Need contact Kansas City Missouri

[deborah12060]

Hi guys,

I might have found a rig. It is not the toter home that I wanted (no goose neck hitch on back) but rather, an r.v. style.
Right price given all that I want to do to it. The seller has agreed to let me have him take the rig to both an r.v. place and then a diesel engine place so that I can have the rig evaluated before purchase. Figure the two evals will cost up to five or six hundred. I can cold call places in the area but I was hoping that one of you on the forum might be from the area and have suggestions as to which motor home place is good and what diesel engine place is good.
Any referrals would be greatly appreciated. The city is Kansas City, Missouri.

Thanks.

Deborah (DD)

[sharon]

DD, find out what engine is in the RV...Cummins, Cat or Peterbilt, then go on line, get the home phone number of the manufacturer and call them to find out where to take it. They all have good techs there. As far as the coach itself, sorry can't help you there. I have relatives in the area, but none of them rv. Good luck!

[deborah12060]

Hi Sharon,

Excellent idea. The engine is a F450 Powerstroke. I wonder, is Ford still in business? Oh dear. Well, I will go their site now and follow that through. I did find two large r.v. places near Kansas City, Missouri last night, both who work on
diesels, I imagine, Cummings pushers would be the most popular. So, there is the start of a back of plan. Also got the names of a couple of places that do the bio-conversion. Man, is that ever expensive....between 3 and 5 thousand.

Almost forty years ago, when I had my motorhome, I would stay with it always when I had it worked on. I mean, in it.
I put down sheets, was very fussy about who got what dirty. I wonder if I can get by with that these days. They might not want the liability (if it falls off the lift.....ha, ha,...or something.

Thanks so much for the help, the next step. I can see, this dream is going to have many, many, steps. Am tying up my
laces.

DD

[ali1257]

Hi DD

Can't help you with dealers or mechanics in Kansas City but wanted to let you know every time we have had to have work done on our rig (and we have had a lot in the last year, just ask) we have been able to stay in our rig except for when we had the fire last November. We just explained to the mechanic or dealer that we live full time in our rig and was told no problem, given an electrical cord to plug in and there we sat. Ron always talked to the mechanics about what was going on.

Good luck with checking out this rig. Hope it works out for you.

[Bethers]

Yes, Ford is still in business. Check to see if any of the Ford dealers there have a truck service - and that's where I recommend this should go. Actually, any Ford dealership that can handle big trucks will look at it for you. That's one of the reasons I have a Ford engine on my rv - it's easy to get service anywhere in the US and Canada. Not all dealerships are able to do it - but many, many can.

[sharon]

Yup, Beth's right. When you said diesel, I assumed it was a pusher. Didn't know they put the Ford in them, too. Call any Ford dealer in the area, but be sure and ask if they have a diesel mechanic...believe it or not, not all of them do. They're a pretty good engine, but they had a couple of years that they had some serious problems. My son has a fleet of Ford diesels, if you'd like, I'll ask him which years he had trouble with. I have an F-250 and the only trouble I had was the turbo went out. Thank goodness it was still under warranty at the time.

What kind of rv is it and what year?

[sharon]

Ok DD, talked to son and he said they were the F-450 6.0 and 6.4, yrs '03-07. Different things went out, but the most expensive were the turbo's and they would burn the heads. Trouble usually started around 75,000-80,000 miles. He said he's going to Dodge. The diesel mechanic at the Hemet Ford dealership actually told him they were pieces of sh## and to get rid of them. Unfortunately, he can't afford to get rid of them right now. Hope this info helps.

[Bethers]

Sharon, he might want to rethink Dodge. A friend of mine had switched after no problems with Ford - and they have paid a fortune in problems on the Dodge trucks. As they replace them, they are going back to Ford. So- again - a lot of it is personal experience - some love one over another - but I was getting a kick out of them telling me not to get Dodge and you saying he's switching to it. I don't do deisel, so for me it doesn't matter. And I'm happy with my Ford gas.

[sharon]

Yeah Beth, DH was a Ford man and we've always had really good luck with them, over 150,000 miles with no major problems. The problem is, Ford changed their Diesel engines, and evidently are having a lot of problems with them. I wouldn't have a problem getting a Ford gasser, but might re-think the diesel. My truck only has 40,000 miles on it..'04...so, so far so good with it. DH figured I'd wear out before I wore out this truck. LOL! He wanted to leave me with a good vehicle before he left. The BF has always had Dodge, never had a problem with them. They have a Cummins engine and that's what I have in my RV. Guess it's like anything else, some good, some bad, but if the son switches over to Dodge for his fleet, DH may pay him a visit!! LOL!

