NEW BUS !! David is on the way home .

[ernie ekberg]

did I not see any interior photos?

[G.Kirby]

David,

Great looking bus. With the guys its all about the drive and I am sure it has a smooth drive and ride. Congrats on a beauty.

[davidbrady]

(04-27-2014 21:52)Arcticdude Wrote:  Will it auto start the genny when needed or to recharge the batteries? Is the control all done by the inverters or is there a separate piggyback module to do that? Sounds slick!

Yes, the generator will auto start when the batteries reach a programmed voltage setpoint for a minimum time duration, ( I believe the recommended setting is 22.3V for 20s). The generator will run until the batteries are charged or for a max of 8 hours (again, programmable). All of this is under the control of the two Trace 4000 sine wave inverters - no additional piggybacked controls. There is an automatic Power Management feature that automatically prunes loads when both generator and shore power are lost. This feature can be overridden to allow full manual load pruning control.

Load pruning is accomplished using motor controlled 120VAC circuit breakers. I have switches inside the coach, pictured below, that remotely control small motors within the breakers in my circuit breaker panel. The motors are integrated into the circuit breakers. Pushing a switch to make it glow green powers the motor to turn the circuit breaker on, pushing again to make it glow red powers the motor to turn off the circuit breaker. The automatic Power Management feature uses the same motorized circuit breakers to enable and disable loads. I have remote controlled circuit breaker switches for all the AC loads in my coach: the four cruiseairs, electric kickboard heaters, aquahot heating element, Audio/Video, water pump, refrigerators, instahot, microwave, air compressor, awnings, ceiling fan, washer and dryer, cooktop, lighting, outlets, and more. No more fishing around the circuit breaker panel, instead easy access to all loads and telltale lights to see what's powered on/off.

[davidbrady]

More info on GVWR and actual weight with full fuel, water, travel supplies for two, and two on board:

[ernie ekberg]

very nice, happy for you guys

[patticake]

Very nice interior, not garish, but very livable. Says the guy with a purple coach.

[al perna]

David, how was your fuel economy ? also curious about the fresh water and holding tank capacities . would love to get your opinion on the conversion when compared to the Marathons and Liberties of the world . again awesome ride

[davidbrady]

(04-28-2014 22:58)al perna Wrote:  David, how was your fuel economy ? also curious about the fresh water and holding tank capacities . would love to get your opinion on the conversion when compared to the Marathons and Liberties of the world . again awesome ride

7.1 mpg over 4K miles, and I verified this number using gallons pumped, miles driven, and pencil and paper. 170 gallon fresh, 81 gallon black, and 81 gallon grey.

It's difficult to be choosy about converters. The trouble is that there weren't that many built of any converter. I think Vantare converted maybe 800 coaches, Marathon maybe 1200, and Liberty about the same. These things are as rare as Wanderlodges. If you narrow your choice down to a particular year then at a given time you may only find one of each on the market.

Vantare suits me very well, but I'm sure I'd be very happy with a Marathon, Liberty, Parliament, Millennium, or most of the others. Some of the Vantare conversion highlights that resonate with me include:

1) Aquahot,
2) All 120VAC loads pass thru the inverters, the user has a choice as to what gets power,
3) Bedroom super slide which allows for a true king size bed - the kids love to crawl into bed with us and to watch movies with mom,
4) H3 conversions - most of the H3's out there are Vantare's; I prefer the H3 chassis for a family of 5,
5) No air use in the house, all articulating components (pocket doors, extendable table and dinette booth, dump valves) are electrically driven,
6) Proprietary AMX controls are limited to only the audio/visual systems and can be completely discarded,
7) Generator placement and air bag mounted,
8) Cruiseairs,
9) Simple, clean, business-like interior,
10) Positive locking latches on all cabinet doors and drawers, and
11) On my coach in particular: 365 steer/tag tires, hub centric wheels, and 18K lb steer axle, all spec-ed by Vantare.

Coming from a BlueBird, the Vantare feels very natural. It has a common sense approach that appeals to me, but I'm sure I'd be happy with any of the others; after all, it's the chassis we're after.

---

(04-28-2014 19:01)ernie ekberg Wrote:  very nice, happy for you guys

Thanks Ernie! I appreciate it!

[Itchintogo]

Well see now that did not take long. You have it pretty much all figured out just like I thought you would and by summer I smell a jake in your future.

Glad your happy with your Vantare. Looks like you were having fun with your Dad! Great video.

You will Brady-ize it just like I thought! That's what you do. Your David Brady! Like I said at dinner you can't help but do it!

[davidbrady]

(04-29-2014 01:47)Itchintogo Wrote:  You will Brady-ize it just like I thought! That's what you do...

Very true, Gary, very true.