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Old 03-15-2010, 09:45 AM   #1
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Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

UPDATE: The URL had been changed so I updated this post.

Seattle TV station KIRO recently broadcast a damning report on Class-A motor homes. You can access it at http://www.kirotv.com/news/15979650/detail.html. This is an excellent item to review if you are still debating whether to get a skoolie or a regular RV. Likewise if your partner or spouse doesn't like skoolies. Although I know a lot about motor homes, this was still an eye-opener, especially the shocking part that safety regulations are all but nonexistent. There was a manufacturer that built very safe motor homes for those who could afford the quarter-million-dollar price tag, but they went out of business shortly after this TV report.

Not only can we conclude that school buses are built much tougher with their all-steel construction and sturdy welded frames, but it reminds the DIY crafter to consider how to mount furnishings and the need for hefty fasteners.

The KIRO-TV used to have a link to a report from an RV consumer group, RV.org, with accounts of several accidents. One of them didn't even involve a rollover or impact: a Bounder RV (made by Fleetwood) came apart just by bounding across a field after its driver passed out. One might conclude that Fleetwood products especially suck, but few manufactures are all that great.

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Old 03-15-2010, 06:30 PM   #2
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

Whoa.
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Old 03-15-2010, 09:19 PM   #3
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

You didn't really think those RV's (Stix-n-staples) are safe? We partially rebuilt our 1977 Class C. I would hate to hit something in this thing. 2X2 pine framing put together with stapes on one side. Think: 2X2 frame laid out on a flat concrete floor, then stapled together while laying on the floor. Foam board is the cut to fit and placed between the 2X2 framing. Frame stood up and a couple of screws with lots of staples hold it to the flooring. Contact cement sprayed on out side . Thin aluminum siding is then stapled to the frame. Windows screwed in . Interior paneling stapled in place. Roof screwed and stapled in place. And that's not taking into account the refrigerators, ranges, etc. (attached to the cabinet framing). The new RV's are made out of laminated skins (fiberglass exterior/foamboard/interior luan paneling) with a "U" shaped "frame" or two crosswise about 1/3 the length from each end of the big rigs. Some improvement! I do not believe the newer RV's will last as long as the older RV's have. Certainly not 30 years!
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Old 03-16-2010, 03:38 PM   #4
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

Probably an A...a C has a real van cab on it.
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Old 05-13-2010, 12:36 AM   #5
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

I guess I'm building a cage around the driver compartment now. Wouldn't want to get hit in the head with a flying stove or maybe even a person.
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Old 05-13-2010, 12:40 PM   #6
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

Tongue in cheek.
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Old 05-13-2010, 06:11 PM   #7
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycal
I guess I'm building a cage around the driver compartment now. Wouldn't want to get hit in the head with a flying stove or maybe even a person.
I'm doing that. My B700 had a safety cage behind the cab area...the genesis will get something similar.
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Old 06-07-2011, 06:21 PM   #8
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Re: Fatal RV (Motorhome) Flaws: TV News Report

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycal
I guess I'm building a cage around the driver compartment now. Wouldn't want to get hit in the head with a flying stove or maybe even a person.
Not a bad idea. I had someone pop out in front of me on the highway one night, and couldn't avoid him. In seconds, I was ankle deep in tools from the back of the van. If I hadn't been stopping, and one of the tools with more energy made a higher arc . . . HMMM . . . .

I wonder if the bulletproof glass advertised a while ago is still around.

Edit: I wrote this a long time ago. I guess when Skunky Bus bumped the thread, the date of my post jumped up to 6/7/11 too.
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