Introduce Yourself!

Denny & Barb

328
Medicine Bow, Wy.
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: 4-08-2012
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2012
Slide: Yes
IntColor: cafe
ExtColor: cafe
Location: Wisc. (Wittenberg.. N. Central)

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #525 on: August 26, 2013, 01:01:17 pm »

My 2350 didn't handle too well when I got it new. Out of pocket to get it closer to a sports car didn't' cost that much. Most was covered by Ford. Most bang for the buck was proper alignment to a plus camber. (see my posts on this). BTW the later year Fords do now come with heavier suspension components which means steering stabilizer and shocks may be OK as-is. (See Fords website on E-350/450).

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Your Word our Lord is a light to my feet and a lantern to my path... Ps 119

skipper

103
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: Used
PurchDate: 08/13
Model: 2552
ModelYear: 2013
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Tan
ExtColor: Gold
Location: FL

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #526 on: August 29, 2013, 04:33:33 pm »

Hi everyone,

I purchased an used 2013 2552 from a dealer in CA last week. The unit used to belong to a member here. Anyway, last weekend I picked it up and drove it the 2030 miles from CA to FL. This is our first RV and it will mainly be used for weekend trips to dog trials.

A major requirement for our RV was that it must fit under our 9' 11 1/2" garage door. Our criteria knocked out about 98% of motorhomes and 80% of all trailers. As many of you know, the 2552 specs show it as 10' 1" at the top of the AC. I am here to tell you that loaded with full fuel (gas and propane) and several gallons of water, our RV (with in motion satellite dish, the highest point) clears the door with a huge 1" to spare. Whew! I did have to take the in motion fantastic fan cover off, but it removed easily with 4 pins holding it on the roof.

I must say that this owner's group was a huge deciding factor in our purchase. I spent a lot of time here before the purchase reading about the good, the bad and hardly any ugly. I thank you all for participating in this forum and helping me and, I'm sure, countless others.

I had some issues arise during my transit and I'll post them in a different thread.

Thanks! Mark & Kelli

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Mark

Pax

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #527 on: August 30, 2013, 12:17:32 am »

"I must say that this owner's group was a huge deciding factor in our purchase. I spent a lot of time here before the purchase reading about the good, the bad and hardly any ugly. I thank you all for participating in this forum and helping me and, I'm sure, countless others."

DITTO!

......and WELCOME!

- Mike and Joni

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rstng8

4
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: December 2013
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2014
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Hickory
ExtColor: Sunlit
Location: California

Re: Sprinter vs Ford

« Reply #528 on: September 07, 2013, 05:13:23 pm »

Thanks everyone, some very interesting helpful information from everyone. I'm beginning to lean towards 2551 with all the comments, space I know will become a factor when your on the road for a Month or so. Yes, $12,000 extra for a sprinter will certainly allow many upgrades to a Ford. Also good thoughts that the newer models may have many of the problems taken care of, that was very interesting.

rstng8
Jan

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Thanks, Jan
E-Mail: jparn848@yahoo.com

Ron Dittmer

5486
Ron and Irene
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: June 2007
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2007
Slide: No
IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
ExtColor: Full Body Gray
Location: N/E Illinois

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #529 on: September 12, 2013, 06:13:52 pm »

Quote from: Denny & Barb on August 26, 2013, 01:01:17 pm

the later year Fords do now come with heavier suspension components which means steering stabilizer and shocks may be OK as-is. (See Fords website on E-350/450).

We own a 2007 E350, the last year before Ford's suspension improvements of current day. When the change was introduced, I studied the suspension and brake specs to better understand what I missed out on. I hope I have this accurate as it has been years since I reviewed the technical differences. Use this just to get the idea.

Today's E350/E450 suspension was introduced in 2008, easily identified by the restyling of the front grill to what I call the industrial dump truck look. 2008 was a transition year in that it got the latest suspension and grill, but has the earlier oval/roundy dash board design. 2009 is the first full year of change and as far as I know, is the same for 2013.

There were 3 main areas of change.
1) styling
2) suspension
3) brakes

1) styling
- The front grill allows for more air to flow through the engine compartment
- The dash board added a glove box and accomodates an optional navigation system.
- The general layout is improved addressing issues such as the 12v outlets placed away from the gear shift selector
- The two entry doors got 2-tier storage pockets

2) suspension
- The E350 gets a rear stabilizer bar (all E350s from 2007 on back never got one)
- Both E350 & E450 get a better mounted front stabilizer bar
- Front suspension improved through minor adjustments of the upper & lower control arms
- Both E350 & E450 chassis weight ratings were increased though I can't recall what exactly changed to make it happen

3) brakes
This one has been debatable as to whether they were improved or simply cost reduced
- Rotors got a bit bigger in diameter with bigger matching brake pads
- Caliper piston diameters are a bit bigger
- The rotors are separate parts, not part of the hub like before. Real heavy duty trucks with disk brakes have the hub and rotor as one cast part for best performance
- The E450 lost the industrial parking brake assembly just behind the transmission, I assume it now is like the E350 with the parking brake by the rear wheels.

