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Messages - sajohnson

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61
I have a question about the single chair shown in Ron's photos (previous page) -- it's not obvious but I assume it's bolted to the floor in a secure manner and has a seat belt so that it is safe to use while traveling, is that true?  If so, is it possible to have a small table securely placed in front of it?  The reason I'm asking is that I'm thinking it would be nice to have a 'mini office' or workspace that can be used while underway.

62
Keep in-mind the 2350 dimensions I am providing are from my 2007 model year.

Dinette
Bed dimensions:  71W x 36D (71W is with cushions removed, finished board to finished board)
Table dimensions: 29W x 34D
Leg room: 29.5W
Overall dimension of dinette: 73.5W x 37D
I am 5'-11" so it was a surprise to me to see the width matched my height.  The few times I slept on the dinette when sick, I guess I never slept like a soldier laying at attention.  It seemed to be plenty wide for me.

Shower
Just above the shower pan: 34W x 23D
Max to skylight dome: 73H
Keep in mind, the shower narrows as it gets higher due to the curved exterior wall.  The roof is crowned, so the shower ceiling is vaulted.  Looking at my shower, if PC-USA installed the plumbing on the opposite "outside" wall, there would be much more room to take a shower.  But that would put the plumbing in a sealed vacu-bonded wall, not a hollow interior wall.  If I were to order a new PC just for me, I would still inquire about doing that, and discuss any repercusions of it.  You might end up with a raised wall panel/channel for the two pipes to pass through.  I can see why they did it the way it is, given the plumbing is done before the exterior walls are installed.  But it would have been nice.

Thank you Ron, this is very helpful!

I'm sorry that I had to ask you to go to the trouble.  These measurements really should be readily available on the PC website.

If DW changes her mind and makes me sleep in the dinette bed, it looks like I may be a bit cramped.  :-(  The majority of people should have plenty of room though.

I thought I could stand up in the shower in Tom's 2350.  I must be mistaken -- maybe I was tilting my head down somewhat.  If 73" is the maximum height measured to the top of the skylight dome I wouldn't be able to stand up -- unless I've shrunk in my old age.  ;-)

That's too bad.  Not a deal killer but definitely a drawback.  At this point in the epic RV search process I've learned that I must be willing to compromise, and assign weight to the various features that DW and I are concerned about.

WRT model year, we are planning to purchase a 2350 on a Sprinter chassis which if I understand correctly means we will be looking at models from 2009 and up.  Hopefully the measurements you gave are the same (or greater) for the later model years.

It's hard to tell (for me anyway) which model years:

a) Offered the larger dinette (the one you have).
b) Offered the larger dinette in a slide (if any).

Thanks again for your help.

Sherman

63
I have to support Jack in the thought the corner bed is questionable. We had a 2350 and could not sleep together in it (I'm not overly large but am a 6 foot, 210 pound guy who requires a lot of sleeping room). Peg couldn't sleep on the fold-out sofa comfortably either. Consequently, we went to a twin bed 2551/2552.

If PC had a 24-25 foot model with a walkaround double bed in the rear, that would definitely have been a very big consideration in our decision.

Thanks to both you and Jack for your input!

Both my wife and I really prefer to have a dinette, but if I were convinced the sofa offered a much more comfortable bed I might be persuaded to go that way.  IIRC, I saw a photo of the sofa on the PC website that had a caption indicating that it had an air mattress.  Is that the case?  If so, for how many years has PC used the air mattress with the sofa?  I'd prefer to avoid any sort of air mattress.  I've found that they aren't comfortable (regardless of brand or type) and there seem to be a large number of complaints about the ones installed in RVs (generally speaking) -- mostly that they tend to leak.

The sofa bed is larger which is definitely a plus, but if the dinette bed is comfortable, or can be made comfortable with a high quality memory foam topper then we'll likely stick with the dinette.

