Lane County Oregon RV Related Businesses Enjoy Resurgence

In 2005, there were nearly 4,500 workers in Lane County’s RV industry according to the state’s employment department. By 2009 the financial crisis, credit lock down, escalating fuel prices created a perfect storm which saw the local RV industry shrinking drastically. The demise of Country Coach, LLC and the purchase of Monaco out of bankruptcy by Navistar (and its subsequent relocation of many jobs to Indiana) found Lane Country dealing with the fall-out. Many peripheral businesses who had served these RV manufacturers closed their doors as well. Thousands of RV related jobs went away. Resiliency, however, is firmly rooted in the men and women of the great northwest. Richard Coon of Recreation Vehicle Industry Association said a few years ago, “RVs are woven into the fabric of America." And it is true. Over the past many months, there has been a steady rebuilding of momentum as a “new” RV industry has risen from the ashes in a Phoenix-like rebirth in this county.

Many businesses happily welcomed RVers back to Oregon this past year.

Les Schwab/Bob Dickman Tire Center in Junction City, is a long-time supplier to the RV industry, well known as a highly valued friend of motorcoachers. When motorcoachers are in the area for coach service, they’re visiting Dickman Tire Center to purchase tires and batteries. Website: www.dickmantires.com. Carr Industries in Veneta (a great source for cabinetry and countertops upgrades) recently reported his business is up 40% year over year. Website: www.carr-industries.com

Service business is brisk at Country Coach Corporation (CCC) in Junction City, OR as well. The company keeps a robust inventory of Country Coach parts and fabricates parts on site. If you need Country Coach specific parts, Country Coach Corp can most likely get it for you. CCC owns all intellectual property of the former Country Coach, LLC which closed in bankruptcy in late 2009 and provides invaluable support to Country Coach owners nationwide via telephone technical support. CCC offers a selection of quality consignment motorhomes for sale. Situated on several acres of the former Country Coach, LLC manufacturing campus, CCC company owner Ron Lee hopes to one day build Country Coach brand motorhomes, which would be great for the community, displaced RV industry workers, and current Country Coach brand motorcoachers as well. Website: www.countrycoach.com

Motorcoach owners are a loyal group preferring to return to their service center of choice for routine service and maintenance, or for those more involved renovation projects. Oregon Motorcoach Center (OMC), a full service and renovations company in Eugene, finds that the majority of their customers come from out of the area. The business is co-owned by Bob Lee, original founder of Country Coach, Inc. and son-in-law Patrick Mason. Bob is an industry icon; he founded Country Coach, then Country Camper, in the early 70s. He also helped shape the industry as a whole and was inducted into the industry’s RV/MH Hall of Fame. With 1000s of parts in inventory, OMC is a great parts resource, too. OMC has created a Camp OMC atmosphere at their service facility on Airport Road in Eugene. Many motorcoachers now look forward to catching up with their OMC friends when they make their annual visit back to the service center. Website: www.oregonmotorcoachcenter.com

Premier RV Services, a full service center, pre-owned coach sales facility and indoor storage facility, is also located on several acres of the former Country Coach, LLC campus. Co-owner and Service Manager Gary Obermire noted, “Our customers come to Premier knowing they’ll receive the same level of quality service as when their coach was originally built. House and Chassis service, paint or body repair, or larger renovation projects, whatever is needed, we’re here to serve our motorcoaching friends. While we specialize in Country Coach and employ some of the best service specialists with Country Coach specific experience, all brands are welcomed.” The Premier pre-owned coach sales division has been extremely busy this past year. “With the largest inventory of pre-owned Country Coaches in the U.S., we’re seeing buyers coming in from coast to coast to purchase a well-maintained, hand selected pre-owned Premier motorcoach, or to consign their motorcoach,” Louie Courtemanche, co-owner said. Website: www.premierrvservices.com

As RVers from across the nation are visiting Junction City for attention to their service and sales needs, Oregon RV Alliance’s message of the benefits of spending your leisure time (and dollars) in Oregon is most timely. Founded in December 2010, its members include RV dealerships, service centers, suppliers, manufacturers, local chambers of commerce, community festival organizers, RV resorts, and others who are busy promoting Lane County, its many services, resources and attractions. Visit online at www.come2oregon.com.

Country Coach Build Process…STYLE & BODY

Part 3 of a Three Part Look at into the Care and Attention that was invested into building the World’s Finest Motorcoaches, Country Coach.

In a couple earlier posts I revisited the build process of the chassis and then the house of a Country Coach brand motorcoach as documented originally by Carolyn Gsell tour notes for a potential article to be published by the former Country Coach, LLC company.

Here, in Part 3, the coach build process all comes together in the finished beautiful highline motorcoaches still being enjoyed today.

STYLE AND BODY

Once the fiberglass sidewalls, rear endwall and roof were installed, the front and rear fiberglass caps were next installed. The caps, along with the skirt panels and bay doors, are a key part of that exterior coach design of a Country Coach “body” a real head turner. Manufacturing these particular fiberglass components at the factory allowed quality control of this design element too. Using quality materials in this fiberglass manufacture contributed to the Country Coach industry-leading painted exteriors. Workers carefully inspected the fiberglass and all other surfaces prior to the paint process, prepping areas as necessary so the upcoming paint process will go smoothly.