[snowball]

For what it's worth...DH asked our nephew who is a mechanic if the new diesel Ford engine was better or if they were still having problems he didn't have good words to say about the Ford diesel engine...But so agree there are the Ford people and there are the Dodge people we have a Dodge and haven't had any problems other than age with it...Transmission when we first went full time any way we are happy with what we have....
sheila

[deborah12060]

HI guys,

Thank you , everyone, for getting back to me. Curiously, Sharron, the rig I"m looking at is a F450, and, has seventy five thousand miles on it. I found both an r.v. and then a Ford place to have the engine assessed (per the referral from the company). Wrote the owner and gave him the names and contact person at each place. That was yesterday and I haven't heard anything back from the owner since. I"m a bit worried. Guess I shouldn't worry because if he doesn't get back to me it must be because something is at risk at being disclosed during the assessment process. By the way, this process isn't cheap. The r.v. place wants 400 for the assessment (one place I called wanted 750. Are they crazy?). The motor place only charges 250 to go over the engine. I hope I hear something today.

DD

[sharon]

HI guys,

Thank you , everyone, for getting back to me. Curiously, Sharron, the rig I"m looking at is a F450, and, has seventy five thousand miles on it. I found both an r.v. and then a Ford place to have the engine assessed (per the referral from the company). Wrote the owner and gave him the names and contact person at each place. That was yesterday and I haven't heard anything back from the owner since. I"m a bit worried. Guess I shouldn't worry because if he doesn't get back to me it must be because something is at risk at being disclosed during the assessment process. By the way, this process isn't cheap. The r.v. place wants 400 for the assessment (one place I called wanted 750. Are they crazy?). The motor place only charges 250 to go over the engine. I hope I hear something today.

DD

I
I wouldn't worry yet, it takes time to get it down there and time to check everything out. Make sure you get the written info. Not sure I would trust anyone unless I was standing there. Kind of figured we had scared you away by hijacking (kind of) your thread and you just threw your hands up in despair and ran! We tend to do that here, I saw (and participated) in a thread that started with something, don't remember what now, and ended up on the pros and cons of bras....but believe me, it had absolutely nothing to do with undies when it started! Ya just never know where our inquiring little minds are gonna go. They just run here and there like a cat chasing a mouse. Good luck and keep us posted.

And the price? Get used to it, rv'ing ain't cheap! Wait 'til you actually have to have something repaired!

[deborah12060]

Hi guys,

I appreciate everyone's input and, I love the unfolding of chit chat and considerations. Feels homey to me.

Thing is, I'm not sure what a "new Ford" is vrs. an "old ford". Truth me known, I don't even know what a turbo is.
I wonder if this "performance test" that is performed will assess or be able to assess turbo's. I'll speak with them tomorrow and see what is possible.

Yes, this r.v. stuff is so expensive. This is my life right now. It's going to cost to get out of 37 years of living at the farm.
I pulled out my back and have been in bed all day. Can't even bend down to put the little dogs on the floor to let outside.
I sort of drop them, a foot off the ground. Reminds me of how vulnerable I feel and am. Still, I am also determined. I've put a bundle in my house at this point just getting it ready to put on the market. It's all scary.

DD

[Nasoosie]

<<<<snip>>>>>>>> Reminds me of how vulnerable I feel and am. Still, I am also determined. I've put a bundle in my house at this point just getting it ready to put on the market. It's all scary.

DD

Boy, you can say that again! Scary and exciting and confusing all at once is how I feel retiring and moving on is! I am more and more sure each day, however, that it is the time for me to make that leap now. However, I will not give up my home base----my rooted home here in the Adirondacks. I know I will always need a home base. And I so love my home here----just not alone in the winters any more. And I am tired of my life always being scheduled. FREEDOM is beckoning me, with an anchor to keep me from flying out of control!

I wish all of us who are making that giant leap from full-time work force to more freedom the courage, optimism, and excitement we need as we make preparations and weed out our accumulated 'stuff' from eons of collecting!