Sue & I spend our time living & breathing Class A Motorhomes. We hear a lot of stories, testimonials, suggestions and back room reports from tons of sources. Newmar really does seem to be the top dog in production motorhomes right now. It will be up to Newmar if this continues. Tiffin is really kicking things into gear, and has many surprises to come.
Now that's the way to cover the RV show! A unique perspective that no other channel gives, and it's not the open every door, every cabinet, and rote descriptions of mundane features that almost all motorhomes have. Great job you two - wish we could have been there to meet-n-greet with you.
Thank you for the kind words. The part 2 video is mostly going to be for all the folks that allowed us to take a selfie with them. Without people watching, we are just making a personal scrapbook. It is so much better sharing it with everyone else.
Great video…. glad you both enjoyed the Florida RV Show. We attended two days and enjoyed also visiting with the AIM group at there tent and off site dinner. I bet your glad to be back on the road making and living new adventures. Safe travels my friends…
It was heartwarming being able to spend such a large amount of quality time with you and Kathy. We may be seeing you at the NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo VIP Experience , a VIP shopping experience like no other with exclusive access to new 2025 models! June 4th thru June 7th, 2024, Wilson County Fairgrounds, Lebanon, TN Want to see the 38 foot Mountain Aire with a TAG axle!
Great video guys!!! The "Chan Man" was definitely on his game. I loved Sue's little chuckles at your "side comments". My wife and I will be at the April AIM rally in Tennessee. Hope to see you there. I'm on a steep learning curve about Lithium battery technology. Our Essex came with the two Lithium batteries, but I haven't used them to their full potential. Can't wait to learn more. Hurry up with your 3 video about completed installation!!!. Safe travels.
Hey Dan! I could use you training me on their use. We are already hooked up to a pedestal already in the resort we are in. We are going to "pretend" boondock for a while to see how things go!
We appreciate the kind comment Kevin! We feel absolutely BLESSED that with dumb luck we selected the right brand (Newmar), and model RV (Dutch Star), and right floor plan (4369) and repair shops (National Indoor RV Centers) the first time around. We are one & done, and are fully prepared to just keep pouring in the service required to keep our Motorhome happy & healthy!
🤣😆... $50 bucks off a Newell !!!!!!!! 🤣😆Stunningly beautiful... but do the lights bang against that gorgeous mirror when the coach is in motion???!!! Great to see you having so much fun!!! ~Big C in the DP 📢 ::: Air Horn 📢 ::: ::: Air Breaks! ::: 🚌🚌🚌
The lights moving around did look a little "pie in the sky" design wise,.....but Newell is an awesome company so let's assume that they will be A-OK! I think Newell should have Sue & I be Ambassor's for the company. We would showcase the smallest, oldest one they would supply gladly!
I just had the 3rd battery installed. They remove the daisy chain cable and in addition to the 3rd battery, they also install the Lithionics 3 battery combiner. Adding another Y cable splitter would be an improper installation as your cables between the batteries and BMS would end up different lengths. With the 3 port combiner, all cables are the same length.
Thanks for teaching me this Mark! Would you mind sharing where you had it done, how long it took, how much it cost and was any reprogramming or redoing inverter or Lithionics settings involved? Could someone have this shipped to there home to do it?
@OurJourneyInMyles Could only be done by the dealer as, unlike BattleBorn, it is my understanding Lithonics won't sell direct to customers. Came out to just more than half the $ you showed for the original 2 batteries in your vid, which for an additional 320Ah is super expensive per Ah! The install only took a day, but they spent most of the time to fab a mounting platform for the battery combiner box they had to add as cable lengths between BMS and dual inverters didn't allow for the clean install you showed in your video. Part of this may be because my BMS is mounted on the far wall of the bay behind the stacked inverters (also making it a pain to access the BMS master power button). This combiner box mount now blocks access to the busbar and fuses so I'll be rearranging things myself to look more like the setup in your video with the BMS moved to the left hand front bay wall with the 3 way combiner mounted next to it, leaving easy access to the back wall, busbar, and fuses... Silverleaf now knows I have 960Ah, but companion myRozie still acts like it is old school lead acid, showing only voltages and not SOC. The Lithionics mobile app sees the 3rd battery now. Yay! If buying a rig built before Feb 2023 optioned for both Lithionics and solar, be aware there is a Newmar Service Bulletin requiring the solar controller be replaced as it was designed for legacy lead acid and nicads and are not compatible with lithium (result is solar won't charge them as it thinks they are topped off regardless of true SOC). Instead of having a warranty repair I replaced myself with Victron SmartSolar MPPT solar controller and added a Victron Smart Shunt. Also, at least on my 2023 New Aire rig, Newmar still relied on battery combiner solenoids controlled by Silverleaf for alternator charging. I am still pining over if I should gut all that and replace with the new Victron Orion OS 50Amp DC to DC converter. Lastly, even though my rig came with dual Xantex inverter/chargers, both can send up to 150A each to charge. From 15% SOC (after resetting BMS due to automatic shut off) it took 4.5 hours of running my generator to get back to 100% SOC as both inverter/chargers gave it their all. If I had my druthers? I'd go 100% Victron and BattleBorn. I did my own upgrade on my previous rig. This new rig I bought was sitting on dealer's lot so I decided to leverage what was already there despite the extra $ vs gutting and starting over. I think the Lithionics setup is great, but it is expensive, and I don't like being forced to go to the dealer. Especially when something is marketed as "plug-in-play"... It is, but not by the owner?
