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My Observations: Winnebago & Jayco
Hey Gang,
I've been meaning for some time now to catalog my impressions and observations regarding my recently purchased Minnie Winnie against the 3 Jayco Class C's I've had in the past. Yes - 3 of them ! Don't ask why 3, I don't have a good answer.
So, first off note I did not say Winnebago VS. Jayco. This is not a one is better then the other, and this post is not meant to be confrontational. There are things each builder does well, and some areas I feel they sorely miss the mark.
For this thread I'm comparing a Greyhawk to a Minnie Winnie. I'm not going into the Redhawk SE, Redhawk, or Greyhawk Prestige. In my opinion the SE and Prestige add too many variables to the mix.
Things I feel Jayco does right:
*Solid fiberglass front cap: Even though my Winnie has that little fiberglass front bucket that covers the cap, the full seamless fiberglass front cap is a league better still. I'm already obsessing over the sealant on my cap.
*Crowned roof: A Jayco will shed water naturally even if fully level.
*Cabinet/Drawer doors: Solid wood is appreciable and looks good
*Well appointed: Gas/electric water heater, heat pump, etc. Light fixtures in some places instead of the circular cups.
*Hellwig Helper Springs: I'd rather tighten them up once and forget about them rather then mess around with airbag pressure.
*Longer warranty: Self explanatory
Things I feel Winnebago does right:
*Structured wiring and plumbing: This was a toss up w/ the second point I'm going to bring up. Winnie's wiring and plumbing is simply a world ahead of Jayco's. All the wiring is cut to the correct length, routed cleanly, put in plastic sleeves where they could, and tied off nicely. Wires are also terminated cleanly from what I can see and find. This also includes the wiring under the chassis. Super clean. I have not found any of the 'rat nest' jobs we've all seen on our Jayco units. Same w/ the plumbing. All neatly done, and often times strapped in places.
*Build structure: Obviously I can't get into the walls and see, but from what I have observed on factory tour videos and what not Winnie does a very nice job building a solid box. And I can confidently say my coach is REMARKABLY less chatty going down the road as any Jayco I've ever had. Very little by way of squeaks and rattles and banging on my Winnie.
*Documentation: My portfolio of manuals is specific to my coach. And the coach specific manual is precise; noting where my low point drains are, water heater bypass, etc.
*Foam: Winnie uses much denser foam in there soft products. When sitting in my dinette for long periods of time, I have not yet bottomed out my cushion to the plywood bench. Winnie's foam is substantial.
*Solid surface kitchen counter
*Floating lino: My flooring is not glued, it floats. I don't know what the benefits or detriments are, but I know I won't have glue spots leaching through. I'd imagine this would also be less prone to cracking as the floor can give a little.
*HWH Levelers: Very robust, used on much more expensive rigs. I like the spring retract should I have hydro problems. I am not a fan of Lippert jacks - though I've also seen some Lipperts on Winnebagos. I count myself lucky with the HWH jacks.
*Azdel sidewalls: If you don't know the benefits of Azdel google it. I love the fact that I have Azdel in my walls.
*Ford Lariat dashboard as opposed to the XL, XLT: Winnie goes for the higher end dash layout. All digital, no analog. It promotes a higher end feeling to the driver, and for the cost of these things its nice to see somebody go a little further.
*Keeps the Ford front seats: I've never really found the 3rd party seats Jayco puts in the Greyhawk to be comfortable. I've often felt the Redhawk seats were better, as they were OEM Ford. Winnie keeps the OEM Ford, but as an option will pull them and cover them w/ leatherette (which I have).
*Real windows: The frameless look better, but I'd prefer the window actually open for cross ventilation. Also Winnie offers dual pane (which I have); that's a nice touch.
*True Level: My holding tanks don't have probes; my tank readings should not ever become untrustworthy.
*Winnebago dealers are franchised: I can take my Winnie to any Winnie dealer and get service just like somebody who bought there. I verified w/ the 2 local dealers in my area just to be sure. In fact Winnie provides a full list of authorized dealers/service centers in case you need help. Its liberating to know you don't necessarily have to buy local.
*Spare tire is an option: I have it. Its welded to a bracket under my chassis. Nice to have it come that way from the factory.
Now lets go into the things I don't like. Obviously if I like something on one manufacturer, I probably dislike the other manufacturer's spin on it. So I won't repeat everything necessarily.
Things I dislike(d) about Jayco:
*Seems like every couple of years Jayco looses content. My 2015 Greyhawk was better appointed then my 2019. Small things like the pull out drawer assembly in the kitchen (MV), the mirror on the wall, solid surface countertops that got bumped up into Prestige, etc.
*Seems to be put together cheaper. Dinettes pulling from the wall (recent post and I experienced as well), etc.
*Documentation is pretty bad
*Lack of structured wiring/plumbing: This is one of those instances I have to point out explicitly. The way Jayco runs this stuff is embarrassing.
*Greyhawk Prestige: I hate that they put another level in the model lineup. I liked it better when it was just the Redhawk and the Greyhawk. I feel like Greyhawk owners get penny pinched now that the Prestige is there.
*Greyhawks are notoriously porky when it comes to CCC. I've seen Greyhawks with 1200 or so pounds of CCC on them. That's almost criminal to me. A novice buyer will quickly fill those cabinets and storage bays and be very overloaded. That's dangerous.
Things I dislike about Winnebago:
*Flat roof: I mean, absolutely flat. No crown, no nothing. I have to camp and store my RV nose high so the water runs off the back. I learned the hard way that having my coach absolutely level was a bad idea when we got 3" of rain. I did not experience a leak, but I did have a MASSIVE amount of water come off the coach when I pulled my levelers to break camp. Shocking.
*Cheaper amenities: No heat pump, water heater is propane only, plastic toilet. I understand my coach is supposed to be built better and that takes time and money, but come on people.
*Cabinetry, including front facing cabinet doors and drawers, are decidedly cheaper.
*Cheaper lighting: My coach doesn't have anything in it besides those little dome cups. A fixture or two would impart some class.
*No speakers in the house or outside: I have to bring a Bluetooth speaker with me.
*Interior ceiling is not padded: again, w/ the cheaper execution.
*To be honest, I'm not a fan of the model name "Minnie Winnie". I wish they chose something else.
That's all I wrote down over the course of the past month and a half. I'm sure there will be more, but I wanted to share. Time will tell how my feelings about both will evolve. For now, I'm willing to take some of the cheaper cuts in favor of a better build but maybe that will change with time.
I'm betting those cheap cuts (some of my negatives) and Azdel (one of my positives) is what gave me 2800+ pounds of CCC on my coach; I weighed out and had room to spare fully loaded INCLUDING some water in my tanks. That's something I was never able to do w/ 4 people in my Jayco !
At any rate, those are my thoughts. I hope some of you find them helpful or at the very least interesting.
__________________
2023 Ford F-150 XLT SCREW 3.5EB (Max Tow Pkg., Black Appearance Pkg., Bed Utility Pkg.)
1727 Payload / 4150 RAWR
On the sidelines taking it all in.
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