New Born Free Owner

Post your general and technical information, questions or responses in this forum. Viewing messages is open to all with no registration or log-in required. Prior to posting a new message or a response to an existing message, registration or login is required. Please do not post FOR SALE or WANTED ads in this section!

Moderator: bfadmin

Trisha

Post by Trisha »

Congrats on your purchase. This post is for the OP (original poster) and anyone else...I noticed the cover that folds back to reveal the stove top. Does anyone know..w.as that a built-in for BF or is that commercially available now? I would love one.

Enjoy your first trip.
Hawkeye111

Stove Topper

Post by Hawkeye111 »

We have a BFT with a smaller stove unit, and had Kim at Born Free build us a liftoff top of the same material as the counter top, thus expanding the counter space when not using the stove. Works great!
Scott Bass

Post by Scott Bass »

Finally got new tires all around, bf goodrich commercial ta, however sams club refused to install because I wouldn't fit in their bay. But it all worked out at a local tire shop.

Steve W has me rethinking going to Yosemite so I am considering reworking our route thru yellowstone and then maybe down thru utah and back toward home. That would still be close to a 3 week trip. It is all a little overwhelming.

Another issue I am wrestling with is whether to bring the family dog or board her, she is about 20 pounds and I really am not sure how much she would hamper us doing the rv thing.....anyone with any experience, I would love to hear it.
Scott Bass

Post by Scott Bass »

Trisha, the fold back cover is made of metal, it is a 4 burner gas stove with a fairly large regular oven underneath, all the tank level indicators are built in to the hood above that and then a regular microwave is on top of that. :)
User avatar
Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Post by Dallas Baillio »

In 1981 we took a trip similar to the one you plan and it worked out fine. As I recall it took about 2 and 1/2 weeks as we traveled from Mobile, AL across south Texas, up through New Mexico visiting Carlsbad Caverns, Santa Fe, etc then into Colorado and Mesa Verde, on up to Salt Lake City and on to Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore. Our last big stop was Devil's Tower in South Dakota. Our two daughters were 15 and 12 at the time and we left our two dogs at home. The only complication was a three day stay by my wife in a Pecos, Texas hospital for a medical condition. This unscheduled stop altered our travel itinerary by eliminating a visit to the Grand Canyon, but on the plus side it gave us the opportunity to try everything on the menu at the Pecos Dairy Queen.

Today we travel with five dogs (total weight 285 lbs) and they do create complications, primarily the problem of being able to leave them alone in our motorhome for extended periods of time. Ours rarely get sick, but it does happen. Four out of five like to travel and they are overjoyed at the new smells at every enroute stop! Sometimes finding a place to exercise them is a problem. There are state parks that do not allow dogs, but all National Park, Corp of Engineer and National Forest Service campgrounds allow pets. If your dog is mature and well behaved he or she will be a fun addition to your trip if you are willing to make the adjustments required. And sometimes you can't leave your dog at home because a family member will be disappointed and unhappy.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
User avatar
shilohdad
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:58 am

Post by shilohdad »

Scott,

We travel with 2 six pound dogs, and they are no problem. It really probably depends on the dog! Does the dog travel well in your car, or does it get car sick? Does the dog bounce all over the place while traveling (not good in a large vehicle)? Does he get separation anxiety when you are gone, and therefore would tear up the interior when left alone? If the dog is crate trained, that would get rid of that problem. Does the dog like to investigate new places and meet new people? Does your dog have a sensitive stomach? If so, the constantly changing water can cause a problem, but you can use bottled water.

Then there are the limitations. Some campgrounds don't accept dogs, although most do. You don't mention the breed, but some campgrounds have breed limitations, mainly on pit bull types. You will have to potty the dog even if it is raining, which means getting out in the rain and walking the dog on leash. Some places you visit will not allow dogs on trails, so you will have to leave the dog in the motor home. In this case, does your Born Free have a generator so you can run the air conditioning in hot weather? Sometimes just running the fan with windows open is not enough.