DISTINCTLY COUNTRY COACH PAINT

The colors and graphics are probably the first thing that one notices when seeing a Country Coach.  The shiny brilliant colors with smart, stylish graphics are no accident. Using high quality Sikkens automotive paint, the same paint used on high end vehicles such as Mercedes and Porsches, the best painters in the RV business meticulously prepped each exterior and the graphics were smartly laid out with the use of a design template and a special vinyl tape. When the tape was pulled off after all color was applied resulted in a flawless pin stripe.  With a custom Affinity, the graphics would be laid out without the aid of a template.  Artists determined the placement of the pinstripe according to a drawing provided by the design center. This action alone required great skill and teamwork, as it took two artisans on each end of a length of tape to determine the exact positioning of each pin stripe. 

Once the pinstripe was established, colors were layered on until all color is complete.  The total number of colors applied increased up the model line through the custom motorcoaches which could have up to 9 different paint colors involved in a custom scheme.  After the painters checks the color application, 4 layers of clear coat were applied.  The clear coat was baked or cured, and then the top layer of clear was “cut and buffed”.   What emerged was a glorious, shiny machine of magnificent color and design.  When factory employees attended FMCA shows, they were always justifiably proud of the Country Coach exterior pain as compared to other brand coach exteriors, and not surprised that some manufacturers tried to mimic Country Coach’s distinct blended paint designs.  One manufacturer switched their brand of paint to Sikkens, to get a exterior closer in end result to the Country Coach high end look. Using the same paint highest quality paint was the first step, but the paint artisans were the secret weapon at Country Coach. Several of them are STILL out there in the industry working their magic (two of which are Steve Gottschling and Juan Patino who are found at Premier RV Services in Junction City, Oregon!). As we all know, the skill set of the painter is as important as the paint being applied!

ALMOST DONE

Once the main paint process was completed the coach went to the rain bay to be thoroughly water tested, with slides extended and slides retracted.  After this inspection the coach returned to the assembly line.  Installers continued with floor coverings (usually carpet and tile), window treatments, sills, countertops, light and plumbing fixtures.  Systems checks in place after all the electrical and plumbing systems and appliances were installed allowed close quality control to be maintained throughout the process.  The home theater system was installed and checked. Hand crafted cabinetry was closely inspected with very bright lighting to check for any blemishes or defects. (Matt Carr, former cabinet shop production manager, now owns Carr Industries. Carr bought all the countertop materials and large quantities of cabinetry materials at the Country Coach, LLC auction. Carr Industries is a partner of Country Coach Friends Incorporated club, whereby members of CCFI receive special pricing on materials and work performed by Carr.)  

Every aspect of the coach had quality control checks that auditors performed to insure that everything is working properly.  Furniture was installed close to the finish line as selected by Debbie Hollembaek, then VP of Design. (Hollembaek is now owner of DLH Design-an interior consultation business and partner of Country Coach Friends Incorporated club, offering CCFI members a discount on services rendered.)

There comes a point where all components had been installed and tested, except for the final battery of tests.

DRIVING QUALITY ASSURANCE

When all components were installed, the quality team took over for the road test.  Yes, the chassis was thoroughly tested, but now the entire coach was put through its paces.  Before the inspectors took the coach out on the road, they drove the coach back to the DynoCenter to perform the all-important brake test.  Here, the coach was subject to testing that is incomparable to anything in the industry.  Country Coach had an industry leading facility to test the braking system. This assured the new owners that the brakes, probably the most significant safety feature of the coach, were in excellent operating order.  For starters, the driver positioned the coach outside the doorway of the test area.  When given the “green light”, the driver accelerated and then sharply applied the brakes so that the front wheels stopped on top of grids containing sensors. The sensors measured the forward and downward force applied by the brakes.  The measurements allowed the technician to know how much force was being applied and how even the force was on both sides.  If the brake test did not pass, the coach was taken back to the shop where the brakes were re-inspected, adjusted as necessary, and then returned for additional testing.  The coach did not go on the main road until the brake test passed with flying colors. 

Next a quality control team went on a live road test.  Every road tester knew how a Country Coach should drive, and they diligently checked to make sure that everything was up to a high standard. This was the time to check instrumentation and lights.  During the drive, another quality control person walked through the coach, listening for squeaks and rattles, making sure the cabinetry and all appliances were solidly in place. After the road test, the coach was brought back to the production facility.  Anything written up during the inspections was addressed. The plant manager had the final say that the coach was ready to be released to the sales group and ultimately to the motorcoach buyer.

Inspections did not stop there.  The sales team did quality inspections as well to make doubly sure the coach met the high expectations of prospective buyers. The coach was gone back over, inside and out. If the sales team found anything that got by the manufacturing process, the coach went back to the manufacturing group and the discrepancies were noted and repaired. After this process was finally completed, the coach was ready to deliver to its new owner.

