Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

stevek wrote:To me, Another interesting option in the same price range as the BF is the
Itasca Reyo. A small Class A, based on a Sprinter chassis.
I saw one of these last week when we were camping with the full slide (25R).
Sure was a good looking rig.
Was going to talk to the owner, but they left before I was able to.

http://www.goitasca.com/products/2013/reyo/floorplans/

Anybody know anything about Reyo ?
Note that both the front seats swivel.
The twin bed option is nice (25T), With only a small side, you could leave in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et-KmVAoAsc

I do not know anything about this model and there are lots of folks who swear by and quite a number who swear at Winnebago. A personal concern about the Sprinter chassis since the beginning is going over vehicle or individual axle weight limits. For sure before purchasing one I would get axle weights with full tanks and people on board.
Ten years ago overloaded RVs were rampant due to poor design by the industry and clueless owners. Problem overall is less since RVIA has given it attention and at least FOMOCO as a chassis builder has gotten more into the act with what is put on their equipment. JMO
Ralph

I agree with bigdipper. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) on the Itasca is just over 11,000 pounds. Granted that the chassis itself may weigh less than the Ford E450, but my typical weight going down the road on a long trip is about 13,000 pounds with full fluids, with a GVWR of about 14,000 pounds (the newer E450s are 14,500). My back axle is typically right at the axle rating. Born Free sent me a spreadsheet for my unit that shows a total wet weight (with 2 passengers) of 12,300 pounds, giving me a cargo carrying capacity (CCC) of about 1,700 pounds, of which it appears we use about 700 pounds.

I would suspect that this Sprinter-based unit would have a much lower CCC. For owners like us who go out for months at a time, that would be a problem. If using the unit, lightly loaded, for short trips, it might be OK.

And, of course, are CCC is greatly strained by having to carry our three 7-pound dogs!

mockturtle wrote:I'm with you, Roger! No slideouts, no permanent bed.

Well I am "half" with you both on the no slides part- extra weight, leaks, and eventually they are gonna fail. It happens in my friends RV park at least once a month. 5th wheels mostly. A lot of shakin' going down the road.
But , I LOVE my permanent bed.... Although it means I have to be 2 feet longer to get it. Now if I could find one of those earlier models-- 24 ft with rear side bed..... That's the ticket. (Except not much closet, either)
I'd rather have a fixed bed than the big rear bathroom, for the same reason Roger didn't want the queen bed---I'm in the bathroom less than 30 mins a day, but I'm in the bed at least 8 hours. And I don't want to climb a ladder to get there.

I honestly think I must have the rarest model being a 24' with rear side bunks and a rear bath. I love love my model though. It is perfect for our little family. Being a turbo diesel just makes it even better in my opinion.

Somewhere on this website are brochures for 1990 Born Free models. I think yours is in it. I was able to see the changes made from then to my 1992. Fascinating. A couple of inches here and there, and they get whole new designs.

The turbo diesel is cool, too. But I don't want to hear it if you get 18 MPG.....like the Sprinters claim.

shezonit wrote:Somewhere on this website are brochures for 1990 Born Free models. I think yours is in it. I was able to see the changes made from then to my 1992. Fascinating. A couple of inches here and there, and they get whole new designs.

The turbo diesel is cool, too. But I don't want to hear it if you get 18 MPG.....like the Sprinters claim.

I do not get 18mpg, that's for sure! I can however, go 500 miles on my 40 gallon tank with still a couple gallons to spare. There is so much room under the coach, I would love to upgrade to an 80 gallon tank. Right now, I am averaging between 12.5 and 13 MPG, depending on if I stick to the freeways or have to climb a bunch of hills. Usually I will fill up at around 450 miles though. The extended range over a gasser is really comforting.

By they way, is your 92 and early or late model? I know it was the first year they completely changed the front end and interior from the 80's style, but they made both styles that year.

