Tech Talk Archives 16

[Erika]

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2201 8/10/2006 1:45:09 PM 8/12/2006 benny wgitehead whiteheadbenny@yahoo.com NEWELL vs PREVOST LIBERTY Had 3 marathons 3 Country Coachs. Newell drives like mrthome. Prevost drives like bus. Cat engine a big plus. ZF rear steer plus. new n\Newell best ride ever had.

[Erika]

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2202 8/10/2006 6:06:33 PM 8/12/2006 Tuga Gaidry tugagaidry@bellsouth.net batteries Bob,

I couldn't find your orginal post regarding the blow out on the left front steering tire, but the same thing happened to me. I was in Santa Fe on I-25 doing 65 mph; the front driver's tire blew! Amazingly, the coach tracked straight (luckily I was in the right lane), I slowed down and pulled onto the shoulder. The tire was still intact, but it had a 10 inch tear in the side wall. I had always heard that the coach would pull hard to one side; it didn't. It stayed straight and it was easy to pull over. Thank God I was on a straight stretch of road. This event has made me a believer in slowing down.

I had Surette batteries in my Bertram; they are definitely a quality product. I presently have the AGM in my Newell. The AGMs probably weigh less than the Surettes, but I don't think you will make a mistake either way you go. Determine the weight of the Surettes and see if the battery slides can handle it. Good luck and remember to check your tire pressure every morning before a day on the road. Your safety depends on it!

[Erika]

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2203 8/12/2006 6:54:34 AM 8/13/2006 Larry Weikart Larryweikartsr@aol.com NEWELL vs PREVOST LIBERTY In addition to the knowledge of the service staff, I believe the Newell drives and rides better than anything I've driven. I, also, make most repairs myself and it really helps that during designing and building a Newell, they have given a lot of thought to the Kiss principle and have kept serviceable items as easily accessable as possible.

[Erika]

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2204 8/13/2006 4:45:25 AM 8/13/2006 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com batteries The Complete "Party Line:" At Newell we believe that the overall best batteries currently available for private motorcoach use are Concord Lifeline AGM (absorbed glass mat). Newell made them standard equipment on the house side perhaps three years ago and for consistency, included them to the engine system a few months ago. AGM batteries are maintenance free and long-lived. The only disadvantages we have seen so far is that 1) they are expensive and 2) they are easy to find when replacements are needed. However, replacements should seldom be an issue.

A second, little-known product, PulseTech PowerPulse, extends battery life and may well be a bigger advance in battery life than AGM batteries. The PowerPulse is an electronic device that pulses charging current in a manner that slows down and even reverses sulfation on the battery plates, the major determinate of battery life. The PowerPulse, slightly larger than a package of cigarettes, wires easily into the battery leads. A typical bank of Newell batteries requires, as I recall, two PowerPulse units at a cost of slightly over $100. The PowerPulse units can be used with either lead-acid or AGM batteries.

We were introduced to the PowerPulse product by a customer who began using them for the generator start batteries on his fleet of refrigerated semi-trailers. These batteries previously had about a two-year replacement cycle; with PowerPulse, these batteries are lasting at least until the trailers are traded for new ones, about five years. The PowerPulse technology was originally developed for the military.

Newell began installing PowerPulse at about the same time we upgraded to AGM batteries. After about three years, we have yet to see any routine battery replacements required for coaches so equipped. However, with our previous lead acid batteries and no PowerPulse, we would already be seeing routine battery replacements. We are optimistic that we will see battery life of five years or quite possibly substantially more.

We recommend PowerPulse units be retrofitted regardless of coach age and whether the coach has lead acid or AGM batteries. For owners of coaches who do not mind the maintenance, PowerPulse technology combined with lead acid batteries is a very economical solution to enhanced battery performance with long battery life. If the expense is acceptable, PowerPulse plus Concord Lifeline AGM batteries is the ultimate package.

PulseTech PowerPulse units are available for retrofit from the Newell service department (1-888-3NEWELL), either installed by Newell technicians or with instructions for field installation.

[Erika]

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2206 8/14/2006 5:16:28 PM 8/15/2006 Jan teammoyer@centurytel.net WANTED NEWELL COACH We are looking for a used Newell with at least one slide. Quick close. Contact Jan at 417-207-1234. Thanks

[Erika]

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2208 8/16/2006 10:45:50 AM 8/17/2006 Gary Carter gcarter@usinternet.com Who has the highest mileage Newell 230K

[Erika]

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2210 8/17/2006 7:18:46 AM 8/19/2006 Michael Day mday@hughes.net Who has the highest mileage Newell Most of the Newell's I see for sale either don't list the mileage or have less than 160,000 miles. My 1992 has 121,000 so Gary is certainly the winner so far. What year is yours Gary?

[Erika]

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2212 8/19/2006 4:21:48 AM 8/20/2006 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Who has the highest mileage Newell We have seen units with over 300,000 miles on the odometer come through the Newell service department, and they continue to operate very well.

[Erika]

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2213 8/19/2006 7:51:09 AM 8/20/2006 Bob Fetters jf3brand@idcomm.com Who has the highest mileage Newell We are just too far behind to be in this competition (although I would like to checking out more of his great country of ours.) We bought our '93 Newell 3 years ago with 38,000 on the odometer and we just hit 47,000 with our recent trip through the Badlands of South Dakota. We figure our DD8V92 is just broken in and ready to go. We will add about 2000 more miles this september with a trip to the Reno Air Races and some fall color rides through the Rockies. ~~Bob

[Erika]

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2214 8/22/2006 2:37:07 PM 8/24/2006 Troy Tikalsk Who has the highest mileage Newell 1986 Newell 40' Widebody Classic DD8V92TA with 268,000 on the odometer, rebuilt at 130k.

