Winnebago View Profile Community

[JeffAndMaria]

We've got the Winnebago View Profile 24G on our wishlist. I thought it would be nice to start a conversation with other owners of the Winnebago View Profile (e.g., 24J, 24M, 24G, 24V). As a newly renewed, but previous Good Sam member from way back, I thought it would be good to do it here.

How do you like your View Profile? Any tricks or tips?

We've got a million questions already about different options; if we can't find good advice from dealers, we'll post a query to this thread.

Wish us luck!

[Old_Crows]

MidMoNDN wrote:
I didnt have a preferance on the diesel / lp question but after owning the lp i wish we kept looking for a diesel gen set. Lp is harder to manage, with diesel your allready carrying a tankfull.

Darryl 16N24G MO

Not. Exactly. The diesel generator in a Sprinter can only access about 2/3 of the tank leaving about 1/3 so you are not incapacitated without fuel. Thats roughly 15 gallons MINUS what ever you used to get to your camping spot. And, the LP unit is lighter and has 3600W. The diesel is 3200W. Both have the same measured sound levels but the diesel has a lower frequency/vibration that may be annoying. Diesel also stinks....

[MidMoNDN]

I didnt have a preferance on the diesel / lp question but after owning the lp i wish we kept looking for a diesel gen set. Lp is harder to manage, with diesel your allready carrying a tankfull.

Darryl 16N24G MO

[garjubarb]

Just ordered the View Profile 24G today. We test drove a 24J and I was blown away by the power and handling. Unfortunately, it's going to take 12 weeks to get our new View.

[Steele_Grey]

Dakzuki wrote:

Steele Grey wrote:
I have the diesel gen on my 2011 24J.


As to noise, it seems to be quieter with use.

Had your hearing checked lately?:B I have a 2011 24J with a diesel genny too..

I was quite surprised myself, but after 120 hrs or so on the genny, both my wife and I noticed it was definitely quieter inside the coach. I also use synthetic oil in the generator. Not sure if it has anything to do with it or not, but it seems to purr in comparison to what it sounded like new.

[Dakzuki]

Steele Grey wrote:
I have the diesel gen on my 2011 24J.


As to noise, it seems to be quieter with use.

Had your hearing checked lately?:B I have a 2011 24J with a diesel genny too..

[Dakzuki]

gerrym51 wrote:

Just Lee wrote:
Don't forget Diesel Generators are a lot more expensive.. I had not thought about doing the 20# propane tank.... But with our style of camping (dry camping) we can only go 4 to 5 days anyway before we have to move and dump tanks... As far as Zipping up goes 10 to 15 minutes

i'm not an expert but a propane generator burns cleaner than gas or diesel and will gum up less. usually less expensive to maintain and supposedly does not need periodic running like gas/diesel

Apples to apples that is correct. The difference is the diesel engine is totally different (Hatz from Germany) and the basic design of the motor is different. Simple diesel engines are pretty bomb proof (I now have 3 when including the genny in the RV).

[gerrym51]

Just Lee wrote:
Don't forget Diesel Generators are a lot more expensive.. I had not thought about doing the 20# propane tank.... But with our style of camping (dry camping) we can only go 4 to 5 days anyway before we have to move and dump tanks... As far as Zipping up goes 10 to 15 minutes

i'm not an expert but a propane generator burns cleaner than gas or diesel and will gum up less. usually less expensive to maintain and supposedly does not need periodic running like gas/diesel

[Steele_Grey]

I have the diesel gen on my 2011 24J.

We travel with cats and use the generator a lot in hot weather for the AC. If there is no breeze, we will notice the diesel smell a lot when exiting the vehicle. We got a genturi and use it whenever we are off the grid and need to use the generator for extended times. It has eliminated any issues with diesel smell.

As to noise, it seems to be quieter with use. It is noticeably quieter from inside the coach (even when the AC is off). However, it is always going to seem loud (from the outside) in a very quiet environment.

[Dakzuki]

Just Lee wrote:
Don't forget Diesel Generators are a lot more expensive.. I had not thought about doing the 20# propane tank.... But with our style of camping (dry camping) we can only go 4 to 5 days anyway before we have to move and dump tanks... As far as Zipping up goes 10 to 15 minutes

That short? I can go a week easily on the gray/black. I do need a water source to replenish fresh water before then but I reload from 5 gallon jugs via the winterizing hose so I just need something within a reasonable distance.

