Minnie Winnie Vs Greyhawk & Odyssey

[Ret.LEO]

Hi,
We are looking at Class C's for when my wife finally retires. Will be our first Class C Coach. Really looking forward to it.
We had been looking real hard at the Jayco Greyhawks and Entegra Odyssey's.
THEN I went to the Winnebago site and saw how the Minnie Winnies are put together......pretty impressive!
For those who had considered a Greyhawk and a Minnie Winnie what swung you over? Most important are you still glad you did?

A few questions

Is the drivers seat electric or mechanical adjustment only? If you have a bad back you know why I ask I have stenosis/scoliosis/two herniated, one ruptured disc so a really good comfortable seat is important.

Have you gone solar? Is there enough room in the coach battery compartment for a pair of lithiums and large inverter? Boondocking is real important to us. The thought of crowded campgrounds would be a nightmare.

We have a Toyota Highlander that we would want to dolly pull (base model front wheel drive) It weighs 3750 lbs and add a 600 lb dolly will it pull it okay? One thing I like about the Greyhawk and Odyssey it has a true 7,500 lb rated hitch.

Any problems with delam with the sidewalls? the one piece fiberglass roof is important to us. Do models come with a one piece fiberglass front cap or is that a special order?

Are the larger models with a 2nd AC automatically or if it isn't is it prewired for a 2nd AC for a dealer install?

A lot of questions I know. This is our retirement gift to ourselves (long time coming) and we want our 1st Class C to be the right one.

Thank you for any and all thoughts and help!
Rick.....Ret.LEO

[SarahW]

Howdy Rick and welcome. Good luck in finding the RV best suited to you. I'm not familiar with the Minnies, but we considered downsizing to a Jayco/Entegra Class C earlier this year. We like the layout of the models we saw, and they have the 2-year manufacturer's warranty. (We also considered the Winniebago Navion/View.) Ultimately we did not trade as we were disgusted by the low-ball trade in "offers" for our current coach, but that's another topic.

As for the towing capacity, you need to consider more than the hitch rating. You should have your loaded RV weighed, including you and any other passengers. That total weight should be deducted from the "GCWR" number (provided by the RV manufacturer) to determine how much your RV can safely tow. Here is a thorough explanation... https://www.lichtsinn.com/blog/how-m...motorhome-tow/

Hopefully the Minnie owners will soon see your thread and help with specifics. Good luck!

[Ret.LEO]

Thanks SarahW,

Always something isn't it?
We would actually be light travelers. Just the wife, myself, our Golden Retriever and in the summer a occasional Grand Child . We're just not one to pack along a lot of stuff and clutter.

We will have to watch total wight of course. We're lucky that the Highlander is pretty well a lightweight at 3,750 lbs.

You are right and Thank you for the link
Very appreciated!
Rick

[SarahW]

Rick, I have a suggestion for you. If you go to the Lichtsinn RV website and poke around a bit on the models you are considering, you will likely see a salesman pop-up to see if you have questions. I have found the Lichtsinn sales people to be friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful. If we ever do get around to buying a Winnebago, I will strongly consider driving to Iowa to buy from them. (They will know whether the larger C's are prewired for a 2nd a/c unit, etc.)

[4gone]

We just bought our 2018 Minnie 31G in June. So far we have liked it very much. We looked at Jayco, Thor and Forest River as well. Things that influenced our decision:

1. Generally speaking the build quality was better. When we really looked at fit and finish of cabinets, exterior trim details etc. it was just neater.

2. Winnebago had the best owners manuals and documentation for the appliances. They make most of their components and nearly everything has a serial number on it and can be ordered through Winnebago if needed.

3. There was not a lot of gadgetry. The control panels, thermostats, electronics are straight forward without a lot of complex systems.

4. Roof vents. Many of the coaches we went in did not have vents over the front cab-over and rear bed.

5. Windows. Dual pane windows that slide side to side rather than the frame-less windows that only open out from the bottom. Also had a window in the cab-over and the rear bedroom. We often will came for multiple days with no hookups and need the ventilation.

6. Electric/Propane fridge. Again with no hook-ups.

7. The dealers that carried multiple product lines always stated that Winnebago was better at customer service and fewer build quality issues in general.

