New here and new to the RV

[Chadster]

Hello there my name is Chad. My wife and I love to camp and have two young kids. 6 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. We both grew up camping and for the last 5 years we have been camping in a 2002 Coleman Tent Trailer, no bathroom, manual water pump, no water heater... it was roughing it LOL. But we LOVE it and made a lot of memories. With the introduction of Corona and having two young kids my wife did not feel comfortable with being so relient on public restrooms. Needless to say we are working out a private deal and will get everything finalized today (giving them an opportunity to remove their personal items) we will be the proud owners of a 2015 Minnie Winnie 325b. I feel like we are going all the way to the top here! I am sure I am going to have a LOT of questions going from a tent trailer to an RV, but hoping to get out camping and creating new memories next weekend! I added some attachments. Also any advice for a new timer?

 

[creativepart]

Welcome and best of luck.

You'll have a great time. RVing is terrific, but it's best if you have a realistic expectation of what you will encounter.

The best recommendation I can offer depends on how far along you are in the deal. Like buying a used car - but more important - you should have an independent inspection done before purchasing.

There are no doubt things on this RV that are malfunctioning, or in need of immediate maintenance. (Every RV has these things). An inspection will identify those items for you.

In general, the things that need attention are not the engine and drivetrain, those are pretty bullet proof. But the RV's slides, water system, sewage system, 12v DC and 110v electrical, House batteries, leveling, entertainment system, Heating/Air Conditioning systems, generator and other minor systems (awnings, lights, stairs and such) are the things that will be the most problematic.

Here's the second most important advice I can provide... spend many many hours with the seller to go over the OPERATION of EVERYTHING. Don't worry about upsetting the seller - every extra hour you spend with the seller will be rewarded later.

There is much more to RVing than you think. You will be stumped by the most basic things if you don't get a full and lengthy instruction in how all the many systems work.

You may find this difficult to do but it is strongly recommended. Take your RV camping immediately. Just for a day or two. Go alone if need be. Somewhere very nearby.

Tell the seller that you will need them to be available via phone to help you figure things out. After using the RV for a day or two you'll learn exactly what you don't know and revisiting the seller will likely be necessary to clarify and inform you about those things.

Some people video the "training" with their phone and then they have something to refer to later. Not every hour, but short segments for the important stuff.​

Don't be over whelmed. You'll have a lot to learn but you'll have lots of fun along the way.

ENJOY!

 

[AveryF]

You'll quickly find, as I did when I joined a short six months ago, that there are an incredible number of forum members with a wealth of knowledge willing to share that information with you! Welcome to the forum and nice rig!!

 

[Chadster]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I did bring a mechanic that i trust who works on Ford for a living (my dad) and he said everything is sound from that perspective. Also growing up my parents always owned 5th wheel trailers so I am pretty familiar with the workings of some of those items. The area where I am already confused is leveling the motorhome, I Realized first trip over I didn't really see if there are jacks or how to use them. I would assume one doesn't just want to drive on leveling blocks and then throw on the parking brake.

Assuming all goes well today I plan to get it registered on Monday and then hopefully out camping next weekned for a quick trip.

 

[creativepart]

Great Chad... I was concerned that you where going from a Tent to the Class C without any other experience. Whew! that would be a lot.

I think you'll find the engine/drivetrain is generally rock solid. You should ask if the seller has done anything to help the suspension. It's EXTREMELY common to add the following:

1. Steering stablizers
2. Sumo Springs
3. Bigger or additional Anti-roll bars
4. Trac Bars (panhard bars)
5. Improved shocks

These changes are made to help with rocking, wind effects, trucks passing you, loose steering, etc. The previous owner may have already done some of the things. It would belpful to know if they had.

In in about 5 mins someone will post about the CHF (Cheap Handling Fix). It's a staple of RV Forum discussions and it involves moving the existing roll bar links on your factory installed roll bars. Apparently, it cures cancer and makes all of your days the perfect weather. At least, that's what I've heard.

 

[Chadster]

Well my mechanic on Friday gave me the green light. Tires have a lot of life left, and the engine is impeccable I sure hope so with only 4k miles on it. So negotiating took place and we drove it home. Went into the local state office today and got it new tags and paid the registration. Paid the yearly insurance premium and book a trip for this upcoming weekend. We are ready to roll! Been reading the book like a bible.

Only thing I can't quite figure out is the switch inside the door. It has two positions off and on. I assumed it controlled when power was going to the coach, because when in the off position nothing will turn on in the coach. Can't even start generator. However once I plugged the trailer in at home and the switch was still in the off position then everything turned on in the coach.

Can someone explain the purpose of this switch? And when and how to use it? I assume this will ensure I don't end up with a dead battery that's for the main engine, and the manual didn't explain this switch very well.

 

[creativepart]

It is your HOUSE battery disconnect just as you thought. Everything works when plugged in even though it's in the Off position because your Converter is powering everything not your batteries.

When you are not plugged in your batteries power everything 12v in your RV. When you are plugged in the Converter converts 110v to 12v to run everything that is 12v in your RV.

The switch disconnects the batteries but not the Converter.

The Converter is also your battery charger, too.

In the Operation's Manual it says:

HOUSE/COACH BATTERY DISCONNECT SWITCH(COACH BATT)
The House/Coach Battery Disconnect switch lets you disconnect the house batteries from the 12-volt system of your coach during storage periods to avoid battery drain by electrical items that are hooked directly to the house batteries, such as clock displays and radio memories, etc.Always leave this switch ON while using the coach.

NOTE: Some electronic displays and memory functions may need to be reset after power has been reconnected.See also “Battery Care” elsewhere in this section.
​

So, turn it on when you are using the RV and turn it off when you are storing the RV.

PS. You will hear this switch referred to as the "Salesman's Switch."

 

[AZAspect]

You should have gotten a black bag with all of the Winnebago manuals in it. Read it over multiple times...and keep it handy when something comes up. We keep ours under one of our dinette seats in the storage compartment there. I can't tell you how many times the wife and I have pulled that puppy out...and we've owned our Aspect for over a year and a half.

www.winnebago.com will also have a lot of information on your motorhome. If/when you need parts, they have a 2D/3D diagram that you can access to see exactly the parts you need.

Talk to other RV'rs when you're camping...we all like to talk about our rigs and how you can get the most out of yours!

Welcome and enjoy!

Al

 

[powercat_ras]

2015 Minnie Winnie 25B Brochure

Congrats!

Enjoy your 25B, unless the prior owner added them after the fact, your RV won't have leveling jacks and you'll use wood or plastic blocks to compensate for out of level sites.

You can get HWH hydraulic leveling jacks added if you decide you want them, MSRP is $ 2,000 to $ 3,000. They are convenient and eliminate the slight rocking motion you sometimes get in the RV when just parked on the tires. I bought them for my prior 2008 Winnebago Class C at a substantial discount off HWH MSRP thru Lichtsinn RV in Forest City Iowa. Did the purchase there but they were installed at the HWH Plant Factory Service Center in Moscow, Iowa.