Winnebago EKKO

[gregmchugh]

My weight comparison was not fair on the one ton, if comparing apples, the DRW one ton would have considerable more capacity.
Agreed EKKO appears better built.
I might be wrong, but didn't WB start out using 48v lithium, wonder why they went to 12v?

Yes, they use a 48v Volta lithium system in some RVs. Here is an overview of the two options...

 

[gregmchugh]

The failure rate of the chassis is the primary factor (that is set by Ford, not WB), and since these vans are not designed to be offroad vehicles, I would not expect them to hold up very well to severe use even if empty. The part that WB adds is another story...

On the other hand, the Transit is a commercial vehicle so it should handle gravel roads and dirt roads that are reasonably maintained. They tested them on these types of roads as part of the development testing.

 

[rruff]

On the other hand, the Transit is a commercial vehicle so it should handle gravel roads and dirt roads that are reasonably maintained. They tested them on these types of roads as part of the development testing.

Sure, if that is the extent of your occasional use, the chassis should be fine.

I wonder where the "1,500 lb payload" figure came from? I see GVWR of 11k lbs, but don't see a curb weight.

 

[Big Rudy]

If we take the house build out of the equation, focus on chassis performance, safety, ride,reliability, where would be a good point, I'm just throwing these numbers out, based on nothing in particular.
1.90% of the time you are 500lbs above or below GVWR
2.90% of the time you are 500- 1000Lbs below GVWR
3.90% of the time you are 1000- 2000 below GVWR
I currently fit in #2

Not sure where the #1500 came from.

 

[gregmchugh]

If we take the house build out of the equation, focus on chassis performance, safety, ride,reliability, where would be a good point, I'm just throwing these numbers out, based on nothing in particular.
1.90% of the time you are 500lbs above or below GVWR
2.90% of the time you are 500- 1000Lbs below GVWR
3.90% of the time you are 1000- 2000 below GVWR
I currently fit in #2

Not sure where the #1500 came from.

I expect the typical RV owner doesn’t know much about the issue and given that most do not have much cargo capacity they are overloaded on a regular basis. Each does have a sticker that specifies the cargo capacity but most owners probably don’t even look at it or attempt to follow it.

I am surprised how close to GVWR a high priced option like an EarthRoamer is and the low cargo capacity. Not something I worry about too much with our truck, GVWR is 33,000 lb and we probably run around 26,000 - 28,000 lb depending on the fuel and water load.

 

[Big Rudy]

I think you are in 4. more than 2000 below

 

[skirunman]

I could no find the curb weight on Winnebago website, but do remember hearing, maybe in one of the videos, that the curb weight was approximately 9,500 pounds depending on options selected so CCC approximately 1,500 pounds.

 

[gregmchugh]

I could no find the curb weight on Winnebago website, but do remember hearing, maybe in one of the videos, that the curb weight was approximately 9,500 pounds depending on options selected so CCC approximately 1,500 pounds.

That is the number that has been talked about and there must be an actual weight for the prototype but it may not be representative of the actual curb weight of the production vehicles and even those will vary depending on the option set. Each production unit will have the standard weight label as required for RV’s that shows the cargo capacity but those may be based on the standard configuration for each floor plan with none of the options.

 

[martinf]

On the other hand, the Transit is a commercial vehicle so it should handle gravel roads and dirt roads that are reasonably maintained. They tested them on these types of roads as part of the development testing.

Correct, the proving grounds are designed to test the vehicles on various type of surface and conditions.

I have driven my sprinter based winnebago revel on hundreds of miles of dirt and gravel roads, over rocks and branches and I have yet to find anything that got damaged. On the other end my airstream would pop rivets or loose cabinets screws almost every trip we'd make... on pavement.

 

[pnichols]

Well ... cute little complex high-tech rigs may seem great for some folks, but for serious off-highway and offroad camping I'll take something like this in a heartbeat over the EKKO :

Below is us in our 24ft Class C camping off a 4X4 road in Death Valley. We go off-highway whenever our exploring destination requires it - with so far no screws coming loose or other construction problems. However our coach is built on an overkill E450 chassis (instead of an E350), has oversize tires, has nothing hanging down below frame height, has a decent departure angle, and ... we GO SLOW when out there one gravel/dirt/rutted roads:

 

[pugslyyy]

In this case, I think propane is the way to go. Gasoline engine so you would have reduced options for heat and hot water vs diesel. Induction cooktop would be nice though. Propane set up with two standard tanks is a good choice making refills easy.

Webasto has a full line of diesel and gasoline heaters (AirTop for the furnace and ThermoTop for hot water) - we are building quite a bit on the new F350 7.3liter gas platform and everything pulls from the vehicle's gasoline fuel tank. We have made the switch to induction for cooking (along with the rest of the industry).

 

[pugslyyy]

I believe Nimbl recently announced they had obtained the RV certification, and those campers do not have propane. Maybe the regs have changed, given the increased capacity of newer battery systems.

That Winne has a big pass-thru from the cab to the camper and no apparent way to block it off (it looks like the driver and passenger seats are an integral part of the camper furniture). That would be nice in most circumstances, but it will make it a lot less efficient to heat the camper. And propane heat is not efficient to start with. So, probably. not the best design for winter use, although I expect the target audience does not do a lot of really cold weather camping.

Yes, the RV Industry Association has moved with the times and diesel/gasoline heating is not an issue (though a diesel cooktop is). The rules for heating with a liquid fuel are actually less complicated than safely managing a heavier-than air gas like propane which can pool on the floor and in the basement storage of RVs.

 

[pugslyyy]

Oh, some of them certainly care, you just haven't had the misfortune of needing to stay at one yet. They are all privately owned though. Having only camped in the US I've never seen this at a public CG. It blows my mind that any one would live somewhere with a HOA and this is essentially bringing HOA's to campgrounds. Just what I want, some Debbie Downer rolling around on her golf cart telling me what's what about my camp site or rig.

We've seen more of an issue with eastern-US campgrounds excluding campers that don't have RVIA certification stickers on them, and have heard that it is becoming an insurance issue. Basically the campground's insurance company wants assurance that all campers meet the industry standards for fire safety. For instance, as of 2020 all RVIA-compliant campers have to have polarity detection because one of the most common causes of fires is a miswired pedestal.

 

[gregmchugh]

Webasto has a full line of diesel and gasoline heaters (AirTop for the furnace and ThermoTop for hot water) - we are building quite a bit on the new F350 7.3liter gas platform and everything pulls from the vehicle's gasoline fuel tank. We have made the switch to induction for cooking (along with the rest of the industry).

I would also prefer the gasoline heat and hot water option and induction and no propane but Winnebago has pretty well standardized on Truma propane so I am not surprised they didn’t go with a new brand and gasoline units.

 

[pugslyyy]

I would also prefer the gasoline heat and hot water option and induction and no propane but Winnebago has pretty well standardized on Truma propane so I am not surprised they didn’t go with a new brand and gasoline units.

Other than inertia, I just don't get why they stick with propane.