Even with the limitations, we thoroughly enjoy traveling with our dogs. We even say the first one (not Shiloh) is the most expensive dog in the world. We bought our first motor home so we could travel with him.
Joe and Lucinda
Tonto, Meadow and Shadow, the papillons
Shiloh and Morpho at Rainbow Bridge
2017 Spirit
Formerly 2006 24RB
Scott Bass

Post by Scott Bass »

thank you Dallas and Joe for reflecting on the dog issue, She is a 20lb mix schnauzer yorkie, she is well tempered and does not get car sick but obviously it would be an easier trip without her. 3 weeks is a long time though and it is hard to think of putting her in a kennel for that long....but if she is going to be spending so much time in a crate in an rv I have to wonder what is best for her regardless of what is best for us. I just wish we had someone to leave her with or house sit....just really no one I would feel comfortable asking for that length of time.
User avatar
shilohdad
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:58 am

Post by shilohdad »

Scott,

If the choices are taking her or kenneling her, take her. Even keeping her crated much of the time will be easier on her than being in a kennel with strange dogs barking all the time, perhaps fence-fighting with her, perhaps picking up kennel cough, etc. At least when you are parked for the night she will be with the family she knows. Ya think I don't like kennels? You betcha!
Joe and Lucinda
Tonto, Meadow and Shadow, the papillons
Shiloh and Morpho at Rainbow Bridge
2017 Spirit
Formerly 2006 24RB
jobrien

Post by jobrien »

We take our 2 German Shepherds with us all the time. One of the reasons we bought our first RV was because of the dogs. Sad, but true. My, now grown, kids always comment that the dogs have been more places then they ever got to go. True, but the dogs don't complain while driving; "She's on my side of the seat", "He's making faces at me", "he's touching me", and so on.

We travel sometimes 10-12 hours a day. We stop every 2-3 hours, which is a good break for us and the dogs. When driving, mine sit on the couch. I know it's not the safest place in case of an accident, but then again what is safe?

When we leave them in the motorhome to go sighseeing, we run the air conditioner and we leave the roof vent open a bit, and 1 window. If the a/c fails for some reason, they will not get overheated. They also have free access to their water bowl.

Yes, it is inconvenient at times. We plan our trips away from the motorhome to only last 3-4 hours max, so we can check on them. On the other hand, we never have to worry about where we park. When alone, they spend a lot of the time sitting in the driver and passenger seats looking out the windshield, waiting for us to come back. Quite intimidating to anyone walking past. When we had a class A with the huge dashboard, one of them used to lay across the dash and bask in the sun 8)

They have a cupboard dedicated to the dog food, treats, brushes, meds, and toys.

My vote is to take the dog along.

John
Scott Bass

Post by Scott Bass »

Thanks everyone, I think you are right,
BTW I have not commented on the Born Free, I searched for 6 weeks looking at every kind of motorhome made, there is a popular repo center
called Karolina Koaches very close to my house and so I got to see the build quality of many brands.
There is little doubt left in my mind that Born Free has to be the highest quality C-class made.....I mean it is not even in the same league as winnebagos and forest river etc.....I was shocked at how bad those hold up.

anyway I read lazy daze were good too but I never saw one of those around these parts. I feel fortunate to have found a Born Free in my price range in good condition.
ddpjep

Post by ddpjep »

Trisha wrote:Congrats on your purchase. This post is for the OP (original poster) and anyone else...I noticed the cover that folds back to reveal the stove top. Does anyone know..was that a built-in for BF or is that commercially available now? I would love one.

Enjoy your first trip.
We once purchased a black folding stove top cover from Camping World.
Scott Bass

Post by Scott Bass »

Hi, a couple of more questions,

My plugin is 30 amp service, does this mean I can not plug in to 20 amp service? I see that some rv parks only offer 20 amp service so I thought I better ask.

