Cruise Air/ Roof Air Any Difference?

[tdelorme]

Well the search continues and a few more questions have come up. We really want a coach with Prevost OTR Air, but so far nothing has come up that we really like. Today's question is about the difference between Cruise Air and regular old ducted roof air units. Marathon has one coach with "3 Cruise Airs" and there are no units on the roof. They have another unit that the spec sheet says "three curise airs" and there are three roof Air units. So, is there a difference between the two?
We drove a Liberty at Tulsa RV over the weekend that is really a nice unit. Even has Prevost OTR Air, and If it had a private potty room we would have driven her home. Jerry Nading is the owner of Tulsa RV and seems easy to deal with. We felt comfortable there and his prices are appropriate for each unit on the lot. None of the "list price" that is about twice what a unit should sell for.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[garyde]

There is plenty of recent posts on this subject. Check out the Search engine on OTR and Cruise Air.

[Ben]

If there are boxes on the roof that look like air conditioners, then the bus has roof airs and the spec sheet is wrong. If there are no boxes, then it either has cruise airs or some other system (some country coaches has a HVAC unit in one of the bays for instance).

FYI: All my knowledge relates to Prevost XL's and not the newer rivet-less XLII's:
Cruise Airs are quieter than roof airs since the compressor is under the bus instead of right above your head (less of a rumble sound). They are almost always mated to digital SMX controls, which offer five fan levels (roof airs have three fan levels and analog controls unless it's a Marathon, since they use SMX controls with roof airs). The SMX controls also allow them to automatically switch between cooling and heating (which is nice in desert climates where it might be getting cold at night by the time you get back from your daily adventures).

Cruise Airs should cost more to have them worked on (since they are in the cramped environment of the bays) and fewer places will know how to repair them since they are not common on RVs in general... they are more common on yachts.

Hope that helps.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You are diving into an area that sometimes polarizes owners with their opinions.

There are only a few absolutes when considering the AC systems that people rarely disagree with. The first is that if you want the ability to handle any heat while underway the only way too do it, assuming you start with a coach that is completely heat soaked is to get OTR. Any other option may maintain a cool temperature, but none will go from a blazing hot coach to walk-in-freezer temperatures as quickly and effectively as OTR.

To keep a coach cool while driving without OTR, roof airs will function better than Cruise Airs.

The cheapest units to service or replace are roof airs.

The above statements are what everybody can generally agree upon. The debate on AC systems gets real confusing when the topic includes such issues as AC packages (like in homes), inverter run AC units, driver's air or modified driver's air with converter installed zones, and combinations such as OTR and Cruise Airs or roof airs.

Search all the thread on this site and the prevost-stuff.com site and read the discussions and try to decide what is best for you.

[tdelorme]

OK, Gary is right on, just do a search. I was taking the Marathon Spec sheet as gospel. A mistake on my part. So the coach with the roof air units that they say has cruise air, actually has roof air. The trick for us is finding the right coach that has Prevost OTR air as well as either roof air or cruise airs. The OTR air and a private potty (ok, water closet.) are the only set in stone requirments. Well, except for the price. I'm going to stay under 300 and I think it can be done. Thanks again everyone.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

tdelorme,

I think there's a few of us looking for that exact same BUS

The variations will be the wives' approval of the interior

That may very well be the most difficult part

[Jon Wehrenberg]

tdelorme,

You have so clearly defined your coach that the only thing left for you to do is pick the colors.

With the very rare exception of some coaches produced to a specific customer order (such as Jerry W's recent purchase of a XLII Marathon) the only coaches that will match your description of what you want will be produced by Liberty, and depending on condition, model (Classic or Elegant Lady) or who it is purchased from you are looking for a 1995 to 1999 model to be in your price range.

The coach will have OTR and Cruise Airs, and some of the floor plans produced have private toilets.

[JIM KELLER]

tdelorme, Look at : Prevost-stuff.com. Under used coaches, 5th column over,3rd one down. 1997 Liberty. Belongs to one of our founding fathers, Mango Mike. It is hard to put a dollar amount on the value associated with buying a used coach from someone that has performed proper maintenance. The ability to talk to the previous owner, see his records and discuss condition is unmeasurable. If I had the knowledge this Web Site has given me before I purchased our coach I could have saved THOUSANDS ! !

" It is not the price of the Bus, It is the condition."

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I'd have been on that one in a heartbeat, but it is an open toilet plan.

[JIM KELLER]

tdelorme,

To continue with this thought, there are several members on this site with excellent condition used coaches for sale. We like to keep the "family members" together. Take Jon for example. If he ever announced his coach was for sale, there would be a line starting in Florida all the way to Tennessee to get a chance to buy his Bus.