VISION TO REALITY

Like anything else in this world, all human-made objects begin with an idea.  Bob Lee had such a vision in the beginning of Country Camper/Country Coach Inc for a true luxury motorcoach – one that would drive like a dream and feature the luxury amenities that those who can afford such a motorhome would come to expect. Bob’s vision was carried out so successfully that most of those luxurious Country Coaches are still on the road today. The engineers, designers, installers, assemblers, artisans, purchasers, inventory controllers, accountants, marketers, and salespeople – all this creative energy required to produce and purvey the world’s finest motorhome on the road today, should be proud to know they are still the World’s Finest Motorcoaches.

COUNTRY COACH MOTORCOACHES ARE STILL AVAILABLE IN THE MARKETPLACE TODAY.

If you are looking for a quality Country Coach, there are many of them still available for purchase across the U.S. Visit one of those dealers and see for yourself what constitutes the finest coach on the road.  Premier RV Services, a dealer/full service provider located on several acres of the original Country Coach, Inc campus in Junction City OR, has the largest inventory of Pre-owned Country Coach motorcoaches in the nation. Country Coach Corporation, another dealer/service provider, also located on several acres of the original Country Coach, Inc campus also sells used Country Coach motorcoaches on consignment.

The Country Coach technicians and craftsmen and women who originally built, marketed and sold the Country Coach brand (people like Gary Obermire and Dave Diamond, engineering and design gurus; Debbie Hollembaek, Diva of Design; Matt Howard, Country Coach marketing mastermind; Louie Courtemanche and Carolyn Gsell, sales customer care manager extraordinaire; Doug Rutherford, Larry Sherwood and Jim Cooley, Service All Stars; Terry and Tami Keeler, husband and wife duo who invested decades into Country Coach, Inc….and hundreds more…) can be proud that Country Coach motorcoaches remain the premier mode of motorcoach travel when you covet a luxurious vagabond lifestyle fit for a king!

 

Throwing the Rolls...things that keep us connected

Years ago during my Country Coach days working in the Marketing department at 135 East 1st Avenue in Junction City, Oregon, the front desk receptionist at the time was Karen Smith. She and I were the best of  Country Coach friends and we shared the daily/weekly happenings in the Smith and Fanning homes. One holiday I was especially stretched thin and had far too much to accomplish at both work and at home.  Yet I was hosting a large extended family meal. Holiday morning it was a mad rush in the Fanning kitchen and there were too many head chefs and not enough support staff helping get things done…like basketing the rolls, and arranging table settings and a gazillion little tasks that all take time. I had a lot of onlookers in my children and spouse, but not enough doers in my opinion. At that point from across a 14 foot kitchen I ‘threw the rolls’ in a moment of “for goodness sake, if you want to eat then let’s HELP a little bit” frustration….My hubby ducked and looked at me like I’d grown a second head from my shoulders (and if you know me this is NOT my nature…) and zipped into road gear helping in any way he could. Throwing the rolls became an inside joke between Karen and I at work. “Oh you better not do that…or you better get that done like she asked you to…or Sherry will throw the rolls!”

I for my part have equally special memories of Karen stopping by the marketing wing one day to chat with her son while she was on a break; and she sat there helping her son collate brochures, a short term project we’d hired him to do for extra income. As Karen talked to her son at 80mph speed, she also stuffed brochures at that same rate of collation. “Mom, slow down! You'll work me out of a job!” her son exclaimed. We laughed so hard!

Fond memories are one of the lasting gifts Country Coach employees took away from Country Coach. I have mine as I’m sure 1800+ other employees who built those same “Country Coach family memories” together have theirs…

That “Country Coach Inc era” has ended, and the employees are scattered like seeds in the wind. We’re involved in new adventures, new places of employment, and new phases of our lives, yet  it’s great to stay connected to many of them still through ties in the RV industry, through social media, and just by living in a small community and still watching each other’s kids (and grandkids) compete in grade school, high school and college sports, etc.  Like checking out Carolyn Gsell’s gardening a weekend ago through photos on Facebook, or catching up through email on the how Country Coach friends are enjoying their winter homes, The O Connors in Indio, CA or the Meighens in Arizona... Or currently the fun of working with RV industry friends throughout the local community businesses as I'm scheduling events, seminars and activities for upcoming Country Coach Friends Inc club rallies in which those old friends are still key supporters….

We move along and we evolve with the changes we experience or instigate in our individual lives, but the constant is: we stay connected.  We build new memories, albeit sometimes via long distance, through social media, through phone calls, and through those cherished visits where we “catch up” face to face on our Country Coach friends lives.

I look forward to each time we have opportunity to catch up and find out “who’s been throwing the rolls” …and why!

Country Coach friends are the best...forever friends…  Pass the rolls.

THE COUNTRY COACH BUILD PROCESS: Roof, Wall, and Floors…

All good things begin with an idea. Like the Country Coach you own, for example. Bob Lee had a vision for a true luxury motorhome, one that was built as if your very own mother would be driving it. One that handled like a dream, boasted the luxury amenities that discerning motorcoachers would expect, was equipped with the finest materials, components and equipment, and was manufactured with innovation and engineering that would set it apart in the RV industry.  Utilizing a huge array of talents from engineers, designers, installers, assemblers, painters and wood artisans to purchasers, inventory controllers, accountants, marketers, and salespeople, people put their creative energy and abilities to the goal of putting the wheels under Bob’s vision, producing the world’s finest motorcoach, the Country Coach you still proudly drive.

