Winnebago TT's

[Tulecreeper]

I find it interesting that there are never any posts here relating to Winnebago TT's. It's always MH issues. Is it that no one in this group buys or owns one, or is it that their quility is so great that there are never any issues that need discussion?

 

[TonyL]

You should look through some of the historical threads by Boat addict. Then see if the trailers are well built

 

[8Muddypaws]

I looked closely at several Winnebago trailer and fifth wheels when we thought our Montana would be totaled. I was impressed by their apparent attention to details. Wires were run neatly, not the normal tangled mess. Same with plumbing. Finish trim was cut to the correct length. Doors all worked perfectly and so on.

That was probably 18 years ago and things may have changes. Inspect closely when you go shopping.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Winnebago got into the travel trailer business when they bought Sunnybrook RV at the end of 2010. "SunnyBrook manufactures towable RVs. The company’s lineup includes Harmony, Edgewater and Sunset Creek trailers and Brookside, Bristol Bay and West Pointe fifth-wheels and the Titan sport utility RV."

It was about 2013 before the Winnebago name was applied to any of the trailers, and I think the complete change over was 2015 or 2016.

Sunnybrook was bought due to their reputation for quality and Winnebago has maintained that. That cannot be said for other makes they have purchased since then, such as Grand Design.

Charles

 

[RVfixer]

In 2012 I bought a 2011 Sunnybrook Edgewater TT and it had a Winnebago badge. We still have that trailer and have used it a lot. We have been happy with the quality. It is a 29 foot with one slideout. I have made several modifications but haven't had to fix much. I do all my own fixes and it has never been in the shop.

 

[John Canfield]

I find it interesting that there are never any posts here relating to Winnebago TT's. It's always MH issues. Is it that no one in this group buys or owns one, or is it that their quility is so great that there are never any issues that need discussion?

There's a couple of reasons there's not more Towable posts. Winnie has been making motorized RVs for over 30 years so there's more of them out there.

Towable RVs are significantly less complicated since they don't have the typical motorhome chassis so the towable units just have the typical house issues.

Also could be that the towable owners have found other online communities that tailor more towards that market. We do have a few threads here about Winniebago TTs.

 

[Tulecreeper]

There's a couple of reasons there's not more Towable posts. Winnie has been making motorized RVs for over 30 years so there's more of them out there.

Towable RVs are significantly less complicated since they don't have the typical motorhome chassis so the towable units just have the typical house issues.

Also could be that the towable owners have found other online communities that tailor more towards that market. We do have a few threads here about Winniebago TTs.

Their MH's have been around for a lot longer than 30 years. I had a 1973 Indian that I lived in for 3 years in the early 90's. Then I got rid of that and bought a 1976 Ideal TT and lived in that for 2 years.

I was just wonder why, on a "Winnebago Forum" there aren't more posts about their TT's.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I see some Winnebago towable posts here, but they are nowhere near as numerous as the Winnie motorhome threads. Simply put, there are a lot more motorhome owners than towables in the Winnie family. The reason for that is there are a lot more brands & models to choose from in the towables market, so Winnie holds a relatively small share there, whereas they are a major provider of motorhomes.

 

[John Canfield]

Their MH's have been around for a lot longer than 30 years. [...]

"Winnie has been making motorized RVs for over 30 years..."

 

[Jayflight]

I find it interesting that there are never any posts here relating to Winnebago TT's. It's always MH issues. Is it that no one in this group buys or owns one, or is it that their quility is so great that there are never any issues that need discussion?

In reading, in general TT threads and replies on this forum seems to be on the low end of the total contribution here. As expressed above it really is a motorhome site in general. The towable contributions seems geared towards 5th wheels and F 250 and the sparing of the Dodge towing truck group. GM trucks have not caught up with the two. [that ought to create some fireworks] LOL

I have witnessed many dealers along the east coast that no longer stock Winnebago TTs on their lots either. Maybe its a business decision or maybe manufacturer support is different. That's always the case anyway no matter the brands. The Imagine brand , which seems to be on the higher end of TT pricing and has shown up and floods the region.

We have gone to a couple of the big shows and their TT display was not as large as most other manufacturers, for whatever reason not for sure. When we were looking a year ago Passport have taken over the lots. Springdale, which did not impress us even walking in them represented the lower end pricing.

I guess more profit drives the larger motorhome sales and represents what the dealers are driven to as the economic trends have changed recently. The lots are flooded with assorted TTs, which is probably not selling as quickly, after the supply change has somewhat caught up for the manufacturers..

Added to include RV Miles did a recent video with comments from the Winnebago CEO on the overall market and trends as I have spoken about and manufacturers are noticing too.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I can't disagree with any of your observations.

Dealers buy & display makes/models they think they can sell and most focus on the mainstream buyers, which often means newbies. And dealers generally know (or at least believe) that low prices and high bling are what attracts buyers the most. Winnie isn't noted for either of those, solidly middle-of-the-road. They are perhaps also stronger in middle America rather than either coast, simply because of proximity to the factories. Physical delivery of RVs is a major factor for dealers, both for time and cost. The lower price of most trailers vs motorhomes makes the delivery cost a bigger factor.

To many Americans, Winnebago is synonymous with motorhome, but not trailers. The brand name is recognizable but just doesn't have the same impact.

 

[John Canfield]

I had a discussion a few years ago with a couple of Winnebago senior management types about breaking into the towable market. As you might imagine the reason was to sell product at a different price point to attract a different population segment. Even the smaller motorized RVs are expensive and the diesel pushers way, way, way more expensive.

Buying Grand Design was a unique calculated risk for them, Winnebago assumed debt and a lot of it. They survived the bloodbath of several RV market collapses, one major reason was almost no debt to service. On the flip side Fleetwood was highly leveraged and needed cash flow and a lot of it to survive. Market crash and they went bankrupt.

Another conversation was with Winnebago's Director of Marketing about market position with diesel pushers. They did make a decision to be middle of the road so to speak not wanting to compete with say the Newmar King Aire.

Then the bling started. Bling was relatively inexpensive and an easy way to 'dress' up the unit. The real money is in the chassis - that's sight unseen and the usual new shopper probably has little or no idea about what attributes are desirable to important to critical.