Here is our First Picture,
Attachment 2332
Yes we have a Bus Barn now . :D
14' x 14' x 50' Concrete pad, 50amp service installed, self locking storage in a gated locked storage facility.
Gary S.
Printable View
Here is our First Picture,
Attachment 2332
Yes we have a Bus Barn now . :D
14' x 14' x 50' Concrete pad, 50amp service installed, self locking storage in a gated locked storage facility.
Gary S.
We fly up to Angola, In. to pick up our bus on Wednesday. Plan on spending two days at Angola with Bob Makin @ Panterra Coach, going over the systems, video taping the information, and getting to know the bus. Then we plan on heading for home through Atlanta, on Friday.
Oh, here is one more picture of what we are picking up. :)
Attachment 2334
We are so excited, it is a damn shame it is snowing and only about 30 degrees out?
Wish us luck getting home.
Gary S.
Just remember if you are not real experienced at driving through snow there is always another day, and if you wait a little while it usually melts.
Your driving may be perfect, but there are a lot of others out there on the road who could end up sliding into your new ride.
Let's see more pictures and hear more about it.
Thanks Jon for the valued, Snow driving thoughts. And you are correct we won't be leaving if there is snow on the road way. But according to the weather forcast, it is suppose to clear up the day we arrive, and only be damn Cold, and hopefully no more precepitation?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Wehrenberg
Will send more pictures when we get them, and after it is home. Looking forward to our visit in Tennessee with everyone.
Loc and JDUB have already promised to come over and wash and wax it for me when we get home...! :D Aren't they special friends. :)
Gary S.
They actually do real well in snow. We have plowed snow with the front bumper when we were using it for trade shows. But, the windshield is a great big refrigerator, and driving in the cold, especially when it falls below zero it is almost impossible to keep warm in the front. And that was with the bus heat and defrosters on full, plus we had auxiliary heaters like the Webasto heat exchangers, and we had a propane furnace in the front, and we still froze.
Gary,
Now that you have a bus, could you buy a bigger camera?
Can't wait to see the new rig. Where is the bus barn located?
Jer, it is not the size of the camera that matters, it is how you use it. ! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Winchester
I think that is how the saying goes ? :o
My storage facility is 9 miles from my house, on Hiway 99 and Harlem Road. I will give you better directions, when you and Loc come over, don't forget to bring a hose, bucket and ladder? :p
Very secure, gated with onsite mgr. and totally enclosed as you can see.
Gary S.
Gary,
Great looking coach! We also bought ours from Pantera, they are great.
Please send my best to Bob and Don.
Congratulations and enjoy!
Gary,
If your coming through Atlanta, I'm 19 miles off I-75 at exit 306, that's way north of Atlanta. There's a great place to fuel there, the Q-T and I'll run out and buy you lunch, coffee or something.
Have fun.....;)
Thanks Tom thats very nice of you. :)
PM me your phone number so we can stay in touch. Still don't know our exact schedule so will have to play it by ear. Our daughter and her family live in Alpharetta, so that is our main goal, but will stay in touch with you.
Thanks.
Gary S
Gary & Peggy,
Congratulations - great looking bus! I want to see it after Jerry & Loc finish the wash & wax job!:D
Looks like she's a beauty. Post a bigger picture!! :D
Congrats on the new ride, you're gonna love it. Gosh, it seems like everyone is going to the TN rally. Anyone going to Pahrump?
Hi Gary. Congradulations on your Prevost. I know you will have a load of fun bringing that big boy home.
Congrats Gary & Peggy on the new Bus. It sure looks great in the pix. Anxious to see it in person in Dolly Land. Enjoy the ultimate motor coach!
You can bait JDUB to come to the waxing with BBQ! He will bite.
Gary,
I think you need to turn this first trip into a "______ TOUR".
Pick your favorite non healthy food group and make it happen.
Congrats.
Mike
Ditto to what the guys are saying Gary....but would like to see more and bigger photos! :)
Lets see its an AMERICAN Prevost. Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, you get the picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by MangoMike
1. The Hot Dog Tour.
2. The Big Weenie Tour not The Small Weenie Tour.
3. The Greasy Spoon Tour.
4. The Oscar Meyer Invitational-Part One.
5. The Pie Tour.
6. The Dying for Pie Tour.
7. Real Men Eat Pie Tour.
8. The Taco Plus Pie Tour.
9. Tacos? I got your Meat Tour.
10 and finally Hot Dogs love Pie Tour.
