Downsizing from a Class A

[tommy_salmon]

Seriously looking at downsizing from our Winnebago Class A to a Class C. We are happy with the quality and support of the Winnebago, just not the size, so we are predisposed towards Winnebago products, specifically the Winnie Mini 22M. Looking for less than 30 feet, walk around bed, need the cabover bed for our adult son who still goes with us sometimes and has to have a generator for the occasional boondocking trips. We are partial to Winnebago, but not committed, so what others should we consider? Also, can anyone tell me the differences between the Winnebago Mini Winnie, Spirit, and Outlook? All have the same basic floor plan. We are not fancy people, but we don't want the plain jane vanilla version either. I typically will be towing our 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon on nearly every trip. The Jeep is more important than the motorhome for a lot of our trips (serious 4 wheeling) so not towing the Jeep is NOT an option, regardless of how well the motorhome drives or parks, so please don't suggest a Sprinter based motorhome unless you KNOW that it's capable of towing a 4 door Jeep Wrangler through the Rockies.

[tommy_salmon]

Well, we pulled the trigger on a 2018 Thor Chateau 24F. We pick it up tomorrow! Like the floorplan, the trim level, and will be a much better size for the 2 of us. We are looking forward to traveling more often without having to wrestle the big Class A down the road. Cleaning out the Class A today we found stuff that's been in there for 5 1/2 years that we never used! Every brand that we looked at has it's issues, but this one fits our needs best. Hope it serves us well! Now to plan some nearby "shakedown trips" to check everything out and get it ready for some longer trips!

[cbigham]

Yep. What the guy above said. I have the e450 2017 thor 23u, sort of the Chevy vs GMC . Our coaches nearly the same. Towed my Rubicon all thru utah, Sierra and Wyoming this summer. Not so sure it's the weight of the motorhome vs the wheelbase but you do feel it more than I did on my 32,000 lbs 40 ft diesel. If your towbar and hitch are tight, little slack will feel better. Stops fine, towed fine. Used the auxiliary brake system.also hung a dirt bike off back of the jeep. No worries, my suspension is stock tho.

With e450 you get 14,500 lbs gross. I doubt I'll be able to overload it with what I carry. Supposedly bigger brakes and a little more steel in frame rails, springs.

[rockhillmanor]

tommy salmon wrote:
Regarding the Freedom Elite 24HE from Thor, it's on

the E350 chassis

. We don't want to carry a lot of "stuff" anymore, so storage space should be fine, but I wonder about weight while towing our Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4 door. Weight of the Jeep 4,215 lbs, with accessories added, around 4,300 lbs. Just wondering if I will be overloaded with full tank of water, propane, and what stuff that we do haul? We typically travel with nearly empty tanks, but occasionally we fill the fresh water tank when we will be boondocking. GVWR is 12,500, and GCWR is 18,500. Fresh water 40 gallons, waste 32 gallons, and grey water 37 gallons. I think that's OK, but never really worried about that with the Class A,

so what do you think?

Just saying you are going to be REALLY REALLY "disappointed" with the "E350" chassis.

Many that have commented that they do indeed have a E350 and it's just fine? Usually have never driven one on n E450 chassis.

You are going to drop a good chunk of change on your new 'first' Class C MH. And you are in the stage of still looking. If you like to fill the tanks, boondock, and tow, etc. The SD E450 is the best chassis to buy. It makes a BIG difference.

I and many other seasoned RV'ers would strongly recommend you buy a Class C on the E450 chassis.

[Solo]

tommy salmon wrote:
Regarding the Freedom Elite 24HE from Thor, I think that's OK, but never really worried about that with the Class A, so what do you think?

We did Monarch Pass on US 50 several times with our V10 Winnebago Aspect 23D and a 2 door Jeep TJ in tow. It was a grind no doubt but, the V10 did it's job. An option that we considered was to unhook during the most demanding ascent and descent sections but did not. Supplemental braking on the Jeep was a must. Our E450 had 4.56 gears and is optional also on the E350 chassis now. Check to see what the Freedom Elite has as I believe the lower gear ratio would be much appreciated while towing. If your Class A gasser did the job for you towing the Unlimited Jeep, power should not be an issue. One thing I did notice was that our TJ pushed us around a bit behind the E450 compared to our current DP and I know that's a huge difference but still, I think you will notice a difference too. Not something that I felt was a real safety concern but, still a consideration as towing in the Colorado Rockies and then combine that with altitude and it can be a challenge. We towed that same combination to about every corner in the US with our E450 and never experienced anywhere close what the Colorado Rockies would throw at us.

[pnichols]

tommy salmon wrote:
We did look at these. They do not come equipped with a 2 way refrigerator - have a cheap residential electric refrigerator only.

I took a second look and ... right you are!! :M

It's ridiculous that Winnebago would stoop to not offering good old 2 way propane/electric refrigerators in what's left of their Ford E350/E450 based Class C motorhome models. We love the one in our 13 year old Itasca in which Winnebago installed a 2 way refrigerator correctly - it keeps things cold day after day in all temperatures - while just sipping propane and battery power when drycamping.

[tommy_salmon]

Regarding the Freedom Elite 24HE from Thor, it's on the E350 chassis. We don't want to carry a lot of "stuff" anymore, so storage space should be fine, but I wonder about weight while towing our Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4 door. Weight of the Jeep 4,215 lbs, with accessories added, around 4,300 lbs. Just wondering if I will be overloaded with full tank of water, propane, and what stuff that we do haul? We typically travel with nearly empty tanks, but occasionally we fill the fresh water tank when we will be boondocking. GVWR is 12,500, and GCWR is 18,500. Fresh water 40 gallons, waste 32 gallons, and grey water 37 gallons. I think that's OK, but never really worried about that with the Class A, so what do you think?