An extra 40 gallons would throw another 300 lbs of weight on your rear axle. Like 2 more people. Also, to fill it up would run up about a $300. charge at the pump.... talk about sticker shock! I have a hard enough time getting my head around $130. fillups :-0

I don't let the tank go below 1/3. That keeps the charge under $100. Some pumps only allow $100. at a time, then you have to run the card again.

My 1996 Bigfoot Class B (speaking of a rare rv model) with a 351 motor got 500 miles on a 35 gal tank..... But it didn't have a living room, or a bathtub.

Mine seems to be the newer one? Curvy lines, rather than boxy. Interior has no shag or plaid...... I'll have to check build date.

Mine has build date Feb of 1992.
Not sure what 80s style was?
Mine has Flexsteel velour, sort of mauve color, beige carpet, white vinyl in kitchen. I want to replace carpet with resilient vinyl throughout. Also want to replace the maroon window blinds and cab drape.....
I'm hoping to see some interiors at the Tucson rally and get some ideas about floor.

One of the ways to tell which style of Econoline you have is to look at the headlights. The earlier style has rectangular headlights with the turn signal under the headlight. The later style has the "aero" type of headlights with the turn signals on the outside of the headlights. Hope this will help you because most motorhome manufactures will use up all the chassis they have leading to some coaches being built on last years chassis. An example would be a 1991 mothorhome built on a 1990 chassis.

Interesting. I will check the headlights when I get it back from the welder. I wish it was the 450 chassis, then it could hold the bikes weight. BUT I have the feeling what I will pay for the frame enhancement will be less than buying a 450 model. .
Thanks for this info.

I recently had the opportunity to tour a Nexus that a gal was fulltiming in. The floorplan was different than this one plus she had the factory do some customization. My biggest beef was that the shower was tiny and the cupboards were cheap cheap cheap. No solid wood there! Sad to say, my Born Free has turned me into a cupboard snob.

Trix wrote:I recently had the opportunity to tour a Nexus that a gal was fulltiming in. The floorplan was different than this one plus she had the factory do some customization. My biggest beef was that the shower was tiny and the cupboards were cheap cheap cheap. No solid wood there! Sad to say, my Born Free has turned me into a cupboard snob.

"Cupboard snob" . Yes, the woodwork in the BF is so nice, that when I look at most other RV s, I am saying, "particle, contact paper, Masonite...."
And I return to the BF and admire the REAL oak.... Not to mention how MANY cabinets they worked in. I counted 20 and 8 large drawers....
I have even seen Class Cs with not one kitchen drawer.

Re showers- a friend has a '96 Komfort 5th wheel. Kind of entry level, I think. BUT it has the nicest big tub/ shower I have ever seen in an RV. Other friends have high end Class As, a Mobile Suites 5er, and none of them have such a spacious shower as his, along with a solid sliding door between shower and bedroom. I don't get those ones with teeny showers and NO door between bedrm and vanity, or one of those cheesy vinyl folding doors, all so they could fit in a King sized bed? Priorities....

mike&linda wrote:One of the ways to tell which style of Econoline you have is to look at the headlights. The earlier style has rectangular headlights with the turn signal under the headlight. The later style has the "aero" type of headlights with the turn signals on the outside of the headlights. Hope this will help you because most motorhome manufactures will use up all the chassis they have leading to some coaches being built on last years chassis. An example would be a 1991 mothorhome built on a 1990 chassis.

The door sticker says Feb, 1992 (02/92).
The headlights are rectangular with the signals at the outside edge.
Regardless, the chassis is a 350. I now have the motorcycle mounted on the back. Had a welder reinforce and raise the receiver hitch to level of bumper and add another receiver, so no wobbling. Have new Gabriel shocks and air bags at 75 lbs., the rig drives easily and no tangible effect with extra 400 lbs on back.

I towed a small cargo trailer from Montana to AZ and that DID affect steering (sloppy) and MPG...