Since writing the opening article in this series, we've had the benefit of numerous ower comments. These comments have led us to conclude that the three primary products we'd initially identified (Alpine, Country Coach, and Monaco) deserved our further investigation. We've received recommendations for a number of other quality coaches which we have every reason to believe would deserve consideration. But since we've concluded we want to acquire a unit which has a manufacturing presence nearer our home in the Pacific Northwest, we've kept our focus "local".
We've had a wonderful resource in our own readers. Many owners of high end coaches have written to offer their experiences in buying and owning a quality diesel pusher. We continue to collect these comments, and at some point we'll publish a compendium of at least representative samples of what we've heard. Owners of diesel pushers who would like to contribute their observations to the process, your comments are of course still welcome.
As we increased the number of contacts we made with owners, and talked informally with sales people in dealer showrooms and RV gatherings, we've consistently talked about touring the factories where some of these units are made. What should we be looking for? Surely many of the nuances of RV construction would elude our most careful (and highly inexperienced) observations. Neither of us is expert in chassis design, the characteristics of the various materials used to make components, or assembly techniques.
We decided that with our limited technical background (okay, we're "technically challenged"), we'd best focus on some of the things we know better from our own personal and professional experience. We do have confidence we can identify a clean, orderly, well managed operation. Wouldn't that be a circumstance likely to contribute to a good product? And we've had extensive exposure to different "employee relations environments". Surely that would be a factor too. And finally, wouldn't the manner in which each manufacturer designs its factory tours for its visitors (potential owners) provide at least a hint about that company's attitude towards those who purchase their product?
National RV -- Perris, CA
While National's manufacturing operations are further from our "home base" than would be practical for us to include on our "finals" list, we were urged by many owners of Tradewinds diesel pushers to have a look. Since we were just finishing up winter travels in the Southwest, a trip to Perris, CA, was not much of a burden. And even if our focus was now on three RV manufacturers located much closer to us, we'd at least have a base point for comparing other RV tours, and the manufacturing processes they would reveal. Our Tradewinds owners generally seemed to stress that they had found a way to get most of the attributes of a high line coach, and with a far lesser dollar commitment. Since starting this project, a number of our readers have commented favorably on the "value" they've found in their Tradewinds coaches.
We learned from a factory representative we spoke to briefly in Tucson that National RV tours are given on Tuesdays, at 3 pm. We arrived at the Perris manufacturing facilities at about 2:30, and ferreted out the building where the tour would start. We were hardly alone! The tour started next door to the service facility, which appeared to have about 10 large RV service bays. They were all completely full, with a second tier of rigs lined up outside. In the parking lot there were still more National RV brand products waiting for service.
A few minutes before 3:00, the 60-70 persons who wanted to take the tour were ushered into a meeting room with about 35-40 chairs. While separate tours were being offered both for towed vehicles and motorhomes, the overwhelming majority on this day were there to see the motorhome construction. Because the group was so large, the tour leader passed out headphones, intended to help those on the tour "hear" what the tour leader was saying as they passed through the plant. Unfortunately, the number of tourees exceeded the number of (working) headphones by about a dozen, and we were among those who would have to depend on acute hearing as we went along. As it turned out, quite a number of those on the tour were there because their rigs were in for service, and they had little else to do.
As we started the tour, the day's shift was apparently ending. Employees spilled out of the buildings with an exhuberance that reminded us of kids just released from the last day of school. We were disappointed not to have seen the plant "at work", as we would like to have seen these same workers practicing their skills. In a sense, National may have missed an opportunity by giving us only a fleeting glimpse of their workforce in what was probably a less than optimal setting.
The tour began with the chassis, which were Freightliner for the highest end coach, Tradewinds; and Ford or Chevrolet for everything else. The Freighliner chassis appeared much "beefier" than the lighter Ford/Chevy chassis types, sporting much bigger and heavier frames. And we noted that for the longer coaches with the Ford or Chevy chassis the factory was adding a "tag axle", which was said to reduce rear overhang, improve stability, and add approximately 2,500 pounds to the GVWR.