My appologies in advance if I got some of this wrong, but I don't have time to refresh my memory to supply most accurate data.

« Last Edit: September 12, 2013, 06:18:06 pm by ron.dittmer »

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Ron (& Irene) Dittmer

Doneworking

450
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: Used
PurchDate: September 2013
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2013
Slide: Yes
Location: Oklahoma City

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #530 on: September 16, 2013, 10:57:11 am »

Well, after spending two years researching we bought a 2013 2350 Phoenix Cruiser (Ford). We have owned a 2007 Roadtrek since it was new and have owned two other Cs and 2 other Bs over a period of thirty years. We had decided to fly up to Chicago, get a car and come over and spec out a new 2350 but quite accidentally discovered one on Craig's List (which I almost never read). Turned out it was a guy less than three miles from our house who had gotten into RVing three years ago and this Phoenix was his third unit while he tried to determine what best met their travel needs. He had ordered out the 2350 with wood floors, slide, full body paint and some other things I would have loved to have but probably would not have ordered due to budget. In any event, this baby has less than 7500 miles and was kept garaged at his place of business. We picked it up and I spent one day going over all the systems in my driveway on a hot 93 degree day with humidity. I can attest to this fact: the AC works well! We had other commitments last week out of town, so this week I will roll out the PC and detail it out, crawl around underneath and get more familiar with everything.

I am sure we will really enjoy our new unit! Incredibly, if you look at the footprint, a 2350 is only a foot longer than our Roadtrek 210 and only 5 inches wider (using the specs from both RT and PC websites). The difference in room is amazing, particularly with the slide. We look forward to a dry bath and a bed as well as the larger tanks because we boondock most of the time.

Now, if I can just figure out all those switches...................

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Pax

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #531 on: September 16, 2013, 11:54:26 am »

Congrats....and welcome!

When ya figure out all the switches, let me know!

- Mike

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2travel

53
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: Nov 3 2014
Model: 2552
ModelYear: 2015
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Greystone with wood floor and ultra leather
ExtColor: Greystone lower body paint, clear coat and rust proof
Location: Nashville Tennessee

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #532 on: September 26, 2013, 09:58:46 am »

HI Phoenix Cruiser Travelers,

Linda and I bought our 2006 used 2100 at the factory in June. I grew up in Elkhart and retired to Mt Juliet Tennessee in 2008. We plan to tour Florida and the Keys this January and February and the western parks to Glacier National Park in the spring and summer. After that, upper Michigan and the north east to the maritime provinces. Oh yes, a Phoenix Rally as soon as possible.

We have a son in Indianapolis and a daughter in Tuscaloosa Alabama, so we are half way between them. This makes it easy to check on the three grand children.

We live in a Del Webb 55 and over community. There is always something going on here but we still find time to travel.

I look forward to chatting and meeting. I have much to learn about RVing. Sincerely, Steve Bowser

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2travel

gradygal

742
our 3rd PC--Custom 2910
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: March 2012
Model: 2910
ModelYear: 2013
Slide: Yes
IntColor: cherry
ExtColor: slate gray full body paint
Location: Florida

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #533 on: September 26, 2013, 10:26:38 am »

Welcome to the Forum! We know that you will love your PC.

This Forum is a treasure trove of info--we are still learning new things about the PC (and this is our 3rd) and have met some really cool people.

Judi and George

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Judi and George Nicholson
Punta Gorda FL

Ron Dittmer

5486
Ron and Irene
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: June 2007
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2007
Slide: No
IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
ExtColor: Full Body Gray
Location: N/E Illinois

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #534 on: September 26, 2013, 12:03:12 pm »

Quote from: 2travel on September 26, 2013, 09:58:46 am

Linda and I bought our 2006 used 2100 at the factory in June.

......to Glacier National Park in the spring and summer.

Welcome Steve and Linda!

We just got back from Glacier NP. We were there for 10 days last August. What a park.

The Going To The Sun Road vehicle restriction did not permit our PC-2350 on that road, but your PC-2100 will be permitted from either end, east or west. You might need to fold in your outside mirrors when going up and down from the west because that road is more narrow than the east side.

