Why Born Free?
Some people joke that Born Free owners are a cult because we all love to talk about them and compare stories, and see all the differences between each one. Well, it's true, we love these guys (but it's not a cult--that part isn't true). Here's some reasons why even when they are 25 years old, people clamor to find and buy one.
The Born Free Story
Founder John N. Dodgen built the first prototype Born Free, and was traveling on his way to British Columbia to put it through field tests with his wife and two of his children. Just 20 miles out of town, he stopped to buy a pack of cigarettes. The clerk looked out and saw they had arrived in a motorcoach, and shared a sad tale, “you know, we had a school teacher in town who owned a motorcoach. She had a blowout and it flipped over and her six year old son, who was riding in the cabover was crushed.”
Stricken by this story, John immediately turned around and returned to Humboldt, Iowa where he and his team tore down the prototype and rebuilt it with roll bars. He vowed that every RV he ever built would be built with roll bars. (and they all are!)
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Born Free Motorcoaches were offered in a variety of floor plans ranging from 20' to 32' in length and were available on Ford or GM chassis. Buyers were able to modify and customize many features including floor plans and type of woodwork, which is why there are so many unique versions.
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Highly skilled and loyal employees working in small teams ensured each vehicle was built with quality. Born Free Motorcoach was not built on an assembly line; rather, a four-person team received sub-assemblies and components from other parts of the operation and completed the final assembly of the Born Free Motorcoach.
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The durable construction, reliability and superior drivability of vehicles manufactured by Dodgen Industries, Inc. contributed to their unique claim of not having a single fatality or serious injury in 41 years. Dodgen Industries, Inc. manufactured Born Free Motorcoaches until 2014, when it was sold to HBF Investments. The new owners closed the company in 2017.
Some other important differences:
The body of a Born Free is made of a single piece of fiberglass--think of a boat hull turned upside down. This means there are far fewer places to develop leaks or problems.
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All of the woodwork and cabinetry is solid wood, no laminate or pressboard. Most BFs are oak, but some are cherry or knotty pine.
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The walls and ceiling are covered in a thick carpet that provides great insulation and noise reduction when driving.
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The roof is totally walkable and the ads used to have a photo showing the owner's grandson's high school football team all standing up there together!
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There is a tight Facebook community of Born Free users who jump online night and day to help people when they get in a jam--it's like a built-in giant family (except everyone actually likes each other...). And there is a decades-long Leapin' Lions online forum with a wealth of information.
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