We had a choice on how to take delivery of our new home on wheels. Most people have their motor home shipped by truck from the factory in Winkler, Manitoba to the dealership where it was purchased, and take delivery and “hands-on” training from the dealer. In our case, our dealership was Battlefield RV Sales in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Don Klassen of LTV & Lin Kern of Battlefield RV
The other option is to pick up your RV at the factory. Manny and I rarely do things the “normal way.” We wanted the whole factory experience: to see where the motor home was built, how it was made, and to meet all the people who made it possible. Not to mention that we wanted to have a few optional things done, like an extra table for the rear living room area, a hinged rear bench to provide access to the trunk from inside the coach, and a privacy curtain to separate the coach from the cab.
We certainly made the right decision. We were treated like royalty. Our factory sales rep, Don Klassen, and his lovely wife Rosie, drove to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to personally pick us up at the airport. Don spent countless hours with us —both company and personal time— to ensure that we were comfortable with our new home. Most of our interaction with him had previously been by email and on the phone.
In person, Don’s pride in the product is palpable. He was the head of Product Development at Leisure Travel Vans, and as one of the designers of the Freedom II Serenity, he knows the unit inside and out. After giving us a very thorough factory tour, where he showed us everything from the thickness of the floor’s insulation, to the unique fiberglass molds from which our baby was created, we felt that the quality of their workmanship validated our choice of motor home. Leisure Travel Vans is definitely a Class A operation that builds superb Class B RVs. We were happy with our decision to travel to Canada to pick her up.
Every extra we requested was completed in just one day: the wiring of a 700 watt inverter we had brought for AC power when not hooked up to electricity, a lock for our wardrobe, extra hooks in the bathroom, a custom made two-leaf table for the rear sofa area, the cutting, sewing and installation of a curtain to separate the coach from the cab, and most importantly, the addition of a spare tire, on a spare tire mount that inserts into the receiver hitch, which we had previously shipped to Menke’s Parcel Service. Everything was done carefully and efficiently, as if they had nothing else to do but take care of our needs. Leisure Travel Vans is a company that really knows the meaning of customer service.
They even provide a couple of “on location campsites” —RV pads next to their service area— with electric and water hook ups, so that customers can stay free of charge while they familiarize themselves with their units and test all the systems. We took advantage of their “company campground”, and we also “dry camped” (camping without hookups of any kind) in the parking lot of the Winkler City Park community recreation area, in order to test our propane generator under load and dump our black water and grey water holding tanks.
Don, who is an experienced fifth-wheeler, gave us a very good tip: when you are finished dumping your black water tank, shut off the macerator pump and open the valve of your grey water tank, letting the grey water flow into the black water holding tank until their levels are even. Now shut the grey water valve and turn the macerator pump back on. This will pump out the grey water that flowed into your black water tank, ensuring an extra clean black water tank. When your black water tank is empty, shut off the macerator pump and shut the black water valve. Now open your grey water valve and turn your macerator pump back on, to finish emptying your grey water tank.
By the end of our four day stay, we felt comfortable and ready to get on the road. Before we said goodbye, Manny and I had the good fortune to sit down for a face to face conversation with Terry Elias, president of Triple E RV, the company with which Leisure Travel Vans recently merged. Triple E RV specializes in building Class A RVs, while Leisure Travel Vans specializes in building Class B RVs. Terry told us that Class A RVers like “mobile condominiums”, they travel to one location, usually for the winter season, set up camp there and hardly ever move. Class B RVers, on the other hand, are people who like to travel often and value the mobility that a smaller Class B RV provides. We definitely belong in this category. Terry knows the business and his customer base, and he wisely decided to maintain the LTV brand rather than absorb it into the Triple E brand. We spent a fruitful hour with him, learning more about the company through this “hands on” president. Terry he gave us some great ideas about where to go and when to go.
With people like Don Klassen, Terry Elias, Willie Neufeld, the Service Manager, Frank Wolfe and Mary Fehr, who worked on our RV, Beverly Peters, their newsletter editor, Mike Elias, their webmaster, and Wanda Wolfe, their receptionist, it was quite apparent why Triple E RV together with Leisure Travel Vans is such a successful company.