As a newbie, can you tell me why you are so sold on the Barth. Have owned seven, class A motorhomes and except for the Apollo, they were all pretty much the same. Barth looks good, but what make them so?

Dave Bowers posted a catalog page at:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=4291661707
click on pic 39 to select, enlarge to original size and you can read and see more about the construction I was attempting to describe.

What method did Barth use to isolate the steel frame from the bus chassis? Is there significant dielectric problems to warrant concern?
Thanks,Tim

All Aluminum touches aluminum. The dielectric problems arise which the iron ions in moisture find themselves inside. Therefore the only problems I have seen have been on the compartment doors because the manufacturer didn't treat the inside of the aluminum sheeting on the compartment doors.



One other major reason I think that we like Barth so much is they have the most workable floorplans and are the very best built coaches in the lengths that we all seem to like. I love my 28 footer, it is purrrrfect.

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quote:

Originally posted by ccctimtation:
What method did Barth use to isolate the steel frame from the bus chassis? Is there significant dielectric problems to warrant concern?
Thanks,Tim

Tim:

Just be sure to change the zincs and there is no problem. For aluminum hulls, always use Tin based bottom paint if the Barth is going to be in salt water for extended periods of time. As tin based paint works it is no longer available in the U.S.. I get mine in Mexico.

The good news is with aluminum you do not have to worry about pollyestermites.


Oh wrong site, I thought this was the boat site, darn.

Tim:

Just be sure to change the zincs and there is no problem. For aluminum hulls, always use Tin based bottom paint if the Barth is going to be in salt water for extended periods of time. As tin based paint works it is no longer available in the U.S.. I get mine in Mexico.

The good news is with aluminum you do not have to worry about pollyestermites.


Oh wrong site, I thought this was the boat site, darn.
I will pass it to the boat site, but you will be better served using magnesium rather than zinc with your aluminum.
My real query still is how Barth dealt with the say P-30 Chassis (not Al)to body (obviously Al)connection. (quite well is not the answer I was looking for but it probably should suffice.

Tim

I would think that the only way to prevent corrosion problems where the Barth aluminum coach structure is fastened to the P-30 steel chassis is with a dielectric isolator, plastic, some applicable durable coating or whatever.

Someone on this site should know that from working on the underside a bit.

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Barth Wannabe
Nick and Glo

I've noticed that between the aluminum bodywork and the steel is a tape like material-kind of like duct tape.

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Eddie Chevalier
'85 Barth Regal 28' P-30 454
'91 Honda Accord/'87 Yamaha YSR 50 Toads

Dave, you mentioned that the inside of the aluminum was treated by the manufacturer to avoid dielectric problems. Treated with what?

Hi Terry,

What I was referring to is what my body shop guy told me. Many of us have seen the "rust" and "bubbling" which takes place on some of the compartment doors on the Barth. By the way I have the same problem with the insulated aluminum screen door on the back of my house.

The guy said that the aluminum is not treated on the back side of if water leaks in there the iron ions come in contact with the aluminum and a microscopic battery is created and then you have this electrolysis that takes place. He told me that new products (and if I had a better screen door) would have the aluminum treated on the back side so this does not have to happen.

Concerning the metal P-30 frame coming in contact with the aluminum coach siding, I do not have specific details as to how this was taken care of. I will attempt to contact Bill Barth this evening and see if I could find out.

I will say however, that there have been a ton of early 70's coaches for sale and I have personally seen a late 60's travel trailer and there was no evidence of this deterioration taking place.

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[This message has been edited by davebowers (edited April 21, 2004).]

I had a 1948 Curtis Wright aircraft constructed aluminum travel trailer. It was more aircraft construction than Airstream or Avion. The plywood floor was on aluminum ribs or bulkheads made out of formed sheet aluminum "C" channels sandwiched together to for sheet metal "I" beams. The steel "frame" was a 4" or 5" dia. steel pipe down through the center of the belly. The leaf spring hangers were not attached to steel at all. They were riveted or bolted to doubled-up aluminum ribs. By the time the unit was 40 years old, the aluminum was mostly disintegrated where the suspension was mounted. So, I had to have a welder attach steel outriggers to the pole frame and extend them out to the suspension. The manufacturer failed to put a galvanic insulating material beween to aluminum floor members and the steel suspension hangers, where they were attached.


I will say however, that there have been a ton of early 70's coaches for sale and I have personally seen a late 60's travel trailer and there was no evidence of this deterioration taking place.

[/B][/QUOTE]

I will be installing zinc sacrificial anodes soon. My coach is an '83-84 and I have spent a considerable amount of time repairing the effects of "dissimilar metals" corrosion! Adapting the zinc anodes won't be difficualt, and I'm surprised no one, or Barth, for that matter, seems to have done it in the past. I'll post photos when I'm done.

Please tell us how & where you install the anodes. Where do you get them?


"Adapting the zinc anodes won't be difficualt, and I'm surprised no one, or Barth, for that matter, seems to have done it in the past."

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Gary & Edie
North Idaho
1988 28' P-30 454

[This message has been edited by Grizzlygiant (edited April 25, 2004).]