05 Powerhouse Truck Conversion, 52', new, $350k, on ebay.

[BravestDog]

Comments?

Nice new modern rig here.

What do you think of the side stairs and the extendable hitch?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/POWERHOUSE-ULTRA-52-CUST...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Camping Dutchman]

Neat hitch idea, but do you have the room for a trailer to swing back there? $350,000 and 52' is pretty long. Good Luck swinging that around a campground

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

......yeah....I sure like that hitch idea!....an awful lot!....huummm!.....similiar to the stinger on my wrecker! with out the lifting mechanism.....huummm.....same hydraulic cylinder and all a guy would need is 2-4X4X3/8" Square tubes maybe 12' long and some square channel to slide them into with some slippery plastic stuff and 2 butt plates and some fittings and controls and a 3000psi pump.....maybe $300 all together.....great idea Powerhouse!....glad you thought of it as I was about to adapt a house trailer toter lift/hitch to do the same thing.....you have solved the problem for me!.....thanks..... geofkaye

[WalliK]

I always wondered where you can drive a coach like that.
I though most states have 45 ft limitations.

I did see their new extendable goosneck hitch - whatever they call it - while ago on their webpage and wondered if I could use it as extendable platform to carry ATVs when needed?

Walter

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

WalliK....extend it and add a portable deck[mesh steel]....move the S-T-T lites back on an extension chord if more than 4' and your on the road.....geofkaye

[Warpath]

O.K. this is my opinion which some people think is against the law to give.

I like the fact that Powerhouse is developing some really neat new innovations into their conversions. I think this rig looks awesome and I am sure anywhere you go you are going to be giving people whiplash. But 52'is ridiculous! I am sure the wheel base has to be over 28' which is what my last conversion was and I was only 40' long and mine was a royal p.i.t.a to maneuver in smaller towns, side streets, etc.. Tow a car behind there and you cannot backup. I am sure on the open highway that thing has got to be awesome with the long wheel base. Leave the highway and all you do is try to plan where you can go and where you cannot. Believe me I have been there done that and hated it.

Keeping the sleeper for passengers to ride in is truly a waste of space. Passengers are not going to want to sit in there when they could hang out on the couch and watch some TV. The layout on this one is poor. Look where the entertainment center is compared to the 2 couches. Everyone has to look at the TV from a angle, they should have angled the entertainment center like I have seen them do before.

Those stairs are crazy and I could see my kids braking bones on those babies. I am also not keen on the pre-made box that they put on there (which I am assuming they still do) I would much rather see steel cage and custom interior.

All that being said if they are selling rigs than who am I to say what they are doing is not right for them.

[Elburn Bill]

It looks to be an exact duplicate of Doug's (the owner of Powerhouse) except for the colors.

Also hate to burst Doug's bubble but Kingsley had installed 6 of these stinger lifts back in the late 90's. With the stinger you can back up with a car/truck hooked up since it has no front pivot point like a tow bar would. At the Tampa RV Show this past Jan I watched Doug hook up his Tracker to it and then back up for 60' or so.

Also at that show I watched him try to set up the stairs. He was having problems with the ground being unlevel and the stairs not being able to extend fully which caused only 75% or so of the stair treads to be usable. How do you get out of the coach when you pull into a truck stop to fuel up if you are in the back? The only way is to climb over the front seats or use this monster staircase, which I believe are manual. I still prefer the traditional lower stairwell with a 2 step powered step.

The bodies are built by Teton (I was with Doug when we stopped at the Teton booth and he talked to his rep). I didn't like the way the cab to box transition was handled. All he does it flare out the cab and tuck the box in behind it...you can actually slide your hand in between the two just like on the Showhauler, Renegade, etc. I think only Kingsley and DynaMax actually blend the cab and the box together.

The length doesn't bother most of his customers since they live in the West or Southwest where there is plenty of space. Kingsley has built several 50'+ coaches also. I know of one that is 58' and he pulled a 30' trailer behind him. I also have pics and floorplans of 2 other 58' that they have built. These are BIG coaches and I would not want to have to drive them at all.