New member looking to buy, have questions

[chuckt1s]

We are looking at a 2010 Winnebago Meridian 39N and I have some questions.
It seems to be in great shape with 27,000 miles and has been stored in a heated warehouse all its life.
Does anyone know;
Are the tanks heated in the basement?
Has a 1,000 watt inverter and that seems small to me.
2 House Batts and 2 Chassis Batts. Could more be added?
Is it easy to add "automatic generator start" to it?
Is the 350 hp Cummings enough for it?

Any comments on this model

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[imnprsd]

It's not a top of the line Winnebago diesel, but everything you mentioned are not deal breakers... unless you want to do a lot of boondocking, but even then you are only talking about... what 10% of your time? ...20%??? ...so you run your generator a little more, which you have to do anyway (in any coach) if you need your coach AC to run in the heat?

Here's what I found on Google about your coach:

https://www.rvguide.com/specs/itasca/class-a/2010/meridian-v-class/39n.html

COMMENTS

INVERTER

* A 2000W Inverter/Charger needs 400+AH of battery, this is because it comes with a 100W charger. And while everyone can add batteries to a cargo bay, the real problem is supporting them. These things weigh a lot.

* If you boondock you will want more battery AH, but my guess is that you already have two 12v house batteries for a total of 270AH. So this coach has 2/3 what you will get in higher-line-coach that has ~430AH.

* If you boondock you may care about running your inverter with other appliances, but you can't do this with a 1000W inverter.

* If you have medical equipment you may need a pure-sine inverter anyway, which is almost always an upgrade.

* And if you ever want to upgrade your gas-NEVER-COLD to a residential refrigerator, you will probably never do that with this coach. But not everyone wants a residential refrigerator. I personally would not buy an RV without one.

* Pure-sine inverters are just an option anyway. I don't have one, but if my older Dimensions quasi-sine inverter goes, then I will upgrade to a pure sine inverter.

* Your house batteries probably need replacing anyway, but maybe you are lucky and can get by for another 1 or 2 years?

* Yes it's easy to install an auto start, but if I were you I would just run the sh*t out of your batteries and just replace them ever year.

* I'm guessing you do NOT have 50A service? Do you?

* You will like the ISC-350 and you can always put a "Power Module" in it if you want more HP, but you probably won't need it. However, your engine torque spec seems low to me for your 28,000 lb coach.

Maybe some other Meridian Owner can tell you if they find their acceleration acceptable or not? ...But RV's are not supposed to fly. ...Some do, but they have modified their engine and have an EGT. You can do this too if you want to drop a few thousand? ...And so what if you have to drive 35 over a grade. ...The idea is to take it slow anyway.

No doubt you are getting a good price and that said, all your other concerns are not deal breakers IMO. Plus major repairs come in cycles so you are a number of years from reaching 60,000 and then 100,000. The good news is that your engine is going to run better and better the more you drive it and will never wear out. Plus the diesel chassis and large tires are what you want and what this coach has.

I also think: If you find the right RV close to home, from a reputable seller, this is so much easier and desirable, because you can spend thousands looking for RVs mile away! ..And that's money you can spend on a pure sine inverter if that is want you want?

Good luck with your purchase! A low mileage coach with paint in excellent shape is very desirable. My coach just past the 107,000 mark and it's in the best condition since I bought it!!! ...But I like working on it. So whatever breaks comes with the territory, but if you want to see the country, I say do it in the biggest RV you feel comfortable driving unless your travels include California where so many state parks have a 28-35 foot limit. ...I don't like or go to CA anymore so that's not a factor for me!

Get yourself a tow car and you will be ready to hit the road. And FYI, The Hartford is a good company and many of my friends say that too got the best rates!

Good luck! I'm excited for you!

 

[be happy]

My 07 36SE Meridian does not heated tanks, and I have had two coaches with them and never turned them on. Now if you are going to winter camp heated tanks are a must.

We do not boondock so the inverter to me means nothing, when not plugged in the gen. runs.

My battery tray that is located just ahead of the rear tires can hold three each, although I only have two in each tray.

I have the Cat c7 350hp, On interstates I travel between 60-65 with not problem. Highways again not problem at 55, pulling a car on dolly. With that said you are not going to go zipping up hills. I have found that 45 seems to be the normal hill climbing speed. Mountains may be different however, the key is keeping the rpms up.

I have found the Meridian a great coach we got ours with 35000 miles on it almost two years ago and now have 49000 miles. If you get the coach I would take it to a qualified mech. and have all of the fluids changed, have them do all the maintenance required for the chassis.

 

[creativepart]

There are two kinds of ”heated tanks”. The kind that have electric heat pads attached to the tanks and the kind that have the propane floor heater ducts surrounding the tanks. It’s common for WBGO Class As to have the later. The electric heating pads use a lot of power and are not very common.

In either case these coaches are 3-season at best. Short periods of freezing into the twenties if followed by days above freezing is fine. Especially if running that gas heat in the floor.

1000w inverter is more common. It powers the TVs, DVRs, etc and usually a couple of AC outlets in the bedroom and bath. WBGO Class As with a residential fridge have a 2000w inverter and usually 4-12v batteries. 1000w is not enough to power a microwave. But 2000w is not all that good at doing so either.

Most later model Meridians should have an Onan EC30 Generator Controller and these have built-in Auto Gen Start. If yours doesn’t it is usually an easy add on. It’s easy to tell if you have it, just look at the main Onan controller and it should say EC30 right on it.

Two house batteries In a Meridian will either provide ~220 amp hours if they are two 6v batteries wired in Series or 200 amp hours if they are 2-12v batteries wired in parallel. In either case this only gives you between 100aH to 110aH of usable power (it’s best to not take more than 50% out of your batteries for long life). So, boondocking or not more batteries are always better.

Hope this helps.