[Just_Lee]

Don't forget Diesel Generators are a lot more expensive.. I had not thought about doing the 20# propane tank.... But with our style of camping (dry camping) we can only go 4 to 5 days anyway before we have to move and dump tanks... As far as Zipping up goes 10 to 15 minutes

[JeffAndMaria]

Dakzuki wrote:
Regarding rooms, My Navion has an awning by Carefree and they make a room that attaches to it. Link

Thank you Dakzuki! We had asked a parts person at one of the large camping rv chain stores and he said they only installed screen rooms for the kind of awning that has one long arm. The View Profile we're looking at has a motorized awning with scissor-type arms. It looks like the "Vacation'R" from CareFree works for that type of awning. Our cats will be very happy! (Actually, that would have been a deal-killer for us.)

I wonder how long it takes you to "zip up" once you park (and once you get good at it)?

[JeffAndMaria]

Re: Diesel vs. LP - thinking "aloud"

We've been trying to think this through (it's been many years since either of us went "mobile"). You're parked, unconnected, it's sweltering, so you are running the A/C. You run out of fuel.

Scenario 1:
If you're towing your car, you could hop in and drive to a convenience store with a 5Gal Diesel can or, if you have one of those gadgets that allows you to plug in an external tank, you go to a convenience store with your spent 20lb (4.7 gal) BBQ tank and swap it out. That's an extra 6.7 hrs of full load generator time for LP or 12.4 hrs for Diesel. Of course, you'd have to have a safe way to transport a 5 Gal diesel can or 20lb BBQ propane tank -- something to think about.

Scenario 2:
Or, you draw in your sliders and drive to the nearest truck stop (diesel) or LP filling station (LP, likely a longer drive). Topped up, you could get 65 hours of max load diesel generator time and 18.5 hours of LP time.

I'm starting to think that I'm just going to have to "get over" being a "hot sleeper" if we're going to dry-camp. Get a 12v fan or something. I'm still leaning toward the "quiet" (and possibly "less smelly") part of the LP generator option.

(Many thanks to Bounder Billy for the following: "Specs also show lpg consumption as 0.6gal/hr at half load and 0.7gal/hour at full load. Diesel is 0.3gal/hr at half load and 0.4gal/hr at full load. The View has 13 gal capacity lpg tank and 26 gal capacity for diesel. Hope this helps.")

[Wayne_Dohnal]

I have the Fleetwood version of the V/N with the propane generator. "Quiet" in its name is a joke. When boondocking I carry the eu2000i to recharge the batteries. The built-in Onan is very convenient, and we use it to run the microwave, but to keep it going for an extended time would be torture, noise-wise. Other owners have reported that the diesel generator is a bit louder than the propane generator. If you will want to run the air conditioner for any significant amount of time the propane generator becomes infeasible because it drains the little propane tank so quickly. Some owners with bigger rigs think the same generator as mine is pretty quiet, so the specifics of the installation might have a lot to do with it.

[Dakzuki]

Bounder Billy wrote:
Dakzuki: thanks for the info on the noise. If you had to do it again would you go with diesel or lpg? I am leaning towards diesel. Thanks.

Honestly I'm not completely sure. When we were at Yellowstone I felt like a real jerk running my generator (just to charge the batteries) as we were the loudest thing for a 1 mile radius. Some folks were using little Hondas to charge and they were way less obnoxious. I have an EU2000 I've been know to carry just because it's so much more quiet in ECO mode. You can let it run in ECO mode charging the batteries for long periods without pissing too many people off.

I know of one person in the Yahoo group that ditched his factory generator, carries a gas one (I think a 2400 Yamaha) and relies primarily on solar for charging.

I think I'm going to add solar to mine.

If I had it to do all over again I think I might go LP and solar. We hardly used any LP (maybe 1/3 of a load) on a month long trip of the western national parks. We were frugal with the LP using a cat heater (on 1 lb bottles) or electric heat if plugged in. We seldom run the AC.