As we got into the various stages of "construction in process", we found the Tradewinds coaches were produced in substantially the same way as the other coaches offered by National. They all went down the same production line, and the the workmanship, at least to our untrained eyes, was indistinguishable. Presumably things like appliances, carpets, and fabrics were of a higher quality in the finished Tradewinds. But except for the chassis they were built on, the "houses" for the Tradewinds units were being constructed in what appeared to be the same manner as for other coaches.
The construction in process was in some respects less than perfect, though at this early stage of our factory browsing we had little to compare it with. The cutouts for cabinets occasionally seemed a bit ragged, and some of the cabinetry members appeared a bit light. We noted some components were fastened in part with staples, where one might hope for some glue and screws. We were aware that RV construction is not likely to be equal to what one would find in new custom built homes, and since this was a "first look" at motorcoach construction, we realized we might be a bit too critical in evaluating what we were seeing.
Even so, the semi-finished cabinetry seemed to lack a bit in the "fit and finish" category, though the finished products had an appearance which was considerably better than we'd have guessed from viewing the earlier stages. But still we wondered: How much "tradeoff" in quality for an RV is justified to achieve a lower priced coach? With our intent to identify a unit which would match our relatively "high use" RVing lifestyle, it appears with hindsight we were beginning to look for finished products which could endure demanding service for at least 8-10 years. We also concluded we were probably holding this particular manufacturing facility to a higher standard than was justified for this first look-see at a coach manufacturing plant.
Due to the large number of persons taking the tour this day, it was difficult to get more than a general sense of the manufacturing processes here. The tour leader was quite professional, even though challenged by a group size which bordered on being unwieldly at times. He had the benefit of a "tailgunner", who helped keep stragglers stay up with the mainstream. And of particular note was that when questions occurred to which he had no ready answer, he asked his assistant to make a note of the question so that he could find out an answer at the end of the tour.
We were able to get one question in as we passed from one station to another inside the plant. We were aware that National had acquired Country Coach (which we planned to visit soon), and we were interested in what the operational relationship might be between the two manufacturers. We'd heard from one National RV manufacturing rep that in the next model year some Tradewinds models might be built on the Country Coach chassis. We were particularly interested in whether Country Coach's operations might also be influenced by Tradewinds. While our tour guide did not appear to have deep insight with respect to this question, he reported that as far as he knew the two operations are completely separate.
One of those on the tour was inquiring about problems he had with his new National RV coach. When asked whether it was presently in the Service Center, he responded that it was not, because it would take over a month just to get an appointment here. Indeed the large Service Center was literally overflowing with National products. We could not help but notice that most of the National coaches we saw (including Tradewinds) had roofs which were "streaked" along the top edge which extends down a few inches from the roofline. Perhaps this reflects nothing more than the perils of parking anywhere beneath the skies in the Greater Los Angeles basin area. But we decided we'd want to see whether other brands at other manufacturing facilities showed a similar characteristic.
We found our time at National RV well spent. We have a better appreciation for some of our readers who own Tradewinds, and say that they own an RV with many of the characteristics of the very top brands, that they were able to purchase at a significantly lower cost. While the group size limited the amount of information which could be imparted during the walk-through of the plant, it gave us a starting point for evaluating the next two plants we planned to visit several days later in Oregon. While we still did not feel "educated" to the manufacturing processes and materials which would contribute positively to a quality product, we did find new sources of information we deemed important. We concluded that how a company conducts its "tours" might have a bearing on its "customer relations" attitude. We learned that one excellent source of information might well be the very people who take the tours. And we decided that how the factory provided for customer service for its owners would be a critical element for us to assess in future factory visits.
Monaco Coach, Coburg, Or
It wasn't difficult to spot the new Monaco Coach factory -- indeed its hard to miss from I-5 a few miles north of Eurgene. We'd planned on arriving in the late afternoon and staying at the Country Coach facility. But we arrived in the early afternoon, and had found the Monaco facility in time to take the afternoon tour. Unlike National RV's once-a-week schedule (which we understand now is twice weekly), Monaco offers tours twice daily. The very large parking lot in front of the modern headquarters building was filled with cars -- those of the folks who work there. Since we were towing our fiver, the only place we could see to park was several hundred yards away at the Monaco service facility. We inquired at the service center where the tours would start, and learned they began at the main offices. We were invited to park our rig in one of the many open oudoor RV hookup sites while we took the tour.