you snook a video in on me, I found this by looking around for some to view this morning. Good to see you this week. But I too always wondered why you never bought def from the pump. thanks for telling me why
A couple other DEF users on newer coaches do the same thing. We have seen truckers pounding the end of the def nozzles on the ground or their truck to knock the def crystals off. I will error on the side of caution.
I found another reason for you to use DEF in boxes, I was watching a video on Bonehead truckers and the truck driver was getting ready to pump DEF from a truck stop and when he put the nozzle into the tank and pulled the handle the DEF hose blew and sprayed him with DEF. Commentator said the driver was going to smell like pee for sure now
We all know there is no way Mark could ever get the Newell without a passenger seat. He needs his copilot! On the New Aire the third battery is almost plug and play. The two battery setup comes with a Y cable to connect the two batteries. If you add the third battery later you need to get the three or four port combiner box. It's still a lot easier than trying to cut and crimp a bunch of 2/0 or 3/0 wires and hope you got the lengths right.
Wow,........thanks for educating me! What you just informed us all on makes perfect sense. My advice to folks,.........ORDER THE THIRD BATTERY RIGHT AWAY. My 4 space plug socket was over $1k, and then you have to install it.
With ya M' on the Freightliner as I just couldn't get over all the stories on the Ford F53 service issues - Spent a little more than we wanted to but starting in our 50's with the XCR chassis
Hey 7 Bears,.......our RV has been an absolute tornado disaster while in repairs, and traveling & working the RV Show was a real trip. We had to first FIND and dig out our CD player for our Apple Computer! We will test out The Delgado Brothers soon! Promise!
Sorry to hear that. We have just come to expect to budget time, money and effort to keep us on the road in this crazy world we live in called "Full Time RV". We try to show everything we do in this regard so folks are better prepared for the challenges,....
Mark, next time when you have a frame flyby ( Freightshaker ) show where the the filter is above the driveshaft, that Spartan has in the rear right area door has it mounted. You expressed concern that to have it changed, they have to drop the driveshaft on your rig to change. I really loved both of the frame flyby for Spartan and Freightliner....
Hey John,......on the frame at the show, the air drier filter has now been moved! Yes! I would expect that will end up being done on all the models as their time to be "refreshed" comes around. Freightliner is now available on all the ultra expensive "luxury big boys" that Entegra and Newmar makes.
We will be working on getting experience with our system. We are going to "pretend" to boondock while in Florida on NON-A/C days,.........with a pedestal at the ready to plug into. One step at a time for us! I don't ever see us hooking up A/C to the batteries. We need to run our 10K generator sometime to keep it healthy.
We also love our 2014 entegra like your DS, but have been thinking of down sizing if we want to continue part-time rving, they're just not the same quality as ours.
We will be in the same boat someday as well. Thankful Sue helps so much in all the driving chores, with the exception of actually sitting in the driver's seat!
2024 is mostly a blank slate. We are going to be doing the NIRVC Music City Expo in June and going to try to book another Adveture Caravans Tour. We canceled Alaska due to costs. We spent $10k on the wetbay repairs, and that set up back big time. Now if all our subscribers used a fresh Amazon Link everytime the bought ANYTHING,.......we would actually be about to afford RVing!! I will see if we can fit in another NHRA event!
So cool. On our journey to RV living by the end of 2026, at the latest, we are starting to love your Dutch Star more and more. But at 75% of $749,000.00 you are well ahead of the price of a new one. Not sure why you said that you are pretty much about even to that with repairs and updates etc. Going to re-watch your financial video where you break down the costs. Regardless, yours is looking better and better from our point of view. Well done sir! We saw a 2024 with 1,000 miles on RV trader and it said it comes with lifetime warranty to original purchaser - we are assuming that that is some sort of scam that would not cover all of the repairs that you did ie the tanks, the slides etc. Every hear of that warrenty?
