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Joe,Yes I had to adjust the freon charge on 3 of the 4.One was so overcharged that it would only run for a few minutes and then the high pressure would show up on the SMX controller and of course this would shut it down.It takes some time to get them charged for best performance,with a infrared thermometer measuring the suction temperature at the brass fitting at the unit,adjust the freon for the minimum temperature and it will have the max differential inside the bus.This is like someone said a while back to adjust the charge to(beer cold),except this is with a thermometer and not your hand.Either method will improve almost all cruise airs performance.It is amazing how well they perform when they are properly charged.Here in the humid south the condensation will have a steady drip off the suction side and the coach is cool inside even on a 100 degree day.
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We have never had all 3 set right, together.The one in the kitchen is bitter cold on the hottest of days so I know the potential is there for the other 2.
I need to stop procrastinating and get the tools and knowledge to do this myself.
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Bottom line, there is an excellent deal on a late model Marathon XL out there with nice colors, layout, etc.....biggest downside is no OTR and only 3 cruiseairs. That is holding me back for sure.
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After owning a 40 with three cruise airs and now a 45 w/ 3 cruise airs and the over the road AC it would be a hard decision to go back. We did survive in the 40 with the generator running going down the road.
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Gordon,
Depending on the vintage of the Marathon, it will run 2 cruiseairs off the inverters while driving. With dash air and 1 or 2 cruiseairs running, you shouldn't have a problem without bus air. With good house batteries, you can also run cruiseairs off the inverters while sitting and not driving. Mine was a 97 and with new batteries, I could run 1 cruiseair for 4 hours or 2 for 2 hours and then the autostart would kick on the gen.
I wouldn't pass up a nice bus/deal because of lack of OTR.
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Gordon
Truk does not pass up ANY good deals on buses. You better hope he is unaware of the one that you are looking at.
Just kidding Tom
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Gordon,
Before we purchased our Liberty, we test drove a 45' Marathon XL on a hot August day and we were comfortable enough with 2 cruise airs running off the inverters. Our test drive was not very long, probably 30 minutes or so.
However, that being said, once you have driven a bus with factory OTR bus air, it's REAL HARD to go back to driving one without it!
We travelled through nearly half of the United States last summer and the OTR bus air was wonderful. NOTHING will cool the bus down faster than running the bus air.
So, bottom line, should the just absence of OTR bus air be a deal-breaker? Probably not.
BUT, the rest of the bus really would have to WOW me :D
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Gordon. Remember the plan! Stick to it! Make the two column list snd compare the pros and cons.
In the horse world there is a saying "the perfect horse has no color" You can change the color of the bus easier than you can the mechanical equipment.
Another horse world saying is "it's easier to buy a horse than to sell one"
If you are impatient and not careful in your purchase it will be costly to "get happy"
I think they apply to a bus to some degree.
You said you found an XL, I take it as a forty foot and not an XLV a fortyfive?? According to Harry that might make a difference.
JIM
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A bench for Marathon Coaches running 2 a/c' units off of inverter is 1997 40 footer called Coach 400. I have been told its the first Marathon to be outfitted with 2 4000 watt Trace Inverters. Jello-Jeep could verify this since their coach is newer. Coaches prior to #400 had Marathon's own version of OTR called "MAC II A/C, or you run the genset to power house A/C units on the road.
Very rarely to we run more than the dash air. On hotter trips we implement the A/C Select switch and run the Salon cruise-air running down the road.
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Clarification - it (they) is (are) indeed an XLV...
After looking at a 40' Liberty Steve had at California Coach and comparing to a 45', Momma says bring on the bigger bedroom and bathroom of the 45 footer. Certainly the 40' has a lot of advantages but the extra space is hard to pass up.
Going to take my time for sure. Have to go back to work for a living this week, but I am trying to find a hole in the schedule to jump a flight to FLA, Want to check out a couple of buses down there in person.
By the way, I can't say enough about Steve Bennett - what a great guy. Very patient with all my questions and couldn't be more honest and straight shooting with his opinions about the different convertors, systems, layouts, etc. Most importantly, his opinions and answers to my questions were never weighted towards trying to make a sale on one of the coaches he has right now which I really appreciate. Certainly makes you want to do business with a guy like that.