If you like hiking for a full day, there are two hikes I highy recommend.
- Ice Berg Lake (4 miles there & 4 miles back)
- The Garden Wall from Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet, then down to a lower parking area called The Loop. There you take the free shuttle back up to Logan Pass to get back to your 2100. That is 13 miles one way which includes the turn-off to see Grinnell Glacier from above. Don't cut that short. Most of the hike is down hill, but it does take all day. Start early AM, the views are awesome.

Avalanche Lake is 5 miles round trip. Hidden Lake is less. Both are very nice.

Bears are abound, especially on the east side Many Glacier, both black and Grizzly. You can't miss them. Just watch for people pulled off the side of the road. But no worries using common sense with food and clean-up, at the camp site and while hiking too. We camped in Rising Sun with a black bear who visited the camp ground often. No worries at all with any hard shell RV. We enjoyed many camp fires in the evening and the bear never bothered us. He did like the raspberry patch all around our camp site which had him sniffing around during one day that we witnessed.

Welcome to the PC family!

« Last Edit: September 26, 2013, 12:04:57 pm by ron.dittmer »

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Ron (& Irene) Dittmer

Jeasen

1
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: Used
PurchDate: August, 2013
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 1999
Slide: No
IntColor: Blue
ExtColor: White
Location: Kansas

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #535 on: October 02, 2013, 11:22:53 am »

I would like to introduce ourselves to everyone here, my name is James and my wife's name is Linda and my screen name is Jeasen. We live in the Kansas City area and just purchased a 1999 2350 Phoenix Cruiser. We had a couple of travel trailers and a class A motorhome years ago when the kids were young but have not had an RV for years because we simply did not take the time away from careers and family to go RVing. Since I retired (Linda is still working) I had been kind of looking at all types of RV's from class A's, to travel trailers, to slide in pickup campers and came across the 2350 Phoenix Cruiser. The more I looked at the Phoenix Cruiser the more i found that I liked about the Phoenix Cruiser and decided to make it mine. Our PC has 52,000 miles on it and shows very little wear from use.

Last fall and winter I had a medical condition that now severely limits me in what I can physically do so it takes me much longer to do things these days. In the last few weeks I have been slowly doing minor maintenance to the PC and getting it ready for it's (ours) maiden trip. I still have a few things to complete before we go but am looking forward to our first trip.

I would welcome any tips or suggestions that anyone could give me that might make our first trip more enjoyable. I want to do all the things that I can think of now rather than being stuck with doing them on the road later. One of the things I could use some help on now is TV placement. I bought a 29" flat screen for the PC. It is to big (wide) to install in the front cabinet with the roll up door over the cab. My first thought was to install it on a swing away bracket toward the drivers side of the roll up door cabinet. With the front placement it can be viewed from the dinette, barrel chair and rear bed which is why it was placed there in the first place. Then we started to look at the space over the entrance door but the TV is about 1 to 1 1/2" taller then the space over the door and I think that it would be a head bumper if mounted there. The TV is very light, it is LED, and could be mounted almost anywhere. I also have a DVD player to mount in the roll up door cabinet and will have to run an antenna cable and HDMI cable to the TV from the roll up door cabinet to where ever the TV is placed. The TV will be used to watch news, local evening TV programs and the ocasional rented movie. Maybe I bought something bigger than needed and a smaller TV would be better suited to the PC? Anyone?

We are looking forward to meeting you all in person as time goes by. Don't forget to send me your tips and suggestions and ideas on TV placement and preventative maintenance. Thanks, James & Linda

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Bside60

16
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: Feb 2014
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2014
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Cafe
ExtColor: Sunlit
Location: Colorado

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #536 on: October 04, 2013, 02:32:10 pm »

Hello,

I am Bob Whiteside ( screen name :Bside60) and my wife is Bev and we are new the the forum. We are recent "empty nesters" ( the twins are now sophmores in college), living in the Denver Colorado area but not retired yet. We have a 2007 Eagle Cap 950 truck camper on a SRW Chevy Silverado Crew Cab. That rig has served us well over the years but we are ready for something else.

We are very interested in the PC2350. It seems like the perfect set up for us whether it be for a weekend escape or the long drive to visit our daughter in Madison WI. I have many questions but will only burden the forum with a few for now.

I had initially considered ordering the 2350 on an E450 chassis but was cautioned by forum member Ron Dittmer on the rough ride I would be in for with the small coach on that chassis. I had found the heavier load capacity and braking capabilities of the E450 appealing since we have a lot of steep roads and highways in Colorado and we are thinking of getting an Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as a toad ( about 4600 lbs curb weight). I like the 24' length and am not interested in the larger models. I would be interested in any input from the 2350/E450 owners on the forum.