No such thing. Best you will do is a factory warranty followed by an extended warranty from a reputable dealership like National Indoor RV Center with (6) nationwide locations.
The DEF quality varies from place to place. For my Ford pickup truck I buy the jugs from the Ford dealership to get a good quality. From driving 18wheeler I know many people that had DEF troubles from bad quality DEF.
For us, using the DEF jugs takes all the chances of BAD DEF off the table. We buy it only from high turnover places, and only name brand,......and yes I pay a stupid price,......but it's only a couple times a month.
Great video. I am a little disappointed that you decided not to buy the Newell. You would have loved it. We have considered Lithium but in the long run 90% of the time, we are "post to post" at parks and I cannot justify the price. Your setup is great. I will give you a call in a week or so when we get to FL
I know Newmar is a top dog in the RV industry but your stamp of approval on their rigs, makes me like them even more.
Sue & I spend our time living & breathing Class A Motorhomes. We hear a lot of stories, testimonials, suggestions and back room reports from tons of sources. Newmar really does seem to be the top dog in production motorhomes right now. It will be up to Newmar if this continues. Tiffin is really kicking things into gear, and has many surprises to come.
Now that's the way to cover the RV show! A unique perspective that no other channel gives, and it's not the open every door, every cabinet, and rote descriptions of mundane features that almost all motorhomes have. Great job you two - wish we could have been there to meet-n-greet with you.
Thank you for the kind words. The part 2 video is mostly going to be for all the folks that allowed us to take a selfie with them. Without people watching, we are just making a personal scrapbook. It is so much better sharing it with everyone else.
Great! I like that you broke tradition with a Tuesday Video
Thanks Steve,........but because I'm old and retired, and struggling to keep up,.....I thought it was Sunday,......
Very informative and entertaining Meet & Greet! Thanks for your shout-out to us!
Our pleasure Bob & Joy!
Thanks for bringing us along!
You bet Wayne! Sue is working on the Florida RV Show wrap up video now,......
Great video…. glad you both enjoyed the Florida RV Show. We attended two days and enjoyed also visiting with the AIM group at there tent and off site dinner. I bet your glad to be back on the road making and living new adventures. Safe travels my friends…
It was heartwarming being able to spend such a large amount of quality time with you and Kathy. We may be seeing you at the NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo VIP Experience , a VIP shopping experience like no other with exclusive access to new 2025 models!
June 4th thru June 7th, 2024, Wilson County Fairgrounds, Lebanon, TN Want to see the 38 foot Mountain Aire with a TAG axle!
Great video guys!!! The "Chan Man" was definitely on his game. I loved Sue's little chuckles at your "side comments". My wife and I will be at the April AIM rally in Tennessee. Hope to see you there. I'm on a steep learning curve about Lithium battery technology. Our Essex came with the two Lithium batteries, but I haven't used them to their full potential. Can't wait to learn more. Hurry up with your 3 video about completed installation!!!. Safe travels.
Hey Dan! I could use you training me on their use. We are already hooked up to a pedestal already in the resort we are in. We are going to "pretend" boondock for a while to see how things go!
Great educational video as usual. I still love your coach still looks awesome 👍
We appreciate the kind comment Kevin! We feel absolutely BLESSED that with dumb luck we selected the right brand (Newmar), and model RV (Dutch Star), and right floor plan (4369) and repair shops (National Indoor RV Centers) the first time around. We are one & done, and are fully prepared to just keep pouring in the service required to keep our Motorhome happy & healthy!
Very entertaining! Thanks!! NNTR
THX
🤣😆... $50 bucks off a Newell !!!!!!!! 🤣😆Stunningly beautiful... but do the lights bang against that gorgeous mirror when the coach is in motion???!!! Great to see you having so much fun!!! ~Big C in the DP 📢 ::: Air Horn 📢 ::: ::: Air Breaks! ::: 🚌🚌🚌
The lights moving around did look a little "pie in the sky" design wise,.....but Newell is an awesome company so let's assume that they will be A-OK! I think Newell should have Sue & I be Ambassor's for the company. We would showcase the smallest, oldest one they would supply gladly!
@@OurJourneyInMyles let me know if you need a co-ambassador 😉
I just had the 3rd battery installed. They remove the daisy chain cable and in addition to the 3rd battery, they also install the Lithionics 3 battery combiner. Adding another Y cable splitter would be an improper installation as your cables between the batteries and BMS would end up different lengths. With the 3 port combiner, all cables are the same length.