WRT the corner bed -- it's far from ideal, that's for sure.  In fact, as I may have mentioned above, we heard enough negative comments about them here and on other forums that we gave up on the 2350 (and a couple other corner bed designs we were considering) and decided we had to have a walk/shuffle around queen (in slide or not).  There are a couple coaches that are <25' long that have a queen size bed (well, RV 'queen' size anyway) but they will not work for us for a variety of reasons -- the LTV Unity U24IB ('island bed') and the WGO View Profile/Itasca Navion iQ with the queen in the rear slide are two of them.  Then there's the WGO Via 25Q (technically 25'5"), and the Fleetwood Jamboree 24R (25'2").  They all leave a lot to be desired in comparison to the PC 2350 though.

I'm a pretty big guy (6'2", 235) but I tend to lay in one position when sleeping.  I'm hoping that (at least initially) the corner bed will work for DW and I.  If not, she's ok with sleeping in the other bed as long as it is comfortable.

Buying an RV has been by far the most difficult and time-consuming purchase of my life.  There are so many considerations, variables, options, and compromises.

Sherman   

64
I can tell you, from experience, that the Sprinter seats are more comfortable than the Ford.

Viewing the t.v in the Ford is much easier on the neck. We found that we had to look up with the Sprinter (we reccomended the mount in a previous post).

We like the profile of the Sprinter over the Ford. We had many more compliments on the Sprinter than we have had on the Ford.

For us, the layout of the 2551 was the best, so we traded the 2350 for the 2551.

Judi

I agree with you about the profile of the Sprinter-based 2350 and 2400 -- of course my wife and I started out looking at class B RVs.  The E-350/450 rigs look good too.

An adjustable TV mount is a great idea -- especially when a TV must be mounted in a less than ideal location.

I'm glad to hear the Sprinter seats are more comfortable.  In the photos Ron posted, the Ford seats look extra-plush, but there's also such a thing as too much cushioning and not enough support.

Sherman

65
Thanks for the photos Ron, they're great!

One difference I noticed is the seats -- the seats in the Ford look a lot more comfy.

At least you can tell people you and your wife aren't the only oddballs -- my wife and I really prefer the dinette also, and we need to get the larger one you have since we may need to use it as an adult-sized bed.

Is there a 2350 with the larger dinette in a slide?  Or is the larger dinette only offered in the coaches without a slide?

Also, I may have asked before, but what are the dimensions of the dinette _bed_ in your PC 2350?  I hate to bother you but I could not find that info on the PC website.

Same with the shower.  As I recall, I was able to stand up in the shower in Tom's 2350, but I'm curious about the dimensions, particularly the height.

I've noticed that most RV mfrs, including PC, aren't always very forthcoming with some dimensions.  That's a shame because there are certain dimensions that are important to buyers and not having them readily available makes things more difficult.

Something else that would be very helpful would be an archive section that has brochures with features, specs, options, etc for previous model years.  Very few mfrs seem to do this either (WGO is one that does).

Not picking on PC, just some observations.

I like the larger cabinets over the cab in the Ford, but I prefer the exterior look/profile of the Sprinter-based 2350.

66
Sherman -- admittedly, I'm prejudiced, but when I looked at CH, they offered no changes from their standard & options -- I specifically requested the Sani Con & was told "no" --- and, as you say, the price & trade value was rediculous (sp).  As I've said before, the PC offered the amenities & fit & finish that I didn't find elsewhere in the 23-24 ft. range.  And, as others have said, the folks at the factory go out of their way to please.
Jack

Jack,

You're preaching to the choir.  ;-)

DW and I don't have anywhere near that kind of money to drop on an RV, and even if we did the additional expense is hard to justify.

For what they charge I'm amazed they don't offer the Sani Con standard, and to not at least offer it as an option is just ridiculous. 

I didn't even get so far as to compare options.  I watched the CH video because it was right there, and I thought it would be interesting to compare the videos back-to-back.  What I meant to say was that PC is clearly a better value.  CH may have some advantages (R-28 insulation, one-piece shell) but not nearly enough to justify the price difference.

The primary claim to fame for CH seems to be the one-piece shell.  While that would seem to be preferable to the way most class C RVs are made, as a practical matter I don't see that it makes a real difference.  I don't hear anything about PC, LTV, or WGO coaches developing leaks so it's pretty much a non-issue, near as I can tell.

