Forum Discussion

avid_ore's avatar
avid_ore
Explorer
Aug 30, 2016

Minnie Winnie 26A

Hi fellow rvrs - We've looked at the new 26A and like it enough to consider purchasing...so, if any of you have seen it or better yet, own one, I'd love to get some input.
Also, have any of you bought from Lichtsinn RV in Forest River? Their price is better than I think we could get here in Oregon and a road trip is always fun. Lots to consider but fun too. Thanks for any opinions.

5 Replies

  • Make sure you can get around things and know what's blocked with the slides in. Beware of buying anything that has to have the slide out to use the bed. You will most likely regret it at some point. I see more and more of the smaller RVs that the mattress is folded when the slide is in.
    We travel and use rest stops a lot. Having to put a slide out to use the bed would not work for us.

    The 27Q with with no bedroom slides would work better for us but again, everyone's wants/needs are different.
  • I'm not buying, but I like the way 27Q capt. chairs turn and become part of the living area. Dick

    Re: www.lichtsinn.com I have had good luck ordering part from them and a friend did the fly and drive on a new Winnie and was happy with the deal and all the info they supplied prior to the sale.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    EDIT: I had trouble posting this, and when it "took" it didn't get all I meant to say. I'll try to recap from memory:

    The rear slide makes sense, you get a big bed without having to drive a long RV. The wardrobe slide allows good walk room both sides of the bed.

    Wheelbase is very important! If it isn't long enough, you can have a coach with little or no carrying capacity left from an empty coach, even an overloaded rear axle. Not enough wheelbase can lead to an underloaded front axle and that makes for sloppy steering and poor tracking on the road. My best guess based on length/wheelbase of 26A (59%) suggests you should be OK but I'd like to see that guess proven true. By that I mean, actual scale weights. From there you'd have to look at your storage areas and location of the fresh water tank to estimate what it'd weigh out ready for travel. Ford wants at least 32% of loaded weight on the front axle. That sounds easy, but based on Ford's front axle rating of 5000-lb and rear of 9500 (14500 total) a fully loaded coach, maxed out both ends, would have only 34% forward. Our 31-ft has 33% with its 218" wheelbase.

    When we bought our Jayco 31A, we compromised on length to get a non-slide floorplan with the features we wanted. One was a "bed down" that was walk-around and could be left made up. Just on that preference, we decided we probably wouldn't get Winnebago's Sprinter model with rear slide and a folded bed. The idea makes total sense, just be sure it works for you.
  • Make sure it is a 2017 with the new slide system. (not Schwintek). Lichstinn has quite a few reviews on google.