Freedom Machines
The American Dream

The Camper Project I, Page One: The Bounder

The Camper Project II, Page One: The Champion
by Lloyd Harrison Whitling

Our Bounder RV MotorHome is for sale at a ridiculously low price

Our Bounder self-propelled house on wheels, sitting lonely where we found it.

The Bounder

We bought it in August of 2006, a 1987 34S Bounder we found in Franklin, Tennessee.

The owner told us it had been sitting unused for nearly three years, so we felt pleasantly surprised and hopeful when it started right up. The engine sounded rough, the manifolds leaked. The brakes were stuck on, and required us to buy new hoses before we could drive it home. I couldn't tell amidst all the squeaking, popping and sputtering sounds made by leaking exhaust gasses if all the cylinders were firing, but I could detect no smoke from the engine. We found minor delamination on the street side (ripples barely visible beneath the side windows in the picture) when we began looking it over, that has not changed in all the time we've owned it. The owner said it was exactly that way when he bought it. The chassis battery seemed almost dead when we first cranked it up. We could smell a strong odor of gasoline around the back side, which scared us about it, but could see no leaks when I crawled underneath. I tell on a later page about the repairs we have made to it.

For plusses, we liked the floorplan and the general condition and clean smell of its interior. It appeared to have been cared for and kept clean. The owner said he never smoked in it, and neither have we allowed anyone to do so. The roof seemed solid, and the seller told us everything was in working order when he had last used it. He thought most of its problems could be cured with fresh fuel in the tank.

Mindful of the effects that a three-year time-span could have, and that we would likely need to replace all 6 tires before we could contemplate serious use (time limit on tire safety is 5 years from the DOT date code), we made our deal. I think he wanted to cry, but felt glad to finally see it go. We promised to take good care of it, to love it, and then hurried off to find the money before he could change his mind.

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