We hurriedly parked the rig, and arrived at the main office entrance only a minute or so before the scheduled afternoon tour. The large, well decorated lobby of the corporate headquarters seemed more like a modern corporate office building than a factory. The receptionist was extremely pleasant, and invited us to sign in -- and up for -- the tour which was to leave in just a few minutes. A few minutes after the hour our tour guide, Julie Burchett came into the lobby area and introduced herself. We asked where the others were that would also be on the tour, and learned to our surprise that we were the afternoon tour! Julie said the morning tour had been quite large -- nine persons. Actually, the number of people doing the Monaco tour each week is likely as many or more than the 65 or so we'd seen on a Tuesday afternoon in Perris, CA, some days earlier. But Monaco has clearly made an entirely different level of commitment to accomodating RVers who may be prospective owners.
We began our walk through Monaco's modern manufacturing facility, observing the work in progress at each stage of production. Some 3 coaches per day, or 15 per week, are produced here. There is a significant expansion of the manufacturing facilities in process, and due on line before the end of 1999. While Dynasty (and other lines) are produced here, Windsor (and others) are manufactured at the company's midwest facility.
This time we were able to see the plant "at work". One sensed the workers here are competent professionals at whatever aspect of the construction process is within their area of responsibility. We observed what appeared to be high quality materials; fasteners and sizes which were always quite substantial, and unhurried but efficient productivity. Here the cabinetry seemed to use heavier duty frame pieces, and were fastened with substantial hardware. Perhaps they were still not quite the quality of the cabinets in a custom home, but they were fast approaching that standard. The cutouts in the side walls and roofs were relatively clean cut and precise. The construction of the slider mechanism included an outside member which goes almost all the way across the bottom of the chassis for added support. The graphics on the finished coach are done in paint, not vinyl. And the painted graphics are completely sealed under several finish coats. The modern paint processes we observed were high tech state of the art facilities.
The Monaco chassis is custom made by Monaco precisely to fit the coach that is built on top. Among other advantges, this would seem to precude discussions about whether a problem was the fault of a chassis manufacturer (such as Freightliner), or the RV coach builder. In addition, presumably by matching the chassis to the "house", the chassis can be constructed as a "pefect fit". We were told that each coach gets test driven during the final construction phases, with an average of 130 miles per coach. The Monaco chassis is described as a "semi-monocoque" design, which implies that the "chassis" is not merely a floor level platform, but extends well up a portion of the sidewalls as well. This is apparently both a safety and durability factor, and of course implies a bit higher cost along with these benefits.
Our tour guide, while relatively new to the world of RV manufacturing, demonstrated an excellent grasp of all phases of the construction process. She was able to answer all of our questions. When she didn't know an answer she immediately went to one of the employees in that area and got a complete explanation. Having a person of this quality to show guests through the modern Monaco plant was itself a plus which did not go unnoticed. At the end of the tour, we inspected a number of the recently completed coaches. It was sort of like having dessert!
We visited the Service Department later, and was welcomed to "Camp Monaco" by one of the owners waiting for service to be completed. Reportedly this facility is completely full during most of the year. But it was almost empty today. This was due both to this being a traditional "slow season", and the fact that a major FMCA rally in Georgia had attracted a significant number of service technicians from home base. The customer lounge is modern, spacious and comfortable, with many amenities (including modem hookups!). We spoke with one couple who had taken delivery of a new Monaco from a dealer south of Seattle. They complained that the dealer was not particularly helpful or successful in fixing the few items noted when they had arrived to take delivery, and they had come here to the factory to complete the "PDI" (pre-delivery inspection). We later learned that doing the PDI at the factory, whatever the brand, may be a more satisfactory experience for a new owner. Monaco owners here for service had quite nice hookup sites directly across from the large customer lounge.
We were disappointed there weren't more owners available in the service area to speak with, because clearly this is an excellent place to learn "what it's like" to be an owner of that particular product. Nevertheless, our tour of the Monaco plant had been both instructive and impressive.
NEXT: Factory Tours and Country Coach, and Western RV (Alpine)