General questions about owning a Born Free

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ronrvnew

General questions about owning a Born Free

Post by ronrvnew »

I may be a future RV’er. I am looking at the 24â€
Tonyg

Born free owner

Post by Tonyg »

Ron, I'll give you my personal experience.

1. I've had a BFT and a 24' and the both handle fine. I've driven a 27' RSB and I thought it also was fine. It's important to load it properly, weigh the unit, use tire pressure from michelin chart for the weight and get front end aligned.
2. I don't know about the sofa bed or side bed . The incline bed is very comfortable. I've heard it is the most comfortable of the various choices.
3. Plenty of storage for two people.
4,5 They both get about 8-10 mpg. Not much difference between the two as I've been told.
6. Don't know about the diesel. There are other posts on this site about the pros and cons of diesels.
7. I think the rear side bed is tight for two depending on your size. I think its only 50" wide. We are going to get a 27' and have born free replace the rear side bed with an incline twin. They are pretty flexible in changing some things around.
8. We use the travasak bags and they work well.
9. I think the table is adequate.
10. We are going with the 27' in order to have more room for our two golden retrievers. I would think the 24' would probably be fine with two cats but thats an individual thing. Obviously there's more storage in the
27'.
11. Does not seem to be a problem however we usually don't have someone riding in the back of our 24'. No seat belts!
12. See # 10
13. We have had service at other dealers and also non-dealer repair shops. There are no born free dealers in our area. I have never had a problem with born free in this regard. One of the main reasons we are about to buy our third born free is their terrific service. They are a high quality RV with the best service. They fully back up there product and are easy to contact and also extremely pleasant. Kim in service always calls you back. I can't say enough about the way they back up their product.

Hope this helps.

Tony
jobrien

Post by jobrien »

Ron;

I'll give you my opinion, since you asked :lol:

1. How do these units handle on the road? Interstate, side roads and off road.
Handling on interstates and side roads is great. I sometimes forget it's a motorhome. I have never taken it off road.
2. How would you rate the comfort of the sofa bed?
It's ok. Some people have had extra foam added, or use a foam pad. There is a difference in height between the back and front halves when it is opened. I've slept on it, but prefer the overhead bed area.
3. Do you have enough storage space?
Yes. For the 2 of us, and 2 large dogs (food, towels, treats, etc). We downsized from a 32' class A with basement storage, so we were concerned about the space. Found we carried a lot of stuff we didn't use.
4. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 24’?
N/A
5. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 27’?
we get about 8-10 mpg, depending on speed and whether we are towing or not.
6. What about the 6.0L V6 Diesel engine. Does it give you enough power?
N/A
What about the M.P.G. Is it worth the higher cost for the unit and the fuel for what savings you get with the diesel? Any problems in colder areas?
N/A
7. Is the rear side bed comfortable and adequate for two average size people to sleep?
My wife and I have slept in it. It's a little tight for the 2 of us for extended nights. For a weekend it's fine. On long trips I move to the ovehead bunk.
8. Do you use the sleeping bag from Born Free, if not tips on making the bed.
During the cooler months we use the Travasak. During the summer a sheet works. A fitted sheet goes on the mattress (with a little difficulty).
9. Is the small side table adequate for two people to eat on?
Yes
10. Why did you choose the model you have now over other Born Free models?
We wanted the rear bed in case the grandkids come with us for a weekend.
11. Does the AC unit in the cab give enough cooling to the back sofa area when driving on a 75 to 80 degree day? Or do you keen to run the roof AC unit?
The dash a/c will work fine. But we do use the roof a/c and gen, since I think it doesn't use much more fuel than the dash a/c. The frig also switches over to a/c so we save on propane.
12. We have two cats that we would like to take with us on trips. Has anyone had experience traveling with animals?
Plenty. Our dogs have been all over the country with us. Never had any problems.
13. Service on the Born Free: Can you go to other RV dealers for service?
I have taken mine to an RV dealer. Born Free troubleshot the problem over the phone, mailed me the part, and the dealer installed it. Since they had never deaalt with BF, I had to pay them and then received a check promptly from BF. I also had some work done while visiting the factory.

John
User avatar
Roger H
Posts: 653
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 7:48 pm

Post by Roger H »

Ron, I have an '01 23' rear kitchen model. I like it substantially better than the 24' rear bath setup. I found it used at the factory, and it was such a good buy I couldn't pass it up. I've not seen many 23RKs out there compared to the 24RB. We use our 23RK like a van conversion, and use it regularly for day-long shopping excursions or other day trips where we would have otherwise taken the car. It drives like our '92 E150 van conversion did, the only difference is the slightly longer and wider body. It's a very comfortable driver. I get 9-11 mpg with my V10 over the 5,000 miles I've driven it so far. It now has about 70k miles. We use the over-cab bed with a travesak and it works fine, but I've used the side couch down for after-lunch naps at rest areas and it's quite comfy too. The table and swivel chairs works nicely for two and they're quite comfy as well. The dash A/C does a nice job, but sometimes the roof A/C does better, particularly on a hot day with folks in the back.

