Log In | Register
Skip to main content
Topic: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes? (Read 621 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 4 Guests are viewing this topic.
Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
We just returned today from an 8-state (From NorCal, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma} 4K mile, 26-Day trip through the west, about half on Interstates, the other half on secondary roads.  Dry camping, Boondocking, KOAs, Other RV parks, etc.  Being new LD owners (Less than a year) we actively looked for other LDs.  Our entire trip we saw two others!  One in a nice RV Park in Mancos, Colorado, and the other rolling north out of Page, Arizona as we were heading in southbound.  That's it.  Just two in the wild!  Rare birds, indeed!
2017 RB
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #1 –
Once upon a time the Mothership produced a little over 200 units a year and most of them were sold in California and Arizona.
Other than a small advertisement in Motorhome Magazine, the Factory did little to promote the brand since they always sold out, their production numbers limited by legal limitations on their spray booth.
During this period, we saw LDs regularly in our travels in the western states, sometimes even daily during the work commute.
In 2000, the Yahoo Lazy Daze forum came into existence and folks from other parts of the country started learning about LDs and ordering them.
This started the spreading of LDs more widely across the country .

In 2008, Ford and the other big auto manufacturers went through major restructuring and cut or eliminated production capacity .
The E450 was one of casualties, with production cut back, capacity that has never returned to pre-recession numbers.
LD, being a small builder, had their number allotment cut in half.
For the last ten years, the numbers of LDs produced has been half of the what they once were and they are sold to buyers all over the county.
In the meantime, as the fleet of older LDs ages, many have been salvaged, due to old age, or turned int beach machines, driven only short distances.

Fewer LDs produced, widely spread about the county, is the reason why you don't see them as much.
We certainly have notice the decline in LD sightings, while on the road, where we used to to see so many.
The various regional LD clubs are all suffering from falling memberships
We are a dying breed, someday, Ford will discontinue the E450 and that will most likely be the end.

Larry

Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #2 –
I think there are more LD’s in western states.  I see one a month maybe in Washington in summer. Perhaps some from farther south traveling.  Three years ago I saw a couple in six months traveling in the midwest, northeast, southeast,
Jay Carlson
2003  LD RB
2005 Bigfoot 40MH35LX
rvingjaygwynne.wordpress.com
 
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #3 –
Quote
We are a dying breed, someday, Ford will discontinue the E450 and that will most likely be the end.

Larry's 'dying breed' comment reminded me of another dying breed,  the DC-3/C-47 last produced in 1947.
When will the last LD fall off the highways?
Joel
Joel & Terry Wiley
dog Zeke
2013  31 IB   Orwan   / 2011 CRV Tow'd LWEROVE
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #4 –
Quote from: joel wiley  - 
Larry's 'dying breed' comment reminded me of another dying breed,  the DC-3/C-47 last produced in 1947.
When will the last LD fall off the highways?
Joel

If they last like the DC-3, it will be long after I'm gone,

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #5 –
Larry wrote:  "If they last like the DC-3, it will be long after I'm gone,"

R.I.P.,  LDs . . . and their pilots.
2017 RB
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #6 –
In my near 8000 miles almost 6 weeks tour of the USA we saw 3 maybe 4 Ld's.  Below is the 'best' sighting. 

We were heading up I-5 then pulled off at the famous Weed rest stop to grab a nap and a bite to eat.  We pulled next to this guy.    It was his wife's father's LD.    We had a very long conversation about LD's and it's history.  They knew nothing about the RV or it's provenance.    It is a Twin King.  It looks like it had a Caravan number of 2016.  I shared with him what little I knew about that club.    I shared with him that the my 2014 TK basically look inside just like his TK.

The husband's plan it to rebuilt it.  A close look at his shows it was used hard.  It sat out in the backyard for years with nothing on  it.  I did give him my opinion on various repairs.  I beleive it would have to be a total rebuild from front to back and top to bottom. 

personal fine art photo stuff
TF Mack | Flickr
It's all good .......
2014 Twin King
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #7 –
Quote from: Larry W  - 
as the fleet of older LDs ages, many have been salvaged, due to old age, or turned int beach machines, driven only short distances.

