RSchleder

We have towed our 2007 Mini Cooper S(manual tranny) both 4 wheels down AND on the Demco SS dolly. After 1 trip with the dolly, I sold the Demco and went to towing 4 wheels down simply to do away with the "hassle" of loading/unloading the Mini. I made blocks out of 2X6 wood, about a foot long with 1 end tapered so I could place them UNDER the factory ramp ends, drive up the tapered end onto the factory ramps. This block of wood elevated the ramps ends high enough so the Mini drove up and off the dolly just fine, no scrapping what so ever. One thing we liked about the dolly was it has brakes and I didn't have to mess with installing a Brake Buddy type system each time we take off. Never had any scraping of our Mini either against the dolly OR the pavement. We have since towed the Mini 4 wheels down for several thousands of miles without any issues to the car. Many auto companies ( like the Honda CR-V, for example) have decided they do not want the liability of placing their products in a towed position. For years the CR-V was a popular toad choice ( we towed one for many years) but today, they are not recommended by Honda as a 4 wheels down toad.

I installed this system several months ago and it works perfectly. I actually made a "pigtail" that plugs into a mating connector at the electrical connection point on both the toad and the MH( be sure to put electrical tape around the connections you attached to each end of the pigtail (where the wire enters the connector to keep water out). I have actually placed/attached the pigtail to the spiral cord that operates the lights on the toad that runs between the MH and the toad. Leave plenty of slack wire available so as the spiral cord stretches out during connecting/disconnect you don't damage the pigtail or put undue pressure on the connectors. Use plastic zip ties to attach the pigtail to the spiral cord ( or non-spril cord as the case may be). Also zip tie the mating connectors on the toad and motorhome so they are secure and easily accessible. It's a pretty easy install-- just treat the connectors provided with care as they are not too "hardy". I did not use any additional sleeving or coating over the wires I made the pigtail out of, not a bad idea but it's a personal choice-can't hurt anything if you decide to do it. To make the pigtail, I simply used the extra wire supplied in the kit. I also tend to wrap electrical tape around the connectors after mating them to the toad/MH for travel as they are not water proof. I mounted the actual TOAD CHARGER unit under the hood of my toad (2007 Mini Cooper S) where it's clean and dry and it has functioned just fine. Suggest you consider the same as I don't think the unit would be too reliable over the long term if it were exposed for thousands of miles under the MH or toad where it can get wet and grubby. WATER is your enemy here so keep that in mind as you think through the install. Good luck--hope this helps a bit!

The year shown on the title seems to be different state to state. Our 2012 Winnebago ERA built into a Sprinter 2011 chassis is titled as a 2012.

I think you're certainly looking in the right direction when you pick a CC DP'er in the 32' range, We've owned 3 DP'ers and wish we'd have purchased a CC. Never did, however, and I believe that's "our loss". CC made a terrific coach with a lot of high end features. Good luck with your search!

You won't beat these folks. 1 mile from the Winnebago Factory in Forest city, Ia. http://www.lichtsinn.com

Been in the shop a LONG time I guess!

Our 2 diesel pushers dropped down around 6" when I dumped the air. I'm sure it varies from coach to coach but my opinion is 4"-8" and YES, you definitely can tell the difference in height when the air is dumped.

I cannot give a definitive answer to your question on the CC length. My experience with our 3 diesel pushers is that the actual length was 12"-14" longer than the stated length of the coach. That was true with Tiffin, Monaco, and Gulfstream.

The Tour is a terrific coach and has a great floor plan. IMHO it's one of the best looking coaches on the road. Winnebago produces a very fine MH with a lot of features for the money. We've owned class A HM's built by Tiffin (Allegro Bus), Monaco (Dynasty), Gulf Stream ( Sun Voyager) and a Class B Winnebago ( ERA) and we've been VERY pleased with every aspect of the Winnebago and would buy another Winnebago coach in a heartbeat. We also have friends that own a 2 year old diesel pusher Winnebago ( their 2nd Winnebago) and luv it. We really think a Tour will make you a wonderful coach with many years of great service and pleasure! Good luck!

We had dual pane windows in our 2005 Allegro Bus which, in my opinion, is necessary for extensive cold weather camping. The only problem with dual pane windows is that in some brands of HM's, they have a tendency to lose their seal and fog up. We had several of our windows on our Bus fog and it typically costs $400-$600 to have the defective windows replaced. You might want to check out the brand you are buying to find out their history with this problem. Most manufacturers warrant the windows for 3-5 years so I'd also check on the warranty period. PS- The front curtains pulled across the windshield will help keep the cold out of the living area of the coach. My guess is you'll also find out that the floors are cold in most MH's during "winter camping" times. A heated floor would be great so you may also want to see if the brand you buy has that feature as standard or an option. Good luck!

Perhaps several trips to Red Bay ( like we took) to stay for 2-3 weeks before you can get into one of the 60 repair bays at the Tiffin service facility would give you "some new information" on Tiffin. Sit in the waiting room and talk to the owners and you will get the "rest of the story". I appreciate your being in the repair business and we all have our own opinions. I simply base my opinion on my ownership of a Tiffin product as well as close association with Tiffin owners in campgrounds and at Red Bay during many visits for repairs, We have been Rv'ing since 1970 and have owned 3 diesel pushers as well as 7 other Rv's so we have some level of experience/knowledge/history in this subject as well. It's not my intent to bash Tiffin here, and I do realize ALL RV's have problems, my experience certainly bares that out. My only intent here is to perhaps add some personal experience due to owning both a Tiffin and a Winnebago. I suggest both brands of MH's are pretty much comparable and no doubt both are top producers in the MH business, being able to weather the last several years economic conditions speaks volumes about both companies.

As a former owner of an 2005 Allegro Bus for 6 years, and now an owner of a Winnebago MH for 2 years, I must take issue with your "step-down" comment. Perhaps you've missed the Tiffin issues like windows fogging, wet bays rotting out, wall to roof "coupling" pieces cracking, outside wall cracks, etc,etc. I agree, Tiffin stands behind their product, however, I'm not alone in my feeling that they would have a lot less to stand behind if Quality Control was a key word in their mission statement.

Perhaps you found other's you liked more, however, I'm willing to bet they also cost more!

I agree, everything about Lichtsinn is absolutely first class. Talk to Nicole, you won't be sorry!

We have owned 10 RV's since 1970. They range from tent campers, pickup campers, a teardrop, 3 Class A DP'ers, and currently a Winnebago Sprinter based Class B ERA. I can say we have enjoyed every RV we've owned and know that each type of RV has both advantages and disadvantages. Sure enjoyed the room in the Class A DP'ers but after 20 years, we got tired of herding the 40-foot motorhome plus a toad around through busy large cities and 6-7 mpg. The class B is now just the ticket for us, it's 24-foot long, fully capable of dry camping as it's fully functional and self contained. We find the Sprinter comfortable to drive and camp in for weeks on end. We also like getting three times the fuel milage we got in any of our class A units. We just figured it was time to downsize and IF we decided we didn't like it, what the heck, we can always change to something else. At this point, all is well and we will be living in it all winter as we snowbird in the South. I think if you -- try it, you'll like it!