Nice job 5-0.
JDUB would be proud.
mm
I am all for the Taco Tour, or the Hot Dog Round Up, or any of the other food group tours, you guys were proposing, BUT you forget my better half will be there, and SHE will not eat that kind of junk food?
Just yesterday we ate Mexican food at our local Pappasitos (spanish for Great Mexican Food ? ) and she had an enchilada, but ate nothing but the chicken out of the tortilla?? NOW thats just not right ! Oh well I guess she is watching her girlish figure, and I am glad she is...
And since you asked, here are a few more pictures that we took on our Whirlwind Bus Hunting tour. Houston, Indianapolis, Chicago, Tampa, Chicago, Angola, Indianapolis, Houston...... Saturday thru Monday. But it turned out to be very successful. http://picasaweb.google.com/gstevens...ey=v1isZ4x71oY
Gary S
BEEautiful Gary. Looks like patience paid off. Will look forward to seeing it at SV if not before.
Gary, Beautiful bus. I love the burgandy and beige combination. Hope to see it in TN.
Gary and Peggy,Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary & Peggy Stevens
It was certainly worth the wait, your new baby is gorgeous! Love the colors and can't wait for a tour in TN:D I believe there is a open bus tour slated for one of the days, maybe Tuesday? Congratulations, you finally found the one!!
Debi and Bob
Thanks everyone for the kind words about our new bus. YES, it has taken what seemed like a very long time to get the bus of our dreams, but we really think the wait was worth it.
NOW if we can just get it safely out of Indiana :confused: later this week and headed home we will be Very Happy Campers. :)
We fly up to Detroit tomorrow, and then drive to Angola for two days of de-briefing and video taping @ Panterra. It appears we will have to drive between the snow showers to get her home.
JDUB and Loc, your work will be cut out for you next week, when you come to wash and wax her for me, Boy you guys are the greatest ! :) :cool:
Gary,
Congratulations on the bus - that dog will hunt!. I had scheduled Sunday, March 9 with JDUB to come out and spit shine the new American. Unfortunately, I have to travel overseas and will not be able to make it. Count on a rain check. I am sure that JDUB will still be there. He is overseas this week so he can't use that excuse again. I think you should find a couple more American conversions and hold the "My Fellow Americans Rally".
Loc
I never realized there were so many palm trees in Indiana:confused:
Well we got to Detroit, and arrived to 9" of snow. But our baby was tucked away in the barn with all of Panterra's other buss', so it was shinning when we got there.
We spent Wednesday unpacking our bags, and shopping for some necessities at Wal Mart, then till 3:00pm on Thursday we went through orientation on electrical, A/V, and plumbing. We were going to stay and go over everything again with them, just for the heck of it, and leave on Friday morning, but when Peg looked at the weather, and it was calling for 2-4 more inches of snow, we got out of Angola around 4:00pm Thursday.
Everything is fine with the bus and Peg is driving currently while I write you guys with our latest news.
Tom (truk4u) if you are reading this, and are home we will call you around 2:00pm Friday to see if you can meet for a quick cup of coffee at the QT Mart you mentioned. If your busy, no problem, will hook up in TN.
Loc: SINCE you are out of town this Sunday, why don't we postpone your and JDUB's wash and wax, when you both can enjoy the experience?
Joe C: Your right about the palm trees in my photos, most of my original pictures you guys saw were taken when we saw the bus in Ft. Meyers, Florida on our Whirlwind Buss Hunting Tour. I have a couple I will post later that show our shiny baby out of the Panterra Barn, and in between 6' Drifts of SNOW :eek:
We were glad to get her headed home.
That is all for now.
Gary,
That is great news! Congratulations. Take your time driving home, don't rush, and enjoy.
Looking forward to pictures when you get home ....
ray
Gary, isn't life good!!! Be sure to get Peggy some coffee once in awhile! :)
Gary, When you get a chance, try to get Jim C to understand what it is all about.
Congrats on the new ride. looking forward to a tour. Are your copper pipes shiny? How about the wax on the slack adjusters?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Wehrenberg
Heeeeyy, I heard that remark. You don't have to make it any worse than it is. :(
Well my baby got all dirty yesterday driving thru all that rain in Kentucky and Tennessee, but we are in Alabama today, driving a dirty bus, but the weather is great. Blue skies, and clear driving on I-65.
Tom and I tried to hook up for a quick peak yesterday, when we passed his neighboorhood in Atlanta, but it just didn't work out. Will see him and everybody in TN.
