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10-28-2008, 03:24

But one could also argue that someone invented electronics which

resulted in a demand for dvd players, televisions, computers,

electric refrigerators, gps units, hi-fidelity sound systems, etc. The

customer then demanded all of these features in their motorhome

which unfortunately required heavy batteries and heavy generators,

which then resulted in heavy chassis, axles and tires; culminating in

a coach which overloads it's suspension. The list goes on. People

invent things which are cool, the buying public demands cool things

in their motorhomes, and manufacturers scramble to accommodate

these cool things. If the manufacturers delay, they lose market share.

Slides are in this category.

It's not the demand for features that damaged/ruined the

motorhome manufacturer, it's the manufacturer's rush to

accommodate these features without first doing the necessary

engineering.

BB actually stands out amongst these manufacturers by their insistence

on doing the necessary engineering. Every slide equipped BB was

designed from the ground up to accommodate a slide. Never did BB

simply take an existing bus and chop a hole in the side of it. In all

cases the overall superstructure from basement triangulation, to

subframes, to side and roof construction was designed to support

slide technology. This can not be said of every manufacturer. By

providing slides in their coaches, BB brought it's product line into

the 2000's and sustained (for a few additional years) it's Wanderlodge

business. This is what I mean by "slide-outs saved 'em".

David Brady

'02 LXi, NC

Don Bradner wrote:

David, as someone who moved from slides to no-slides deliberately,
I would say there is a big difference between demise and ruin in this
instance.

A lot of manufacturers were dragged kicking and screaming into the
slide business because they had to (because demise was the other
choice). Slides did a lot of damage (ruin) to many coach models, and it
is likely an M450 wouldn't have weight problems without them. We would
all have been better off (in my opinion) if the slide had not been
invented so the public wouldn't have insisted on them.

Don Bradner

90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"

My location: www.bbirdmaps.com/user2.cfm?user=1

On 10/28/2008 at 7:55 AM David Brady wrote:

>Actually, slide-outs saved 'em. Imagine trying to sell

>a motorhome today w/o a slide out. Impossible. The

>buying public demands expandable rooms. There are

>many things that may have spelled the demise of Wanderlodge,

>but please, let's not single out the expandable room.

>

>David Brady

>'02 LXi, (Living room slide, works great)

>

>

>Lloyd Chaffin wrote:

>>

>> John,

>>

>> I will keep my M380 because I do like it and I have put too
much

>> blood sweat and tears into it now to give up. Alot of M380
owners did

>> give up and got rid of it. I enjoy reading about you guys who
have

>> the older "Real" Birds and I am kind of envious. My
father-in-law

>> owned 10 Birds in his life. His last was a 97 and he said he
wouldn't

>> buy another one because they where going to start putting
slide outs

>> in them and that would ruin em. Ha, he was so right!

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ----------------------------------------------------------

>>

>>
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