Bottom line, PC holds up very well next to CH, which is very impressive considering the major price difference.

DW and I have come full-circle back to PC.  The only reason we started looking elsewhere was to try and find a walk-around queen in the same size coach.  There are a few, but they aren't what we're looking for otherwise.

I've been searching coast-to-coast for a 2350 w/dinette on a Sprinter chassis but haven't found any -- not one.  Are they not very popular, or are people just holding on to them?

Sherman 

67
If you search the Forum, General Discussion for "Troubleshooting electrical problems in rear camera hookup", go to reply #23 and you will see a picture of our Sony monitor for the backup camera with the extension. We ordered the extension but we gave Phoenix the name of where we go it, so they can probably get one if asked.

There is more headroom in the Sprinter cab; therefore, the t.v is up higher. I really feel, that with the Sprinter, you need an adjustable t.v mount. Mor-ride has many t.v mounts available.

George

Very slick set-up!

I'm not sure I understand why the TV is mounted higher in the Sprinter.  I guess I'd have to see it.  I have noticed the difference in cab height but the overall height is only 3" more with the Sprinter (according to the PC brochure I have anyway).  TV mounts are almost always a worthwhile addition anyway.  It's important to be comfortable and have the viewing angle right.

Sherman

68
One thing I'd really like to see is the PC "virtual construction tour" mentioned in the PC brochure.  I've checked the PC website but didn't see anything like that.  If you or someone else could give me a link I'd really appreciate it.
The original virtual tour is a many slide PowerPoint presentation with sound narration that runs around 14.5 minutes.
I got a fairly clean copy of it over 4 years ago but can't share it due to it's 72MB size.
You can watch a technically ill (poor sound and smaller pictures) copy of it on Youtube HERE
Understand that the presentation was made to demonstrate the 2008 model year so there are some superficial differences between 2008 and 2012.

Thanks Ron!

Just curious -- any idea why it is not available at the PC website?

I watched the tour on YouTube and while the quality wasn't the best (as you said) it was certainly watchable and informative.

Actually, as I was watching it I realized I had seen at least some of it before. 

It really looks like PC does a good job.  As an electro-mechanical tech I like that PC uses all continuous runs of wire and all of the terminations looked clean and professional.  In addition, the plumbing looked well done.  I'm not familiar with that plastic pipe/hose, but the connections to the brass fittings looked solid.

There wasn't really anything I saw that made me question the quality of construction.  In one frame they did show a cover (over a water tank maybe?) that was made from wafer board, but everything else seemed to be plywood or solid wood.

After that I watched the Coach House video for comparison, since it was right there.  CH is clearly a bit better quality in some areas, but not near enough to justify the additional cost.  One thing I noticed was that CH stated all of their insulation -- walls, floor, and roof -- is R-28.  That's impressive for a RV.  I wonder what the R-value of PC's insulation is?  Just curious -- I'm not gonna spend $150K or whatever just to get R-28 insulation!   


69
Hi Sherman...

No, I haven't weighed my rig --- I had the jacks on a previous PC, and knew I wanted them on this one - just another option I wanted and didn't worry about the weight.

I've only had the Sprinter for a few months, and the milage was calculated on a trip to friends in GA.  Over the course of the trip, weather conditions were very different - rain & wind, etc., -- one tank with heavy wind against us and 70 mph, yeilded 14 mpg, and one (where I don't think I filled the tank completely) resulted in 19 something.  The others were pretty consistantly in the 16-17+ range.

If you want to email me, I can give you more info - jackd@novatec.com

Best,
Jack


Thanks Jack, will do.

Sherman

70
One thing I'd really like to see is the PC "virtual construction tour" mentioned in the PC brochure.  I've checked the PC website but didn't see anything like that.  If you or someone else could give me a link I'd really appreciate it.
The original virtual tour is a many slide PowerPoint presentation with sound narration that runs around 14.5 minutes.
I got a fairly clean copy of it over 4 years ago but can't share it due to it's 72MB size.
You can watch a technically ill (poor sound and smaller pictures) copy of it on Youtube HERE
Understand that the presentation was made to demonstrate the 2008 model year so there are some superficial differences between 2008 and 2012.