In an earlier post I shared DynoMax chassis information from Carolyn Gsell’s (a favorite former CC co-worker) extensive “plant tour” information. My earlier post addressed the rugged, custom tuned DynoMax chassis upon which each motorcoach was built. Here, I revisit the process Country Coach, LLC employed, specifically looking at what went into building the Roof, Walls, and Floors in your Country Coach Motorcoach.  

Thanks Carolyn, for this wonderful information you put to paper about the coaches we both enthusiastically marketed during our “Country Coach” days.

Like the DynoMax providing the strong foundation for the motorhome house, your coach roofs, walls and floors were built incredibly strong, and “the box” was fused to the chassis to create an integrated structure.  Lamination and vacuum bonding were the two key processes providing the integral strength of the roof, walls and floors of a Country Coach.  Each roof, wall and floor consists of a welded tubular steel frame filled with high density foam insulation, sandwiched between some form of wood product, which varied depending upon the application. 

FLOOR
Heavy gauge wide tube steel borders the long sides of each floor, with square tubular steel welded every few feet across. The top side of the floor consisted of half inch thick marine grade plywood, a particularly good surface for a floor due to its strength and moisture resistance factor, provided a great substrate on which to attach flooring materials.  The under-layer is a protective 1/8” waterproof material called Trugrit© and then the 3/16” thick rubber sound mat is strategically placed beneath the engine deck (the same material as is placed on top of the steel chassis before the floor is attached). 

ROOF

A Country Coach is built strong, a full seven inches thick at the center, with a gradual radius supporting the protective fiberglass cover.  The roof’s tubular steel skeleton has welded steel trusses every few feet. Its perimeter is spanned with wide tubular steel.  Once the frame is set, dense foam insulation was installed, and wire harnesses were laid in channels.  Roof vents openings and other accessories were bordered with plywood.  #26 galvanized steel was applied to the surfaces where roof-mounted appliances, satellite dishes, and antennas were to be attached for that added measure of reinforcement.  A polyethylene drip tubing was installed from each air conditioning unit so condensation off flow through the tubes to the ground. All this eliminates the streaking seen running from the roof down the sidewalls on some coaches.  Finally, Unicore© board was laminated to the underside and Luan paneling to the top side of the structure.

WALLS

Walls feature tubular steel to provide the main structure, high density foam for insulation, and lauan paneling[1] (1/8” thick wood sheeting) to the interior wall and fiberglass mounted to lauan for the exterior wall.

Lamination was a sight to watch. A row of glue guns spans the entire width of each piece to be laminated. This quick action glue is activated by water vapor.  Laminators had to work quickly to make this process work. Once the glue was laid down, both sides have their laminated materials applied, the entire piece, whether it is a roof, a wall, a floor, or smaller sections to build the slide rooms, were slid onto the vacu-bond table which could be compared to a giant “Seal-a-Meal.” Vacu-bonding infused strength into the structural components. Once these components were out of the Vacu-bond tables, the process was completed by cutting openings in floors for ducting and pipes or applying wallpaper to some sidewalls, etc.  Then these assemblies were delivered to the production line.

High density foam insulation, as mentioned previously, but what does that offer you, the owner?  Carolyn shared that years ago a service technician actually ran an interior/exterior test on a Country Coach, comparing it to a similar sized other brand motorhome.  He measured the temperature on the roof at 145 degrees F.  He went in both coaches and measured ambient temperatures.  The Country Coach was 20 degrees cooler compared to the other coach. That’s insulation at work.

While lamination was being done on a specific coach, other assembly areas were busy building other components going into the completed coach.  The cabinet shop used select hardwoods to craft door and door fronts. They built face frames, window boxes, slide room soffits, trim flanges and other accessories to be installed in the coach. The solid surface group hand cut and polished all the various pieces, from galley countertops to the trim pieces for nightstands and windowsills. In the wire harness department long rows of wire harnesses were woven together, while at outer assembly tables the dashboards were getting components installed. In the meantime, the purchasing group organized the delivery of appliances and furniture to the assembly line.  Materials arrived “just in time” for installation. 

Take a look at your coach and just about every component has a coach number. This number is on the chassis rails, on the edges of drawer frames, backs, entry steps, storage tanks, sofas, dashboards and fiberglass assemblies.  Each Country Coach is unique and special, worthy of a sense of pride of ownership.

…More on the Country Coach Build Process to follow later. Until Next Time, Happy Travelin', Sherry

Nearly a Quarter Century Long Passion for All Things Country Coach

Adoption: That process where a family gives the name and place and privileges of a son or daughter to one who is not a son or daughter by birth...Like a new branch being grafted with intent and purpose into the family tree. We experienced that natural adoption first hand when Derek my son adopted Samantha as his own shortly after marrying her mother. Instant Grandparent, what a beautiful thing.  That word is also an apt description of what myassociation with the Country Coach manufacturer and my Country Coach Friends has felt like.