Hope that helps.

Roger
'06 Born Free 32 RQ Kodiak Chassis
(Former: '01 Born Free 23 RK)
Dinghy: '16 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar.
Traveling with Sir Winston and Lady Rae (Cavalier King Charles Spaniels)
Bill Wright

Post by Bill Wright »

I will answer the questions that are common with the features on our BF 32'.

2. How would you rate the comfort of the sofa bed? My wife and I slept on a similar sofa bed in another RV when we were younger. We survived, but were happy to get a RV with a decent bed. The sofa bed is fine for our grandsons or for one person who is younger than we are.

7. Is the rear side bed comfortable and adequate for two average size people to sleep? My wife and I found that a queen size bed improved our marriage over the double bed we had when we were married 44 years ago. The RVs we have owned for the last 19 years have had queen sized beds.

8. Do you use the sleeping bag from Born Free, if not tips on making the bed.
My wife loves it. It is a lot easier to make the bed look neat. If she's happy, I am happy. She doesn't like the way I make beds.

10. Why did you choose the model you have now over other Born Free models? Our 32' BF drives better than the 30' Class A we traded in adn gets better gas mileage. We wanted the space, and queen bed in the larger unit. Our least liked feature is the bath.

11. Does the AC unit in the cab give enough cooling to the back sofa area when driving on a 75 to 80 degree day? Or do you have to run the roof AC unit? We picked up our BF in November. I exepct that we would run the roof air if we had passengers in the back during the summer. But 75-80 degrees is not that warm to us. We live in Texas and when it is 95 outside the rear of a coach is going to be warm enough that a passenger on the sofa will want the roof air on.

12. We have two cats that we would like to take with us on trips. Has anyone had experience traveling with animals? We have never had a problem traveling with our dog. Some animals, however, don't like to travel. Chica loved to jump up on the dash if we would let her.

13. Service on the Born Free: Can you go to other RV dealers for service? I prefer to use independent RV service shops. Our last RV was like BF and sold direct. We never had a problem with service at the independent shops we used. I have had warranty work done on our BF at two independent shops. The first was for under $100 and BF and the shop agreed for me to pay and BF promptly reimbursed me. The other shop was paid directly by BF. The last time I tried to get service at a full-line RV dealer, they told me I had to have a service appointment and it would be six weeks from then. They told me to go home and bring the RV back later. I told them to forget it and found an independent shop that was glad to service my unit.

BTW my independent service shop recommended BF as the RV with the least service problems. They gave me the names of a few units to stay away from. Some of these latter RVs had very attractive prices.
John S.
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:01 pm

Re: General questions about owning a Born Free

Post by John S. »

1. How do these units handle on the road? Interstate, side roads and off road.
I have not taken it off road but on road it is great. I also own a FOretravel that is 42 foot long with air ride and I will say that is is a bit worse than the FOretravel but then again it costs alot less and is a different machine. I love the BF ride though and where you can go and the ease you can get in or out of places.

2. How would you rate the comfort of the sofa bed?
I sleep on the sofa bed. It is fine and I do not mind it at all. I sleep in a travelsack and it is very comfortable

3. Do you have enough storage space?

THe 27 footer will have more storage for clothes kitchen than the 24 footer. The 24 footer has alot more than the I tradedin ofr the 24 foot last year. IF youa re going to run extensively in commercial parks and want to tow then you can go with the 27 footer but I do not tow with the 24 footer and use it to go anywhere we want to see.

4. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 24’?
about 9 mpg or so

5. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 27’?
I got the same milage with the 22 footer as I get with my 24 footer so I assume it will be close as well. It is all done with gearing.

6. What about the 6.0L V6 Diesel engine. Does it give you enough power? What about the M.P.G. Is it worth the higher cost for the unit and the fuel for what savings you get with the diesel? Any problems in colder areas?
I have a diesel truck and a DP and love the power and torque but the Ford van chassie is detuned and it is not worth it in my opinion. I can go to Humbolt and have their ford dealer put in a brand new engine adn tranny for the price of the upgrade. You also get apropane genset and that is less efficient and harder to find fuel than the gas genset.

7. Is the rear side bed comfortable and adequate for two average size people to sleep?

DO not have the side bed.

8. Do you use the sleeping bag from Born Free, if not tips on making the bed.
Love the sleep sacks. Use them all the time.
9. Is the small side table adequate for two people to eat on?

We have the pull up table adn it is great. We can eat on it and love the way it gets out of the way when we are done with it.