Thanks Ron!

Just curious -- any idea why it is not available at the PC website?

71
Hi Sherman -- time for my 2 cents:
 
I LOVE my Sprinter - 17.6 mpg @ 55-60 mph, 16.4 @ 65-70 -- and great ride.  It is our 3rd PC, - we looked at the specs of every 23-24 ft. RV in N America, and found none with the features, fit & finish, & ammenities of the Phoenix.  On the antenna, have the digital std. with no problems -- at the house I get 40 channels, and have always had reception at campgrounds.  Also have jacks, and like them -- not only for stabilizing, but leveling as well - I wonder how effective scissors jacks would be for that...in short, we are very happy, and think you will be as well with the sprinter.
Good luck, and welcome to the "group"
Jack

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the encouraging and informative post!

40 stations?!!  That's incredible!  I guess in Queenstown you're picking up stations from D.C., Baltimore, and maybe even Wilmington?

If this is your third PC you obviously like them and have figured out exactly which features you prefer.  I am impressed with PC -- they seem to be very well built and they include many features that are optional on other RVs.  I am just hoping that we can find a used Sprinter-based 2350 for a reasonable price.  The 2350 seems to be hard to find, regardless of the chassis they're built on (and most seem to be built on the F-350).

Your mileage figures are very impressive -- they seem more typical of the older I-5 Sprinter chassis.  Over how many miles did you calculate the two mpg numbers?  The reason I ask is that I've been posting over at RV.net as well, and there are many F-350/450 fans over there (as there are here) who are very skeptical of the mileage Sprinter-based RV owners are reporting.  I often hear things like, "That must have been their best tankful -- drafting a semi at 55 mph and/or with a tailwind and/or lightly loaded...", etc.  I have no first-hand experience, but your numbers are in line with what owners of the WGO View/Navion are seeing and what I've read over my years of RV research.

The scissors jack idea is obviously far from ideal.  I can't recall where I read about it but the person seemed to think it did the job for them.  It was probably on the View-Navion Yahoo group.  Tell me, how much CCC does your rig have -- total, assuming empty water tanks and no tongue weight?  I'm concerned about the weight of the hydraulic jack system.  If (say) the CCC is ~1,000 pounds, that's only about as much as most cars have.  We plan to carry a lightweight Enduro (small motorcycle) on a hitch carrier and that alone (bike & carrier) will probably weigh ~350 to 375 pounds.  Then there's DW and I -- that's another say 360 (I'm sure she'd want me to clarify that almost 2/3 of that is me!).  If the jacks weigh about 180 pounds we're up to 900 and we don't have any water or luggage on board yet.  I hope my numbers are wrong, because I'd like to have the jacks -- they're a great option.

One thing I'd really like to see is the PC "virtual construction tour" mentioned in the PC brochure.  I've checked the PC website but didn't see anything like that.  If you or someone else could give me a link I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks again,
Sherman

72
We have the ladder and wouldn’t want to be without it. Sometimes staying weeks at a time, it makes for easy cleaning of the roof. The jacks are great.  Not only do they level, but they make it stable – very little movement of the coach when moving around inside or when someone enters or leaves via the step.  We have not encountered a problem with antenna.  Never noticed any noise from it when traveling, get good reception, and a great HD picture.  Also, the home theater system is great for volume when the AC is on or in heavy rain when the TV volume is not enough.

And recommend the insulated windows: no sweating (accept the windshield), warmer, quieter.  The only option I might reconsider is getting the swivel driver’s seat rather than the power seat, although I do like to raise it as high as it will go when travelling.  The very best decision was no carpet.  The second best was a light over the bathroom sink (pic).  It’s pretty much the only light we use in the bathroom.


I love the idea of the jacks, but I am a bit concerned about the added weight since we plan to get a Sprinter-based 2350 (depending on the F-350 to Sprinter price differential).

