Winnie issues

[GaryB48]

A new thread on the new site...

We own a 2013 1805 Minnie Winnie towable - bright yellow, we love it. As far as we know, one of only two in Western Canada. Since 2013 we have put nearly 40,000 km (~20,000 mi) on it, maybe 5 on gravel roads, during three 4-5 week long trips from Victoria BC into the Yukon and northern BC in late summer/fall. - the yellow colour fits perfectly with the northern fall colours. Very different conditions from what most people here are experiencing, I know! Nevertheless, my experience might be relevant to someone out there...

I have heavily modified our unit. Some of these might be of interest to others:
- removed AC unit, TV and microwave - replaced with vent, book shelf and kitchen cupboard respectively
- replaced the single 12V battery with 2 deep cycle 6V in series
- replaced all lights with LEDs
- added 120 W portable solar panels capable of keeping the house batteries up during sunshine and recharging all of our ipad, phone, camera and other devices
- added LED reading lights above the bed
- added drawers under the dinette benches
- added plexi panels in the screen door to keep the heat in while we are in cool conditions in the north
- armoured all of the wiring and plumping under the unit
- replaced the 12 gauge(?) brake wiring which normally is inside the axles with heavier, doubly insulated wiring on the **outside** of the axle, where I can monitor its condition. Before this I was constantly fighting shorts and overloads from frayed wiring inside the axle that fills with water.
- installed 10 or so strong magnets (from old hard disks) on the wall by the sink to capture and hold kitchen tools and knives
-built extra shelves between the fridge and the above bed storage cabinets. We have more storage than we need now.

I have also encountered a number of annoyances, some more serious than others:
- the window above the dinette can not be opened all the way because the door overlaps it by about 2"! Very poor design, indicating that Winnebago builders didn't actually use the trailer before they started pumping them out. I would like to think that they corrected this in later years.
- similarly, the pass-through hatches interfere with the escape window above the bed. If the hatch is open, the window can't open. If the window is open, the hatch can't be closed!
- a serious problem: the EastWest bed is VERY poorly supported on the forward side! Take a look in the pass through and you will find that the bed is supported only by a few 1x1" struts at 18" centers, and by STAPLES along the forward wall! last trip, our bed actually pulled off the wall. Perhaps if one small person lies very still all night, this might suffice. However, the wieght of two people on one side (no further information supplied) is way too much! I remedied this collapse 'in the field' by wedging a piece of a solid core door that I was lucky to find in the campsite, under the front side of the bed. Therefore, if you anticipate any concentrated weight on your bed, make sure you re-inforce it!

Anyway, I am glad to see our own site. Although our use is very different from most people here, some of our experiences maybe relevant.

Cheers. I hope that all of you dealing with hurricanes, floods and wildfires have come through OK.

GaryB48