Then.........and Now
The "Buckeye Bird" began it's existence in 1983 at the Fort Valley, Ga. BlueBird Wanderlodge factory. It is an FC model (Forward Control - Engine in the Front) 35 ft. long with the side bath. (FC35SB)
It left the factory with a price tag around $210,000. It has the 3208 Caterpillar engine with Turbo, making 225 h.p., and an Allison 4 speed transmission. It has a Kohler/Perkins 12.5 KW diesel generator. There are 3 roof air conditioners and 3 different heating systems. It is all galvanized steel and weighs approximately 32,000 lbs. There is a 265 gallon diesel fuel tank and a 45 gallon propane tank. It presently gets around 9 m.p.g. on the highway. It is a joy to drive, riding on the 8 air bag suspension and 11R22.5 tires on polished all aluminum rims.
The coach was formerly owned by Vic and Helen (Shrimp) Panetti from Wisconsin. It was their "Summer Place" and they took great care of the coach as evidenced by the detailed records that Vic kept of all the maintenance that was done. They owned the coach about 12 years and it made the yearly trip to their Florida home each year from Wisconsin . We purchased the coach in February 2007 from Helen after the untimely passing of Vic in December 2006. I will try to keep the maintenance up as well and have records as detailed as Vic.
Some of the changes/updates we have made so far are:
New Koni Shocks in front with new steer tires
Replaced "battery boiler" chargers with 80 amp Smart Charge
Drop down LCD TV in front of coach
LCD TV for rear bedroom
New upholstery - dinette
New Ice maker
New flooring in kitchen and bathroom
New seating in salon
New curtains and/or shades - all windows
New rear backup camera
New faucet & water filter - kitchen
Headlight modification
New Paint - StarJet - Columbus, Ohio Feb-Mar 2008
New awning fabric June 2008
4 new 6v golf cart batteries 2009
New high flow 2 speed Hayden fan for generator 2009
New insulation in generator compartment 2009
New compressor - front A/C unit
Salon couch recovered
New floorplan for salon with new wood flooring and recliner 2010
New carpet in salon and around dinette in kitchen 2010
New insulation - engine compartment 2010
New Bridgestone drive tires 2010
New Xintex 2 sensor LP gas leak detector and shutoff solenoid 2010
2 new LP gas leak alarms under couch and bed 2010
Kitchen remodel with new counter top, back splash and faucet 2010
New dinette table to match counter top 2010
New carpeting in bedroom 2011
Xantrex 1800W inverter added 2011
Click on picture for more photos
Bringing the Bird back to Ohio in February, 2007 we had the opportunity to stop at the BlueBird Wanderlodge facility in Fort Valley, Ga.
We stayed a night at the "Bird's Nest", which is a very nice RV park at the rear of the factory. It is free for Wanderlodge owners and has 50a electric, water and sewer hookups. There is a beautiful clubhouse with fireplace, TV, kitchen and bathrooms with showers. We met some great folks at the Nest and could see quickly we had made a good decision to join in as Wanderlodge owners. Before we left we were given a tour of the factory, and were treated wonderfully by the people there.
Since this entry the Wanderlodge factory has been closed with everything being sold at auction. The fate of the "Bird's Nest" is presently in limbo. There is a move to try and get it back up and operating.