Hi All..........we just purchased our first Newell, coach #599. Picked it up in OKC, drove directly home to Michigan because of time constraints, dealt with rain and high winds (30+ mph gusts) all the way. But it drove great!
Got home 7pm last night, still raining, only to realize that our garage door was 5 inches too low. ugh! Bled the air bags and rolled in very slowly, cleared the highpoint a/c unit with one inch to spare.
Shut the garage door to start exploring the interior; slides 1 and 2 went out just fine, slide 3 won't go out (it worked fine in pre-purchase testing). Called Newell 911, and still working with them currently to fix the situation.
Overall, kind of a rough start to our first Newell experience, but I still think we're going to like it lots.
Bryan
Bryan
Ionia, MI
1983 Apollo Sceptre 35' DP
(This post was last modified: 04-07-2017, 06:07 AM by bryguymi.)
I previously had a 77 Newell and I initially thought that was complex compared to previous RVs. Then I bought the 93 coach sight unseen from MOT. On the way home to Michigan I repeatedly told my wife that this thing was way too complicated (far simpler than yours) and I was going to put it up for sale when we arrived home. I still have the 93. It's taken me three years of exploring to figure out how most of it works (chalk that up to an obsessive engineering brain since a lot of what I know will never get used). It is an exercise in learning, but oh the rewards, such as sitting here on the Mississippi watching a tow of 42 empty barges being powered upstream by a three screw boat navigating squirrely currents and weird winds against the freeboard. I thought I had to plan ahead, these folks start turns a half mile ahead of time. they seem to love going sideways in their huge vehicles. Good fun.
Bryan, congratulations on your purchase. I also have a 2001 model which I enjoy greatly. Regarding your slides, it is important that you extend and retract the slides in "travel" mode, not in "level" mode. Perhaps once you get it in the garage there is enough height with the door closed to put the coach in travel mode to operate the slides. Otherwise, I would not operate the slides when the air bags are empty for fear that the coach frame may be askew.
2001 Newell #579
tow a Honda Odyssey
fun car: 1935 Mercedes 500K replica
Jon, you said "thing was way too complicated (far simpler than yours) and I was going to put it up for sale when we arrived home".........I had a VERY similar thought yesterday! But honestly, I do hope that we still have this one three years from now.
Chester, thanks for your imput........and I did operate it just the way you say, based on the PO's instructions and Newell's instructions. The problem seems to be that the upper rear pin is not retracting.......I'm working on that now.
Side note, I WAS able to get it in the garage last night by dumping the air in the bags........I had an inch to spare.
Richard, re: the "start-up woes", I'm sure you're right.........I'm just anxious to get to the point of laughing at my own woes.
Bryan
Ionia, MI
1983 Apollo Sceptre 35' DP
(This post was last modified: 04-07-2017, 12:49 PM by bryguymi.)
This is risky, diagnosing from afar. But I think Chester identified the simplest cause. When we put the coach in level mode and move it, we can torque the frame a bit which wreaks havoc with the slides. I had a problem once where the coach would not go into level mode and I foolishly extended the slides. When I pulled it back in, one corner was out FOUR inches. The point is the frame can twist more than I would have guessed.
If I were facing this situation, I would put the coach in level mode and drop it a a couple of inches, then put it back into travel mode. Let it air up for a good five minutes. Then push the button to RETRACT the slide. If the pins are in a bind this may help them release. Then press the extend. I might try this a couple of times before moving on.
I have bound the pins before and this is what I did to unbind them.
Of course, all of this is armchair quarterbacking, and your problem may not be a slightly bound slide at all.
Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home )
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