I correspond with a guy who has a 2006 Winnebago View.  He would like to add both jacks and solar but cannot because he and DW are pretty much at the GVWR.  Of course, IIRC, the early I-5 Sprinter chassis had a lower GVWR than the current V-6 Sprinter.  Still, there's almost a 1,500 pound difference between the F-350 and the Sprinter.

A less expensive and much lighter method I've read about is to semi-permanently attach four scissors jacks to the frame and use a cordless drill to raise and lower them.  Not the same as flipping a switch though, that's for sure.

Good advice on the carpet.  That's our thinking as well.  Likewise the windows and bathroom light.

I wonder what the height difference is between the standard drivers seat and the power seat at it's highest setting?  DW uses a pillow to raise herself up in two of our vehicles.  She doesn't need it in her RAV4 though so the Sprinter seat height might not be an issue.  We took a new WGO View for a test drive at a local dealer but she chickened out and didn't want to drive it.  ;-)  Something for us to check out before buying, although I guess we could change out the seat at any time.

I'm glad to hear the antenna has worked well for you.  A former coworker told me he got a much better HD image with his home rooftop antenna than with either cable or satellite.  That stands to reason since the cable and satellite TV providers compress their signals so much.

Thanks for your help! 

73
Hi Sherman,

First off, thank you for the nice compliment.

To address some of the remarks made here in the last few days with my two cents worth.

I have had the roof antenna on all my seven motorhomes since 1984 and have never had a leak problem. Ron has the older analog antenna with the upgrade for digital while the newer rigs all come with the turned for digital antenna. So you could see a difference in its ability to pickup distance signals.

Fantastic Fan company is one of the best company's I have ever dealt with. If anything ever goes wrong with the fan regardless of the age of the fan, they just send you new parts for free. One motorhome I bought came with a basic fan without a thermostat and I wanted to upgrade it for my dogs, so I called them and they not only sent me all the parts for free but had me call them when I went to install it so they could walk me thought the install. I will always stick with Fantastic for that reason alone regardless of what else is out there. I have put the Maxxair II vent covers on both my fans but now I understand that Fantastic is coming out with a new and better cover. I can hardly wait to see it.

The plastic underbelly is a good thing and is really strong. It would be very hard to punch a hole in it by accident. I would not worry about water getting into it and have not heard of anyone having any problems with it.

On both of my PCs, I got the ladder and passed on the roof rack. I do not like the looks of the rack, looks old fashion to me and is just something I have to clean around. I don't have the ability to keep my PC in a garage like Ron, so I have to wash it every month or so. When I wash it, I also wash the roof to prevent the "black streaks" on the sides. The ladder makes it easier to get up on the roof without having to get out a ladder. I also feel it is safer than a stand alone ladder that might slip off the motorhome. One time on the way to Myrtle Beach for Christmas break, I hit a low hanging ice covered branch at 50 mph. Really loud bang. I pulled over to the side of the road and used the ladder to climb up on the roof and look for a big hole. No hole but the satellite dish cover was gone. Never overnight a cover, it cost me $200 for the cover and surprise, $300 for the shipping. A ladder can be real handy at times.

Hi Tom,

How do you like your new PC?

I'm glad to hear that not everyone has had trouble with the antenna because that seems like something we'd want to have.  I don't plan to be watching a lot of TV, but when you want to it's nice to have decent reception and a few channels to choose from.  I realize of course that won't always be the case.  For example Ron mentioned terrain having a big influence, and I'm sure there are plenty of areas that just don't have many TV transmitters nearby.

I don't know that we'll go to the trouble and expense of getting a satellite antenna and receiver, but that's always an option.  How well do they work BTW?  I don't recall reading any discussions about them.  We have DirecTV at home -- do the portable systems work as well as the typical fixed residential ones?

