Would you buy a Workhorse?

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hoozerman

hoozerman

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Posts
45
Location
Indiana
Hi, folks. I've been away from the forum for a while as I sold the Allegro motorhome in my sig. I am currently shopping for a replacement MH and am attracted to the Winnebago Adventurer, in a great part based on what I have read about them on this forum.
I am currently considering buying a '02 Adventurer on a Workhorse chassis.  So, with all the brake recall discussion that I see, my question is whether or not I should be greatly concerned about purchasing a Workhorse.
Also, on one side note, can anyone tell me how to determine if the transmission is an Allison?
Thanks for your help!
 
Tough decision. We had a Dolphin LX on the 2002 Workhorse W22 and it was a great chassis that we put 53k miles, including Alaska.  Workhorse redid the front brakes early on (the initial Bosh brake recall) and later replaced the rear axle seals and brakes pads (oil soaked).  Others did not fare as well and had serious or repeated problems. At the time, however, the Workhorse W22 was distinctly superior to the Ford F53 and worth it. A few years later, Ford caught up again and the choice of chassis was once again a tossup.  I haven't studied the reports  in any depth, but there don't seem to be many 2002's with the problems that appear a couple years later. Maybe the 02 is better (once the initial recall work is done) than later models?  I don't know, but it is worth looking into...

Both the W20 and the W22 have the Allison 1000 transmission. It's a 5 speed in the 2001-2005 model and in 2006 became a 6 speed. The P series chassis used the GM 4L80E 4 speed until 2002 and then the 4L85E from 2003 on. Both are 4 speeds.

 
For what its worth I have the W22 with the 8.1 Vortec engine> I like the rig and engine and the Allison tranny. If I recall correctly Ford also has the Bosh brakes. I have not had the problems but look forward to this recall getting done and behind for all of us. To each his own but I will keep mine and enjoy the road.
Jim
 
I have an 06' Adventurer model 38t on a W24 chassis. I have had two bad cat converters and a bad engine just replaced by Workhorse under Warr, the engine had only 11,000 miles on it. I asked the  tech who did the warr. work at Redlands Truck about the reliabllity of WH. and he said that my problem is rare. I'm happy that it was under warr. and I just made it with only a few weeks to spare, and I would still buy another one if I was buying a gas coach. I am now looking for a DP but only because of the deals out there.

Mattpro
 
Thanks for your thoughts, guys.
Gary, you said "once the initial recall work is done" referring to the brake work done on your '02 Dolphin. Does that mean I should investigate whether there is an active recall on the chassis that I am considering?
Kevin
 
If you want to find the information on what recalls have been completed on this rig and you have the Vin # for it you can go to
Tom's Thread "Workhorse Brake Recall Resource Center " at the top of the Forum and click on the link put in the Vin# and it will
tell you if you are a part of the Brake Recall.  If you want to find out about other recalls and no one has signed up this Vin# you
can go to Workhorse.com and reg. with that Vin# and find out what has been completed on the Chassis.  I think there are at
least 2 Brake campaigns, one in 2004 and this one in 2007. There are some other campaigns but they are not on all Chassis.
 
Yes, definitely check for recalls on any chassis (and coach) that you buy. Usually they will already have been done, but some owners either don't get notified or don't bother if it isn't broken. A good dealer will check it for you, but I wouldn't rely on that.

There was a recall on the original Bosch ZOPS brake caliper and that is what was done on mine as a preventive measure. It seemed to fix the problems the owners of 2001-2003's were having. Bosch modified the design of the brake and later models had trouble with that as well, maybe even worse problems. Still, not every chassis ha  problems, not even the majority of them, giving rise to numerous debates about  why some people had problems and others did not. The arguments got acrimonious and I won't go into them here. There are already plenty of threads you can read on that, here and elsewhere. Please SEARCH for previous Workhorse brake discussions to get  up to speed.
 
Would I buy a workhorse: YES.. In fact I drive one now

How to determine if a transmission is an ALLISON.