We would like a slide out with the sofa. Access to the rear while in transit is important to us however and I would appreciate hearing from anyone regarding ease of passage to the back while the slide-out is retracted.

We are excited to schedule a visit to the factory, hopefully in the first half of November as time permits.

Thanks,
Bob

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Ron Dittmer

5486
Ron and Irene
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: June 2007
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2007
Slide: No
IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
ExtColor: Full Body Gray
Location: N/E Illinois

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #537 on: October 04, 2013, 02:58:23 pm »

Welcome Jeason with a 1999 2350. I don't know anyone on this forum with a rig that goes back that far. It will be interesting to read how it serves you. I can't offer much in a reply. I do encourage you to read through the tips & tricks section to get ideas there on how to address things that may be applicable to your 1999 model.

The only other advise I can offer is.....inspect all seamwork and the B+ aerocap over the van. Make sure everything is well sealed and secured. Check caulk-work for cracking/split seams. Check the B+ cap interconnection to the van roof by placing your palm on each front corner and lift upward with force. If you can create a gap, then you'll want to have that looked at. I say this only because it came up in a recent discussion, a potential issue in early production.

Well Wishes,
Ron Dittmer

« Last Edit: October 04, 2013, 03:00:04 pm by ron.dittmer »

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Ron (& Irene) Dittmer

Ron Dittmer

5486
Ron and Irene
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: June 2007
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2007
Slide: No
IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
ExtColor: Full Body Gray
Location: N/E Illinois

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #538 on: October 04, 2013, 03:05:11 pm »

Quote from: Bside60 on October 04, 2013, 02:32:10 pm

I had initially considered ordering the 2350 on an E450 chassis but was cautioned by forum member Ron Dittmer on the rough ride I would be in for with the small coach on that chassis.

Welcome Bob! I am glad you've connected here on this forum.

My comments on this subject matter is just an opinion when considering I have never even rode in a 2350 built on an E450. I sure hope you get input direct from those who have owned or own today, an E450/2350.

« Last Edit: October 04, 2013, 03:09:36 pm by ron.dittmer »

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Ron (& Irene) Dittmer

TomHanlon

Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Reply #539 on: October 04, 2013, 04:24:40 pm »

"I had initially considered ordering the 2350 on an E450 chassis but was cautioned by forum member Ron Dittmer on the rough ride I would be in for with the small coach on that chassis. I had found the heavier load capacity and braking capabilities of the E450 appealing since we have a lot of steep roads and highways in Colorado and we are thinking of getting an Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as a toad ( about 4600 lbs curb weight). I like the 24' length and am not interested in the larger models. I would be interested in any input from the 2350/E450 owners on the forum.

We would like a slide out with the sofa. Access to the rear while in transit is important to us however and I would appreciate hearing from anyone regarding ease of passage to the back while the slide-out is retracted."

First off let me say hi and welcome. I think I am the only person on here that has actually owned a Phoenix 2350 built on the E450, but I could be wrong. In 2010 I ordered a 2350 with a sofa slide out. When it came time to build it, the factory discovered that the E350 chassis that had gotten from Ford only had the small 35 gallon gas tank, not the standard 55 gallon tank. I did not want the smaller tank, so I asked about getting it built on the larger stronger E450. They said yes for a small upgrade fee of $2000. So I agreed with it and got what I wanted all along. I replaced the shocks with Bilstein shocks and thought the ride and handling improved. I replaced the rear anti-sway bar with the Roadmaster heavy duty bar. I could not say that it was worth the money and there was very little improvement. I never felt that the ride was rough or hard. We took this rig from Maryland to Yellowstone and down to Rockey Mtn. NP east entrance and up the mountains. Never had any problems with it, except for the stone chip in the windshield in Wy. on a dirt road. My tax dollars at work replacing the road. I think everyone should upgrade to the E450 over the E350, but that is just me and I know not everyone agrees with me.

We upgraded to the larger 2012 2552 because of the better sleeping arrangement, at least for us. I have also replaced the shocks with the newer Bilstein HD silver shocks and like the ride even better that the stock factory stocks or the older yellow Bilstein shocks. I also replaced the steering dampener with a Bilstein dampener for about $300. Now I sit back and just cruise the highways. On my last trip two deer jumped out in front of me wile I was doing 65 mph and I really do like the extra handling theses improvement have made.

As for getting to the back with the slide out in for traveling, no problem. I am 6' 240 lbs and can move around with the slide in or out.

Feel free to ask any and all your question on here as we all love talking about our PCs.

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