[Erika]

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2215 8/22/2006 8:40:35 PM 8/24/2006 Steven Holt sehmd@bellsouth.net WANTED NEWELL COACH I have a 2000 Newell 45' with one slide and new tires, batteries, and satellite for $320K. Steve

[Erika]

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2217 8/27/2006 2:45:06 PM 8/29/2006 Tom St. Clair stctom@yahoo.com murphy bed and fan Do the coaches with the murphy beds not have ceiling fans? Is there an alternative (in the way of fans)? The murphy bed appears to be a popular option on late model Newell coaches, and giving up a ceiling fan is a real drawback.

[Erika]

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2220 8/29/2006 3:15:49 AM 8/29/2006 Newell Sales Sales@newellcoach.com murphy bed and fan The ceiling fan is not offered with a Murphy bed. With the bed folded up into the wall, the fan would become exposed as a low-hanging obstruction in the room.

[Erika]

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2221 8/29/2006 11:10:13 PM 8/30/2006 Tim useitagainmarine49@yahoo.com Slide or not to slide I do not have any experience with the slide option available in most motorhomes. I would like to hear from owners if there is any problems with having a slide unit, I have heard all the good things but can't believe that they are flawless. Safety issues? Ease of use, extra weight? Opinions anyone?

[Erika]

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2222 8/30/2006 11:17:19 AM 8/31/2006 Tuga Gaidry tugagaidry@bellsouth.net Slide or not to slide Tim,

Glide-outs are the only way to go. The extra room is wonderful. After living in a coach with glide-outs, I was hooked. I have a 1999 Newell 45' w/ 2 glide-outs. I would not go back to a non slide coach ever.

As far as safety issues, I can't imagine what would be dangerous with a glide-out. Sorry, I don't understand your question. They are simple to extend/retract; you just turn the key which deflates the rubber gasket which surrounds the room, wait for it to COMPLETELY DEFLATE, press the extend/retract button & hold it until the room extends/retracts, then turn the key for the gasket to re-inflate! Very easy. Immediately after I purchased my coach, I was not waiting long enough for the gasket to deflate, and I experienced the gasket sticking to the sides of the glide-out room. No damage ensued, and a little patience cured the sticking problem (operator error).

As I understand it, and a Newell Tech can verify this, the front glide-out room weighs about 1000 # and the rear weighs about 800#. So it does add some weight to the coach but nothing that the chassis can't handle.

As far as trouble with the glides, I have not had any problems with mine. I love them. As I understand from talking to customers and Newell service managers, most of the problems with glide-outs are operator error. YOU MUST WAIT FOR THE GASKET TO BE FULLY DEFLATED BEFORE EXTENDING/RETRACTING THE ROOM! Also, the coach should be on level ground. The body of the coach can not be flexed while extending/retracting. If the RV site is excessively unlevel >>> don't extend the slide. We stayed in an RV park outside of Jackson, WY that had huge potholes in the site! This would be an example of a place not to open the slides.

When you look at coaches with slides, ask if the hole was cut into the frame of the coach for the slide to fit into. Since Newell builds their own chassis they do not have to cut a hole in the frame for the slide. They install the slide above the frame; therefore, the frame is not compromised. There used to be a picture on Newell's website of just the frame with 4 slides. You could see how the slides were incorporated into the frame and how the structure below the slides was unimpeded. Boyd Vanover with Newell Coach can explain this better than I can, give him a call.


In my opinion, slides are the future. All MH manufacturers are building them because that is what their customers want. Like I said earlier, once you live in a coach with slides you won't want to go back.

Good Luck

[Erika]

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2223 8/31/2006 7:25:20 AM 9/2/2006 Michael Day mday@hughes.net Slide or not to slide Tuga hit the nail on the head. Slides can be a serious problem IF the manufacturer doesn't design them properly. Newell's slides are top notch, well engineered and the inflatable bladder offers a much better seal than the wiper type gasket used by most coach manufacturers. Prevost, Newell and Foretravel (all using air bladders) waited several years after other manufacturers before they offered factory slides to make sure they had a good technology and their efforts paid off with much better products.

[Erika]

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2224 9/1/2006 10:44:55 PM 9/2/2006 Tim useitagainmarine49@yahoo.com Slide or not to slide Tuga,

Your suggestions on extending and retracting the slide is the kind of info I was looking for. Also not putting out the slide on uneven surface is something I hadn't heard about before. The safety issues is the fact that some motorhome builders are compromising they frame of vehicle to install the frames. Another area of concern in some motorhome construction is that the slide may reduce the motorhome ability to protect the passengers in a roll over. The fact that some much of the side of the motorhome is cut away for the slide reducing the strength of the vehicle. I doubt that these issues will effect a Newell coach but may be a factor in other models.

[Erika]

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2233 9/3/2006 9:41:00 AM 9/4/2006 kieffer davis kdslabtop@cableone.net 1980 Newell Coach for sale Was curious the difference of Silver 6V92 from original 6V92?

[Gimpy]

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2234 9/5/2006 7:53:00 AM 9/5/2006 Art D'Hondt kayakusa@yahoo.com towing dinghy? What is considered the best tow bar setup for towing a 2007 GMC Yukon behind my Newell? The curb weight is 5545.
My motorhome has an Eagle 5000 on it and I am not sure if it will hold without damage.

Thanks
Art

[Erika]

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2236 9/6/2006 2:32:02 AM 9/6/2006 Perry Burney paburney@bellsouth.net towing dinghy? I have the same issue with an Aluminator that has a 5k rating and I'm about 500 pounds over. My tow bar came with the coach. The dealer who installed the tow plate on my Yukon said not to worry about it, I doubt my insurance agent would say the same. I've been over 3k miles towing and it was still there when I got back. Surely they have some room in their ratings.