Very good info about Fantastic Fan Co.  I like to reward companies that still do business that way.  I'll keep that in mind.  Reminds me of the time I bought a monster 24,000 BTU thru-wall Whirlpool A/C unit from Lowes.  They were closing their old Frederick, MD, store and opening the new one and selling some scratch and dent stuff 'as-is'.  The A/C unit looked ok but needed the front panel, the filter, and a control knob.  I called Whirlpool fully expecting to pay for the parts but they sent everything to me for free -- even after I explained that I bought it as-is sitting on a pallet on the sidewalk in front of Lowes.  Smart business.

The plastic underbelly sounds good to me.  I haven't heard any other mfr mention something like that.

We have a large garage with a 13' ceiling, but when I built it we weren't considering buying an RV so the doors are only 8' high.  We're going to raise the height of the center door.  I hope we can just buy more panels from Raynor -- those doors were over $600 each, years ago.  2" thick, insulated (R-11, IIRC) and steel inside and out.

74

I'm torn about the ladder -- you and Gradygal both make good points.  Offhand I'd say that if the main reason you leave it off is cosmetic.
The clean appearence is secondary.  We plan to own our rig for a very long time, 25-30 years, maybe longer.  When I examine older motor homes, that stuff becomes questionable whether it can be trusted.  Rusting screws, heavily oxidized aluminum parts and related hardware along with dried-up caulk is concerning both on the rear wall and roof where water penetration becomes a concern.  I feel the fewer holes in my roof and wall, the better.  Admittedly I have much larger holes like for the a/c, skylight and roof vents and such, but the roof rack, ladder and Winegard antenna are easy for me to delete.  And for some reason, old screws are a common source of water infiltration.

As mentioned by Gradygal, there will be a time where I'll wish I had the ladder on-the-spot......especially if my rig gets tangled up in branches or something.  But I will take my chances.  Hey, I still have my ladder & rack.  I can still mount them if I change my mind.  If I ever do, I would likely install just the ladder.

Every now and then someone donates an old motor home to the charity I volunteer at.  Those with ladders demonstrates to me I made a wise decision.

As Charlie Brown might say:  Aaaaargh!

Very good points Ron.  Now I'm really torn as to what to do.  It would be interesting to get PC's input.  Of course, since many/most of their rigs come with ladders PC may be reluctant to admit there are any safety and/or water infiltration issues related to the ladders (if there have been any).

Question:  What are the differences (if any) between the Sprinter-based 2350 and the F-350 based 2350?  For example, the aero-cap on the Sprinter-based rig appears to be much smaller.  Are there differences in the ent. center/storage cabinets between the Ford F-350 and Sprinter-based 2350s?

Thanks!

Sherman   

75
We had a 2010 PC 2350 Sprinter and loved it but felt that we needed a larger rig with twin beds so we traded it in on a 2011 PC 2551.

I need to disagree with Ron on a couple of  his suggestions:
We ordered the Sprinter without the ladder. Yes, it makes the rear of the Coach look cleaner; however, on our 2551, we had the ladder and roof rack installed and are VERY glad we did. On the way home to Florida from Virginia in September, a screw on the roof vent fell off and the vent cover came up (at 65 MPH on RT. 81). We pulled off and I climbed up onto the roof of the motorhome, pushed the vent cover back down and we returned the screw to the vent. If we didn't have the ladder on the back, that would not have been fixed in a timely manner and we may have lost the cover.

We use the Winegard antenna all the time. The newer antennas are equipped with a booster so the t.v comes in very clear. We find no rattling of the antenna when underway and do not find the signal touchy. Remember, not all RV  parks (even near cities) have cable. We frequently stay at a Corps of Engineers Park near Ft. Myers and use the antenna to pick up Ft. Myers stations.

The only option that you list that we would not want is the mirror with compass and outside temp. We are very happy with the Sony monitor with an 8" extension. It puts the monitor where your rearview mirror should be. You are right on with all the other options.

Thanks for the reply Gradygal!

I'm curious, what is the Sony monitor with the 8" extension you referred to?  If it is any bigger than a typical portable GPS unit, I'm thinking it would obstruct the driver's vision if it is mounted where the rearview mirror should be.  Is it a PC factory option?


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