Not sure (have not looked) but very strongly suspect if I crawled under the rig I'd see ALLISON plastered on the casing, or rather molded into the casing (housing) of the tranny.

Also, far as I know if you have a 'Grade Brake' switch on the dash...... That's an Allison.

Yet another method is to write down the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and go to one of the VIN "Informer" sites on the web.

Some of the info incorporated into the chassis vin includes Year, Make, Model, Country of origin, Comany which built it, Engine, Transmission, Weight rating and size.

Only the last half dozen characters are serial number,  the rest describe the vehicle
(There once was a time when if you gave me a VIN off a car odds were I could tell you quite a bit without even cracking a reference book or program.. Alas, no more,  but I still know what's in there)
 
Thanks again for all the help. I went to the Workhorse site and registered the VIN and there was campaign performed on the chassis in Apr 06 for Bosch Brake Calipers. So, that's good news. The current owners indicated that there had been no problems with the brakes since they have owned it.
The motorhome is located about 300 miles from me, so I can't visually inspect it yet. I'm in preliminary discussions with them right now and will probably go see it in a week or so if all goes well.
The Model/Wheelbase info was "P32122", so if it's a P32 chassis, is that the same as a W20? The GVWR is 20,700.
Also, there is no info about the transmission other than the SN, although Gary answered earlier that the transmission is an Allison based on the year and his own knowledge.
You guys are great! Thanks again.
Kevin
 
RV Roamer said:
Tough decision. We had a Dolphin LX on the 2002 Workhorse W22 and it was a great chassis that we put 53k miles, including Alaska.  Workhorse redid the front brakes early on (the initial Bosh brake recall) and later replaced the rear axle seals and brakes pads (oil soaked).  Others did not fare as well and had serious or repeated problems. At the time, however, the Workhorse W22 was distinctly superior to the Ford F53 and worth it. A few years later, Ford caught up again and the choice of chassis was once again a tossup.  I haven't studied the reports  in any depth, but there don't seem to be many 2002's with the problems that appear a couple years later. Maybe the 02 is better (once the initial recall work is done) than later models?  I don't know, but it is worth looking into...

Both the W20 and the W22 have the Allison 1000 transmission. It's a 5 speed in the 2001-2005 model and in 2006 became a 6 speed. The P series chassis used the GM 4L80E 4 speed until 2002 and then the 4L85E from 2003 on. Both are 4 speeds.
Click to expand...

I went back and re-read Gary's post. So, now, it appears that the Chassis is a P32 and probably has a GM 4L80E 4 speed? This is probably a less desirable chassis/transmission setup I take it.
 
hoozerman:

The model # P32122 is NOT for a P-32 motorhome chassis.  I KNOW this is confusing, but trust me, the early Workhorse production of the W-20 and W-22 chassis used that model number designation.  It is the last two digits that confirm this fact.  IF the one you are looking at has a GVWR of 20,700 pounds, then it is a W-20 and WILL HAVE an Allison 1000 series 5 speed tranny.  It "probably" also has 19.5" tires. 

While it may have been included in the earlier ZOPS brake campaign, it will also be included in the second brake recall, which has been announced, but not yet implemented.

Please post any further questions you may have.  ED
 
 
hoozerman:
    I think your question is: Would I buy a Workhorse Chassis. My answer is.
    I have a W-22 Workhorse, love the power, the transmission but I am scared to drive it in places that will
require hard use of the braking system (Freeways, mountains. Cities, etc. I have replaced all 4 caliper on this unit and the Right Front is starting to drag again and this done with Workhorse. I moved away from a Ford Chassis
when I purchased this one because of power but had never had a problem with it's safety equipment.  So as far as purchasing another Workhorse, I don't think so at this time.  You can bet when I buy my next MH I will asked about the type and the manufacture of the brakes and if it has Phenolic cups in the Calipers.
One intersting thing is that I had a 1980 Ford Pickup and lost the brakes on it due to Phenolic cups in the brakes.
I would have thought that this was a known no no, but the almighty $ continues to win out.
 
edgray said:
hoozerman:

The model # P32122 is NOT for a P-32 motorhome chassis.  I KNOW this is confusing, but trust me, the early Workhorse production of the W-20 and W-22 chassis used that model number designation.  It is the last two digits that confirm this fact.  IF the one you are looking at has a GVWR of 20,700 pounds, then it is a W-20 and WILL HAVE an Allison 1000 series 5 speed tranny.  It "probably" also has 19.5" tires. 