Nearly a Quarter Century Long Passion for All Things Country Coach, in fact. I was an industry newbie back in the early 1990s, a greenhorn really when I first went to work for Bob Lee and his company back in 1991. I knew very little about this great industry as a whole or the luxurious travel mode one enjoyed from the driver's seat of a Country Coach motorcoach! Then I was adopted into this Country Coach family!

Country Coach Inc. quickly grafted me into their marketing team and entrusted me with more and more responsibilities as a member of the Country Coach family. I was now one of the industry kids--and I loved it. There was the excitement of branding and marketing a company and its coaches, the fun of seeing Country Coach owners enjoy a rally experience that proved to be every bit as topnotch of a party as the coach they chose to drive. There I befriended colorful wonderful, passionate, gifted people like Don Fults, Doug Rutherford, Opal Hale, Ed and Nancy Read, Larry Sherwood, Heidi Force, Carol Taylor Clay, Becky Crowson, Jim Cooley, Amy Shaw Corcoran, Matt Carr, Pete Sutton, Carolyn Gsell, Star Wood, Julie Bothell, Rick Ramirez, Rick Engle, Debbie Hollembaek, Rick Blair, Karen Smith, Terry Keeler, Kraig Burden, Julie Otis, Opal Hale, Brenda Logan, Matt Howard and at least 50 other amazing people to whom Country Coach wasn't just a job. They shared my passion for all things Country Coach. I am thankful I didn't miss knowing them...and so many others unnamed here. Then there are the industry professionals with whom I’ve become acquainted as we co-promoted a great RV industry. I count each and every one of those special people as a part of my extended family of friends.

The Country Coach Owners …Now that’s a very unique “family” unto itself!

Over the years customers of the Country Coach company, those who bought the coaches, they became much more than customers. They said, "Come on Sherry, you're one of the family." They invite me into their homes on wheels...Like George and Josie Shallbetter, who lent me their couch any time I needed a few minutes rest during a busy rally in the Midwest. ....Or, Rosemary Mancillas, a single RVer, who spent one afternoon sharing memories she had captured of her motorcoaching travels through her gift of photography became a loyal friend. In fact, when my son was among the first National Guard units deployed to Iraq years ago, Rosemary helped fund the purchase of a Kevlar vest for his protection when we first learned the Oregon Guards were going "outside the gate" in body armor that was inadequate. She had read up on it, told me Derek needed the vest, and contributed the first seed money toward the purchase of it! “My people” were important to that Magna Mama (one of her email handles). 

...There’s Bob and Dee Pastorello--what great Country Coach family representatives, and what a party they presented at the Mardi Gras rally in Louisiana years ago. Just the other night my daughter and I were talking about that rally, and specifically the gators swimming by in the pond right outside the window of the restaurant where we dined one evening with Dee, Bob and 20 other friends! ....Floridians Bob and Betty Wells, the most genteel, kind, soft spoken Country Coachers I ever worked with on rallies.

...Bud and Anne Falk from the Northeast 'adopted' my daughter when she was club manager and they remain my favorite people on the east coast! He sends me great photos of his grandchildren and always promises to come and visit the Fannings soon...Lobo Joe Smith and his beautiful wife Bev, and Jerry and Geneva Keeton, who made Leslie May and I so welcome with Texas hospitality when we helped with the club rally the cohosted in 2010! Joe would send me email forwards just to stay in touch long after my affiliation with that particular club ended. What a fun loving group those Texan Country Coachers are.

 Bob and Carol Yount and Jim and Carol Palmer (they owned identical Intrigue model Country Coaches), the kindest foursome to ever own Country Coaches... There's Ted and Terry Wright; he still calls her "my lovely bride" and she calls him "the Big Guy" with great affection. Good friends, great Country Coach promoters wherever they go, and key contributors to club life until their retirement from motorhoming. The Fazios, my Country Coachers who are also motorcycling buddies..... Back through the pages of time, there were Gary and Pat Wallstrom, Deena and Don Page, Joe and Marilyn Mills, Jed and Robbie Orme…Then there is this couple, Vern and Phyllis Meighen, now there's a class act...Vern is such a good team mate and along with Phyllis we planned some super fun rallies, fun for us I mean, and hopefully for the attendees...back in the day those rallies had nearly a quarter million dollar overall budget!  

Bob and Terry Lee, the king and queen of Country Coach in my mind....The entire Lee family actually... Ron and Cookie, Kenda and Pat, Brenda. My dear buddy Blanche Miller, how she loved the club members and the lifestyle, and I'm so thankful she was my friend and family right up until her Homegoing..... Stop me now! SO many faces of Country Coach flashing through my mind...and all are 'extended family members" adopted over my two and a half decades working in the industry!

Country Coach Friends are a fun loving, loyal, loving, positive bunch! It's always a welcome surprise when a gorgeous arrangement of flowers will arrive...for my birthday, for a holiday, or as a thank you for something, sent from CC friends somewhere in the nation... Sherry and Jerry O Connor are family through and through. A pheasant dinner home cooked meal is always scheduled at the Fanning farm at each of the annual Country Coach Friendship Rallies...

