Breezin' In The Four Winds Hurricane

Specifications

This 34-foot-long, single-slide type A motorhome belies the term "entry-level."

By Jim & Saraine Brightly

With the words of that 1950s melody running through my mind, "Let the four winds blow; let 'em blow, let 'em blow," we curved up through California's Cajon Pass on Interstate 15. We were traveling eastward to Durango, Colorado, this past summer on the sort of sojourn that either can prove a motorhome's mettle or prove to be its meltdown. Our means of conveyance was a Four Winds Hurricane 34E, a type A motorhome that we had arranged to test for Family Motor Coaching. Our trip to Durango and back more than proved the power of the Hurricane's Ford chassis and the superb highway manners of the coach.

Durango is a popular vacation destination located 6,500 feet above sea level. Just north of Durango is Silverton, a National Historic Site, which sits in a lovely valley at an altitude of 9,000 feet. These two beautiful hamlets anchor the famous and fabulous Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad.

The 47-mile stretch of U.S. 550 that runs between the two towns tops out at Molas Divide (10,910 feet), and it was a fabulous testing ground for the Hurricane's Ford V-10 gasoline-powered chassis. Towing a 3,850-pound Jeep over the two-lane scenic byway kept us on our toes, because the road is steep, narrow, winding, visually stunning, and has extremely dangerous drop-offs, with few guardrails. Many of the grades approach 10 percent, so much of the time we had the Hurricane locked in first gear, for both uphill power and downhill compression braking. Even with the Jeep tagalong, we were able to maintain an approximate average speed of 30 mph, and we pulled over to allow following traffic to pass us whenever it was safe to do so.

We wanted to take the Jeep up to an intriguing ghost town and former gold camp called Animas Forks, so we decided to camp next to Mineral Creek in a primitive National Forest Service campground northwest of Silverton. We dry-camped near the stream so we could do a bit of fishing; besides, the sound of flowing water is very soothing when the lights go off and the drapes are drawn.

Our travel group consisted of three adults, two children, and one dog. In some motorhomes, such an arrangement can make everyone feel crowded and uncomfortable -- but not so in the Hurricane. Even with the slideout closed for travel, we didn't experience any awkward hip-bumping or flattened toes -- we had plenty of elbowroom.

When the Hurricane's 13-foot 4-inch-long slideout is opened, it expands 18-1/8 inches, adding extra space to the kitchen and living area. The slideout encompasses the galley sink, stove, and countertop as well as the sofa bed and an over-the-sofa cabinet that measures 20 inches by 72 inches by 16 inches.

The slideout is controlled by two wall switches that are located over the front door; one activates the slideout and the other controls its electric locks. The locks consist of heavy-duty metal plates that are excellent safety devices and keep the slideout in place during travel mode.

We found one concern with the slideout, however. The sofa bed is mounted a fair distance from the sidewall, which means that a small child could fall down between the sofa and the wall while the sofa is converted to its bed mode. Enough room exists between the cushion and the wall to allow a small body to end up in the storage compartment below the sofa. RVers with small children on board should keep this in mind.

The mid-coach bath is located on the street side. We would suggest attaching some hooks or a multi-towel rack to the inside of the residential-style bathroom door. Between the brass-and-glass shower enclosure and the hallway wall is a small, unused wall space that measures approximately 4 inches wide by 20 inches deep. This also would be an ideal location for some towel racks.

Although we tested a 2001 Hurricane, it is no different from the 2002 models. A factory representative told us that Four Winds made major changes and upgrades to the 2001 models, so the company was not anticipating any changes for 2002 other than the possibility of changing the exterior graphics. We inspected some 2002 models while picking up this unit and could not see any differences at all -- same design, same appearance, and same graphics package.

Our first fuel fill-up in the Hurricane took more than an hour. We think this problem likely was unique to the particular coach we tested and thus would not occur on every Hurricane. Perhaps the air vent tube on the test coach's fuel fill was kinked or collapsed, but the fuel nozzle blocked something in the filler neck and the fuel kept splashing back, covering my hand and feet with gasoline. No nozzle angle would alleviate the problem. We made a second fill-up in Nevada at a fuel station where the nozzle had no return flex-tube covering, which allowed the vent to fully release air from the tank. This fuel stop was a breeze. However, the third fuel stop again caused problems, and I had to stand by holding the handle while the fuel just dribbled in. Any extra pressure or slight change of the nozzle angle caused the fuel to spit out.

When told of this problem, company officials noted that the fuel fill vent line on this particular motorhome likely had a slight dip in it, which, under the right conditions, would allow fuel to accumulate in the vent line and prevent the tank from venting properly during fill-ups. They added that the condition should be fairly simple to correct by strapping up the vent line; this would prevent the fuel from collecting in the line.

