1: I suppose we had better start at the beginning


My wife and I live in Washington state and are owners of a 2017 Coachman Orion 21RS.  We purchased it new in May of 2018 and have less than 6000 miles on it at this time.  Due to the many factory issues with our coach and the personal modifications that we wanted to do to it, we have not had much of a chance to use it yet.  Last summer and fall I had Coachman fix some of their problems and I made many of the modifications that we wanted done.  So hopefully, we will be able to get to use our motor home more this new year.
The reasons why I am making this blog site are for me to share what I have done to our coach and to possible blog about some of the trips we take.  As I read other blogs I learn many things from others.  But I didn’t have much success finding any help on a MH just like ours.  So I thought it might be of use for others to see what I have done to modify, customize, and make our coach more useable to us.  I am new to blogging, so I invite your patience as I learn.

To begin with some of you might like to know why we chose this coach.   The reasons for this choice were mainly the following:  (1) It is built on a Ford transit chassis with a 3.7 V6 engine and a 6 speed automatic transmission.  I have never been a Ford man, but this truck is changing my mind.  The light weight coach body is constructed with an aluminum framework and solid foam insulation. This is sandwiched between an outer layer of weather resistant Adzel panels and lauan mahogany on the inside.  Since we are used to and comfortable with small vehicles, the V6 sounded to us like it would give us better gas mileage than a V8.  (2) This model gives us the rear slide bedroom with a (short) queen size bed that does not interfere with the rest of the living space.   (3) We liked the overall size of the Orion. It is very easy to drive and park.  Our RV port has a height that allows this coach to fit perfectly.

Another question many of you will have is why we chose a motor home and not a travel trailer.  Most everyone knows the +s & -s of each category.  There is no one perfect RV for everyone.  But there is a better RV for each person or family and that is determined by their own specific situation.  The reason we chose a MH this time is primarily because my wife is handicapped and we drive to California twice a year to visit kids and grandkids.  It is much easier for her to travel in a MH than in a car and having to stay in motels.  We can also use it for short trips away from our home or if I can use it if I want to go solo on a photo shoot or fishing trip.



So far, our travels have been mainly on highways, some city roads, and quite a bit of mountain roads.  I have been very pleased with the way our Orion handled.  The engine/transmission combination is perfect for us giving plenty of power and very reasonable gas mileage...14mpg.  It is easy and fun to drive and I feel very secure as I drive it.  For a MH, parking this one is great.  I can fit it into a regular parking space width-wise, but it sticks out a bit too far length-wise.  So I try and find a double long pair of spaces.


My next blog will show some of fixes that have been done to my rig.  Stay tuned.

Comments

  1. Bob MFebruary 10, 2019 at 5:21 PM

    Congratulations on your Orion purchase and first blog. Some dealers create their own problems and ill will, but considering the limited time they have to find and fix problems using what may be insufficient or somewhat incompetent staff, I tend to cut them some slack. Also, they just don't see the problems that we find through use or more time. I have been fortunate to find a local dealer that wasn't my selling dealer, but expertly went through my issues list and got the more difficult things fixed. Coachmen is average in quality for a mass produced RV in my opinion and yes, I found many more minor nits that I was able to fix myself. Pity the new RV owner who is not mechanically adept and has no prior RV experience. Keep us posted with your further adventures and welcome aboard. Bob M.

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    Replies
    1. Travlin manFebruary 10, 2019 at 8:44 PM

      Thank you, Bob, for your kind comments. I agree with you that some dealerships create their own problems. Granted, these units are mass produced and prone to have some goof-ups during their manufacturing. But I was shocked at the very large number of small to big (one VERY big one in a later blog) mistakes that were on my coach. It seemed like a blind man with a staple gun put it together. Maybe it was a “Monday” motorhome! I had the mistaken thought that another Coachman dealer would fix the problems that came from Coachman. But, no, the closest dealer to me smiled and said “we only fix the units we sell here”. The next dealer was across the state. So I got to know the head of service at Coachman in their headquarters in Indiana. He was very understanding helped me a lot. More about that later later.

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