[tommy_salmon]

pappaone wrote:

tommy salmon wrote:
Seriously looking at downsizing from our Winnebago Class A to a Class C. We are happy with the quality and support of the Winnebago, just not the size, so we are predisposed towards Winnebago products, specifically the Winnie Mini 22M. Looking for less than 30 feet.

Been there done that, went from a 31 ft class A sea Breeze to a 27 ft Minnie Winnie and have been sorry every day since. It's surprising how much difference that 4 ft makes and the amount of storage you loose underneath. If I had to do it over it would never have happened, be sure that's really what you want to do.


Rich

We have way too much underneath storage space in our current Class A. We have been carrying stuff around for 5 years that we never use. We don't like driving the Class A, we don't need anything as big as our Class A, and by going to the Class C - my wife is willing to drive it, thus being willing to also sell HER travel trailer and freeing up a lot of room in our RV garage. We want to get back to "camping" (without going back to a tent) instead of "RVing" .

[tommy_salmon]

pnichols wrote:
You also might want to look at one of these on the Ford V10 chassis:
https://winnebagoind.com/products/class-c/2019/outlook/floorplans

We did look at these. They do not come equipped with a 2 way refrigerator - have a cheap residential electric refrigerator only. Would run the battery dead pretty quickly, and even the salesperson showing them to us was really disappointed that they would try to get away with that.

[pappaone]

tommy salmon wrote:
Seriously looking at downsizing from our Winnebago Class A to a Class C. We are happy with the quality and support of the Winnebago, just not the size, so we are predisposed towards Winnebago products, specifically the Winnie Mini 22M. Looking for less than 30 feet.

Been there done that, went from a 31 ft class A sea Breeze to a 27 ft Minnie Winnie and have been sorry every day since. It's surprising how much difference that 4 ft makes and the amount of storage you loose underneath. If I had to do it over it would never have happened, be sure that's really what you want to do.


Rich

[pnichols]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Btw, Look for the SD450 chassis. Makes a BIG difference on handling versus the 350. IMHO I would never buy a 31ft on a 350. MAny that have bought a 350 chassis are always adding airbags changing the leaf springs, shocks, etc etc etc to improve handling and ride. No need for that on the 450.

X2 on that.

The E450 chassis is "overkill" for a short Class C, so it handles short coach sizes and weights extremely well. On ours the ride in the rear was a bit stiff, so after several years of ownership we finally changed to Koni FSD shocks in the rear which reduced the stiff ride back there.

Our 24 foot Class C on the Ford E450 chassis handles beautifully - one hand steering, very solid on curves and in high side winds - right from the start even without the FSD shocks. We can travel with all tanks full and heavily weighted down with equipment and rocks (we're rockhounds) ... with absolutely no concerns for amount of weight or distribution of that weight.

Nowadays it's difficult to find short Class C motorhomes on much of an overkill chassis due to the proliferation by manufacturers of the smaller town-sized delivery van type chassis which are usually narrow width and powerd by relatively small engines. About the only choices left for a heavy duty chassis under a small Class C is to search and search until you can locate one built on either the Ford E450 chassis or the Chevy 4500 chassis.

[AJR]

This may be late but I have had a Ford & Chevy class C of about the same 28’ length. I really like the Chevy better. Better driving down the road and easy to get out of the driver’s seat into the coach.

[pnichols]

You also might want to look at one of these on the Ford V10 chassis:
https://winnebagoind.com/products/class-c/2019/outlook/floorplans

[tommy_salmon]

Seriously looking at a Thor Freedom Elite 24HE from Camping World. We really like the whole wall slide and the room we gain with it. I've seen no reviews on this particular model. I've seen a few reviews of other Freedom Elite models (some good, several bad) and wonder how many people write "good" reviews? Honestly , I don't usually post about things that work like they should, and am more likely to post a review when I'm not happy with a product or the service I'm getting, so maybe looking at reviews isn't really the way to judge things? All RVs have quality control issues from what I've seen and read, so asking for your advice. UPDATE: We are in negotiations now, and within about $6,000 of each other, so please respond soon if you have thoughts on this.

[rockhillmanor]

Solo wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:


And you will be surprised how much nicer the handling and driving is on a Class C.

The

OP did not mention what model of Class A Winnebago

that he currently has but, there is a very significant difference between the "handling and driving" of my DP compared to our formerly owned 24' E450 motorhome so it would be difficult to make a blanket statement about Class C vs. Class A. We towed our TJ Jeep through the Rockies many times and the V10 did a fine job and we appreciated the maneuverability of the 24' RV but, the handling and power of our DP is superior. If the OP is coming from a gas powered Class A, then they understand what limitations it will have at altitude. We loved our smaller Winnebago E450 Class C and owned it for 10 years. However, it's power and handling was poor in comparison.

It's a given that DP's trump everything! :B

>> What type of MH the op has is in his signature and it is a gas V10.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2013-winnebago-vista-class-a-floorplan-35f-tr13854

Just not pushing that flat front end around on his A will give him a feeling of extra power even with the same engine.

And the handling? I drove my friends Class A and never again! Being slammed all over the road with the slightest of wind trying to keep it between the lines? I most definitely do not have that problem with my C. :C