Removing overhead entertainment center

[Marty57]

I just purchased a very nice, clean 2004 Winnebago 31C Minnie Class C. Everything is perfect layout wise except for the entertainment center; not needed. Has anyone removed the entertainment center and replaced it with a cab over bed? Winnebago says that the sides don't have the structure for the bed but wondering if others have done this? My intent is to have a place for the grand kids to sleep. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Marty57

[Bumpyroad]

CharlesinGA wrote:


Anyhow, I posted links to the parts book for all variations of the '04 Minnie Winnie 31 and it appears that none of them ever were equipped for a bed in the cabover, which may explain the structure issue. I would be afraid of compromising the structure where the cabover attaches to the rest of the house.
Charles

that answers a lot.
bumpy

[CharlesinGA]

Well. I posted early in this thread, but it vanished, probably due to timing with the "maintenance" being done on the site.

Anyhow, I posted links to the parts book for all variations of the '04 Minnie Winnie 31 and it appears that none of them ever were equipped for a bed in the cabover, which may explain the structure issue. I would be afraid of compromising the structure where the cabover attaches to the rest of the house.

Me personally, I won't look at a much of anything that is for sale if it has been modified from stock unless it is a upgrade/reliability improvement, and then only when it is clearly "done right"

These all have decent exploded views of structure, layout, interior furnishings, etc.

31C parts

30V parts

27P parts

Charles

[Photomike]

Marty57 wrote:
I pulled out a he big Samsung TV today; vert heavy! The supports on the side are identical to those shown in the parts manual for my Winnie. If I remove everything I would need to do a lot of finishing insiden not sure if I want to at this point. I will put light weight flat screen up there for now and use it that way for a while and see how things get used. Good to have monster TV out!
Marty

Gas mileage just went up with all the weight you took out 🙂

[Dusty_R]

OK, MAYBE the part that Winnie says that is NOT strong enough is where the mattress passes over the cutout space for head space to go to and from the cab.
With that said my wife and I had a 24' Itasca that we slept up there, I always referred to it as the "Crows Nest".
We decided that we wanted a new mattress and the one that came in the Itasca had built strength to span that cut out space.
I laminated some plywood that covered the whole floor of the crows nest, including the cutout headspace.
The new mattress was too thick which reduced the head room space, so it went into the stick & brick and we bought another thiner one for the crows nest.
We used that for several years, and even spent winters using it in Florida, and were happy.
So if that is the weak spot that Winnebago is talking about, Then you do what we did, I say go for it.

Dusty

[Marty57]

I pulled out a he big Samsung TV today; vert heavy! The supports on the side are identical to those shown in the parts manual for my Winnie. If I remove everything I would need to do a lot of finishing insiden not sure if I want to at this point. I will put light weight flat screen up there for now and use it that way for a while and see how things get used. Good to have monster TV out!
Marty

[BruceMc]

Hi, BruceMc here. The first thing I'd do is go look for other Winne units similar to your model. I'd be willing to bet you'll find several with bunks in the very same house as you have.

I've been around class C's for a long time, and I've never seen one that was structurally different if it was set up for an entertainment center than an overhead bunk.

If a manufacturer did this, they'd have two structure designs, which makes no sense from a manufacturing standpoint. Plus, that overhang has dynamic forces acting upon it while underway which probably equal or exceed any average person or couple in the overhead while the unit is at rest.

Even our old Four Winds, which is not known as a "quality" manufacturer (We manufacture value!) has welded square wall aluminum framing with formed foam sandwiched between the interior luan and the exterior luan/plastic siding. That alone gives the structure a lot of strength.

That all said, if your unit has a short overhead that is 2-3 feet long, it may not have the floor strength as it was never designed to have the bunk option, but then you'll find no others of that model line that have a bunk.

I based my decision on the fact that our new Sunseeker has 3 options for the overhead space as I mentioned in my original post:



Again, I'd search for similar models of the same brand to see if, indeed, there is bunk options. If so, I'd (kindly) suggest the Winnebago rep didn't know what they were talking about....

My $0.02 worth....

