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Soaringeagle

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Posts
61
Location
Saskatchewan, Canada
Just got home with our new Journey 42e that we bought from Lichtsinn Motors in Forest City. After 5 nights in our coach we really like it but have had a few problems. The front slideout is not working as it is only trying to push out on one side, the bathroom door won't stay closed during travel, freezer did not stay cold during travel,(may need to read up on this one), there is a lot of wind noise from drivers side window during travel and believe it or not Winnebago is not putting rear ladders on Tours and Journeys anymore. Obviously we need a ladder so the dealer is shipping us one at their cost and we have to install at our cost. Not a perfect scenario, as we fully expected our coach to have a ladder when we ordered it but Winnebago said it was a line change and wouldn't budge. As I mentioned we love the coach but a bit disappointed with the issues we are having in the first week. Gonna stay positive though and really try to enjoy our new rig, it sure is nice!  :)

Brent
 
If you have a residential refrigerator was your inverter on while driving? As for the ladder, I find the 12 1/2 ft aluminum telescoping ladders are a lot better solution than the attached ladders. They can be moved to clear debris or snow off the slide covers, work on slides and replace clearance light lamps and a lot of other useful things. They are also easier for older people to climb as they will be slanted and the rungs are wider and thicker. Here is one on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/12-5Ft-Aluminum-Telescopic-escoping-Extension/dp/B0099V3HYC/ref=lp_553480_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368366163&sr=1-2
 
Soaringeagle said:
... and believe it or not Winnebago is not putting rear ladders on Tours and Journeys anymore. ..
Click to expand...
Wow!  That is hard to believe and very disappointing. 

I had a Country Coach owner tell me a couple of years ago that CC did not want to install any ladders because it "spoiled the looks."  That owner wished he ignored the advice and had a ladder installed.

Good luck with your new coach!  It will take a while to get everything settled down.
 
I don't think it's so obvious that you "need" a permanent ladder. I used to think so, but have come around to a different view. Many folks never go up on the roof, and those that do often use a separate ladder, which is safer to climb. Portable folding ladders have come a long way and I now prefer the one I carry to the one on the rear cap. And my rear ladder interferes with opening the engine access hatch, which I use as much or more than the rear ladder.

About 10 years ago RV manufacturers had to change the ladder design because unwanted climbers were getting injured (yeah, the nanny state again), so the rear ladders are now two piece and one section either detaches or folds. That means you have to store the extra section somewhere anyway, so why not store a nice folding ladder instead?

Motorhomes used to have roof racks for external storage too, but those have gone the way of the dodo bird as well. Basement storage obviated the value of a roof rack, which was hard to get at and exposed to weather.
 
I am up on my roof at least three or four times a year and think the fixed ladder significantly safer than many portable ladders, however a nice fiberglass extension ladder is fine (if you pad the rails) but that would not be easy to cart around. 

My lower ladder extension neatly stores away on a compartment ceiling so it's not really taking up any storage space, I'm very contented with my present arrangement.
 
You may want to check to see if your unit was built with reinforcement panels for attaching a ladder.  If they are not putting ladders on in the factory, this may be an issue.
 
The wind noise might be from the window drains. Look for little slots at bottom of windows. They make special little covers that snap into them. They run about a buck a piece. Call Winnie parts for them. (Window drain wind deflectors)
 
I do have the window drain plugs but I think I will try improving upon them, hopefully that reduces the noise. I had been flipping the coach and chassis battery disconnect switches when trying to get the slide to work so I had forgotten to turn the inverter on again so I have solved the freezer issue. I am pretty sure I can use a dremmel to get the bathroom door to stay closed but am still stumped on the slideout  :-\
 
Lets see Hmmmmmmmmmm ok if we remove the ladder from each coach we build we can save $200.00 a coach we build.  Hmmmmmmmm times that by say 1000 Hmmmmmmmmm what does that do to our bottom line. Hmmmm....

Ok I want a good reason why we are not going to put ladder son our Motor Homes.  Make it believable...

American Airlines wanted to save money years ago, so some bean counter decided that if they removed just one slice of tomato from every salad that they served on each meal they would save X amount of money.  Just the beginning.

Now if I wanted to get 1 or 2 or 3 more miles per gallon each coach, I would just remove the paint. Paint = weight  remove one compartment, less room to carry weight.  Oh you get the idea. 

Did you ever wonder why Eastern and American never painted their planes?. 

Bottom Line

Make it cheap make it light.

Jim

Oh I forgot if you all off YOUR LADDER you cannot sue them.
 
