I currently have a Class C Winnebago View, which I love, but I sometimes see these Winnebago Era Class B's going down the road and think "so nice and compact", but then I remember reading about the generators being under the vehicle instead of on the side and when it needs oil or a circuit trips you have to crawl up under with limited space and it is a pain in the BUTT! How true is this? Besides giving up some storage, I think this would be the only thing keeping me from buying one down the road. I currently have a diesel generator on my Winnebago View and it has worked flawless and it is very easy to get to for oil changes or to add oil. I also noticed the only option is LP on these units. I don't boondock much, but from time to time on long trips I will use a Flying J or LOVES truckstop overnight and that generator comes in handy to run the AC or microwave. For some perspective, I have 15,000 miles I have put on this last year and used the generator for about 55 hours of those 15,000 miles.

You can lift some of them using steel ramps and/or bottle jacks, to give you more clearance underneath. Some have good clearance and some don't. I did a class B van for almost a decade, and they can be serviced at most dealerships without seeking specialized facilities for larger motorhomes, they are nimble, good on fuel, usually get you around HOA parking restrictions, and fit under the overhang in many drive-thrus, although the taller Sprinters probably don't. Mine was a converted Chev Express 3500, and it did. It fit in places larger motorhomes could not.Our main issue with it, that we learned to tolerate was that it was "small, and compact". Space, storage, are scarce. Very few of them have a dry bath. If you can get over the loss of the storage and elbow room, and using a wet bath, you might like it. I would try one first, if you can, before committing to one.

I think that the underhood generators used in some B's (Winnebago, Roadtrek, etc.) are really second alternators. They do not have to be exercised and having one frees up space for storage. Advertising touts them as quiet, so they can supposedly be used at any time without violating the no-generator hours at camps.

Tiger4x4RV wrote:I think that the underhood generators used in some B's (Winnebago, Roadtrek, etc.) are really second alternators. They do not have to be exercised and having one frees up space for storage. Advertising touts them as quiet, so they can supposedly be used at any time without violating the no-generator hours at camps.Will they run an air conditioner?

Will they run an air conditioner?Not sure. I do not have a B. Take a look at the owner's manual for the model you are considering or e-mail the factory. I would not trust a salesperson to answer this question.

Tiger4x4RV wrote:I think that the underhood generators used in some B's (Winnebago, Roadtrek, etc.) are really second alternators. They do not have to be exercised and having one frees up space for storage. Advertising touts them as quiet, so they can supposedly be used at any time without violating the no-generator hours at camps.The down side of the under hood alternator/generators is the MB Sprinter diesel idling issue. Some say it's an engine killer, and others say it's not. There are many threads on it with real world experience and some have contacted MB for guidance on the do's and don'ts of idling their 3.0 V6 diesel engines for extended periods. If the engine generator is of sufficiently high output, some say the run times can be tolerated. It's a complex issue, and I'm not (yet) an MB Sprinter chassis owner, so am only commenting from memory after reading extensive discussions of it on other forums. One of the better class B forums was (oddly enough) www.classbforum.com Much good info about many different class B makes/models and much about van conversions in general, and specifically.

Question for Winnebago Class B Owners | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

paddykernahan
Explorer
Aug 27, 2018
Don't know about access on the class B.
Since you don't use very often I would think propane is the way to go.
My guess is propane will be louder since it is air cooled.
VancleVector
Explorer
Aug 27, 2018
I've been researching (gawd I'm bored) generators and came across reviews of the Predator 4000/3500 generator. $699.00 or maybe $649.00 with their coupon.

I purchased a Propane Generator from Central Maine Diesel a few years ago.

20 HP Honda engine, Italian generator head.
Paid about $2300 plus shipping via Paradise Freight which was a few hundred.
I see the price is just a bit higher now... But the one I want most is Yuchai which i saw from a website.

Recently it blew a capacitor. Central Maine sent me 2 for the price of one even though it is out of warranty. $39 total for two.

I looked at generators on island but a similar Honda at Quality electric was close to $6000 and it wasn't even a 13750kw. More like 8 or 9000kw if I remember right.....

They have many generators at great prices but this is the one I settled for.

Quiet, no smell, propane lasts forever........

But I am looking for a diesel one, just find many post about diesel genset price. Does anyone know about it? Any suggestion?
MDKMDK
Explorer
Jan 23, 2018
First diesel on order. I heard about that high idle option. Wonder if they all come with it standard, since the new RV will be on the cutaway chassis, which tends to be optioned for commercial and specialty use besides motorhomes, like fire/police/EMS where long periods of idling might occur?

Food for thought, for me.
mumkin
Explorer
Jan 23, 2018
No restrictions on the Chevy and to be honest I pay little attention to the Sprinters since I would never buy one. But I do recall some discussion about it, the details of which I didn't read. I also recall reading that there is a fast idle available for Sprinters? (Don't quote me...LOL)
MDKMDK
Explorer
Jan 23, 2018
mumkin wrote:
I don't believe that Winnebagos have the underhood generators, it is one of the deciding factors that pushes buyers to a Roadtrek/Hymer.

Running the "generator" means running the engine and yes, it will run the AC. I have one in my 170. I have never needed to run it more than an hour or so to cool down.

Good point.
Your 170 doesn't have the engine idling restriction on the Chevy Express van chassis? Did the Sprinter chassis crowd on classbforum ever come to anything like a reasonable consensus on that issue, including input from MB engineering? I followed those threads a while back, but don't recall if they ever closed it with a rule of thumb regarding how long you can safely idle them, or what is required to clean up/out the EGR and DPF after long periods of stationary idling.
magicbus
Explorer II
Jan 23, 2018
That's great to hear, I'll be reporting back with my experience.

Dave
MDKMDK
Explorer
Jan 23, 2018
I would be surprised if you noticed any use after a week of heating your van with the propane furnace. I think they must have gotten better in terms of output and fuel consumption over the years. My old 2002 Roadtrek used very little propane when using the furnace. More concern about having the coach batteries topped up to run the furnace fan.
HawkTX
Explorer
Jan 23, 2018
magicbus wrote:
I will let you know shortly. We pick up our Era A this Friday and probably my only outstanding concern is maintaining the propane generator due to location. We head south in 2 weeks and will need to stay at Flying J/Pilot for the first 2 nights since all the CG's are closed. I plan to heat the coach overnight as a test before we leave to see how much propane and power we use so I can sleep without worry

My previous 36 had as diesel genset so it'll be interesting to play with this propane one and see what it can do.

Dave

Congrats on your new rig! Look forward to hearing back from you.
mumkin
Explorer
Jan 23, 2018
I don't believe that Winnebagos have the underhood generators, it is one of the deciding factors that pushes buyers to a Roadtrek/Hymer.

Running the "generator" means running the engine and yes, it will run the AC. I have one in my 170. I have never needed to run it more than an hour or so to cool down.
magicbus
Explorer II
Jan 23, 2018
I will let you know shortly. We pick up our Era A this Friday and probably my only outstanding concern is maintaining the propane generator due to location. We head south in 2 weeks and will need to stay at Flying J/Pilot for the first 2 nights since all the CG's are closed. I plan to heat the coach overnight as a test before we leave to see how much propane and power we use so I can sleep without worry

My previous 36 had as diesel genset so it'll be interesting to play with this propane one and see what it can do.

Dave