we are new to forms , also new to rv's and thus barths

so here goes ( sorry not a typist so all lower case to keep someone from going to their analyst for being yelled at )

we just purchase a 25 foot 1990 barth , this summer and little by little we are getting it ready for our first adventure to Florida , next year big bend . . we are of the age that people sell their rv and go into retirement homes but we just started .
still working part time .

the barth was in great condition always stored indoors . very well maintained , zero complaints , we have made repairs not up dates , in the neighborhood of what we paid for the thing . but zero complaints ....we plan to have a hoot with it .

we have fixed the fridge , microwave , water piping , replaced exhaust manifolds , water pump , brakes , vacuum leaks , removed air pump system , had all chassis things inspected and fixed . and made hopefully 10,000 mile " trouble free . it drives great .

finally fresh water piping ....zero ....leaks l

FOR ADVICE TO OTHER FIRST TIMERS do not buy one of these if you are on a budget or unexpected cost will throw you for a loop. ( we are not on a budget ) repairs cost can be huge , and we do not even have 1000 miles on it . Still happy .

Anyway a couple of unrelated things

1 . it has a single fold out couch , great for 20 year old lovers but we now are too old for a 3/4 bed . we have rigged up a plywood cot and mattress over the front sets with a curtain . she goes to bed early and I much later . ( we hope our 50 year marriage in a big house survives 30 days in a 25 foot rv . )

has anyone installed a bunk bed system , or pull down beds above the seats , or up into the ceiling somehow . or does someone make such a thing ,,, cost is not the most important thing .....

2.0 does anyone know the part number of a (generic ok ) replacement remote generator switch
up front and VERY more importantly what color wire goes top middle bottom .

3.0 i have heard something about BARTH CDs , would they have information to the detailed of the colors of the above wires ?

how do you buy it ?

not addressed power stairs do not work , air horn not working , squealing interior fan .


10.0 if you see us out in the world someplace , we will appreciate suggestion on things you have learned over the years .. we may update rear tv , interior suggestions , led lights , a handle parking brake system . storage solutions , etc

You have come to the right place. It sounds like you have learned the reality of older motor homes. Even with good owners, there will often be an initial period of repair and maintenance. That said, once these things are addressed, some older RVs can be reliable and affordable.

I had an 86 33ft Regal. Did a bunch of work on it... (there are many threads here on the site) For a while, every time I drove it I found something else to work on. I put over 44,000 miles on it, only spent one night on the side of the road. I had a great time with it.

My current diesel Barth has been very reliable but I did spend money on brakes, tires, engine and suspension when I first got it. I have run it about 30,000 miles.

With their aluminum hulls and generally high end construction the old Barth coaches are a good place to start. As we say here, you can fix them faster than they break....

Even with the expensive new motor homes of today there are numerous defects and callbacks with almost all...

What kind of generator do you have? How many connections on the switch? What are the other wire colors? We might have some info around here.

I vaguely recall some overhead bunks in Barths. Perhaps someone else can help you there.

Welcome. Enjoyed your read. Love your perspective. "Fan squeal" - you're blessed. Could be worse (spouse). Good luck with your adventure.

Hello Steve -
(Incidentally if VW has anything to do with volkswagen , I own the volkswagen shop on I-75 in Auburn Hills )
Thanks for your help. Luckily I have inside heated storage in the back of my shop. And we are working on this to head to Florida as soon as we get our second Covid shots. WE have reservations for a few days each in 10 different places.
My latest project was hiring a hard working Craigs List young man who spent 10 on his back with hand wire brushes and 2 gallons of rustoleum red primer and finish black. No one will ever care or know, but I feel better that it is done.
The generator is a Honda 4010 and worked fine until I removed and misplaced the inside start/run/off switch.And in the process, blew a fuse. I checked the fuses 5 times and they all appeared good until an electrical engineer friend a day ago tested them with a meter, threw one across the room, replaced it and had the generator running from the outside in 10 minutes.He replaced the 3 prong dash switch with a generic 6 prong switch.
And it
starts
runs correctly
but on stop - the starter solenoid and ground both engage , and the starter grinds until it stops( 3 seconds )
I know this is wrong but have not fixed yet.
I am going to the shop today to look at one more place where the switch may be and I will try again to get this third wire right.
I will write down the colors of the wires and contact you again if this does not fix it. The manual I have shows wiring colors for an omar and koler generators but they don't match the Honda or the wire colors I have.
Thanks for your help and encouragement.

Thanks Jack. Wife and I taught high school in Canton and Livonia for years, lived in Canton. Retired to Kalkaska in 2010 but still have the house in Canton. When we get back there next summer I will try to visit with you.

If you wind up in Florida near Port Charlotte it would be great to see you. We are about 6 miles NE of I75 near the Port Charlotte exit 170.

The VW is both an abreviation for my long Dutch name and the make of my tow vehicle. Look closely at my avatar you will see my red and white 71 VW bus, it is a work in progress like my coach.

The Honda is a good generator. We may have schematics for it. Keep us posted if it still won't work properly. Sounds like you are on the right track.

Good luck with the vaccination, we are still waiting here.

You will find out there is not enough room for a swing down bed between the cabinets in newer Barth's. Our 31' has the twin center bed floor plan. Our class has the overhead bunk and we use the dinette for a bed. Just let everyone know that I suffered a left side stroke on Monday that has left me with some issues. Doctors expecting 100% recovery but will take time. All that I post may not always make sense. It does make sense to me.


