NEWELL’S NEWSWinter 2017

Announcing The Treasures of Italy, a Newell Rally to Florence and Rome!

This will be one of the all-time great Newell adventures in our tradition of offering unique travel adventures! Our Newell owners’ group has enjoyed great rallies at many wonderful locations world-wide for over 40 years. To enhance and broaden our opportunities, from time-to-time we have organized travel outside of North America without our motorcoaches, traveling by air, first class high-speed train, and five-star cruise ship.

We’ve sailed the islands of French Polynesia for a week aboard the Windsong luxury sailing ship. We traveled to the Caneel Bay luxury resort in the Virgin Islands operated by the acclaimed Rosewood group. One of the most memorable of our trips was to Italy in 2005. We are now offering the reprise of this Italian adventure in October 2017, enhancing the itinerary based on our prior experience.

We will be pursuing a custom itinerary we’ve again planned with Abercrombie and Kent, well known for their wonderful small-group travel. Since our prior trip with A&K to Italy, Alice and I have also traveled with them to Africa, and most recently, to Budapest, Prague, and Vienna. The quality of the A&K experience is consistently tops.

We will spend five days in Florence and the surrounding area, and then travel to Rome, via high-speed train, for five days in The Eternal City. A professional A&K tour leader will accompany us for the entire ten days, with expert local guides joining us at each destination. All hotel accommodations, most meals, and tours of the top local points of interest will be included. By virtue of their superb connections, A&K will arrange for our group to have access to some special sites normally closed to the general public.

Hotels and restaurants have been selected based on a high standard of quality. We will enjoy spacious junior suites in Florence, and in Rome we will have well-appointed deluxe

rooms with the option of upgrading to a limited number of junior suites on a first-come, first-served basis.

With the current strength of the dollar, travel in Europe is about 25% less expensive than as recently as three years ago. Our package is priced at a remarkable $7595 per person based on double occupancy, not including airfare to and from Italy. We will be mailing the complete itinerary and details in the next few days.

Our Italy trip will be available to Newell owners and their guests. We encourage you to consider inviting friends and family members to join our group.

Due to the need for making the necessary reservations and commitments, we have a March 31 deadline for signing up with a deposit. If we do not meet the minimum group size that A&K requires, we will cancel with full refunds of the deposits.

If you’d like to discuss this further or sign up in advance, please contact Becky Dwyer at (918) 542-3344, extension 209. We look forward to your interest and participation.

Karl BladePresident and CEONewell Coach Corp.

From the Corner Office

Also in This Issue...

Volume 36, Issue 1

HOT WHEELS 3

NEWELL’S 50 YEARS 4

ANNIVERSARY RALLY 6

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT 7

TRAVELING WITH NEWELL FRIENDS

How to Prevent “Hot Wheels”5 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR COOL ON STEEP ROADS

A distressed driver called to report that smoke was pouring from his Newell’s wheel wells. Descending a long grade had given his coach a bad—but avoidable—case of “hot wheels.” His wheels weren’t ruined but they could have been. Following the five easy tips below will help prevent hot wheels and will also help ensure that your trip down a mountain is as safe and pleasurable as the trip up!

1. Use your engine brake (“Jake brake”) as much as possible. The engine brake is controlled by the OFF/ON and HIGH/LOW switches located on the driver-side arm panel. The OFF/ON must be ON for the engine brake to work. It then works automatically when the throttle is lifted. The exhaust valves in the engine cylinders stay closed after the compression cycle, and the air compression in the cylinders slows the vehicle.

2. To maximize your engine’s braking power, turn the engine brake ON and the HIGH/LOW switch to HIGH. This engages all six cylinders. If this slows you too much, switch to LOW. Your engine brake will then work on four cylinders instead of six.

3. Even with the engine brake working and both switches on, you may need to downshift on steep grades. Start your descent in the gear you used to climb the hill. To get the speed you want, fine-tune your gear and engine-brake selection based on how well the engine brake is holding your descent speed. If you select a gear that allows you to adjust your speed by switching between the HIGH and LOW engine brake positions, you will rarely, if ever, need to use your air brakes during a descent. NOTE: When you downshift to increase engine braking, don’t worry about over-revving the engine. The transmission automatically upshifts when you reach the “no load” rev limit of approximately 2,400 RPM.

4. If you must use your air brakes, DON’T apply steady pressure during a long or steep descent, and don’t “pump” your brakes. Instead, apply your brakes just hard enough to feel a definite slowdown. When you’ve reduced your speed to about 5 mph below your safe speed, release the brakes. If you’re in the correct gear, this should last for about three seconds. When your speed has again increased to your safe speed, repeat the process. If you have to do this more than twice per minute, downshift to slow down. (See tip 3.) Again, don’t worry about over-revving the engine; the transmission automatically upshifts at about 2,400 RPM.