If anyone wants to see an LD, just come down here to the beach. Maybe it's like the apocryphal 'elephants' graveyard'. Here they live out their last days in vast numbers across the fruited plain.

As for LD eventually terminating, I believe there will always be a market for a high value, quality RV. It's such a simple concept, yet it takes experience to learn the value of purchasing a complex piece of machinery designed and built for actual use.

I drove by M Thomson the other day and, as I've previously mentioned, the number of (newish) rigs sitting outside in a impromptu service staging area is staggering. Class As, TTs, you name it, they are all sitting there waiting for repairs. You heard it here first, but this will be the next big RV story: the crap quality coming home to roost.

Get burned like that, and all of sudden slides, decals, "fine Corinthian leather" {lulz} etc all begin to lose their appeal. Those suckers must be drooling over the mere thought of owning an RV that runs right, feels right, and isn't constantly sitting in a shop waiting for a limited service slot to finally get fixed - or not.
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #8 –

I agree that you seem to less LDs than in the past.  They are still in demand though and should be for some time; assuming Ford continues with the chassis.

Some groups do seem to be having trouble with members.  So far, we have done pretty well with our group.  Three rigs were sold last year, but two were purchased by folks who joined up with us at our Fall rally last month in Vermont.  We also had a new member join us using a rig she recently purchased from a couple in Colorado, who were members of our group before moving away.

We had twenty-one attendees at our Spring rally and twenty-two this fall.  In addition, three from the group who had sold their rigs came to the rally and rented trailers from the campground.  We had one other join that has an LD on order for delivery next June.

Our members are from Maine to Virginia and every in between.  All LD owners are welcome to join us at our rallies.  We usually have an Open House on Saturdays for people interested in seeing an LD without traveling to California.

I have included a link below to our group, North East Lazy Daze Caravan Club.

NorthEastLazyDaze@groups.io | Home










2003 MB
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #9 –
Couple months ago we were in Grand Teton NP and there was four LDs in our campground. Talked to a couple of the people and they were as shocked as I was.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #10 –
I never could understand Lazy Daze's reluctance to consider alternatives. Chevy cab-chassis are readily available.  Other manufacturers are using Sprinters and Transit chassis.  Lazy Daze could easily come up with a second line geared toward another chassis and look to the future.  I guess they just want to be, and stay, a dying breed?

Being in Coastal Southern California I used to see Lazy Daze on the road every weekend and many weekdays.  The local beach campgrounds would always have 3 or 4 besides mine.  Now I rarely see them out and there is seldom another in the same campground with me.

I figured it was because people from eastern states were coming out and dragging them home.
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #11 –
The primary issue with LD vis a vis the availability of current chassis platforms is its basic appeal: big windows. Those large windows require a rigid frame which means a heavy (wood) frame. (Not the least of which is flex, which if built on the type of cheap flimsy frames would end up allowing the glass to twist and break). That in turn requires a chassis with a sufficiently robust GVWR - like the ambulance ready E450 - that can handle the load.

The key to unraveling the linkage between user experience and weight to still begin with the premise of large windows, but to design a frame from a combination of materials, perhaps composite + aluminum. If a light(er) weight frame could be built with similar - or greater - strength & rigidity standards, then newer chassis designs like the Sprinter or Transit could be utilized.

However, the time, effort & capital required to solve such an issue is a task for a younger, more ambitious person. It would also require facilities located outside of  California due to environmental & labor regulations. Which is why I keep saying the next generation "LD" will come from a mfg located in the Mason Dixon zone, headed by a refugee from Thor.

