Any Winnie Drop Owners on Board?

[tom311]

wonder what a 2017 1710 with a 2 day trip is worth? don't see the enthusiasm from other half.

[TDI-Minnie]

Originally Posted by Scratch

Side Note: Your tires are rated at 65 as top speed. Unless you replace them with a well-respected brand (Maxxi, for example), the stock tires are infamous for blow outs at higher speeds which is why folks refer to them as 'China Bombs' ..

I have a 2012 Minnie and I can attest that if you keep them inflated, out of the sun and don't go too fast, you can get many years of reliable service out of the OEM tires. Mine went about 15,000 miles before I replaced them with Goodyear (also made in China, BTW).
Maxxis are very good too.

[TDI-Minnie]

On the AC noise, I find mine has an annoying resonance on the first fan speed, but that goes away on the higher settings. So mine stays on 2.

[Rod48]

Hi Scratch and All, We are Newbie Minnie Drop Owners. Just picked up our 2019 Winnebago Minnie Drop 1710 with off road upgrade last week from St Louis RV. We are very excited to upgrade to a travel trailer from long ago ground tent campers. We are towing our Drop with a 2018 Ford Edge Titanium with an E2 load equalizer/sway bar system. Seems to handle well. We needed a lighter travel trailer and we were impressed with the Drop 1710. Looking forward to hearing from other 1710 Drop owners. We are very excited about going on our first outing. Happy & safe travels to all.
Rod

[old_engineer]

Congrats on the new trailer. We started off with a smaller trailer after being tent campers for many years. While it was a smaller trailer after tents it was spacious and we liked not being washed out by thunderstorms along with an extended camping season (year round for us now).

[TDPerry]

Wife and I purchased a 2018 1790 a few weeks ago and took it out for it's maiden voyage last weekend. This is a down-size from our last travel trailer, which was a 31 foot Skyline Nomad in the mid 1990's (think it was a 2930, which rings a bell for some reason) that we pulled with a Ford F-250 with 7.3l Power Stroke. We got rid of it when the kids lost interest in camping.
We haul with a 2017 Toyota 4Runner and a Husky TS Centerline WD hitch setup.
Our maiden voyage was to a Texas state campground about 35 miles away (quick to get back home or run to get parts if needed).




Everything went well with the trailer... the problem was 2 of our mini doxies. They weren't used to the trailer and not used to taking care of their business on a leash since they have 2/3 of an acre in the back yard to do that. Took them home the second day (see reason of staying near home above) and the rest of the trip was a blast other than being hot.

[duluthdan]

New WD 1790 in May - took Powder (the dog) two guitars and the trailer on a 30 day trip thru Wyoming - Tetons, Yellowstone, Montana, North and South Dakota and Minnesota. I pull with a Ford F-150 - the 3.6 eco-boost thing with full blown trailer tow package. Even in the mountains this thing tows like a dream, up and down. The trailer is an ideal size for the dog and I as we trek around playing music here and there. Stayed in campgrounds w water and electric, and boon docked quite a few nights. Running 2 12 volt batteries in series for a little boost in electric time capacity. Never refilled the 20 lb LP tank even though it was used for cooking, hot water. No major issues other than to note we were always the smallest rig in the campgrounds, and a few trim pieces fell off, and the bath door is misfitting and needs to be shimmed - mechanically everything performed well. Never ran my generator. I got the 1790 because it has oodles of small drawer storage spec and a great counter for cooking and such, and the dog likes it. The wet bath is a bit small, and I did have a couple of times where the toilet paper unravelled and ended up on the floor - I mounted my dispenser roller thing up high on the inside of the door so i could minimize getting it wet while showering. Design question - why is there that little space robbing corner sink in the bath? It has no spigot, no function, other than to hold soap?

[TDPerry]

Originally Posted by duluthdan

I got the 1790 because it has oodles of small drawer storage spec and a great counter for cooking and such, and the dog likes it.

Yes, this is what really sold me on the 1790. I like the idea of leaving my coffee pot on the counter and still have room to have my crock pot going with my roast/chili/soup/Mongolian beef/whatever waiting on me done at the end of the day. Our issue is we have one dog the size of Powder and then 4 smaller mini doxies... then there are the two of use, who aren't exactly light weight in size.