5. If you’ve used your air brakes during a descent, and they’re “smokin’ hot,” DON’T immediately park at the bottom of the grade. If you park and apply your parking brake while the brakes are still hot, the combined heat and pressure can damage

your wheels, rotors and pads. Instead, drive on for a few miles so air keeps flowing over the wheels, rotors and pads, allowing the brakes to cool.

NOTE: If the Alcoa label near the outside rim of one of your aluminum wheels has blackened or blistered, or the blue dot on the label has turned to a reddish color, your wheels have probably overheated. A qualified professional should inspect the wheels and brakes.

Happy driving!

By John Clark, retired Newell V.P. of Customer Service

Reprinted from Newells News, Spring 2013 and still timely

Newell Service Center SpecialsThe winter season is a good time to come to Miami and get the maintenance and service brought up to date on your Newell. This is also an opportunity to have interior décor and paint updates.

The following Service Specials are available through March 31st:

Call 1-888-3NEWELL and speak with a Newell Service Advisor for service special details and to schedule your next service visit.

Interior renovations started prior to March 31st will receive 20% discount on labor charges.

Overstock Clearance Sale - Receive 50% off any in-house material inventory such as fabric, leather, or tile.

Road King Shock Special - Conversion to large-bore Road King front shock absorbers enhances the ride and handling of Newells that aren’t equipped with Newell’s ZF active suspension. These include coaches through 1457 except 1423, the prototype. The package price, including parts and labor, is $4,799.

Grey Water Bypass System - If you like to dry camp, where it is legal and you are on ground that drains well, the addition of the grey water bypass system allows you to take grey water directly to the ground instead of into your holding tank. This extends the need for dumping the holding tank by several days. The package price, including parts and labor, is $3,750.

$300 discount on the 12-month bumper-to-bumper Preventative Maintenance. Price varies by model year and equipment.

50 Years of Newell and InnovationTHE DNA OF NEWELL COACH

When L.K. Newell purchased the motorhome operations of the Streamline trailer company in 1967, he brought a passion for innovation, leading edge technology and engineering to the product. L.K.’s passion remains in our Newell DNA to this day.

Streamline built their coaches on Ford 1-ton chassis. L.K., recognizing using a third-party chassis as a huge limitation, immediately introduced a Newell designed chassis built in-house. Building our own chassis (and shell) has set the Newell apart for 50 years.

Throughout the 1970s, innovation enhanced our reputation of being a unique, leading-edge product. Of course, building our own chassis set the stage for L.K.’s most visionary achievements: the custom rear-engine Newell bridge-construction chassis introduced in 1970 and then diesel power in 1972. Both of these features were light-years ahead in the motorhome industry. Together with full basement storage and lengths of up to 40 feet, direct competition was nonexistent. At the time, bus conversions featured rear-engine diesel power, but were a very niche product being built in very limited numbers.

The 1980s brought more innovation. The Newell gas and diesel engines of the 1970s were typically 175 to 225 horsepower. This situation

changed dramatically with the introduction of the Detroit Diesel 92 series engines that eventually reached 500 horsepower with the massive 8V92 in 1990.

In 1985, Newell pioneered the 102-inch wide body. While technically exceeding the 96-inch maximum width regulations in many states, these obsolete laws were almost

never enforced. State-by-state and over time, the state regulations were amended to reflect reality.

Mid-1989 brought the introduction of the Newell 2000, a modern exterior design that set the industry design

trend for the next decade. Then within a couple of years, Newell introduced the country’s first 45-foot motorhome. So within less than ten years, the typical Newell transitioned from 40 feet long and 86 inchs wide to 45 feet long by 102 inches wide. Huge change! The next “big deal” was slide-outs, first offered beginning

in 1996. Newell’s slides, of course, were very advanced, offering the first flat-floors and the first inflatable air seals.

Progress did not slow in the new millennium. ZF suspension was a big step forward in 2002. Engineered and produced in Germany, the system provides Newells with state-of-the-art ride and handling qualities along with an active steering tag axle for greatly improved maneuverability. In the summer of 2012, the ZF system was updated, adding computer-controlled dampers which adjust 10 times per second. Using multiple sensors for monitoring vehicle dynamics and road conditions in real time, the computer chooses the correct damper setting, whether soft (while the coach is cruising along a smooth, straight interstate) or firm (while negotiating a tight turn). No other heavy-duty vehicle built in North America, be it a bus, truck, or motorhome, offers anything close to the ride, handling, and maneuverability of Newell’s ZF active suspension with the steering tag.

Since coaches delivered starting in the summer of 2011, Newell drivers have also enjoyed the benefits of

EasiSteer electric power steering. EasiSteer automatically compensates for side loads from crosswinds or the crown of the highway, greatly increasing driver comfort and reducing fatigue on those long days behind the wheel. The driver can adjust the amount of power boost being delivered by EasiSteer depending on whether a light touch or firmer steering feel is preferred.