Do I drive a Country Coach, no can't say that I do. Do I love the Country Coach brand, yep, probably more than anyone who doesn't actually drive one. Even fonder am I of the people who Drive those Motorcoaches.

Suffice it to say, I count my place in the Country Coach family and my small place in the RV industry to be among the things I treasure most in my professional career.
Adoption, it's a beautiful thing!

Let's Go RVing! Just for the FUN of it...

Ask an RV enthusiast why they travel. You will hear many things. The joy in the journey seems to be a recurring theme. So much of our lives we spend motoring (racing) from point A to point B, trying to spend the least amount of time getting there taking all the shortest routes Interstates and multi-lane highways get us to that game, that appointment, or that job with the least amount of time possible spent getting there. Boy, that gets old fast. When it’s time to re-create, to pause and refresh, there’s nothing better than the RV lifestyle.

The Lure of the Open Road. What a great day, when you get to the point you can enjoy the journey rather than concentrating on arriving at the destination. The open road whispers “Slow down, take your time, throw the timepiece out the window, exit the freeway, and explore America’s highways, byways and backroads. Discover colorful people, off beat attractions, and the experiences you've been missing on the busy thoroughfares and interstates. Enjoy the panoramic view from the windshield of your wide-body motorcoach.“From California, to the New York Island, from the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters” as the song aptly states, this land was made for you and me! The scenery changes daily, but the delight in the journey remains the constant!

Feedom! In a motorcoach, you can simply say, “Let’s Go!” Cater to your nomadic vein, never let the grass grow beneath your feet. New places, new faces and the anticipation of what’s waiting over the horizon, the nomadic lifestyle provides freedom to go, freedom to stay, freedom of location, freedom from of schedule. Go where you want, when you want, for as long as you want.. 

Family Friendly. For those who can steal a week, two weeks, a even just a weekend getaway, the RVing lifestyle is family friendly. Cost effective, convenient, and easily coordinated, an RV getaway ensures you maximize your time with family. “I have to go to the bathroom.” “I’m hungry.” “Are we there yet?” You’ll hear far less of this as you enjoy the travel time to the campsite with the kids. Then extend the awnings, set out the patio chairs, the bikes, the balls and mitts, and get right to memory-making. Grill some burgers, pop some corn, get out the Scrabble board, the fishing pole, whatever works for you. Build memories for a lifetime with your children and grandchildren.

Comfort. For extended travel, when you load the Country Coach with all your must-have traveling essentials and head out on your next adventure, you’re traveling in a virtual condominium on wheels. How many times have I heard my motorhome friends say, “In my Country Coach I enjoy a 5-star hotel wherever and whenever I choose to park for the night.” And you’ll never feel like one of those three bears of fairy tale lore: “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” That’s something you can’t say traveling by car and relying on hotels.

Friendship. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” I read that quote recently and I thought how true that is of RVers!  New friends at the next fuel stop, the next lunch stop, the next high-end resort you visit, and most especially at the next rally you attend are realities for RVing enthusiasts. Lifelong friendships are always found parked next to each other at a motorcoach rally. When people from all parts of the nation gather for several days of fun in a group setting at a rally-fun and friendship always follows.

Rally Round in Oregon!

There are many opportunities in 2012 to meet your motorcoaching friends somewhere at a rally. Many rallies are right here in the Great Northwest I am blessed to call Home. Like the Country Coach Friendship Rally July 24-28 at Riverbend RV Resort in Harrisburg Oregon. Four days of fun to dance, laugh, eat, drink and be merry with some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet! The rally is open to all brands of coach owners and there are still spaces available! Visit www.countrycoachfriendsincorporated.com to learn how to get yourself registered for a rally to remember.

Turn your Motorhome toward the Pacific Northwest this year.  

Discover Oregon's high desert plains, tour the verdant Willamette Valley where some of the world’s greatest wine is produced,  linger on the unforgettable Oregon Coast. Come to Oregon for your motorcoach service, upgrades and renovation services. The very best motorcoach service facilities in the nation are found here. Just ask anyone you’re currently parked next to at a RV resort if they've been to the Great Northwest. If so, ask what sets Oregon apart from any where they’ve visited? To learn more about Oregon and specifically Lane County, visit Come2Oregon.com

COUNTRY COACH BUILD PROCESS: DynoMax-The Proprietary Chassis of Country Coach

From the chassis to the house, Country Coach motorcoaches were developed with Safety, Function, and Design in mind. Before Country Coach, LLC closed in 2009, Carolyn Gsell, then custom coach manager, took a walk through the Country Coach manufacturing plants for a bottom to top, outside and in, look at what makes a Country Coach stand out as first in its class even now over  three years later out on the highways and byways. At my request, she put her thoughts on the CC build process on paper for future inclusion in the Destinations magazine. 

Here I take a look back at those notes and again I realize again the care and attention that went into the custom-tuned, proprietary DynoMax Chassis. 

Again, thanks to Carolyn Gsell for the information which follows.

