A rare Liberty

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Here is the Liberty answer for those who don't want OTR.

http://www.prevost-stuff.com/2006Lib...56ALiberty.htm This coach has no OTR.

[Sawbonz]

This was our second choice this weekend. It's really nice, but the floor plan on the 2004 suits us better. I guess we will have to live with OTR!

[jack14r]

Liberty just sold a new H double slide #725 which did not have OTR

[Jon Wehrenberg]

OTR...........RIP

[merle&louise]

Why do these Libertys not have OTR?

[Gary Carmichael]

The new ones probably because of the number of slides

[jack14r]

As I understand it,it comes down to price OTR is $16,670 in the XLII and $17,904 in the H3,in reality this is not much in the total price of a converted coach,or even in the price of the shell,it really does not make much financial sense to exclude it to me.OTR must be deleted in the 3 slide and 4 slide coaches because there is no way to duct the air.The positive is that the deletion of OTR saves 700 LBS,that is before more inverters and alternators are installed.

[Sawbonz]

The new ones probably because of the number of slides

The two mentioned above are both double slides. So, possible...

[Jon Wehrenberg]

OTR has a substantial cooling capability, and from a driver's perspective nothing is easier than pushing a button and having the coach comfortably cool no matter what the conditions outside. And when the end of the day arrives and the coach is parked the entire coach is cool and comfortable, and if the use of CAs is required to keep the coach cool they are not trying to cool down parts of the bus that were not cooled when driving. It is especially nice to not have a bedroom that has the temperature of a sauna.

But OTR is not without its drawbacks. The initial cost may be less than $20,000 for the option, but I will bet all the converters that have made coaches with OTR spent some serious money engineering the flow paths for supply and return air, and even more money building the interior to provide for that air flow. It may sound simple but I am sure balancing the air flow the length of the coach is not as easy as it sounds. So it does carry a higher cost possibly a significant one.

For those who need every cubic foot of space available OTR does take some away. You cannot hang clothes in the return or supply ductwork so upstairs there is a modest loss of space. Air flows require double wall construction. In the 3rd bay about 20 to 24" on each side is lost to the condenser and evaporator. That lost space however is a focal point for every salesman trying to sell a coach without OTR, but it actually amounts to less than 1/2 bay.

OTR does have weight and it does take energy to run it. As far as the energy used to run it, another argument salesmen use against OTR, the reality is if you intend to cool the entire coach to the same temperature using OTR, CAs or roof airs, running via an engine driven compressor, inverters, or the generator you are using exactly the same amounts of energy only varying by small degrees due to loss of efficiency.

When OTR is not installed weight is saved, but often the converters of coaches without OTR use more batteries or heavier inverters so if an owner chooses some ACs can be run off inverters while driving. The reality is even if the lack of OTR saves weight, it is probable the owner is unaffected and does not care because his coach will have more items stuffed into the extra bay space or the coach will have more slides which easily add more weight than what is required for OTR.

If I owned a coach that did not have OTR, as much as I like CAs, I would want roof airs, at least 4 and possibly 5 of them. I would operate the coach like the entertainers do. I would start the generator as soon as I started the coach and I would crank up as many roof airs as I needed to maintain my desired temps throughout the entire coach. I have a big generator and I want to use it. It is likely to last longer than 30,000 hours so even if I run it every minute my bus engine is running I would have to travel about a million miles or more before I wore it out. I did not buy a Prevost to be uncomfortable or to "rough it". Otherwise I would take Don up on his generous offer to learn how to pitch a pup tent.

We are seeing the end of OTR if Liberty is getting away from it. They cannot offer a three or four slide coach with it as Jack points out. And even with two slide coaches I suspect it costs Liberty a bunch of money building the interior allowing for all the needed air flow paths. And if there ever was a product that was created to follow the advice "put your money where it shows" our conversions are the epitome.

Where the debate rages is in different interpretations of comfortable. For example, my aunt and uncle who live in FL will not use AC until the house temps hit 85 degrees. By that time I am laying on the floor gasping for breath. I keep my house and bus at 72 degrees. I am not happy unless it is that cool so while some may be happy with a non OTR coach whose temps are maintained with one roof air and driver's air, I would be suffering heat stroke. People who ride in our coach may be looking for blankets or sweaters, but I'm enjoying the cool air.

[Sawbonz]

We are seeing the end of OTR if Liberty is getting away from it. They cannot offer a three or four slide coach with it as Jack points out. And even with two slide coaches I suspect it costs Liberty a bunch of money building the interior allowing for all the needed air flow paths. And if there ever was a product that was created to follow the advice "put your money where it shows" our conversions are the epitome.

On the '06 you originally mentioned on this post, the salesman told me (whether or not it's true is another issue) that it was ordered without. And I believe your points about 3-4 slides making it impossible.

Personally, we will be going from 4 slides to 2 and I don't think we will miss it at all. I drove a triple slide H and thought the slide was a waste.