10. Why did you choose the model you have now over other Born Free models?
We had a BFT for less than a year. We bought it as a super SUV andloved it so much we wanted to use it for camping so we got a 24 footer.It has a bigger bathroom and dry bath too and that was a big part and we could also take more food as it had alot more storage than the BFT. I love the 24 footer as I do not have to tow a car behind. Now do not get me wrong I have towed my wrangler 165,000 miles in the last 5 years behind my Foretravel but I wanted a small nimble livable unit and picked and love the 24 footer.
11. Does the AC unit in the cab give enough cooling to the back sofa area when driving on a 75 to 80 degree day? Or do you keen to run the roof AC unit? I have just run the dash AC up to 95 degrees.

12. We have two cats that we would like to take with us on trips. Has anyone had experience traveling with animals?
We have three caviler king charles spanials and they travel with us fine. It is a great way of traveling andpeople com up to me all the time and ask about the unit and say they want one.

13. Service on the Born Free: Can you go to other RV dealers for service?
I have an independent service guy locally. I have not had a problem finding service and the factory support has been wonderful as well.
User avatar
shilohdad
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:58 am

Post by shilohdad »

New RVer:

We have a 2006 24 foot rear bath and love it. We have the casual elegance option which added Corian-type counters with flush sinks, which are a nicety but not necessary. Here are my comments on your questions:

1. How do these units handle on the road? Interstate, side roads and off road.
A. Our unit handles fine on Interstate and side roads. We have not gone off-road, but have tried some gravel/dirt roads. They are OK as long as the road is not too wash-boarded. Wash-board roads are almost impossible - the unit rattles like mad. We actually turned around once after about 1/2 mile on a really bad one. Strong, gusty cross-winds can be a problem also. In really strong winds, I just either stay put or drive quite slowly. On the way home from the factory pick-up, we had 40 mph gusts. When they came across the vehicle, driving was very uncomfortable. Once we were able to drive into the wind, or even quartering the wind, handling was very good.
2. How would you rate the comfort of the sofa bed?
A. We do not have a sofa bed. We have a dinette and an incline twin bed. Both are quite comfortable for sleeping.
3. Do you have enough storage space?
A. We go out for 2 to 4 months at a time and find we have adequate storage. We are not clothes horses, so the one closet for hanging stuff is fine. Our night clothes, undies, socks, patterned T-shirts, etc., go in the cabinets over the sofa and dinette with a lot of room to spare.
4. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 24’?
A. Over 22,000 miles, including our Rocky Mountains trip this past summer, we have averaged 9.4 mpg. We usually run with a full tank of water - if we were willing to fill and dump more often, and not carry the weight of the water, we might get a little better mileage.
5. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 27’?
A. No experience.
6. What about the 6.0L V6 Diesel engine. Does it give you enough power?
What about the M.P.G. Is it worth the higher cost for the unit and the fuel for what savings you get with the diesel? Any problems in colder areas?
A. No experience.
7. Is the rear side bed comfortable and adequate for two average size people to sleep?
A. No experience, but we passed this model by because we thought the bed too narrow. Also, one person will have to crawl over the other to go pottie at night. We've had experience with that in another motorhome and did not want it again!
8. Do you use the sleeping bag from Born Free, if not tips on making the bed.
A. The Travasaks are very easy to use. We didn't know if we would like them, but now that we have them we enjoy them.
9. Is the small side table adequate for two people to eat on?
A. We don't have the small side table, as we got the dinette. The dinette is very nice, has a sturdy table that is easy to take down to make the bed. Again, we were not sure at first about having to take the table up and down, but found it easy. I just take it down just before bed and put it back up right after arising. The table itself is nice and roomy. The dinette would not seat 4 adults, but might work with 2 adults and 2 children.
10. Why did you choose the model you have now over other Born Free models?
A. The 24 foot offered a lot of furniture options in the dining area, not just a sofa bed and 2 chairs. After looking at various setups, we decided we liked the incline twin bed and the dinette as a living area. Some owners have actually opted for two incline beds and Born Free put the table mounting posts in the aisle so they could set up the table and use the beds as benches for the table. Also, we knew we did not want to tow a car, and having the extra 2 to 3 feet of the 27' would just be that much harder to park, etc. We do not use the overcab for sleeping, but use it for storage of bulky and/or heavy items rather than have the entertainment center. I travel with a harp and Lucinda travels with a spinning wheel, so we like that nice roomy area to store these things.
11. Does the AC unit in the cab give enough cooling to the back sofa area when driving on a 75 to 80 degree day? Or do you keen to run the roof AC unit?
A. As long as you use the cab AC unit consistently, and don't let the interior heat up too much before turning it on, it has kept the 24' living area perfectly comfortable. We don't run the roof AC while going down the road, but on hot days we get it started ASAP when we stop, including sight-seeing stops, as we need to keep our 4-footed babies comfortable.
12. We have two cats that we would like to take with us on trips. Has anyone had experience traveling with animals?
A. Yes, we have 2 6-pound Papillons that love it when we say, "Do you want to go RVing?" The generator and roof AC are absolutely necessary when traveling with pets in hot weather. You may want to think about where you put the litter pan, a problem we obviously don't have with dogs. The shower stall may be a good place.
13. Service on the Born Free: Can you go to other RV dealers for service?
A. Born Free allows you to go to any dealer for service. Since Born Free does not really have a dealer network for service, you need to do this. So far, we have not had many needs for service, but the few times we have gone to a dealer for service, there has not been a problem. One problem we do have, is that most service needs occur while traveling, and finding a dealer to take you in a timely manner can be an issue, but that is not Born Free's fault. We had the same problem with our Roadtrek, even when calling a Roadtrek dealer. It was that kind of experience that made us realize a dealer network is not really necessary for service, as long as the manufacturer is willing to work with any dealer, which Born Free is. And the Born Free customer service is top-notch. The guys at the factory are very easy to work with.

