I had the opportunity early in the New Year to walk though a RV Dealer’s lot andwalk through some new Bounders. I marveled how far we have come in value for the money. One item that impressed me was the pricing range: from a well equipped gas rig at $109,000 to over $201,000 for a diesel model. In walking through the delivery area, I saw the vehicles new Bounder buyers were moving up from. Some were older Bounders, others were competitive brands and one was a mid 90’s American Eagle in superb condition. I talked with a RVer at a park near where we stayed and his comments emphasized what we already know and what I saw in the delivery area. He had owned a Bounder prior to his current coach and he commented that a Bounder was (and still is) “the best bang for the buck!”   He misses his Bounder.

I have never seen as many floor plans, some with a mid coach entertainment area, - the latest trend in motorhomes. Many models have increased the storage capabilities and with across the coach under floor storage re-appearing in 2008 rigs we see features that were the trademarks of a Bounder. In 2008 this storage is combined with many luxury features that were only available on diesel coaches just a few years ago. A Bounder is better value than ever.

From a technical perspective, all Bounders are built on a variety of chassis that give both weekend RVers as well as full timers enough capacity to carry “all their stuff” safely. With 22.5” wheels and larger tires these Bounders ride and handle like high end coaches of just a few years back. The power and performance of the new Bounder is excellent with well over 300HP, 450 ft/lbs of torque passing power to the road through five and six speed automatic transmissions with overdrive. On the utility front, 50 Amp power is standard and whole coach water filters with a 10 gallon water heater is standard.

From a TechTips perspective, I am finding that there are less basic problems with Coaches today. Many of the problems that crop up are related to the electronics and features we add to our shopping list when we buy. It is rare that I hear of a 120 Volt quiet, solid state converter failing like the older, noisy transformer based convertors did. Likewise we forget the convenience items like the transfer switch which provides power to the coach from the shore power cord, then transfers generator power to the coach when the generator starts up. It was not all that long ago, that a RV generator had a power receptacle nearby and when the generator was running the shore power cord was plugged into that receptacle to power the coach. That system rarely failed, but I cannot imagine many RVers doing that today. Likewise there were many who complained about coach taillight and marker lights that would not stay lit due to corrosion and tow vehicles that suffered from weak tail, turn and brake lights. The RV manufacturers have responded with substantially better connectors, many using plug in bulbs that are less susceptible to corrosion and tow vehicle wiring on the coach that supplies power to the Toad using relays to maintain full12 Volt power to the Tow vehicle connectors.

In the next few articles I am going to look back at the equipment we have now come to expect on our Bounders and trace some of the “progress” we have made, so that when problems arise we will have a better understanding of where to look. Next article: RV Refrigerators