I forgot to ask are you the Jen that I sent the e-mail address for the 1985 Barth in texas? Did you ever get a hold of him?

Hi Jen (and Joe)
I have a 89 32’ Regal on a John Deere Chassis with a Ford 460 engine.
The picture you posted is similar to my layout. I have twin beds in the rear, and a full bath on the street side.
No Dinette, which is just fine with me.
As far as engine noise is concerned, I like to hear everything that my coach has to say as I drive, and I don’t really consider any of it noise.
My Barth is heavy on the front axles and I wonder with the Cummins, whether the weight may be even more an issue. I carry a full load of fresh water and my tools and other heavy items in the massive storage lockers in rear parts of the coach to lighten its front axle load.
I love my Barth, and its storage compartments, and the fact that it does not need a tag axle to carry itself. Last summer I went for service in Longview Texas, while out for a ride. By even considering a Barth you are now to be known forever as a wonderful and discriminating person. Good luck


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89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire

we really appreciate the great suggestions and opinions...the diesel engine is original...i have seen all repair and maintanence records and have talked with all owners except the original who lived only 15 miles from us...i contacted the cummins tech support people about the engine and was told that it was marginal for pulling a 15,000 pound vehicle towing a 6,000 or 7,000 pound trailer...we are very disappointed sinced we love this barth...the 15,000 figure came from the title...does this sound correct???thanks to rotenone, we have located the owner of the 31' with the 454 in south texas...we will surely be asking for help and opinions...thanks for all your help...j&j

Are you saying the Barth's GVW is 15,000 lbs. and you want to pull a trailer that weighs approx. 6-7,000?

Dale

To eveeryone stuck half way through the torture of trying to upload photos to this site via Photobucket:
Ok: It seems like you were able to get your photos into photobucket.
When you see each photo, under each photo is some computer gobbledy gook. Look for the one that says IMG or something like that.
select that address and copy it.
Then go to Barthmobile.com and write a post. Hit "paste" and you'll see that strange IMG address show up in your post.
That strange IMG address will become a photo when you later look at your post!!!
I hope that helps!
Jen

With a trailer that heavy, a tag axle would add a lot of stability and safety, as well as the extra brakes.

Texas titles list a "vehicle weight". I was told this Barth shows 15,000lbs. The Barth figure seems high to me...My 28' Fleetwood Southwind weighs 11,000 lbs. I would have guessed it would weigh more than the Barth. Any ideas??? thanks joe

That Texas title is undoubtedly the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). It will be listed on your manufacturer's identification plate too. It is the maximum weight your chassis is rated to carry, not the actual weight of the vehicle. The only way to find that out for sure is to have the rig weighed.

The figure given for your Southwind is probably also the GVWR. If so, it was built on a lighter duty chassis than your Barth. Your Actual Barth weight is likely to be greater than the Southwind too. The Barth is aluminum, but all the Barth materials from the flooring to the framing to the paneling to the overhead, are heavier duty than what was put into your Southwind. Ask Bill H. He also had a Southwind before the Barth.

My 33' Barth, P30 chassis with a tag, scales at 17,600 lbs. loaded My GVWR is 22,000, with 5000 lbs credited to the tag. The basic chassis, as yours, is rated at 15,000.

[This message has been edited by olroy (edited June 27, 2005).]

[This message has been edited by olroy (edited June 27, 2005).]

Joe, I had a 27 Southwind, and it was pretty light. It was on a lighter version of the Pee thirty-something chassis, and had 16 inch wheels and drum brakes in back. My 30 tag is over 15k, and feels like a bank vault compared to the shanty-like feel of the Southwind.

Only way to know exactly what it weighs is to run it across a set of scales.... then you can find out the weight on the front axle, the rear axle and the total weight of the unit. Also weigh whatever you are towing and write it all down somewhere for future reference. Then you might want to check the load rating on your tires to make sure that they are not overloaded. The 3 main factors in tire failure are being underinflated, being overloaded, and having tires that are too old.

Thanks for the info...looks like I should give up on the 89 diesel puller and keep looking...a tag axle would be great if I can find one...joe

Dear Jen and Joe: I hope this does not turn into a p30 tag vs. Deere argument. I would personally do a road test with a similar weight trailer (u-haul?). How does it go up hills? How are the noise levels? How much $$ do you want to spend? If you have the $$$$$$ a diesel pusher with an 8.3 cummins or turbo cat 3208 would be a better choice than the 5.9 cummins puller. You can get a good idea of relative weights by picking up some specs on dodge ram pickups of their weight of a hemi gAS VS. diesel option. I have a tag axle on my Revcon and Bill's comments on the extra set of brakes are right on (as usual), also tracking with an extra set of wheels is nost likely improved. Will a front engine tag tow better than a big block DP-probably not due to superior torque and weight capacity of heavier DP frame. Mt Revcon would be a poor choice for towing as it is FWD and has engine, tranny, and drive wheels in front. If money is not a huge issue I would go with a DP-Jeff

I just weighed my 1985 28' Regal at a CAT scale, and it had 5040# on the front axle, and 8860# on the rear axle( no dually's). The total was 13900#. We had 70 gallons of gas, close to 60 gallons in the waste water tank, and around 20 gallons of fresh water. We were fully loaded with golf clubs, food, clothes, tools etc. Right now, I can't remember the GVWR but it's around 16000#.

OK here goes.

Well I'll be durned, it worked!

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Dan & Suzy Z
'81 Euro 28