[Photomike]

Most entertainment cabovers are just a fiberglass shell and that is it. They build a face to it and the inside is unfinished, the one on the link above is actually beds on the side and the TV in the center so the strength is already there. The shells are the same on most units (sleeper or entertainment) as the cost of having two different molds and carrying extra inventory is not worth it. BUT the difference is that the sleeper units are reinforced on the inside with material bonded to the fiberglass to add strength, lights added and windows added.

You could do this yourself, it would not be hard just a lot of work. ANYTHING can be modified if you want to it is just is it worth it or not.

My concern would be how much use it gets VERSUS cost/work/potential problems. May be better to bring a tent along, make a bed up across the front seats or have them sleep on the floor and save all the hassle.

[j-d]

I read that other thread, and I see the SunSeeker project was BruceMc. That's good, because he's still active here (but with a different coach he's also modifying!) and his work is always beautiful. He wasn't concerned about structure, though, so proceed with the greatest of care.

[j-d]

Oh, MY! I never would have thought a builder would use a different outside wall to handle the bed vs. the entertainment center. I think there's a melding of strength (stiffness) and flexibility involved here. Our coach has the cabover bed. When we hit a dip or hump in the road, it at least "seems" that the cabover has additional motion, compared with the hood and the cab roof. It might just be that the top of my visual "horizon" (the bottom of the cabover) changes as the whole coach pitches up or down, though.

I don't usually say this because I believe it's implicit that our statements here are our own, unprofessional, often uninformed, opinions. THIS IS A SHOT IN THE DARK. CONSIDER THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! If the reinforcing in the cabover side walls isn't adequate to help with the weight of people up there, I might consider making the chassis' cab responsible for that weight with 3/4" plywood. Cabover is bigger than 4x but Oversized plywood is available. Put a second "deck" in, and count on that to support the kids' weight. Only if I could get a full-sized piece in, and only if I could securely tie it to the cab, with nothing between that could flex. Ideally I'd put angle braces down to the back edges of the cab. But at a minimum find out how the cabover is attached to the steel of the original cab and improve it. Say stainless machine screws with nylon locking nuts, appropriate washers, etc.
Are you willing to give up the opening above the center of the cab? Doing so will make it tough to get in and out of the cockpit from/to the coach. But it'd retain a lot of the stiffness of the plywood. On our first C, we made the cabover bunk our permenent bed. In fact had a full queen innerspring mattress up there. We had to duck to get in/out of the cockpit but it wasn't bad. We had flat floor, coach to cockpit, because we didn't have basement storage. The Winnies we looked at had a big step there and that would make it a gyration to get in and out. Of course, there are cab doors to come and go through.
Again, my thought may well be severely faulted.

[magnusfide]

Dusty R wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
Years back I got the information for a fella who wanted to do the reverse. Perhaps the factory build provides a stouter frame work for the bed than the entertainment center? however.

If winnie says don't do it, I think I would follow their advice, regardless of any body doing it. let the kids sleep on your jack knife sofa.
bumpy

X-2

Dusty

Triple ditto. Don't do it.

Also: If you want to trade in or sell it later you would most likely be decreasing its value if you did such a structural change.

If you need extra sleeping room, consider a popup bed trailer built for motorcycles or small vehicles. Several are listed HERE..
This would give you better options for maximum cost recovery later should you decided to sell and get another mh. It's easier to recover the cost for the small camper trailer by advertising in the motorcycle community.

[Bumpyroad]

coolmom42 wrote:
Found the post:

Changing entertainment center to bunk cab-over.

There is a link to photos of the project.

yep, I note in one of those posts that the mfr. said they were constructed differently to support a bed.
bumpy

[Marty57]

I tried the search but no luck; maybe I used poor wording. I'd like to find out what extra reinforcement was used by Winnebago before I decide what to do but would like to switch it out. And other thoughts? Thanks.
Marty

[coolmom42]

Found the post:

Changing entertainment center to bunk cab-over.

There is a link to photos of the project.

[coolmom42]

I saw a post on here from someone who had done this... I think he did reinforce the structure somehow. Do a search on these forums in the class C section, maybe you can find it.