The foundation of every Country Coach (with the exception of Prevost Conversions) was the DynoMax Chassis.  A look at the steel structure is telling. The massive framework of welded tubular steel with 8 x 3 frame rails will withstand almost any brute force that it comes up against.  But ultimately what owners of a Country Coach experience is the incredible ride and handling attributes when driving down the highway, and its nimbleness when faced with tight turning areas in campgrounds and in-town driving.  So how did the engineers at Country Coach marry ruggedness with driveability?  The surface answer goes back to the company’s basic engineering principle – Safety, Function, & Design.

…The Chassis designers went to work to develop a steel structure of unsurpassed strength and durability. Utilizing high strength tubular steel they welded together to create the steel cage (the basement, if you will). They next welded the cage to massive 3” x 8” tubular steel frame rails.  With this structure in place, Country Coach could utilize the highest horsepower engines on a chassis that could absorb the sheer power and torque that such big engines generate.  This meant they chose not to use C channel steel (imagine tubular steel that is missing its widest side, hence the “C” shape).  They could have employed an easier, quicker process of bolting the steel together, rather than fusing the steel with high grade welds… but the didn’t.  A fiberglass coach has the roof, walls and floors connected somehow to the chassis.  CC engineers had to figure a way to integrate these separate house components with the chassis so that it could be fully integrated for the coach to safely travel the road.  Chassis engineers built cross bracing into the steel cage structure, properly spaced openings for storage and other components, evenly distributed weight of components, and designed a laminated floor for the house that fully integrated into the chassis structure. The result was a semi-monocoque design where the house came together with the chassis for a motorhome of superior strength and stability.

Another critical aspect of the DynoMax design is the suspension system.  Engineers determined that the Independent Front Suspension (IFS) was a crucial component contributing to the smooth drive of a motorhome.  From this standpoint, safety and comfort points stack up with the use of DynoMax’s Independent Front Suspension with its double wish-bone construction.  The IFS design allows one front wheel to react to an impact independent of the other front wheel; and a major reduction in road stress achieved…The other feature of the suspension was Country Coach’s approach to airbag size and positioning.  Country Coach recognized that if they mounted the airbags farther apart, as in outboard mounted airbags, your coach could have the feel of a race car suspension.  The DynoMax difference is to mount large volume air bags inboard of the wheels.  The size and positioning, in combination with the weight of the coach, provides the luxurious ride that owners love in their t Country Coach.  Further stabilizing the ride, Country Coach engineers supplied plenty of on-demand air from strategically placed air canisters to the air bags, so that as your coach makes its way around corners and deep curves, the instantaneous delivery of air to one side makes up for movement on the opposing side.  Now add the IPD anti-sway bar and all factors add up to one of the best driving motorcoaches ever built.

DynoMax chassis elements that contributes to your personal safety and comfort are many.  Note the massive “firewall”, the plate of steel to which your brake and accelerator pedals are mounted, and which also in conjunction with fiberglass dash and fiberglass front cap creates a barrier between you, sitting in the driver and copilot seat, and the world beyond your front bumper.  Notice the wide entry area between the firewall and your co-pilot’s seat.  This distance, in combination with the steel firewall and steel cage structure below, adds monumental protection in the unlikelyevent of a head-on collision.  As one testimonial to this, back in 2003 a Country Coach driver was delivering a Country Coach to an industry show.  He found himself in the midst of a sandstorm. With his visibility obscured, he ran into a semi truck while traveling at 40 mph.  The driver walked away from that accident uninjured and the coach was returned to Country Coach for repairs. Now that is a great testament to safety! 

Once the entire frame with axle assemblies was welded together, the chassis was taken to a special paint booth where rust inhibitive paint was applied around every bit of steel that makes up the structure.  While the process is important to protecting the steel, Country Coach took this one step further.  Most chassis manufacturers utilize an assembly line approach, with the paint application being the final step.  At Country Coach, builders took the time to pull the frame out of its station, take it to the paint booth, and then move it into another short assembly line where the drive train was installed.  Open up the engine access doors of a competitor’s product and you may see paint overspray on the engine, transmission or hose lines.  By taking the time to paint the frame prior to installing drive train components, it’s unlikely you’d ever see this on a Country Coach.  Note: As a special note regarding the special black rust inhibitor applied to the chassis, sheet metal and angled iron used at that time was not available from the suppliers with the zinc oxide process. So thees areas are more susceptible to rust (wheel wells, battery bay, propane bay, service center). NOTE: A preventative care step is to give a good thorough powerwashing of the coach undercarriage after each trip to help prevent rusting in those susceptible areas. This is also a good idea simply to remove road grime/road surface treatments the chassis undercarriage may have picked up enroute (like salting chemicals used in winter months). Now...back to the chassis info. 

After the chassis frame is painted, it was moved to the drive train assembly area.  Installers and assemblers with engine/transmission hoists installed the power plant that makes your coach move down the road.  When it comes to engines and transmissions, Country Coach utilized only the most powerful power plants on the road.  The line up of heavy duty engine/transmission combinations boasts horsepower and torque curves that gave each motorhome the boost needed for climbing hills or navigating our nation’s superhighways.