Some of these things may not seem like big issues, but depending on how you plan to use the coach, can make a big difference. Depending on the size and weight of the unit you choose, you will have to consider your weights when towing, but you should be fine. We flat tow a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara with no issues. I have the mechanical manual seat. It is ok, but am keeping my eyes open for a power pedestal if I decide to spend the cash. We have not gone solar, but can go almost indefinitely if we can run the generator for an hour or so per day. Easily 4 days with frugal use and good batteries. We are 31 feet and one A/C here in New England. We had temps in the high 90's for a week we were on vacation in June and the one A/C did fine. I put a Fantastic vent over the rear bed and there was no wiring present for another air. Plus you would have to subtract that weight from you CCC.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[akeagle]

We absolutely love our 2016 Minnie Winnie 27Q that we bought last year from an RV rental company here in Anchorage. Without going into a lot of detail at this point, it was in their rental fleet and after three seasons they pull them out of the fleet, spruce them up, and sell them at very good prices. If there is such an RV rental outfit near you, you might consider checking it out and possibly renting a rig that looks good to you. The unit we bought was very well taken care of and needed only a few minor fixes, such as loose drawer slides. The E450 chassis had about 38,000 miles on it and so far, and after an 8000 mile trip to Indiana and back a few months ago, we've had zero problems.

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by SarahW

Rick, I have a suggestion for you. If you go to the Lichtsinn RV website and poke around a bit on the models you are considering, you will likely see a salesman pop-up to see if you have questions. I have found the Lichtsinn sales people to be friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful. If we ever do get around to buying a Winnebago, I will strongly consider driving to Iowa to buy from them. (They will know whether the larger C's are prewired for a 2nd a/c unit, etc.)

So funny SarahW
I was poking through vids on Winnies on You Tube and came across Lichtsinn's video's. They are GREAT! I already added their homepage to my favorites! I am in West Central IL along the Mississippi River so a drive there wouldn't be bad at all. I think they have a real good chance at becoming our Winnebago Dealer.
Thanks Sarah!

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by 4gone

We just bought our 2018 Minnie 31G in June. So far we have liked it very much. We looked at Jayco, Thor and Forest River as well. Things that influenced our decision:

1. Generally speaking the build quality was better. When we really looked at fit and finish of cabinets, exterior trim details etc. it was just neater.

2. Winnebago had the best owners manuals and documentation for the appliances. They make most of their components and nearly everything has a serial number on it and can be ordered through Winnebago if needed.

3. There was not a lot of gadgetry. The control panels, thermostats, electronics are straight forward without a lot of complex systems.

4. Roof vents. Many of the coaches we went in did not have vents over the front cab-over and rear bed.

5. Windows. Dual pane windows that slide side to side rather than the frame-less windows that only open out from the bottom. Also had a window in the cab-over and the rear bedroom. We often will came for multiple days with no hookups and need the ventilation.

6. Electric/Propane fridge. Again with no hook-ups.

7. The dealers that carried multiple product lines always stated that Winnebago was better at customer service and fewer build quality issues in general.

Some of these things may not seem like big issues, but depending on how you plan to use the coach, can make a big difference. Depending on the size and weight of the unit you choose, you will have to consider your weights when towing, but you should be fine. We flat tow a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara with no issues. I have the mechanical manual seat. It is ok, but am keeping my eyes open for a power pedestal if I decide to spend the cash. We have not gone solar, but can go almost indefinitely if we can run the generator for an hour or so per day. Easily 4 days with frugal use and good batteries. We are 31 feet and one A/C here in New England. We had temps in the high 90's for a week we were on vacation in June and the one A/C did fine. I put a Fantastic vent over the rear bed and there was no wiring present for another air. Plus you would have to subtract that weight from you CCC.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Thanks Mark! That was a huge help! Thank you VERY much. Can a power pedestal be added? That would be huge for me. Also auto leveling would be important but I can always go to Bigfoot in Indianna to have that added.
Thanks again Mark!
Rick

[Ret.LEO]

Thanks akeagle,
That is a great idea on buying used like that My best friend was a Ford Service Manager for years before opening his own shop. He is Mr Ford! Lol
He swears by the E450 Chassis and swears that the V-10 is bullet proof. He can't say enough good things about it.

[4gone]

Yes, the power seat can be added. And we do have jacks. Most of the Winnebago C's had the. They are pretty common on most c class we saw.

[akeagle]

Pretty much the only negative I've read about the Ford V10 is a tendency to blow sparkplugs if they're not tight enough.

