My new 59K!

[eric1514]

Well I was a 1000 miles away when I finally got out a ladder and climbed up to look. I did let WGO know in one of the new owner surveys they sent me I doubt I'll hear back.

I was tracking down a short a few weeks ago and I removed the smoke and CO detectors from the roof just 'cuz when I noticed, nobody had removed the clear plastic strip that allows the batteries in them to make contact.

[BobB]

Originally Posted by eric1514

Well I was a 1000 miles away when I finally got out a ladder and climbed up to look. I did let WGO know in one of the new owner surveys they sent me I doubt I'll hear back.

Understand. Sounds like an item that should go on the "inspection list" for new owners.

[wincrasher]

Screw guns, obviously. Saves money for the factory, creates headaches for the customer. Who cares about that, right?

[gregmchugh]

Nothing wrong with "screw guns" on the assembly line, they are standard in auto manufacturing but they are set up correctly to avoid under and over torquing. Much more consistent operation than manual torquing.

Sounds like the super duper Winnebago assembly process has room for improvement

[TravelGal]

The granite is a cool color, but was not available when I bought mine, so I ended up with fire-engine red. (I love it, not sure why it would languish on the lot).

You did get some really nice new features that I wish mine had, so can see why you upgraded. Without going into great detail, obviously, how did the trade work financially? Had you had the older one long enough to justify the trade, or was the deal for the new one something you could not refuse, or vice versa? I'd consider doing the same just to get the Thuma heating system, but I've only had mine for a few months so probably not wise.

[wincrasher]

My dealer has had the same Red deisel on his lot since February. Can't sell it. I think it's one of those things where everyone says it's cool, but few step up to the plate and write a check.

I won't go into the particulars of my deal, but I can say that I did pay something, thought it was worth the price and have no regrets.

[TravelGal]

Fair enough, and thank you. The new rig looks fantastic, and I wish you many adventures.

[wincrasher]

Mileage on this one isn't too bad. Got 19 going down to Charleston before Thanksgiving. Got this today on the way to the Keys (cruise set on 65):

[eric1514]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Mileage on this one isn't too bad. Got 19 going down to Charleston before Thanksgiving. Got this today on the way to the Keys (cruise set on 65):

That's really good. I'll bet some of that can be attributed to not having that roof rack on top.

Eric

[wincrasher]

A wee bit I think. Mostly due to absolutely flat terrain and not fighting big winds.

[wincrasher]

On arrival - this is all causeway

[stanw909]

Down hill.

[jrobe]

The best part of this is the rear bathroom (in my opinion). It looks like it would be roomier than most of the Class B bathrooms. How does the bath area work for you? Is the shower room adequate? The black tank looks like it is directly under the toilet but above the floor? Where is the grey tank? I assume there is a spare tire in the back? Is the freshwater tank under the beds or under the floor? Thanks for your great posts.

[mumkin]

...with a tail wind?

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by jrobe

The best part of this is the rear bathroom (in my opinion). It looks like it would be roomier than most of the Class B bathrooms. How does the bath area work for you? Is the shower room adequate? The black tank looks like it is directly under the toilet but above the floor? Where is the grey tank? I assume there is a spare tire in the back? Is the freshwater tank under the beds or under the floor? Thanks for your great posts.

The bathroom works very well. I was worried about the shower curtain - it's held in with snaps. But it works really well - they give you magnets as well so you can hold up the curtain away from you if needed.

The sink drains into the black tank - that's why it's 13 gallons instead of the usual 9 or 10. The gray tank collects the shower water and the kitchen sink.

Both tanks are under the floor of the van behind the rear axle, along with the generator. It all fits, but it is tight! The bonus for this arrangement is that everything is gravity flow - no pumps. It all drains in about a minute.

The fresh water tank, and all the water piping is inside the heated space of the van. The tank is under the passenger side bed, against the outer wall.

So far everything is working great. The fixtures are all residential quality and the flow using the onboard pump is terrific.

[wincrasher]

Well, I had to dump my tanks yesterday. That's 5 days.

The gray tank needed the dumping, as it read full. Black was at 2/3. Water was at 1/3.

This included a Navy shower each day plus washing the dishes 2 times. I'm not using disposables (plates/cups, etc), except for some aluminum foil on the grill, and paper towels.

So I'm fairly happy with that.

[BobB]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Well, I had to dump my tanks yesterday. That's 5 days.

The gray tank needed the dumping, as it read full. Black was at 2/3. Water was at 1/3.

This included a Navy shower each day plus washing the dishes 2 times. I'm not using disposables (plates/cups, etc), except for some aluminum foil on the grill, and paper towels.

So I'm fairly happy with that.

5 days sounds pretty good; some disposable plates and you might have gotten an extra day.

Does shower go into gray or black on the K? IIRC, shower (and the bath sink) on the G, drains into the black?

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by BobB

5 days sounds pretty good; some disposable plates and you might have gotten an extra day.

Does shower go into gray or black on the K? IIRC, shower (and the bath sink) on the G, drains into the black?

On both the G & K, shower & kitchen sink to the gray. Bath sink & toilet to the black.

The only difference is on the G, there is a pump required to run to pump out of the shower pan to the gray tank.

[GigaGeek]

Wincrasher, now that you've had the 59K for awhile, what have been the advantages and disadvantages to the 59K compared to your previous 59G vans?

I'm mainly interested in your impression of the layout, so you can exclude from the comparison the items that are now available on the 2016 59G like the Truma Combi, Froli Sleep system and Corian countertops.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

[wincrasher]

I am VERY happy with my purchase. The layout is a tremendous improvement. With it so open, it's not an inconvenience to be cooped up during bad weather.

I also like having a sofa to sit on and a comfortable viewing angle to watch TV. In the mornings, I'll sit in the passenger seat and use the little table to use my laptop and have coffee and I can turn the TV to see it from that seat.

Outside of the equipment features you mentioned. Probably the nicest thing is the compressor refrigerator. It's really a joy to use, and I have no anxieties about battery capacity to run it. Another thing I REALLY like is no pump for the shower drain. And no pump to drain the tanks. That is a HUGE improvement and I like to know I'll never be inconvenienced by a pump failure.

Lastly, the bathroom is perfect for me. I like having the wardrobe back there. I like that the shower is big enough to turn around in. Having a proper medicine cabinet is a plus.

The downsides? The beds are high enough that the dog can't jump up there. Actually I consider this a plus, some may not. The gray tank is alittle small. You have to work around that, but I didn't really have any issues - I can make 4 days on it with alittle conservation.