Thanks for teaching me this Mark! Would you mind sharing where you had it done, how long it took, how much it cost and was any reprogramming or redoing inverter or Lithionics settings involved? Could someone have this shipped to there home to do it?
@OurJourneyInMyles Could only be done by the dealer as, unlike BattleBorn, it is my understanding Lithonics won't sell direct to customers. Came out to just more than half the $ you showed for the original 2 batteries in your vid, which for an additional 320Ah is super expensive per Ah! The install only took a day, but they spent most of the time to fab a mounting platform for the battery combiner box they had to add as cable lengths between BMS and dual inverters didn't allow for the clean install you showed in your video. Part of this may be because my BMS is mounted on the far wall of the bay behind the stacked inverters (also making it a pain to access the BMS master power button). This combiner box mount now blocks access to the busbar and fuses so I'll be rearranging things myself to look more like the setup in your video with the BMS moved to the left hand front bay wall with the 3 way combiner mounted next to it, leaving easy access to the back wall, busbar, and fuses...
Silverleaf now knows I have 960Ah, but companion myRozie still acts like it is old school lead acid, showing only voltages and not SOC. The Lithionics mobile app sees the 3rd battery now. Yay!
If buying a rig built before Feb 2023 optioned for both Lithionics and solar, be aware there is a Newmar Service Bulletin requiring the solar controller be replaced as it was designed for legacy lead acid and nicads and are not compatible with lithium (result is solar won't charge them as it thinks they are topped off regardless of true SOC). Instead of having a warranty repair I replaced myself with Victron SmartSolar MPPT solar controller and added a Victron Smart Shunt.
Also, at least on my 2023 New Aire rig, Newmar still relied on battery combiner solenoids controlled by Silverleaf for alternator charging. I am still pining over if I should gut all that and replace with the new Victron Orion OS 50Amp DC to DC converter.
Lastly, even though my rig came with dual Xantex inverter/chargers, both can send up to 150A each to charge. From 15% SOC (after resetting BMS due to automatic shut off) it took 4.5 hours of running my generator to get back to 100% SOC as both inverter/chargers gave it their all.
If I had my druthers? I'd go 100% Victron and BattleBorn. I did my own upgrade on my previous rig. This new rig I bought was sitting on dealer's lot so I decided to leverage what was already there despite the extra $ vs gutting and starting over. I think the Lithionics setup is great, but it is expensive, and I don't like being forced to go to the dealer. Especially when something is marketed as "plug-in-play"... It is, but not by the owner?
Good video.
Thanks for the visit William!
it must have been a blast. One day I might make it.. ; )
For us, the Florida RV Show is like a rally visiting old friends every year. We absolutely LOVE it!
you snook a video in on me, I found this by looking around for some to view this morning. Good to see you this week. But I too always wondered why you never bought def from the pump. thanks for telling me why
A couple other DEF users on newer coaches do the same thing. We have seen truckers pounding the end of the def nozzles on the ground or their truck to knock the def crystals off. I will error on the side of caution.
We always use the DEF bottles. Costco has the Peak Blue Def (last month date code) for $13.99 a box. Great deal@@OurJourneyInMyles
I found another reason for you to use DEF in boxes, I was watching a video on Bonehead truckers and the truck driver was getting ready to pump DEF from a truck stop and when he put the nozzle into the tank and pulled the handle the DEF hose blew and sprayed him with DEF. Commentator said the driver was going to smell like pee for sure now
Enjoyed the video !!
Thanks,.......Sue did a great job!
You need to spend more time in a Foretravel to learn how to avoid noggin knocker doors. Great video.
Or,..........I need to become a Foretravel Ambassador for a year in their "entry level" rig! What a year of video that could be!
We all know there is no way Mark could ever get the Newell without a passenger seat. He needs his copilot! On the New Aire the third battery is almost plug and play. The two battery setup comes with a Y cable to connect the two batteries. If you add the third battery later you need to get the three or four port combiner box. It's still a lot easier than trying to cut and crimp a bunch of 2/0 or 3/0 wires and hope you got the lengths right.
Wow,........thanks for educating me! What you just informed us all on makes perfect sense. My advice to folks,.........ORDER THE THIRD BATTERY RIGHT AWAY. My 4 space plug socket was over $1k, and then you have to install it.
With ya M' on the Freightliner as I just couldn't get over all the stories on the Ford F53 service issues - Spent a little more than we wanted to but starting in our 50's with the XCR chassis
You are correct,..........once you go with a DP motorhome, you are spoiled.