While it may have been included in the earlier ZOPS brake campaign, it will also be included in the second brake recall, which has been announced, but not yet implemented.

Please post any further questions you may have.  ED
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ed. Yes, that IS confusing. The MH I am looking at does have 19.5" tires.

 
Would I buy one?? Yes I would. The recall for us is on going and we can only hope that it is resolved soon. If the unit you are looking at is an 02 you ay not the issue we have. The Allison transmissions in these rigs are super. Now I only have the five speed but I can't anything bad about it. The ride is great and I have NO mods done to the chassis. We have Bilstien shocks. Now after dirving a friends rig with the Koni's installed I may agree the ride to be a bit better but for the price of the upgrade I'll live with what we have for now. Trust me it's not bad at all. I conquer the ride with a little air adjustment in the tires and watch my loaded weight. If you like the unit your looking at go for it I'm sure you won't be dissapointed. Good Luck and Happy Motoring!!!
 
With the negative PR that Workhorse has invited by their denial of a brake problem, it would be highly unlikely for us to ever consider another Workhorse product.  Workhorse continually had it's head in the sand for many years, and stated through some Rallies and their Ambassadors several times that the brake issues were most likely the fault of us drivers....we just flat didn't know how to drive. If it weren't for the NHTSA, Workhorse would still be denying there was ever a problem IMHO.

The Good about the Workhorse W-20/W-22 GAS chassis:  The 8.1 liter engine is top notch, and coupled with the first rate Allison transmission.
The Bad:  Workhorse brakes and communication with the consumer. 

On a seperate note, I just noticed EDGRAY is over here with his very first post above.  ;)  EDGRAY is the President of the Workhorse Chassis Owners Club, and also a Workhorse Ambassador and used to be a moderator over at the Workhorse Forum at irv2.  A BIG WELCOME to Ed here to RVFORUM.net!
 
hoozerman said:
The MH I am looking at does have 19.5" tires.
Click to expand...

Yes, the motorhome you are looking at will be a W-20 with an Allison 5-speed transmission.  Please look at the CCC sticker in the closet, and make sure  there is ample capacity....Usually the Adventurers were built on the larger W-22.
 
Yeah, the P32032 model designation is real confusing. The VIN has the real answer, however.

Now that you have registered the chassis VIN, you should download the Workhorse Chassis Guide from the Workhorse site. Or get it here:
http://www.freedrive.com/files/5irff8s52j0o/Work%5B1%5D..._Guide.pdf

Included in the guide is a VIN decode table that will help you determine once and for all what the configuration really is. Lots of other valuable info in there as well.

From all indications, the chassis on this one is not one of those that suffers repetitive brake problems. Nobody seems to know why some have issues and others are pretty much ok, though.  If I really liked the coach, I would probably go for it.
 
RV Roamer said:
Yeah, the P32032 model designation is real confusing. The VIN has the real answer, however......
Click to expand...

Gary: not wanting to add any confusion, I want to point out that the Model # you posted "P32032" would be for a P-32 chassis.  My reply to "hoozerman" was regarding model P32122, which was used for the early W-20 &W-22 models.  I don't know why.

Mark: Thanks for the welcome.  I hope I can contribute factual info here, when I have some.....             

Just for the record, my screen name is "edgray" here and elsewhere.  I'm really not comfortable "screaming" my name.  :)
Ed
 
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