Joe Zygala
Joe and Lucinda
Tonto, Meadow and Shadow, the papillons
Shiloh and Morpho at Rainbow Bridge
2017 Spirit
Formerly 2006 24RB
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MatthewKraft
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:08 pm

Post by MatthewKraft »

We've got an '06 RSB and used to own a '91 RSB. We absolutely love our BF.

1. How do these units handle on the road? Interstate, side roads and off road. Honestly, not much different than my hi-top van used to handle. I've driven through some really strong winds, and bad thunderstorms, as well as a bad snow storm and never had any concerns with the handling of this coach. We don't use a toad, and have never had any problems getting around towns we visit. I had the '91 offroad once - definately not the environment Class C motorhomes were built for...

2. How would you rate the comfort of the sofa bed? My son sleeps on the sofa bed, but I slept there once. I found it very comfortable.

3. Do you have enough storage space? We had plenty in the '91 for myself, wife, and two teenage kids for two week trips. The '06 has less internal storage than the '91, so we bought a Stowaway2 trunk that mounts on the hitch. With this, we have enough storage.

4. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 24’? N/A
5. What is the M.P.G. with the 6.8L V10 gas engine in the 27’? 10 mpg, unless I run above 55, then it's more like 8 or 9 mpg.

6. What about the 6.0L V6 Diesel engine. Does it give you enough power? What about the M.P.G. Is it worth the higher cost for the unit and the fuel for what savings you get with the diesel? Any problems in colder areas? N/A - I thought about the diesel, but the extra weight and cost, plus the need to run a propane generator didn't appeal to me.

7. Is the rear side bed comfortable and adequate for two average size people to sleep? I'm 5'11 250lbs and my wife is 5'6 and xxx lbs (she reads the forum too, so I'll just say shes a plus size and leave it at that). We sleep very comfortably on the RSB. It's close quarters, but not cramped. Yes, she has to crawl over me to go to the head, but I'm a real light sleeper, so I usually just move out of her way.

8. Do you use the sleeping bag from Born Free, if not tips on making the bed. We have a Trava-sak on the RSB. The kids use sleeping bags in the cab-over and the sofa bed. Comfortable and quick to roll-up and go when needed.

9. Is the small side table adequate for two people to eat on? Yes. We also have wooden fold-out TV trays that we store under the sofa for two people to eat on the sofa if bad weather prevents outdoor eating, or for breakfast in our sleeping attire.

10. Why did you choose the model you have now over other Born Free models? Layout. Wanted my teenage son and daughter to have their own sleeping quarters and my wife and I to have our own as well. My daughter retreats to the cab-over and closes the curtains. She has her own little private cave. My wife and I retreat to the Rear bed, draw the curtains, and watch the TV in the back or just spend quiet time together. My son gets the middle section to himself too. Also, since the rear curtains close off the head/shower, you can have privacy getting dressed in the morning. Very functional floorplan for living, and perfect accomodations for sleeping - That's why we chose the RSB.

11. Does the AC unit in the cab give enough cooling to the back sofa area when driving on a 75 to 80 degree day? Or do you keen to run the roof AC unit? 75-80 days are fine with the cab air, but when it's in the 90's we run the genset and turn on the coach air.

12. We have two cats that we would like to take with us on trips. Has anyone had experience traveling with animals? Did I mention that I have two teenage kids? I've got lot's of experience traveling with animals, but not the four legged variety.

13. Service on the Born Free: Can you go to other RV dealers for service? That's what I read - I've not had to have any RV service, just the ford chasis, and our local ford dealer handles that.

The absolute best thing to do is to go to the factory and look at each model. They all have their own "pros and cons", but the best way to decide is to actually see the layout in person.
Current: 2008-RSB
Past: 1991-RSB, 2006-RSB, 2006-32RQ, Tiffin Allegro
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