Tribute question about inverter and residential refrigerator

[joester]

I'm continuing to try and learn more about these Tribute models - hoping to learn about the 31C model - is the 2000w inverter a pure sine wave, or modified sine wave?
Also, what brand and model is the residential refrigerator they offer? I have tried contacting Winnebago and have not gotten a reply. Local dealer in Mesa is not very helpful, says they don't have any in stock, not able to provide info. Thanks for any info. Looks like the only made these Tribute models for 2015 + 2016.

 

[John Canfield]

There's a 99.99% chance your inverter is not pure sine wave. I think Winnebago was using Kitchen Aid fridges but I have no idea about what's in a Tribute.

The third week of every July is the Grand National Rally in Forest City and is the busiest time of the year for all staff there which includes Owner Relations. It will take a couple of weeks for things to get back to the usual busy summer. So give them some time to get back to you.

 

[John Hilley]

John is most likely right about the inverter. The 2000 watt inverter in the Vista is modified sine wave.

Looks like 2015 is th last year that the Tribute was manufactured

Here is the brochure for the 2015 Tribute
https://winnebagoind.com/binaries/content/assets/brochures/2015/2015-tribute-digital.x.pdf

 

[joester]

I got a reply from Winnebago - here's the email:

Joe,

Thank you for your email and your interest in Winnebago.  The refrigerator in the Tribute 31 was a Whirlpool 11 cu ft.  The inverter was a Pure Sine.

Best,
Laura


now to find the right used one......next year when I'm ready

 

[John Canfield]

Wow, a PSW inverter!  )

 

[joester]

I'm not totally convinced on that inverter - but when I go look at one here locally, I'll check into it in detail, and post back.
I like that a 72 x 75" king bed is available in the units I've seen on rvtrader.
maybe we'll be ready by spring 

 

[atom ant]

MEH!  Just go find the original '68 D22, then you don't have to worry about what Inverter it has

 

[joester]

Nice old unit - its not that I'm that sold on the retro  style, but I like the floorplan, and the interior design and look is pretty cool.
I had been looking at the Vista 30T, but it only is available with a queen bed. The 31C Tribute has a RV king (72"x 75") - gives us some extra width.
not to mention the bigger genset - 5500w vs 4000w, and 2 roof AC units instead of one. The residential refrig, PSW inverter and battery bank set up.
Just need to add solar and the related electronics with additional batteries. Seeing used ones in the 70k range.

 

[atom ant]

Nice old unit - its not that I'm that sold on the retro  style, but I like the floorplan, and the interior design and look is pretty cool.
I had been looking at the Vista 30T, but it only is available with a queen bed. The 31C Tribute has a RV king (72"x 75") - gives us some extra width.
not to mention the bigger genset - 5500w vs 4000w, and 2 roof AC units instead of one. The residential refrig, PSW inverter and battery bank set up.
Just need to add solar and the related electronics with additional batteries. Seeing used ones in the 70k range.

I love that retro look!  The yellow looks good on it, and so does the red.  Don't forget, the Brave is the Winnebago counterpart to the Itasca Tribute.  They were identical except for color selections. Plus the Brave ran into 2016.

 

[joester]

finally going with SWMBO to see a 2016 Tribute 31C this weekend, found one here in Phoenix for sale.
I'll report back on the frig and inverter.

 

[John Canfield]

Let us know what you think.

 

[joester]

We went a saw a 2016 Tribute 31C for sale this morning - here's my report:
The refrigerator is a Whirlpool, model 11 MFTA. Has ice maker, looks like it would be a nice unit. I'd look into what the power draw is expected to be.
The inverter is a Magnum, MS2000. From Magnums website, it is a pure sine wave. The battery tray has 3 group 31 batteries, with room for 6 total.
Overall, like the floorplan very much, and the rv king bed is nice. For a 2016 with 21k miles, it seemed like it was showing wear and age more than I expected, but this Phoenix sun is tough on an RV outside. A few things we noticed - the plastic trim along the outside and around the slide - already turning yellow from the sun. The drivers seat showed considerable wear, but Winnebago had already sent the new seat cover replacements. The wood under the dinette - call it the kick panel - the staples holding it on were already loose and the thin panel was coming off. The vinyl  trim above passenger seat was curled up and separating from wall panel -looked like it was not made that well. The oven was tiny, and not anything we would use, as we never have used our oven in 21 years of mostly short trips - we consider it a waste of space.
We wonder what else we didn't see that maybe wasn't built that great. Some things we like about it, and I'd consider one of these to look at again, but we need to expand our search to include some other makes and models, and some older, a bit more higher-end RV's we think.

 

[atom ant]

Wow, 6 31 Series AGMs would work nice in there!  That New Mexico and Arizona sun is a killer - jump on the web and keep looking.  Maybe one that was covered.

 

[MikeFromMesa1]

Wow, a PSW inverter!  )

I guess I am showing my ignorance here, but since I have been doing that ever since I was about 12 year old, I am used to it by now. So what is the difference between a pure sine wave inverter and a modified sine wave inverter? And does the difference make any difference in the "real world"? I ask because we are buying a new 2018 Era and it has a pure sine wave inverter according to the specs.

 

[John Canfield]

Some inductive loads (motors, transformers) will not operate properly on a square or modified square wave power. A resistive load (incandescent light bulb) doesn't care. Some electronics use a 60Hz sine wave for timing.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Without getting technical, a pure sine inverter exactly mimics the power you get from your local utility, while a modified sine inverter merely approximates it.    In the real world, pure sine works with every thing while modified sine only works with most things.

A few things simply won't work at all on MSW, but the more common real world problem is that they run inefficiently and/or generate a lot of heat, Some examples are clocks that run slow or fast, motors that overheat or trip circuit breakers, on/off timers that don't time, and electric blankets that burn out their control module.