Accurate mileage was difficult to determine because of the fueling difficulties. However, we were able to calculate 6.1 miles per gallon during a 280-mile portion of the trip that went from Monticello, Utah, to Silverton, Colorado, and back south to Cortez. Not too shabby for moving a total of slightly more than 20,000 pounds of combined weight. As calculated, mileage for the entire 1,800-mile trip was 6.4 mpg.

We also had to run the roof air conditioners almost continually, which also affected fuel economy, as doing so necessitated operating the optional 5.5-kw Onan generator. We had to do this because something odd kept happening to the dash air conditioning. Whenever we tackled a long, gradual ascent, the dash air conditioner would shut off. If we attacked the hills aggressively, keeping the engine rpm up, usually the vacuum system would not shunt the air conditioning away from the vents in the dash. Again, we're sure this is just a minor adjustment to this specific coach and not a generic condition.

According to Four Winds officials, under certain conditions, the 2000, 2001, and current 2002 Ford chassis do not produce sufficient amounts of vacuum. When this occurs, the dash air conditioner will switch to default mode -- a safety measure -- which directs airflow through the defroster vents. To correct this, Ford Motor Company recommends replacing the currently installed single-chamber vacuum canister with a double-chambered canister that was used on the 1999 chassis. This requires minor modification to the vacuum line that leads into the canister and can be made by a Ford dealer under Ford's warranty. Ford reportedly plans to release a technical service bulletin shortly that should cover this procedure. Four Winds officials also noted that this condition occurs on a minority of Ford chassis, and modification is only needed on those chassis that experience this condition.

During our travels we discovered a three-way switch on the passenger side of the bed that controls the use of the two ducted roof air-conditioning units (a 13,500-Btu unit up front and an 11,000-Btu unit in the rear). When the switch is up, it enables the forward unit to run and turns off the optional rear unit; when the switch is down, it turns on the rear unit and turns off the forward unit. Placing the switch in the middle shuts down both units. The air-conditioning units cannot be operated simultaneously. However, if the coach is equipped with 50-amp service, both can run simultaneously when using shore power.

The air conditioners are equipped with separate thermostats. The 35,000-Btu furnace, which is also ducted, is controlled by the forward thermostat.

Although the Hurricane is designed with a sufficient number of 120-volt AC outlets, including a pair of outlets on the exterior curb side of the coach, we could find only one 12-volt DC outlet -- the one on the dashboard. With today's computers, navigation devices, and cell phones all using 12-volt DC current for operation or recharging, we would have liked to have seen more 12-volt outlets in this coach.

Hurricane owners should have enough cargo capacity for six people -- the motorhome's sleeping capacity -- on extended trips. When weighed with full water, fuel, and LP-gas tanks, our test coach registered a 2,180-pound payload. However, it sports seatbelts for eight. In addition to the seatbelts on the driver and passenger seats, seatbelts are found on the barrel chair, on the sofa bed, and on the forward-facing dinette seat.

A very comfortable 74-inch-by-60-inch California queen-size bed with an innerspring mattress -- the only bed large enough for full-size adults in the coach -- occupies the rear bedroom. Approximately half of the space beneath the mattress is available for storage; gas struts enable the mattress to be raised easily.

The sofa bed makes up into a 66-inch-by-40-inch bed, and the dinette can be converted into a 64-inch-by-38-inch bed.

Our test coach was equipped with the optional day-night shades on all of its windows, and a pull-around drape on the windshield for nighttime privacy. The interior color scheme of our test coach was Botticelli Green. Other choices are Botticelli Blue and Botticelli Taupe.

The Hurricane contains a generous amount of closet space. Two 14-inch-by-39-inch shirt-length closets with mirrors flank the bed. Nightstands are situated beneath these shirt closets, each with a 6-inch-by-14-inch drawer.

Above the rear bedroom window is a 61-inch-by-16-inch cabinet with two doors, two lights, and two stereo speakers. In the forward corner formed by the rear bathroom wall is a small triangular-shaped corner cabinet that holds an optional 13-inch remote-controlled RCA television.

Three large closets -- all with mirrored doors -- are aligned in the mid-coach hallway opposite the lavatory. Beneath the closets are two sets of three drawers. Just forward of the closets is another cabinet that resembles a closet but is in reality a 20-inch-by-62-inch pantry housing four 23-inch-deep shelves; this worked admirably as a linen closet for us. Under the pantry is a 14-inch-by-20-inch cabinet that cannot be used for storage. This area is blocked off to protect various electrical wiring and furnace heat duct hoses, which run through the cabinet.

A two-door cabinet situated above the pilot's and copilot's seats measures 62 inches by 12-1/2 inches by 17 inches. This cabinet offers commodious storage space, but its contents could get quite warm in hot weather and/or direct sunlight. The doors lift up but don't have any means to be propped open.