The wet bath is a bit small, and I did have a couple of times where the toilet paper unravelled and ended up on the floor - I mounted my dispenser roller thing up high on the inside of the door so i could minimize getting it wet while showering. Design question - why is there that little space robbing corner sink in the bath? It has no spigot, no function, other than to hold soap?

Yes - that is a downfall to the extra cabinet space. Most of the locations we stay at have showers and that's what we will use. Funny thing happened when the wife was in there taking care of business. She backed up to much and hit the handle and got an instant back full of water. They had forgotten to turn the shower head off after testing at the RV center we purchased it at.
As for the corner sink? I have no idea and it really is useless. I have seen some photos of where people have removed it and sealed the drain hole/pipe.
What I would rather have seen them put in is a mirror of some type.

[Greg Morrow]

My tires are "Jaxxon". The side wall says they are rated M-81mph.

[BlackDog]

1780 here. After lifting it and putting on 16" rims with larger tires we've taken it on a few trips and just returned from a week adventure through WY with our two kids and dog.

Negatives: It's had a leaky rear window since day 1 we're still trying to resolve; AC is squeaking; broken bracket under sink; broken bracket holding sewer drain to frame; a few other minor things with trim and our fridge popping open on occasion.

Positives: Perfect size to pull with my jeep (gas mileage sucks); perfect size for our family; great mobility to camp where larger rigs can't.

[Greg Morrow]

This was our first trip in 1780. Leaky rear window, loose fitting on water pump, several pieces of trim came off. Overall it was comfi. Big enough for the 2 of us. Even the wet bath wasn't that bad. We had a much larger Jayco(4400lbs/24ft), and got 9 mpg towing with my Frontier. Got 13mpg towing the Drop, I'm happy about that. Over all though, we had the Jayco for 3 years, nothing ever broke or came loose. Lucky I guess.

[duluthdan]

Greg how’d you know you had a loose fitting on the water pump?

[Greg Morrow]

When I turned the pump on I could here it sucking air, and water sputtered from the faucets. It was the first thing I checked and a simple wing nut style fitting was vibrating noticeably. I think these kinds of things should checked on bran new units before they are delivered.

[MNWinnie72]

Hello. We purchased a 2019 Winnie Drop Model 1710 RV Trailer in June-2018 from AC Nelsen RV of Shakopee, Minnesota. We are a retired couple, and spent many months considering many options for a small teardrop travel trailer, considering floorplan, size, weight, manufacturer reliability, and pricing. We were looking for a small-size teardrop model, since we were moving "up" from tent and VW-van camping, not just moving "down" from full-sized household living.

We decided on a Winnebago model for overall build quality, service reliability, and fair pricing. We chose the Winnie Drop Model 1710 because of the smart efficient floorplan in a small footprint. We particularly wanted a 4-person dinette that would provide plenty of space not just for eating but also for all sorts of reading and table work with the computer, newspapers, maps, magazines, puzzles, games, etc.

We also required a truly separate bed area, not just a conversion of the dinette space, since spouse and I are on slightly different sleep cycles. So in PM one can begin sleep while other sits/works/plays at dinette, then reverse in AM. The 1710 permanent bed is a "short queen", meaning especially that it is full queen width, which was important to us. A privacy curtain that we added makes the 1710 quite an ideal floorplan for us (not to mention also for that midday nap !). Many models in this broad teardrop category had what was to us a fatal flaw of only a 2-person dinette, or an extra-narrow bed, or no "permanent" bed at all (i.e., dinette conversion only). Different folks, of course, may have different needs.

We also especially like the light-weight (<2400 lbs), shorter length (18'4"), and narrow overall width (6.5') of the 1710, making the towing much easier and visibility much clearer than a model spanning the tires. Our model also has the larger 15" tires, another big plus. Two weeks ago we went on our first overnight trip for 3 nights, and all systems and gadgets performed fine, reflective of Winnebago quality. We tow with a Toyota Highlander XLE 4WD, with a Fastway E2 Weight-distribution set-up. The light-weight of the 1710 makes for no towing problems (or likely for other comparable SUV's). Altogether, we are the proverbial "happy campers".