The first Newell body design created in partnership with Porsche Design was introduced in 2005 as a 2006 model. The design was freshened several times, culminating with a front-to-back update which was introduced last year. The result has been an industry-leading smooth, contemporary appearance with detailing comparable to a fine luxury automobile, yet always distinctively “Newell.”

Innovation is in Newell’s DNA.

Employee Spotlight30+ YEARS AT NEWELL COACH

Newell is fortunate to have a team that loves what they do and shows it by crafting the most beautiful coach on the market.

As our 50th Anniversary approaches, we wanted to take a moment to recognize those of our employees who have helped form the Newell of 2017.

Below is a list of our employees with service of 30 years or more.

Karl Blade - 37 Years Alice Blade - 37 Years Tommy Key - 37 Years Larry “L.V.” Vanover - 37 Years

Wednesday, April 26th

• Arrive and check in with Newell hosts • Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner in the resort’s private dining room

Thursday, April 27th• Continental breakfast at the campground in the Newell Tent • Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas We will depart by charter bus for one of the most spectacular museums in North America, a philanthropy supported by the Walton family and Walmart. We will have a few hours to look over the vast collection and to tour the beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright designed Bachman-Wilson home. This iconic structure was recently disassembled and moved piece-by-piece, then reconstructed on the museum grounds. • Private lunch at Crystal Bridges in their Grand Hall overlooking the lake and the impressive architecture of the property • A Billy Bob’s Hoedown! On Thursday evening, Billy Bob’s is coming from Fort Worth to Oklahoma for a Newell Owner and Employee Appreciation Party! All 170 Newell employees are invited to join us to celebrate our first 50 years in style! We will recreate the feel and fun of Billy Bob’s – the world’s largest honky tonk – in the Downstream Pavilion! We will enjoy a cocktail party and southern-style dinner. Then, expect raucous live country music by Billy Bob’s Texas’s house band, Rob Dixon and the Lost Boys. Their covers of classic country will have you scootin’ your boots all night!

Friday, April 28th

• Continental Breakfast at the campground in the Newell Tent • Newell Factory Day Our charter buses will depart for the short trip to Newell for an interactive tour of the new manufacturing facility. Each department will demonstrate a specific process used to build our coaches. • Enjoy a catered lunch on property. • Cornhole Tournament with $1,750 in Newell Service credit at stake! • Club 1201 Dinner Depart by charter bus for an Italian-themed dinner party in Joplin.

Saturday, April 29th

• Full brunch at the campground in the Newell Tent • We will have a walk-around open house in the RV Park for those who want to show off their coaches. If you’d like to display your coach, just leave your door open. If not, no problem, just enjoy the food, drinks and coaches on display! • Poker Tournament Compete with your Newell friends in the Downstream Poker Room. We recently had a tournament at our Las Vegas rally, and the finalists included both first-time players and seasoned Texas Holdem vets. A great time was had by all. CASH PRIZES will be awarded! • Cocktails and dinner party in the resort’s private dining room.

Sunday, April 30th

• Farewell Breakfast at the campground in the Newell Tent

We hope to see you there!

For more information, and/or to register for the rally, please contact Becky Dwyer at 888.363.9355 ex. 209 or beckyd@newellcoach.com Please note: Even if we have you on our list already, you must touch base with us for payment. We do not keep a credit card on file for rallies. Thank you!

Anniversary Rally Pricing Coach and 2 People $1750 Coach and 1 Person $825 Each additional person $725

Newell Coach 50th Anniversary RallyANY NEWELL BUILT FROM 1967-1970 PLEASE JOIN US FREE OF CHARGE!

2017 is Newell’s 50th Anniversary year! We will celebrate with a very special rally, based just 20 miles north of the Newell plant, at the Downstream Casino and Resort. 50-amp electrical service, as well as many other amenities will be provided by the casino. Although there are no sewage hook-ups, we will have fresh water and holding tank pump-out services available.

Tentative Rally Agenda

Front Row Left to Right: Tommy Key, Jim “Punkin” Gering, Jimmy Johnson, John “J.P.” PattonMiddle Row : Max Herrel, Dee Turner, Gary “Boomer” Downs, Dwight “Whitey” Murray

Back Row: Alice Blade, Kyle “Buck” Buchanan, Larry “L.V.” Vanover, Craig Stephens, Mike “Big Mike” Ellis, Karl

John “J.P.” Patton - 36 Years Kyle “Buck” Buchanan - 36 Years Gary “Boomer” Downs - 36 Years Dee Turner - 35 Years Michael “Big Mike” Ellis - 35 Years Jimmy Johnson - 35 Years Dwight “Whitey” Murray - 34 Years Jim “Punkin” Gering Jr. - 34 Years Max Herrel - 34 Years Harold “Brov” Cawyer Jr. - 33 Years Craig Stephens - 33 Years Jerry Allen - 30 Years

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