Thanks Craig.
P.S Welcome to Bartmobile.

I have the Honda 4010 also. In addition I have 3 manuals in pdf form. Send me a private message with an email address and they will also become yours.

quote:

Originally posted by Doorman:
Just let everyone know that I suffered a left side stroke on Monday that has left me with some issues. Doctors expecting 100% recovery but will take time. All that I post may not always make sense. It does make sense to me.

Holy crap Craig. Take it easy and take care of yourself. We all pray for a complete recovery. Keep in touch, best of luck.

Hello and welcome Jack. Like you I am a bit older and would like a few more creature comforts.

like you I have a 25 foot Barth, unlike you it was not in as great shape as yours. Dumped more than 4 times the sale price into it so far. I love the thing!!!

Has two sleeping fold out couches, one right behind the drivers seat, the other just behind the entrance door on the passenger side. Both are 3/4 beds and work ok for one person each.

The automatic stairs were long removed from the coach, the manual fold out is easy to use and problem free.

Perhaps will see you at a Barth GTG, we have one in the late spring in MInnesnowta, Steve usually goes, maybe you two can come in tandem.

Good luck!!!

Amen to that, Craig. Will pray for your complete recovery.

Jim and Tere

Graig, take care and my prayers go out for a complete and rapid recovery!!! Stay cool!!!! You always make sense!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Finn:
Hello Steve -
(Incidentally if VW has anything to do with volkswagen , I own the volkswagen shop on I-75 in Auburn Hills )
Thanks for your help. Luckily I have inside heated storage in the back of my shop. And we are working on this to head to Florida as soon as we get our second Covid shots. WE have reservations for a few days each in 10 different places.
My latest project was hiring a hard working Craigs List young man who spent 10 on his back with hand wire brushes and 2 gallons of rustoleum red primer and finish black. No one will ever care or know, but I feel better that it is done.
The generator is a Honda 4010 and worked fine until I removed and misplaced the inside start/run/off switch.And in the process, blew a fuse. I checked the fuses 5 times and they all appeared good until an electrical engineer friend a day ago tested them with a meter, threw one across the room, replaced it and had the generator running from the outside in 10 minutes.He replaced the 3 prong dash switch with a generic 6 prong switch.
And it
starts
runs correctly
but on stop - the starter solenoid and ground both engage , and the starter grinds until it stops( 3 seconds )
I know this is wrong but have not fixed yet.
I am going to the shop today to look at one more place where the switch may be and I will try again to get this third wire right.
I will write down the colors of the wires and contact you again if this does not fix it. The manual I have shows wiring colors for an omar and koler generators but they don't match the Honda or the wire colors I have.
Thanks for your help and encouragement.

Jack, what floor plan do you have? We bought a 25' Regal last September and ours has the fold out couch and a second bed opposite the kitchen. We have a rear bath. Our generator also failed but we were able to source a good used one, it's an Onan 4000. Is your Honda water cooled? If you can down size a couple of pics, it would be nice to see what your Barth looks like. Using my I phone, when I email a pic, I can get it down to 63kb. I send it to my computer that way and then can attach it on Barthmobile at that size which isn't too big.

Thanks everyone
Craig - I hope you recover soon . we have had friends who have a similar challenge , but it will take hard work and days of it . Hope to buy you a beer and tell you some lies around a camp fire sometime .

Thanks everyone . I am not a typist . after posting I went at it again and got the generator working as it should . it was a lot easier that the two months off and on I fussed with it . my friend Bill , an electrical engine came over with a tester and within 5 minutes determined one of the fuses I was sure was good was bad , he threw it across the room , said some words , and we replaced the $0.30 fuse and it ran from the outside . I had lost the original inside switch , and the pictures I took of the wiring. And Bill did not like the replacement switch I purchased and threw it in the trash and sent me for a different switch . I thought I was looking for a ……. start run off ….switch …….. but it is actually a …… “ start off stop “ ……. And we finally got a 6 prong one of those to replace the 3 prong original switch . and we got it to partly start and run , the stop was miss wired on to the start so that was not right . that night I finally found the “ light” and with a Honda wiring detail understood what was wrong . Now it runs correctly.

Anyway we are getting ready to be off after out second shot , we will bring some extra money and a bucket of patience . I have not had much luck getting my wife to watch fish cleaning videos on utube so who knows - it may be bread and beans .

I do not know how to use this forum but I am trying . I will try to send Gary a private message for the pdf .- working on that .

I will look up manual stairs . sounds easier than fixing what I have . ( we always buy cars with as few options as we can ) . my guess is they work … is first and last …… you step down and pull them out , and push them in and jump up - or what ??

Our coach has two chairs and a table , then the door , then the fridge on the passenger side , then the rear bathroom . Maybe we will see other layouts on the road . we could take out the chairs and table and put a couch on passenger’s side but …. we have to use this thing before we start to change things .

We are looking forward to the Barth rallies , there must be some crazies like us if others are driving these things

I will try to send pictures of inside when I learn how Thanks again

Jack, based on your common sense approach to your coach and its operation, you will fit right in with other Barth owners.

The Barth coach is much more than an RV. It is a conduit to a very interesting group of people. By far the best thing about my Barth is not the coach itself but the great people I have met while using it.

I hope to meet you soon. We try to show up when we can.

Have Barth, will travel

Yes; jack that is the drawback to manual stairs, first step down, pull out the stairs for the spouse, use them until you are ready to get on the road, let spouse in, shove step under and big step up, same for gas stops!