It really is a simple concept - eliminate moving parts like sliders, build a rig that is super reliable, is really tight & drives well, comes in under the GVWR (around 90%), but still delivers the high quality, pleasant interior experience LD is known for. Voila, a steady 200+ units sold each year. It's not Thor Wallstreet money, but it's a nice kitty for a 30-40 something who wants to run his own business.
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Daze?
Reply #12 –
Quote from: Bill Lynch  - 
I never could understand Lazy Daze's reluctance to consider alternatives. Chevy cab-chassis are readily available.  Other manufacturers are using Sprinters and Transit chassis.  Lazy Daze could easily come up with a second line geared toward another chassis and look to the future.  I guess they just want to be, and stay, a dying breed?

I doubt most older LD owners would be willing to downgrade to the Chevy or Sprinter with their low GVWs, small sizes and very limited towing capability.  Many of our LD friends have moved up to Class As and DPs.  None have downsized
Ford has not indicated when the E450 will be discontinued, so what is LD supposed to do without knowing if there is going to be a suitable, similarly sized and powered chassis available.
IMO, there are no suitable replacements as of now.

LD has spent and lost millions in the past to develop three larger 31' RVs, the GP-30, the E550 and the Kodiak (plus the prototype Class A), only to have the chassis manufacturer discontinued production within a year or two after the new RV was developed .  These are huge losses for a small company, I'm somewhat surprised they didn't go out of business.
 .
LD is a family owned business, without deep pockets, and I don't see Steve spending any more development money unless a very firm decision has been made to produce a new, suitable chassis in large numbers.  I wonder if Steve is physically up to the task of a massive across the board redesign, he is getting older, like a lot of us, and isn't in the greatest shape.
IMO, unless LD takes on a younger partner, with engineering skills and a lot of money, there will be no LD, as we know it, after the demise of the E450 or Steve's retirement.
There is no heir apparent to LD or the E450 .
The E450 will die, when U-Haul stops buying them. As of now, there is no equal to it, the E450 is a workhorse that can be severely overloaded and still perform fine for many thousands of miles, it was designed for abuse.
The Chevy and Sprinter are toys in comparison. YMMV

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #13 –
A year ago in October a friend dragged me to the Pomona RV show. (it was 112 degrees and not much shade!) When sitting in some transit chassis, I kept seeing 8x11 pieces of paper with block numbers 440 on it, inside. One sales person, hired just for the show, admitted that he didn't know anything about motorhomes. I did find one older guy who did sell motorhomes and when pushed, said that that tag was the available weight to carry people and stuff for those chassis. Well, between my wife, three cats and myself, I wouldn't have to worry about packing any food or clothing! While I could travel with a partially empty gas tank and water tank, I did have GVWR to tow a vehicle. I could put food, pots and pans, and clothing in the towed car!
   While at a local RV show I asked some idle salespeople if any customers ever asked about weight labels, and the consensus was 'no' and 'who cares', because everybody ignores that. Customers just assume that the manufacturer left enough weight capacity for 'normal' use.   RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #14 –
"While at a local RV show I asked some idle salespeople if any customers ever asked about weight labels, and the consensus was 'no' and 'who cares', because everybody ignores that. Customers just assume that the manufacturer left enough weight capacity for 'normal' use."
----
I've heard quite a few "swapping ignorance" exchanges between RV salespeople and prospective buyers that really tested my "blurt control" ability!  ;) 

2003 TK has a new home
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #15 –
We are in Sisters, Oregon. We bought ours from a local and have seen 6 others since we bought it in March. 😁
Of all the roads you take in life, make sure some of them are dirt.
1989 MB
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #16 –
Where have all the Lazy Daze gone?  Insert "Lazy Daze" for "flowers" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgXNVA9ngx8
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #17 –
We are in Ashland Oregon, we bought ours in Portland Oregon 3 years ago.
1993 MB
Re: Where Are All The Lazy Dazes?
Reply #19 –
LazyDiaz

Like the moniker... reminiscent of one other I'm familiar with.

Welcome to the group, hope to hear more from you over time.   ;) 
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!