I have been whittling down our trip since cutting out Yosemite and have decided to make our first trip just to yellowstone and back. so here are my destinations....approx 5 hrs or so between each one and so I would like rv park recommendations for each....I will be calling over the next couple of days and trying to book us. Looking for kid friendly....ie pools etc also price is a consideration but I see some of them can be 50% off if I join passportamerica etc. so here goes.

day1 Nashville
day2 st louis
day3 kansas city
day4 sioux falls
day5,6,7 mt rushmore,crazy horse,devils tower
day 8 grey bull, wy
day 9,10,11 yellowstone
day 12,13 rocky mt national park
day 14 thru 17 back home(approx same route)
User avatar
shilohdad
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:58 am

Post by shilohdad »

Scott,

You can plug into 20 amp service, but you will need an adapter to put on your 30 amp cord. You plug your 30 amp cord into the adapter, then plug the adapter into the 20 amp receptacle at the camp site. You can get these adapters at any RV dealer or Camping World. You will need to be careful what appliances you run when running on 20 amps. Don't expect to be able to run your air conditioner, microwave and the water heater on electric all at the same time. Other than that, you won't notice a thing.

Also, I'm glad to see you have modified your trip plans. The original plan did seem to be a bit ambitious. When at Yellowstone, we really recommend the Norris Geyser Basin. It has probably the most varied geothermal features in the park. Old Faithful is impressive, but we thought Norris was more interesting. While in the Mt. Rushmore/Crazy Horse area, you might want to do the wildlife loop in Custer State Park. Tons of bison, bighorn sheep, etc. Devils Tower is just plain weird and fascinating. Lucinda wasn't too sure she would be interested, but she was fascinated. It changes character so much as you walk around it.

Have fun on your trip.
Joe and Lucinda
Tonto, Meadow and Shadow, the papillons
Shiloh and Morpho at Rainbow Bridge
2017 Spirit
Formerly 2006 24RB
User avatar
Mel Wilbur
Posts: 617
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:39 pm

Post by Mel Wilbur »

Scott, check the following for the adapter you need http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-p ... /10231.htm
Mel & Connie
jimnphyl
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:47 pm

Post by jimnphyl »

Scott,

On the question of taking the dog, to us it’s the norm to take our dog. Our observation is that the majority of RV owners have pets on board. In fact that’s one of the reasons we bought a motorhome, so we can take our pet with us. However, here are some lessons we’ve learned related to the health, safety and comfort of our dog:

- We had an ID microchip implanted in the dog right away, especially since we knew she’d be traveling with us.
- Pre-trip vet check: We make sure she’s up to date on vaccinations and Frontline Plus. Also, we check with our vet before a trip about any special vaccinations or medications that might be advisable, based upon our route and destination.
- Walking the dog: We’ve learned, when calling ahead for availability of an RV site, to ask about dog walking facilities. Some places let you walk the dog anywhere. Some have areas set aside. Those both work for us. A few places are decidedly pet unfriendly. Rest stops vary also, so we try to be careful at the ones that are less hospitable to dogs (see below for what we mean). At state or national parks, we generally can find places around the lodges or visitor centers. Of course, we always use a leash and pick up after, which is universally the rule at any of these locations.
- Pet health problems: The few times we’ve had to take our dog to a vet on the road have been from foot problems, except for a tick infestation. We discovered that the Southwest has these burrs with thorns, particularly at rest stops if there’s no green grass. (Also, there can be foxtails of various types, but we already had experience with those in California.) Our dog also got a hematoma on her paw, probably from a sharp rock. The most unusual was a piece of pine sap, as hard as a rock, which was imbedded between her toes (the vet said butter can work it out if the sap hasn’t hardened, and we’ve used that trick more than once). We have booties for her for bad conditions, but they tend to flop off, so we plan to order Ruff Wear booties, which were recommended.
- Vets on the road: The first time we had to take our dog to a vet, we asked at the local pharmacy. Now we have a book which we highly recommend: “Pet E.R. Guide: A Directory of 24-Hour and After-Hour Veterinary Facilities in the United Statesâ€
Jim & Phyllis

2000 24' Rear Bath
Post Reply

Return to “General and Technical Information, Questions, and Responses”