I'll stay tuned.. Speaking of tuned did you play the CD I sent you.. Thanks OJM
Hey 7 Bears,.......our RV has been an absolute tornado disaster while in repairs, and traveling & working the RV Show was a real trip. We had to first FIND and dig out our CD player for our Apple Computer! We will test out The Delgado Brothers soon! Promise!
@@OurJourneyInMyles I understand completely. 😊
We have a 2021 Newmar Dutch Star 4369 we bought new. We should have bought a used one of any year. Would of saved money and a lot of trouble.
Sorry to hear that. We have just come to expect to budget time, money and effort to keep us on the road in this crazy world we live in called "Full Time RV". We try to show everything we do in this regard so folks are better prepared for the challenges,....
Although I sound like Im really not complaining. The coach is all set now it just took some time to get there. Watch you every weekend.
Mark, next time when you have a frame flyby ( Freightshaker ) show where the the filter is above the driveshaft, that Spartan has in the rear right area door has it mounted. You expressed concern that to have it changed, they have to drop the driveshaft on your rig to change. I really loved both of the frame flyby for Spartan and Freightliner....
Hey John,......on the frame at the show, the air drier filter has now been moved! Yes! I would expect that will end up being done on all the models as their time to be "refreshed" comes around. Freightliner is now available on all the ultra expensive "luxury big boys" that Entegra and Newmar makes.
I really liked that Spartan video of yours, especially with the 605 bad boy...
@@OurJourneyInMyles
Once you got lithium, you need more. One aircon on lithium is muy importante
We will be working on getting experience with our system. We are going to "pretend" to boondock while in Florida on NON-A/C days,.........with a pedestal at the ready to plug into. One step at a time for us! I don't ever see us hooking up A/C to the batteries. We need to run our 10K generator sometime to keep it healthy.
Great video!!!! Hope to have a class A coach in the future. 🎉
Then we will see you on the road someday!
We also love our 2014 entegra like your DS, but have been thinking of down sizing if we want to continue part-time rving, they're just not the same quality as ours.
We will be in the same boat someday as well. Thankful Sue helps so much in all the driving chores, with the exception of actually sitting in the driver's seat!
When are you
Heading to AK this year?
Are you planning to attend any NHRA races in 24?
2024 is mostly a blank slate. We are going to be doing the NIRVC Music City Expo in June and going to try to book another Adveture Caravans Tour. We canceled Alaska due to costs. We spent $10k on the wetbay repairs, and that set up back big time. Now if all our subscribers used a fresh Amazon Link everytime the bought ANYTHING,.......we would actually be about to afford RVing!! I will see if we can fit in another NHRA event!
So cool. On our journey to RV living by the end of 2026, at the latest, we are starting to love your Dutch Star more and more. But at 75% of $749,000.00 you are well ahead of the price of a new one. Not sure why you said that you are pretty much about even to that with repairs and updates etc. Going to re-watch your financial video where you break down the costs. Regardless, yours is looking better and better from our point of view. Well done sir! We saw a 2024 with 1,000 miles on RV trader and it said it comes with lifetime warranty to original purchaser - we are assuming that that is some sort of scam that would not cover all of the repairs that you did ie the tanks, the slides etc. Every hear of that warrenty?
No such thing. Best you will do is a factory warranty followed by an extended warranty from a reputable dealership like National Indoor RV Center with (6) nationwide locations.
The DEF quality varies from place to place. For my Ford pickup truck I buy the jugs from the Ford dealership to get a good quality. From driving 18wheeler I know many people that had DEF troubles from bad quality DEF.
For us, using the DEF jugs takes all the chances of BAD DEF off the table. We buy it only from high turnover places, and only name brand,......and yes I pay a stupid price,......but it's only a couple times a month.
@@OurJourneyInMyles You are being smart Mark. I'm a poet and don't know it. Lol
Some of the DEF containers have date of manufacture, I've seen DEF sitting on shelves for over 6 months, would try to keep it under 60 days at most
Great video. I am a little disappointed that you decided not to buy the Newell. You would have loved it.
We have considered Lithium but in the long run 90% of the time, we are "post to post" at parks and I cannot justify the price. Your setup is great. I will give you a call in a week or so when we get to FL
Nothing wrong with Post to Post camping Ken! At least then you have a chance they wil have a Tiki Bar & Hot Tub.
Both options are good, but I will take to Tiki bar. :)
@@OurJourneyInMyles
Great video, man do I need lithium batteries. Safe travels
Thanks for stopping by,.....
Ok let me know on the NHRA. I might be able to hook you up!
You got it!
Can you send me your spreadsheet on expenses for RVing.
Yes! Send an email request to: ourjourneyinmyles@gmail.com Your TH-cam channel has no contact info.