We just bought a new to us 2002 34D. The interior had a lot of fixtures and fittings that we wanted swapped out, there were some electrical mods that I added..... what I am trying to say is, your rig does have some issues (which is rather sad for a new rig) but let it grow on you. We simply love our RV, and wouldn't part with it for the world. We seriously hope that you get the problems fixed and begin to enjoy life with your new rig.
 
I have a friend with an Ultimate Freedom without a ladder. At GNR he wanted a ladder added and they said that it wasn't reinforced for a ladder. If you look at the brochure for the 1999 Ultimate Freedom it shows a ladder.
 
Soaringeagle,
  I have the 43E Merdian which is the sister to your motorhome.  Don't be discouraged because it is a wonderful motorhome.  The slide can be fixed although I am confused if it is the big slide or the kitchen slide??  My bathroom door also would not stay closed but I made the hole for a little bigger in order to move the latch and it works fine.  (I really thing the wall was warped but when I moved the latch by digging it out with a wood chisel it is fine.)  The inverter needs to be turned on.  You can do it after you start the engine or before.  Just make sure the green light is on.  (I open the door after I start the engine to make sure the light bulb is on.)  I don't like the side mirrors but you can eliminate a lot of noise by pushing the mirror forward (real close the motorhome) and re-adjusting the mirror.  This eliminated a lot of the noise.  This is the first I have heard about the elimination of the rear ladder.  I guess the telescoping ladder would work but I use my ladder to hang my flag, my "Catherine wheel," my FMCA number, and even my WIT Club number.  So, I would miss it too!  I wash my roof often but I did notice the "sign" on the roof used to say "caution and be careful" but now it says "stay off the roof."  I guess they had too many accidents and are just trying to eliminate them.    Let us know what you do about a ladder.    Where are you located?  You can PM me if you have other questions.
 
I tried to order my first TT without a ladder and they wouldn't do it.  I have had one on each successive RV since then, and I don't really care if there is one there or not. I am also of the thought process that I can carry my own ladder that is easier to climb, safer to maneuver, and easier not to always have in the way. I carry the folding 7' ladder from CW that works great and is easier to store than the attached version.  Even though that my new 5ver has a rear mounted ladder.  Just my .02 
 
My bathroom door on my 13 Tour also would not stay closed...but after a few weeks it adjusted itself...works fine.  I did the same thing with the 12 volt switches...and then wondered why the freezer was not cold enough! Enjoy your coach...we truly enjoy ours. 
 
It's the end closest to the drivers seat on the kitchen slide that is jammed. When we picked up the coach the floor was scratched by a "spare" bolt left under the monster slide, we got that fixed up but wouldn't be surprised that something similar has jammed the kitchen slide. I am in Saskatchewan, Canada so the closest dealer is an 8 hour drive so would like to figure this out myself.  The slide is now jammed about 2 inches open so I am a bit worried about rain. Filed a little off the door jam and post and I think the door will be fine now. Thanks for the tip on the mirror I will give that a try. Gonna phone Lichtsinn this morning and see if they can help with the slide.
 
John Canfield said:
Wow!  That is hard to believe and very disappointing. 

I had a Country Coach owner tell me a couple of years ago that CC did not want to install any ladders because it "spoiled the looks."  That owner wished he ignored the advice and had a ladder installed.

Good luck with your new coach!  It will take a while to get everything settled down.
Click to expand...

John, our new-to-us CC Allure has no rear ladder and I miss having it.  I agree with you, I am on the roof at least 3 - 4 times per year either cleaning it or checking on roof things.  I don't want to have to dig out a portable ladder to do that.  And finally, I need a place to mount a couple of plaques and a bike carrier.  I agree that no ladder makes for a more 'sleek' appearance.

So, I have ordered a ladder from CC and will be installing it soon. 
 
Not sure if the newer Winnebagos have an undercoating or not but I would advise you to have it done. They seem to have MORE than their fair share of rust.
 
I always said that if I bought a brand new WinneBAGO, I would buy it from Lichtsinn Motors and stay in the Forrest City area for a few weeks so I could take the coach back to either them or the factory for the new coach tune ups.  We bought a new Thor last fall and they sent a factory technician to us to work on a defective slide out.  Gee without a ladder where would I put my flagpole?
 
Tom the Journey floorplan is the reverse of the Tour's so the big slide with the locks is on the other side of the coach, but thanks for the tip. Our May holiday weekend is coming up this weekend so all the local RV places are swamped but Coachnet found a mobile RV mechanic that could look at it Thursday or Friday. Four days of rain starting Thursday are forecast so really hoping we can get it retracted all the way. We checked  with Winnebago and the support panels are on our coach for the ladder so we are good to install it when we get it  :)
 
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