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by akeagle

Pretty much the only negative I've read about the Ford V10 is a tendency to blow sparkplugs if they're not tight enough.

Was that a problem more in the first couple of years? I think they solved that problem if I remember right.

[4gone]

Yes, the spark plug issue only encompassed a couple of years back in the early 2000's.

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by 4gone

Yes, the spark plug issue only encompassed a couple of years back in the early 2000's.

That's what I was thinking also

[Teamfoxy]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

Hi,
We are looking at Class C's for when my wife finally retires. Will be our first Class C Coach. Really looking forward to it.
We had been looking real hard at the Jayco Greyhawks and Entegra Odyssey's.
THEN I went to the Winnebago site and saw how the Minnie Winnies are put together......pretty impressive!
For those who had considered a Greyhawk and a Minnie Winnie what swung you over? Most important are you still glad you did?

A few questions

Is the drivers seat electric or mechanical adjustment only? If you have a bad back you know why I ask I have stenosis/scoliosis/two herniated, one ruptured disc so a really good comfortable seat is important.

Have you gone solar? Is there enough room in the coach battery compartment for a pair of lithiums and large inverter? Boondocking is real important to us. The thought of crowded campgrounds would be a nightmare.

We have a Toyota Highlander that we would want to dolly pull (base model front wheel drive) It weighs 3750 lbs and add a 600 lb dolly will it pull it okay? One thing I like about the Greyhawk and Odyssey it has a true 7,500 lb rated hitch.

Any problems with delam with the sidewalls? the one piece fiberglass roof is important to us. Do models come with a one piece fiberglass front cap or is that a special order?

Are the larger models with a 2nd AC automatically or if it isn't is it prewired for a 2nd AC for a dealer install?

A lot of questions I know. This is our retirement gift to ourselves (long time coming) and we want our 1st Class C to be the right one.

Thank you for any and all thoughts and help!
Rick.....Ret.LEO

We own an Itasca Spirit which is virtually the same as the Mini-Winnie.

Not sure what you want to power. We find that the standard 2 lead/acid battery set up works just fine and we sometimes go a week without hooking up. A small 150 watt inverter will run the TV. If you want to run the microwave, just crank up the generator. No inverter is going to run the air conditioner. Fridge and water heater are fine on propane and of course the stove is propane. I believe that you would need to change the converter for lithium batteries as they need to be charged differently from lead/acid types.

The hitch rating and the towing capacity within the weight rating are two different things. You can get some idea from looking at the OCCC label (usually on the door). Pretty much all class C's over 25 feet will be built on the F450 chassis. The larger the RV, the more it will weigh on its own and the lower the OCCC it will have. Also you have to consider the weight on the rear axle because you can easily exceed the axle rating without exceeding the overall capacity.

Any RV that leaks can have delamination. Recalking is pretty much a yearly maintenance item if you want to keep leaks away. Note also that you can have leaks inside the walls without having any water get into the interior. Winnebago's fiberglass roof is not molded into shape, it is a thin flat panel that is bent over the corners and often develops cracks over time. The normal "fix" for this is to cover with Ethernabond tape. The fiberglass roof on our RV was replaced with a rubber roof by the previous owner and we have had no problems with it. Our previous Jayco trailer had a rubber roof with no problems after 10 years. No matter what the roof material, you have to maintain it and reseal around the equipment every year or two.

The answer to you AC question depends on the manufacturer. You need to consult the product brochure to see what is standard or optional. The dealer may order factory installed options even for stock units the sell.

If this is your first RV, I suggest that you will really not know the "right one" until you have some experience. Buying used is a good option. In fact, my wife and I just went to an RV show last weekend and did not see anything that was better built or laid out than our 2005.

[Ret.LEO]

Hi, thanks for the response Teamfoxy. I would rather catch a Coach at the new model year release. Let the dealer eat the depreciation on the previous year models sitting on their lot.
Buying used is a little scary when you don't know all the little things to look for. I would hate to buy someone else's box of troubles. I would need to hire a inspector to be safe. Seems that Dealers that offer any type of warranty on used Coaches is extremely rare. The only one I have found so far is Lichtsinn, I probably would feel safe buying used from them with their used policy. But I'm sure that's also built into the price.
I was a little disappointed in them though when I contacted one of their sales people, mapped out exactly what we were looking for. She came back trying to push us towards a entry level gas Class A. Told her exactly what we wanted and did not want. A couple of the items we do not want was on the Class A. No thanks..........don't want to pay for what we don't want and will never use. Wasn't too impressed with our first contact with Lichtsinn.

