Bye Bye Coach House :-(

  • Thread starter MerlinTheTraderRVer
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
Steve from Coach House replied this...

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Dear Richard:

Thank you for your interest in our Platinum II Motor Homes. Unfortunately we are not able to sell the USA version of the Mercedes Sprinter chassis into Canada. This is a Mercedes issue. We can purchase Canadian based chassis and release them through an approved vendor but only with a minimum of 12 units. We do some customization and modifications but would need a substantial order in doing so. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Steve Gerzeny
Vice President
Coach House, Inc.

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That's sad. All this because I live 25 miles north of a line drawn in the sand called the US/CAN border.

Oh well, back with LTV.

Merlin
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
You cant buy it in the USA and bring it home?
It's more than that. It has to do with warranties and servicing of the van that is not covered in Canada so I might have to drive 100s of miles and go in the US just to change the oil and find an MB servicing garage.

Also, I think that RVs crossing the border have to meet certain safety standards and I don't think that CH has done those tests here in Canada but I don't worry about that, the quality work of CH would make it pass those tests.

Merlin
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
There is still hope here. I asked Steve from CH if I could buy a Canadian MB Sprinter chassis and ship it to him for the conversion and he replied this...

Richard:

We would be more than happy to do the conversion but the importation would be your responsibility. Please let me know.

Sincerely,

Steve Gerzeny
Vice President
Coach House, Inc.
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
Where there's a will, there's a way!
Steve was a little concerned about my mods so he told me to give him the list but I only told him about replacing the propane assembly with the battery tray that they have in another model. It's the biggest mod I have so if they say no then I think the project will stop right there.



Btw guys, do CH have worked with solar panels before?

I don't see this in their videos or website.

Merlin
 

chromisdesigns

New member
Steve was a little concerned about my mods so he told me to give him the list but I only told him about replacing the propane assembly with the battery tray that they have in another model. It's the biggest mod I have so if they say no then I think the project will stop right there.



Btw guys, do CH have worked with solar panels before?

I don't see this in their videos or website.

Merlin
Yes, there is a solar option on their units, one or two panels. I don't think that slide out battery tray photo is from Coach House, however. Their doors don't look like that.
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
Yes, there is a solar option on their units, one or two panels. I don't think that slide out battery tray photo is from Coach House, however. Their doors don't look like that.
Yes it is, it's taken form their 261 XL model's photo gallery...

http://www.coachhouserv.com/model-261xl.php

Btw guys, how do you think the Roadtrek E-trek is heating up its hot water if there is no propane here?

I know that the diesel generator or the 8 lithium-ion batteries can make the AC/Furnace work kinda like an AC plugged into a 110V outlet but the water heater???.... Not sure here.

Steve is asking me about those and I don't have any good answers.

Merlin
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
In this clip they show the diesel furnace that the Etrek is using for heating.

So its looks like this is how they heat the water in their all electric van.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDnuLpI6eJY

Anyone familiar with this "Robosto" (or is it Webasto) furnace? Is it hard to install you think in my propaneless RV?

Merlin
 

chromisdesigns

New member
Yes it is, it's taken form their 261 XL model's photo gallery...

http://www.coachhouserv.com/model-261xl.php

Btw guys, how do you think the Roadtrek E-trek is heating up its hot water if there is no propane here?

I know that the diesel generator or the 8 lithium-ion batteries can make the AC/Furnace work kinda like an AC plugged into a 110V outlet but the water heater???.... Not sure here.

Steve is asking me about those and I don't have any good answers.

Merlin
261 is the Ford chassis, not Sprinter.

Heater in the etrek is one of the several Webasto models. Don't know if it's an air heater or hydronic, webasto makes both kinds. All are diesel fired and can be a problem at higher altitudes.
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
261 is the Ford chassis, not Sprinter.
Who cares, its owned by CH and I just want the battery tray and the big inverter to be put in the present Propane cargo bay. And a cargo bay is a cargo bay, they all look the same in ANY RV models.

Heater in the etrek is one of the several Webasto models. Don't know if it's an air heater or hydronic, webasto makes both kinds. All are diesel fired and can be a problem at higher altitudes.
At least its an option to replace the propane in my RV.

We'll see how Steve will take it. Sooner or later they will have to go that route. Dean says 5 years and he may be right but I think if Steve is smart, he will take the opportunity to test these future conversions on us. Not only we are paying guinea pigs here but in 5 years, we will have done MANY miles here testing this setup for them so if there are bugs, they will fix those before the new generation of RVers arrives.

Sadly LTV didn't see this opportunity.

Merlin
 

pattonsr

New member
chromisdesigns,

Espar has a optional kit that makes it work at any altitude. I believe Advanced RV is using it on their Espar system.