PS: The folks at AC Nelsen RV in Shakopee, Minnesota provided excellent service and are "Minnesota Nice" all-around. We highly recommend them.

[BlackDog]

Thought I'd add a photo with the Jeep, and mention I decided to go with the Andersen WDH. It worked wonders driving through some pretty crazy wind.

[carlrodkey]

First post. Summer 2018 trip. Enjoyed the tips on the same problems we have come across. 1. Bugs coming in. 2. Bath sink. 3. Wet backs. 4. Some fit and finish. Our 2017 Nissan Frontier King Cab V-6 4x4 is getting 13.21 mpg while towing at 60 mph. I hope to figure out how to send pictures of the mods I have made in the future. Very stable towing in high cross winds with no WDH. We came from a 2014 StarCraft 14RB and 2007 Winnebago Sprinter class C.

[BlackDog]

Originally Posted by carlrodkey

First post. Summer 2018 trip. Enjoyed the tips on the same problems we have come across. 1. Bugs coming in. 2. Bath sink. 3. Wet backs. 4. Some fit and finish. Our 2017 Nissan Frontier King Cab V-6 4x4 is getting 13.21 mpg while towing at 60 mph. I hope to figure out how to send pictures of the mods I have made in the future. Very stable towing in high cross winds with no WDH. We came from a 2014 StarCraft 14RB and 2007 Winnebago Sprinter class C.

Welcome! Looking forward to your mod posts.

[TDPerry]

Originally Posted by carlrodkey

First post.

Welcome aboard... we all start somehwere!

3. Wet backs.

I solved this issue for us by replacing the handles with turn knobs (entire assembly was around $25) and it was easy-peasy to replace. There is an access panel in the pantry that one screw removed will get you to it. It is on the shelf that is directly behind the knobs on the opposite wall. While I was doing that I also replaced the chintzy shower head with a Oxygenics Fury shower head that I'm hoping does a better job. It's supposed to also use less water, which with the small grey water tanks should help. I also grabbed a Barker 42 gallon tote (with pneumatic tires) in case it doesn't.

4. Some fit and finish.

Found some of the trim (below the two top doors on the 1790) slide coming loose from the brad nails they used. Felt like plastic trim work and not "real wood". Simply grabbed some liquid nails and resolved that issue (probably permanently).

Our 2017 Nissan Frontier King Cab V-6 4x4 is getting 13.21 mpg while towing at 60 mph.

We are averaging around 12.8mpg with our 4Runner running 65mph. Not really that bad when you consider unloaded we average around 18mpg. If we hit into any hills of note it will drop down to around 11.3mpg.

So far, on our two outings we've been fairly pleased. This last one our AC kept freezing up no matter what speed it was set on and whether the temp was set on high or medium (to allow the compressor to cycle) so if that happens again it's back to the dealer and they can trouble shoot it and replace it under warranty since it's a 3.5 hour drive one way to our dealer. It's almost closer to drive to our nearest Winnie service center instead of going back to the dealer (4 hours round trip for them).

[Greg Morrow]

I always run my ac on high until it's comfortable, then turn it to medium and raise the temp control slightly. This seems to let it cycle enough to not freeze up. I've never had an icing problem with this method. I think these 13,6 ac units are probably oversized for a "drop", if they don't cycle they are going to freeze up.

greg

[Rod48]

MNWinnie72,
We finally took our Minnie Drop 1710 on its maiden voyage for 3 nights at Beaver Dam State Park, IL. The Minnie performed well with a few minor glitches because of being newbies. We tow it with a 2018 Ford Edge Titanium with an EcoBoost 4 cylinder turbocharged engine. No swaying with the E2 WD/sway bar system. We also have a Drawtite brake controller. I know we need to keep the weight down since the Edge specs are 3500 lbs. So far we have towed it 300 miles without problems. The real test will be towing it out West.
The short queen bed was adequate for us since I am 6 ft tall. The wet bath/toilet is very small, not designed for large framed people. This was our standard poodle's first
trip and he slept on the floor on his bed. He did good for his first camping outing. We are very happy with our Minnie Drop purchase. We are definitely happy campers!