While the engine installation was in progress, the wire harnesses, brake fluid lines, heater hoses and air lines were laid down in the channel between the two main frame rails.  To prevent chaffing of hoses and conduit against metal, strips of neoprene line the rails upon which the wires and hoses rest. This procedure greatly reduces the amount of friction and assures the integrity of the lines.  So that your bays look clean and attractive, the lines are covered with removable cargo panels so that they are accessible for any possible trouble shooting or repairs.  Batteries on convenient pull-out trays, filters, air tanks, brake and accelerator pedals – basically everything necessary to the function and maintenance of the chassis, are installed and hooked up at this time.  The initial set up for the plumbing bay was also started in this area.  The insulated floor was installed, and the holding tanks were mounted in place.

And speaking of heavy duty, weight distribution plays a key roll in how comfortable you feel when driving your coach, and also plays into safety.  An unbalanced load would make driving a motorhome  challenging at best.  Country Coach engineers paid close attention to creating the right balance at the basement level of your coach, through careful placement of holding tanks, the fuel tank and other chassis components. To that end, you’ll find in most Country Coach chassis designs, the fuel tank located directly rearward of the front wheels, and spanning curbside to driver side, with the bonus convenience of allowing diesel fuel to be pumped on either side of the coach. Just forward of your drive wheels is one large bay for all the fresh, black and gray holding tanks – again, weight balanced side to side.  With the lower weight distributed in accordance with axle carrying capacities, engineers designed the bay storage in between the front and rear so that you, the owner, can load up your provisions knowing that the proper weight balance has already been 98% achieved by the inherent design and placement of the chassis bays.

Let’s not forget about towing – DynoMax chassis are rated for towing.  With high tow weight ratings, owners have a wide range of options for what they may choose to tow, without the limitations that many other RV’s put on their towing capacities.

CC engineers went the extra mile in this chassis design by adding a layer of neoprene, which acts as a vibration dampening material, on the underside of the engine deck floor, with continuous strips of this same material being applied forward of this area on the upper side of all the chassis steel rails.  Most other RV manufacturers choose not to take the time to add this material.  It is another of the differences that you’ll find throughout the Country Coach build process that makes Country Coach stand out ahead of every other motorcoach  in its class.

These chassis features add up to create the luxurious smooth ride that one experiences driving a Country Coach. One testimonial on that smooth ride was shared in a 2005 issue of CC Destinations. An owner of a 2002 Affinity once rested a pocket knife curved side down on the belt molding of the driver side slide room.  Not remembering he had left it there, he and his wife departed from the campground complete with speed bumps, navigated a steep grade and large chuckhole, and then traveled another 128 miles where they stopped at another RV park.  The next day, the coach owner found his knife still sitting in the same exact location where he had left it (that story, “The Little Kershaw Knife that Could”, appeared on page 64, Autumn 2005 Destinations Magazine).

If your were to ask any manufacturer of a motorcoach how they test their chassis, they may describe the initial design and testing when the chassis model was first designed, or they may describe the road test that they perform on their newly manufactured units.  Nobody tests a motorhome, and in particular the chassis, the way it was done at Country Coach.  Before each chassis is put into production, it was taken to the Dynocenter, where the chassis was chained down and the engine hooked up to a Dynomometer.  Before the Dyno Test began, quality auditors closely inspected welds, wiring, hose connections and bolt torques to insure that every chassis component was correctly assembled.  Once done, with the use of 7000 lbs of water delivering force to steel drums that allowed the drive wheels to work against a load, the chassis was “started” from an enclosed room overlooking the test area.  By putting the drive train through the paces, Country Coach evaluated the data to make sure that the horsepower output of the engine matched the manufacturer’s specifications.  If anything came up during this process that was suspicious, it was immediately corrected and if necessary, the chassis was “dyno’d” one more time. The Dyno program was in place from 2001 until the company closed in 2009 and the rigorous Dyno process further assured the quality and integrity of your DynoMax chassis.

And there you have it, one aspect of the Country Coach Motorcoach difference… 

And the great news is that you can still purchase pre-owned Country Coaches across the nation at select dealers, two of which I recommend are Premier RV Services and Country Coach Corporation, both located in Junction City, Oregon. And if you are a lucky owner of a Country Coach, there are businesses who specialize in upgrades, renovations and repairs to your coach. Many are good friends of mine, Bob Lee and Pat Mason, co-owners of Oregon Motorcoach Center; Ron Lee of Country Coach Corporation; Gary Obermire and Louie Courtemanche of Premier RV Services…the list goes on. My Country Coach friends may always feel free to contact me with questions regarding service and parts resources, and anything Country Coach!  I am their greatest fan….in fact, I currently have my fingers in THREE upcoming 2012 rallies, one in Alabama, one in Michigan, and one right next to the factory where every Country Coach was built! See http://www.countrycoachfriendsincorporated.com/ to learn more.

The love affair with all things Country Coach, the lifelong friendships with Country Coach owners, and the passion to promote Country Coach rallies just NEVER gets oldJ

Do consider joining me at a rally somewhere up the road…I’ll be the one bussing tables, and flitting hither and yon, attending to rally attendees rally experience. LOL!

Til next time, Safe Travels, my Friends,

--Sherry