I respectively disagree about the solar and AC. Done correctly with a slow start on the AC it is very possible. The whole idea for solar for me is to boondock for extended times w/out depending on shore power or a gen except to top off the batteries when needed or run multiple heavy electrical draws.
This is a great vid on just about the ultimate solar set up. Long but worth the watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMvuJr1TzxE&t=28s

As far as AC's I think the 15K would probably work great in Coaches up to the 25 ft range, after that I think a pair of 11K's would feel much better when visiting the SW in summer time. Or for our area with excessive humidity.
We would be using the Coach quite a bit so a yearly check of the roof by a trusted Dealer is a must. Ladders are not a good thing for me.
I wish more manufacturers would go to adzell for side walls. I do really appreciated the quality that Winnebago puts in their Coaches. Adzell would be a nice addition.
We do travel light, hate clutter so I think we will be in fine shape on weights. Our Highlander is a lightweight so a good tow weight hitch will keep us good there. I drove Semi's for over twenty years before going L.E. I'm real in tune to axle weights. Nobody knows for sure what they have until they get on a scale.
Thanks for the thoughts and reply Teamfoxy

[Teamfoxy]

The only place I see "Adzell" is in Coachman literature. But almost any composite material would heavier than the thin plywood found between the fiberglass and the foam in my Itasca and other Winnebago coaches. They all seem to use Styrofoam panels for insulation and Styrofoam has virtually no shear strength and separates easily from anything bonded to it. The real structure is the metal frame.
We travel pretty light, but with two of us and two cats, we still quite easily carry 1300# including water and ourselves. If you are boondocking, you also will carry full water tanks and I doubt you will carry much more than a 4 day supply since the usable tank capacity is only about 36 gallons.
In looking at your solar video, the stuff involved looks pretty heavy and all that weight will come out of your OCCC. After seeing the size of the Lithium batteries, there is definitely not room for them in our battery compartment and we would give up some good storage space for the inverter.
Basically, I don't think what you want to do is feasible in anything less than a class A diesel pusher or perhaps a Super-C.

[Ret.LEO]

One of the advantages of Lithium is that they are considerably lighter than wet cells, no fumes, can be put anywhere. Two Lithiums will produce the same energy as 4 AGM's. AGM's falter at 50% discharge to where the Lithiums can go 80% discharge with out damage. Plus the added advantage is Lithiums recharge quicker. Less Gen time to "top off" if needed.
I hope that with a little more time Lithiums will come down some in price. With a little planing and a Brother In Law who builds custom cabinets I think it might be very feasible for a pair of Lithiums and a large inverter.

[Teamfoxy]

The battery compartments in a class C are usually under the entry steps and will hold 2 group 27 (maybe group 31) batteries. So you would have to find some other place for the batteries shown in the video. You could surely do that, but it will come at the expense of storage space for something else. Everything is a compromise.

We spent 10 weeks on the road this summer and about half of that time was with no hookups in state or national park campgrounds. We never killed the standard lead/acid batteries, they worked just fine.

Again, your mention of boondocking for extended periods of time points to needing much larger tanks than come standard in Class C's.

[Ret.LEO]

Class A's are out of our price range. Anything in a affordable Class A for us would be the most basic entry level Coach. The increase in weight could cause a issue with us using our Highlander for a toad. The increase in price just to get a Class A would restrict what we could do to it to upgrade it to what we want. Then consider the additional size, loss in fuel mileage. Big increase in the price of tires when needed. More restrictive where it will fit. Worse about driving in wind. Wife wouldn't dream of driving it to where she would be comfortable with a C. Just the increase in Sale's Tax here in Illinois would pay for a Satellite Dish or one Lithium battery plus.
Possibly the small exterior compartment could take care of the space needed for batteries, inverter. Otherwise the cabinet just as you enter the Coach could be retrofitted to hold a pair of Lithiums, my youngest Son is good at cabinets and my Brother In Law is a master cabinet maker. A pair of group 27 Lithiums would fit in the regular battery compartment as well as any other Group 27 batteries.
All things considered the Minnie Winnie's, Jayco Greyhawks, Entegra Odyssey's are just a perfect fit for my wife, our Golden and a occasional Grandchild in the Summer.
A's are just out of the question. Think we will be on the "C" Team instead of the "A" Team