Which Winnebago for full timer

[dougb-WO]

I am wondering if Winnebago makes a class A coach that is built to be used as a full time rig. Some RV's are built that way and can take the full time use and some are not going to hold up to that much use.
Are there are Class A Winnebago's that have bunk beds?

 

[Morich]

That sounds like a shopping trek coming up! And that really get into personal choice on many points, so maybe pointing out info is a place to start?
Winnebago home site here:
https://www.winnebago.com/
Lots of links to more places to look. Things like shopping tools, products, and owners tabs to get a start?
Then if you want details, there are lots of other sites under the owners tab where you can look at ploor plands, details like holding tank size and even look at things on the online parts drawings that let you look through the walls at how plumbing lines are run to judge how it might hold up in freezes!
It's a trek but telling you what fits is one where I'm not sure what I would do if starting again! Just so much to like/dislike!
Once we reached the point where folks going with us was no longer much chance, we began to winnow down what we wanted to travel with and finally reached the point that motels were much closer to fitting our needs!
We now travel to see poeple and it really doesn't matter much where that is!

 

[creativepart]

I don't know that Winnebago categorizes any of their motorhomes specifically as a "Full-Time" coach. Also, I don't believe any of the current Class A lineup has bunk beds.

 

[spierce617]

The only new Winnebago Class A that has bunk beds is the Forza. Happy shopping.

 

[bigb56]

Well Newmar is owned by Winnebago and they are for full time living and they have models with bunk beds. Just sayin

 

[creativepart]

The only new Winnebago Class A that has bunk beds is the Forza. Happy shopping.

I can’t find any current Class A model on the Winnebago website with bunk beds.

Which current Forza model has them?

 

[Romer1]

Both Vista and Sunstar 31B models have bunkbeds

 

[creativepart]

Both Vista and Sunstar 31B models have bunkbeds

I see that now. I looked online at the floorplans previously and totally missed that on those models. Thanks for setting me straight.

 

[Scotty B]

Interesting question. Wonder how a manufacturer would decide a specific model is rated for full time living and how that model differs from the rest of their line...

 

[Morich]

Interesting question. Wonder how a manufacturer would decide a specific model is rated for full time living and how that model differs from the rest of their line...

Advert cost?
It would not pay to say that all were set for full time, so having some that way and others the other, may be a way to broaden the market for the whole lineup?
I'm not an advertising guy but many of the tricks used are common across different fields!
It's not so much what you are selling that counts but what the public believes you are selling!

But then when we look at the question, how we would define a full time RV will vary a bunch, too!
Where it is going to be used and what weather is a big one and who can answer that? When we visited the full time deal for a few years, we never planned to be caught in extremes on either hot or cold, so having single pane glass was okay. But when we went back home for Christmas we would not have wanted to be in the RV!
Two people, intent on trimming down, a smaller lighter, more mobile RV may fit.
But if going full time and a couple kids and home schooled, you may not find one large enough.
We met one couple doing that as volunteers at a park and that looked like a total disaster in the making. My son in law teaches and he commented about what that pair of kids was going to be when they eventually got dumped on the public schools!

 

[spierce617]

Here is the link for the 38W with bunkbeds.

https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/motorhomes/class-a/forza?VariantID=VO241

 

[Eagle5]

I believe that 38W would do nicely for full-timing.

 

[jdkbrooks]

I have (also the DW) a 2016 Winnebago Sightseer 33C and have been full-time for 7 years and I'm very happy with it but you live in and drive your house around the country there will be problems but if you're handy it's worth it

 

[cruizered]

8 years in a Journey 36m and it just kept getting better.

We have lived in our Journey 36m for more than 8 years. We bought it used when it was only a year old. The original owner knew nothing about RVs. He didn't even know about changing the oil. I didn't either but I did go through the chassis manual, take the FCCC course and set up a maintenance schedule. We had issues with several components a big ones was the inverter had an intermittent issue where it would start inverting randomly. That was the hardest to deal with. There were some leaks that were small and subtle, once detected they were generally easy to locate and permanently fix. Lots of small stuff like loose trim, a cabinet that wasn't mounted well enough for my tastes. On the chassis the dash display went out which was easy to fix and we had a DEF failure which was covered by Cummins as an on site repair so the sent a truck out and fixed it in our campsite. So the chassis now at 10 years has been near Toyota level reliability.

We almost immediately installed 2000watts of solar and after a few years swapped out the AGMs for 600AH of Lifeblue lifepo4 batteries. The combo made the coach a dream to dry camp for weeks at a time.

We just finished 3 years without a house service but there were several patches I had to make like hacking the transfer switch which stopped sensing shore power.

We purchased an Eagle Vision service contract and it has been easy to use. The coach is in the shop now and the warranty has cover over$4500 in repairs including slide gaskets and a noisy ceiling fan. We used it before and we have a couple of years left so I expect it to pay for itself.

This particular 36m has amazing storage some of which like under the bed I have improved considerably with not much effort or tools or materials. That does remind me the bed which has great storage did have a problem and I had to rebuild the mattress platform. That wasn't that big of a job but a challenge without a work shop. Th results were however quite satisfactory.

You do have to be resourceful and creative and handy but this particular coach is an excellent platform and I've been able to avoid unscheduled services with a little creative problem solving. For example when the inverter was acting up all I had to do was run an extension cord over to the refrigerator and leave the rest of the coach on battery. The AC, washer,dryer and many receptacles aren't on the inverter and the solar could keep the batteries charged even the shade with out the fridge load.

So IMHO this coach is advanced enough to be very livable and simple enough to keep running.

 

[wahoonc]

I am wondering if Winnebago makes a class A coach that is built to be used as a full time rig. Some RV's are built that way and can take the full time use and some are not going to hold up to that much use.
Are there are Class A Winnebago's that have bunk beds?

You can full time in just about anything. I would choose a quality product with a floor plan you like and go from there. Fulltiming in Alaska is quite different from fulltiming in Florida or Arizona. I would avoid the lower-priced "entry-level" coaches. A higher-end used coach that has been well maintained will serve you better. If you find something you like that doesn't quite have the floor plan you need it is possible to modify them.

All RVs require constant vigilance and maintenance for them to last. The more items you can do yourself the better off you will be. I do all but the engine and chassis on mine.

Aaron

 

[Snipechief]

My Forza 36 H has a loft bed over the driver and passenger seats with , lighting, and cubbies. It lowers down to use, and comes with a ladder.

 

[RayIN]

The warranty contains a clause stating if the RV is approved for full-time living or not.