A barrel chair is situated behind the copilot's seat. Above it is a 26-inch-by-13-inch-by-12-inch cabinet for the optional VCR and its tapes. Over the dinette is a 72-inch-by-13-inch-by-12-inch cabinet with two doors and a clock. Above the entry door is a small, railed rack for keys, caps, etc.

The Hurricane boasts a sufficient number of kitchen cabinets, and, in our experience, enough countertop space to prepare meals for five. The Wedgewood Vision stove has three burners and a conventional oven. A Samsung microwave-convection oven is situated above the stove hood. The monitor panel is located in the stove hood. The coach does not include a coffee maker, so customers can choose their favorite brand.

Unfortunately, exterior storage is not as generous as on the inside, but the space should prove to be more than adequate for a couple of full-timers. Since each outside storage compartment is a different size, many objects of varying length, size, and shape can be accommodated. In fact, the rear storage compartment extends the full width of the coach and has three different-sized steps. It has an extremely large (42-1/2-inch-by-29-1/2-inch) door on the curb side and a smaller (23-1/2-inch-by-11-1/2-inch) door on the street side of the coach.

Hooking up the Hurricane for the night is a breeze, for everything needed to do so is located along the street-side rear corner of the coach. A twist-lock 30-amp detachable shore power cable, a water fill, a city water hookup, and a water drain are all situated next to each other. Just below them are connection outlets for the sewer hookup and telephone and cable TV service.

Our test coach was equipped with the optional HWH hydraulic leveling jacks. They include a safety feature that warns very loudly if you begin to drive away while the jacks are down. The Hurricane we tested also included the following other options, which brought the base suggested retail price of $69,615 up to $76,040: rear roof air conditioner; Onan generator; 13-inch color rear TV; ceiling fan; dash fans; day-night shades; deluxe AM-FM CD player; heated holding tanks; outside shower; second auxiliary house battery; VCR; wheel liners. This model is also available on a Workhorse chassis.

With its base suggested retail price of $69,615, the Hurricane truly is an entry-level type A coach. But it can give its owner mid-level comfort and convenience.

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer. . . Four Winds International, a division of Thor Industries Inc., 701 County Road 15, P.O. Box 1486, Elkhart, IN 46515-1486; (219) 266-1111; www.fourwinds-rv.com
Model . . . Hurricane 34E
Floor plan . . . Kitchen slideout
Chassis . . . Ford
Engine . . . 6.8-liter Triton V-10 EFI, 310 horsepower, 425-foot pounds
torque@ 3,250 rpm
Transmission . . . 4R100 four-speed automatic with overdrive
Axle ratio . . . 5.38 to 1
Tires . . . Michelin XRV 225/70R x 19.5
Wheelbase . . . 228 inches
Brakes . . . ABS front, disc brakes rear
Suspension . . . tapered multi-leaf
Alternator . . . 130 amps
Batteries . . . chassis -- (1) 12-volt, 690 cca; house -- (2) 12-volt, 600 cca
Steering . . . power
Convertor  . . . 55-amp Magnetek 7455
Electrical service . . . 30 amps
Auxiliary generator . . . 5.5-kw Onan, optional; (5.5-kw Generac, standand)
Exterior length . . . 35 feet
Exterior width . . . 99 inches
Interior height . . . 6 feet 7<f>3/4<f> inches
Exterior height . . . 11 feet 5 inches (with roof A/C)
Gross combination weight rating (GCWR)  . . . 26,000 pounds
Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) . . . 18,000 pounds
Gross axle weight rating (GAWR)  . . . front -- 7,000 pounds; rear -- 11,000
pounds
Wet weight as tested . . . (weighed with full water, fuel, and LP-gas tanks)front axle -- 5,505 pounds; rear axle -- 10,315 pounds; total -- 15,820 pounds
Payload . . . 2,180 pounds
Frame construction . . . aluminum-framed sidewalls and ceiling
Insulation . . . high-density, EPS block
Fresh water capacity . . . 58 gallons
Holding tank capacities . . . gray water -- 44 gallons; black water -- 30 gallons
Fuel capacity . . . 75 gallons
Fuel requirements . . . unleaded gasoline, 87 octane
Propane capacity . . . 79 pounds
Water heater . . . Atwood 6-gallon LP-gas
Water system . . . demand
Furnace . . . Atwood 35,000-Btu
Air conditioner . . . (1) 13,500-Btu and (1) 11,000-Btu Coleman (Mach 1 and Mach 3) with separate controls
Refrigerator . . . Norcold 6-cubic-foot two-way
Toilet . . . Thetford
Warranty . . . chassis -- 36 months/36,000 miles; coach -- 2-year/24,000-mile limited bumper-to-bumper warranty
Base suggested retail price . . . $69,615
Price as tested . . . $76,040

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