We filled up at the Flying j, and recorded 7.7 miles to the gallon, since we picked her up in Angola. First day during the rain we cruised @ 65mph, today since we left Atlanta, I pushed it up to 70mph.
Peg is driving now, and she has the cruise set @ 65mph, and she too is Grining Ear to Ear. :D
NOW for some questions:
What is the secret when filling up the fuel tanks to not Over Flow Fuel before it shuts off automatically? :confused: I know I could just stand to the side, and listen for the fuel to start filling up the neck, and then add fuel slowly but there has to be a better way? :confused:
[LIST=1]
We seem to get NO AIR out of the vents into the drivers compartment, heated or cooled when the drivers air system is on. We get plenty of air out of the dash / window vents, just not able to get any air into the compartment thru the other vents.?? Any ideas? No ours does not have OTR.
Last, at least for now, What exactly is the PERF Mode for in the transmission selector for?
Thanks for now, looks like we will make it home, Sunday.
Don and Bob @ Panterra Coach told us to find out who Biker Bill is, and if he is still posting on this site? He knows lots of stuff.
Gary,
I don't have the manual in front of me (sorry, it's in the bus), but as I remember there is a button on the drivers a/c panel which controls where the air is delivered, much like in a regular car.
As for perf, that's for performance mode. It adjusts your shift points to let you rev the engine higher. This generally is used when climbing hills to prevent shifting.
Ray
The transmission in our coaches generally defaults to economy mode. When you push the mode button on the transmission pad the "mode" legend should be on.
When in that mode the transmission shifts down sooner, and upshifts later at higher RPM. In the default or economy mode it will upshift a lower RPM, and lug a little before it downshifts. It will cost you serious uphill performance if you leave it in economy mode because by the time it downshifts a lot of momentum and speed will be lost. Prior to a hill, I either go to the performance mode or I just downshift to 5th and leave it there until I crest the hill.
If you have a transmission retarder, when descending a hill with the retarder on, regardless of mode the retarder function when engaged will automatically downshift.
Good luck with the puking fuel. When you have it figured out let us know the secret.
Gary,
To combat the fuel puking, I reset the fuel economy part of the computer when I fill up and thus the total gallons used so before I fill up, I go to that screen and read the total gallons. Then when I am at the pump, I shut it down about 5 gallons before I get to that point and run it real slow.
This usually gets it close to full and I don't get fuel over the side of the coach. I have tried opening the other side to vent it, tilting the coach, stuffing a rag in the filler neck and short of having MangoMike fill it up there is about no way other than what I listed that I have found to keep it from burping.
And the true lament about getting "your baby" dirty is to do it about 30 minutes after you just hand washed it.
What do you think JDUB is cleaning off his shoes as we wrap up our first fuel stop in the new DUBsTUB.
Attachment 2352
I'm glad he's got the system down now.
Oooooo visual evidence. Busted. :D
Who tops off? I don't have burping problems , but I normally limit my fill up to around 100 gallons and not top off. That will get me down the road 600 miles or more and then its time to stop anyway. I recently started using the Mode button for Hills and it works well. If you have a transmission retarder, it works a little better in the mode position. However, you will not get 7 MPH in that position.
About the wash, You have to cruise with Jdub and Kevin. We washed and dried two buses in about an hour.
You see, the first liar never stands a chance. Mike posts a photo of me filling the coach up for the first time and where as I only had to "step" where the fuel spilled, there are several witnesses to him having to strip to his underwear after taking a full frontal fuel burp from the Mothership.
Then on coach #2 he was again standing in front of the filler neck the first time he filled it up. Of course he wanted to stop at 100 gallons, but I said something about him being a eunuch and he poked the nozzle back in for the mega burp. Sad thing was, he about covered the Flying J attendant as well.
Wonder why I had the camera ready at the first JDUB fuel stop.
...and unfortunately the Mothership incident went beyond the whitey tighties. (don't look Debi).
There is a clear message here.
If you have a 40 footer with a single side fill, thank your lucky stars. The puking fuel was the Prevost engineer's way of telling the whiners that insisted on the convenience of a two side fill exactly what they thought of that idea.
Those engineers at Prevost worked for months until they perfected a puke which takes place at the speed of sound. After you have taken a shower in #2 fuel, you hear the gurgle in the pipe.
My loss was a brand new pair of jeans and a pair of Birkenstock shoes. It did cure athlete's foot however.