The Espar heats the water and provides coach heat. It runs on shore power and will boost from diesel if it is very cold. Dry camping is diesel only. Advanced RV has a nice video that shows the under the coach guts and engine compartment.
 

chromisdesigns

New member
Who cares, its owned by CH and I just want the battery tray and the big inverter to be put in the present Propane cargo bay. And a cargo bay is a cargo bay, they all look the same in ANY RV models.



At least its an option to replace the propane in my RV.

We'll see how Steve will take it. Sooner or later they will have to go that route.


Merlin
They are completely different on the sprinter and ford. Whether they can fit it to the Sprinter I don't know. I do know the compartments on mine look nothing like that. The space and chassis locations are different as well.
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
They are completely different on the sprinter and ford. Whether they can fit it to the Sprinter I don't know. I do know the compartments on mine look nothing like that. The space and chassis locations are different as well.
Why make a big fuss about this??? :idunno:

YOU KNOW they have a cargo bay where they put propane right?

YOU KNOW that this space (different or not from model to model is NOT the point here) can be used to host extra batteries and bigger inverter right?

I mean if you can't find a cargo bay that will hold the space of 2 extra batteries, this is NOT called a cargo bay it's called an ash tray or a glove compartment.

So instead of arguing me just for the fun of it, look at the video again (or your own RV's propane cargo bay) and you will EASILY see that without this big propane tank, we can put a battery tray in it.

Do you at least agree with this?

Merlin
 

Davydd

Well-known member
chromisdesigns,

Espar has a optional kit that makes it work at any altitude. I believe Advanced RV is using it on their Espar system.

The Espar heats the water and provides coach heat. It runs on shore power and will boost from diesel if it is very cold. Dry camping is diesel only. Advanced RV has a nice video that shows the under the coach guts and engine compartment.
The Advanced RV Espar unit has the high altitude option installed. It works on diesel but if you do happen to plug into shore power it is powered by electrical. It heats glycol. The glycol then provides heat for the forced air furnace, heats the hot water through a heat exchanger and then is wrapped with the water lines for winter use and grooved alongside the fresh water tank to keep it from freezing. Tell Coach House all this and they will probably only scratch their heads.

Advanced RV is pretty sophisticated with Go farther off the grid: Advanced RV redesigns battery system and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUKGY7Up1hQ#t=23

Roadtrek just came out with this...

http://roadtreking.com/sneak-peak-next-rv/

Coach House probably doesn't have a clue to be able to provide Advanced RV and Roadtrek sophistication. The above is what LTV says is 5 years down the line.
 
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chromisdesigns

New member
Why make a big fuss about this??? :idunno:

YOU KNOW they have a cargo bay where they put propane right?

YOU KNOW that this space (different or not from model to model is NOT the point here) can be used to host extra batteries and bigger inverter right?

I mean if you can't find a cargo bay that will hold the space of 2 extra batteries, this is NOT called a cargo bay it's called an ash tray or a glove compartment.

So instead of arguing me just for the fun of it, look at the video again (or your own RV's propane cargo bay) and you will EASILY see that without this big propane tank, we can put a battery tray in it.

Do you at least agree with this?

Merlin
Maybe. What you don't understand is that there is NO cargo bay there. The propane tank is mounted up under the frame, and a fiberglass door closes off the opening. Only CH can tell you if there is room for a slide out battery drawer and associated framing and still have enough ground clearance. I don't know, and YOU surely don't! Just because they can do it on a ford does not mean it will work on a sprinter.
 
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MerlinTheTraderRVer

Guest
I don't know, and YOU surely don't! Just because they can do it on a ford does not mean it will work on a sprinter.
Of course it will work on a Sprinter, ALL the Sprinter RV manufacturers have installed a cargo bay EXACTLY at this spot. The question is will it work on CH's Sprinter? Don't forget that I am NOT adding parts here, I am REMOVING some here so logically, if you remove the propane assembly that they put there, the Sprinter RV chassis leaves room for a cargo bay just like LTV did and all the others at this spot and for me I will place the battery tray there but to be honest with you, I couldn't care less about where they will place those extra batteries, as long as they install them.

I'm like Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder. I don't care how you will give me more power, I'm not a mechanic, just give me more power.

So remove that propane assembly and then we will install that same tray you installed this morning on a Ford but somewhere in that Sprinter's under belly.

Again the REAL question is whether Steve will jump in here or not. I know after talking to many manufacturers that this solar wave will get bigger and bigger as time goes by and CH just like the others won't have the luxury to avoid it so they could use us to gain expertise on this solar conversion or do it to the hard way in 5-10 years and risk doing it wrong.

For Steve this is NOT an RV Conversion here, it's a Corporate Direction Decision. Roadtrek took it, Advanced RV took it, LTV will take it in 5 years according to Dean and maybe tomorrow Steve will take it. If they don't, I will simply ask them to NOT install the propane and then go to Advanced RV for this job but CH will have missed an opportunity to use us as guinea pigs to try a few things here and get paid for it on top of that. :laughing:

Merlin
 
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