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Old 02-08-2015, 02:14 AM   #1
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Four Winds 31P 2011 - Opinions

Hello, I just joined to forum. We are considering buying a slightly used 2011 Four Winds 31P model. I think this model was discontinued after 2011 or 2012. This must be a very late 2011, newer body style.

Would like to hear from other owners of this model, the pros and cons. What to look for etc..



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Old 02-08-2015, 02:57 PM   #2
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Model: 2013 31L
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i googled the floor plan.
a little similar to my 31L, except the chair pushes the door rearward, which reduces the kitchen counter/cabinets.

The long counter cabinet run in the kitchen was a selling point for my plan.

We like thet the dinette and sofa are on the same side, makes for more logical TV location. Can't tell where the 31P tv is

also, my 31L has a second slide, in the bedroom, which yields us much more closet space. We have more cabinet space than we really need. The 31P likely has enough, but something to consider.
Not having the slide though brings advantages too, fewer failure points and less weight

Dislikes of our 31L include
the toilet is up on a platform, which makes the seat height too high. I never thought to do a test sit. Functional, just annoying.
OUr grey tank is our limiting capacity.
also, I wish we had a bit greater tow/weight capacity, but that's pretty much a given in these class C coaches.
Overall, we are very happy with our 31L so far. It doesn't look like much on paper, but it's a functional floor plan.
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Old 02-08-2015, 04:02 PM   #3
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Thanks, I agree with you. One less slide is what we like about it, nothing blocking the left side of RV at all, entry door being moved further aft,less weight/problems. However, you do loose counter space, but gain outdoor storage. Its all personal opinions, we have had an RV before and have an idea what works for us.

What year is your RV? I am wondering about how well it will hold up. Roof, decals, plumbing, doors etc... All RV's have some issues but some brands are worse than others.

(This unit only has only 2000 miles on it. It was a trade to a dealer for a large travel trailer, the low miles worry me a bit since its a 2011).
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Old 02-08-2015, 05:06 PM   #4
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Model: 2011 Four Winds 28Z
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My RV is a 2011. While my coach is a 28Z, it is actually 29ft-11in, so it is a couple ft shorter than a 31P.

We bought it in the fall of 2013 with 5,600 miles on it, so we have had one full season of use. We put over 3,000 miles on it last year with about 60 nights of camping. Overall, it has held up OK.

I would not be too concerned about the low miles... it is very typical of RVs. You don't want one with a lot of miles (say a 2011 with around 30,000~40,000mi), as that may be indicative of a rental unit.

One of the first things you will want to check is to see is if you have any water intrusion in the tail lights. Several of us have had leaks in those tail lights.

Another thing to check is the condition of the batteries. Thor puts in el-cheapo batteries for the coach, and they will probably need replacing. On my coach, the batteries have surprisingly lasted since the coach was new, but I will probably end up replacing them this year.

Finally, check your tires. They are probably Michelins. When we bought our coach, one issue was the tires were dry rotting. Fortunately though, the tires were under recall and I was able to get them replaced by Michelin at no charge (7 tires - if you have a spare).

Here is the recall notice for the Michelins, including how to identify whether or not they are part of the recall:

Safety Recalls for Michelin LTX M/S light truck tires | Michelin US

The tires under the recall were manufactured between the 2nd week of 2010 and the 25th week of 2012. But they are one specific model only:

LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/112 LRE

So if you have these tires, get them replaced by Michilen.

If they are not part of the recall, then you will probably need to plan on replacing them anyway within a year or two. Thing is, tires only last about 5 years before they dry-rot and become dangerous, and for RVs, this means the tires will most certainly go bad long before the tread wears out.

Otherwise, I can't think of anything else right off that you should check.
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Old 02-09-2015, 02:09 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybug8 View Post
..... However, you do loose counter space, but gain outdoor storage. ......
not sure how you gain more outside storage from that, but hey, that's a plus if you do!!!
FW28Z brings up a great point about the tail lights. They recently replaced my entire back wall under warranty because of that. I think the repair was way overkill. Would have been easy enough to repair I think, but that's what they did.....
Mine is a '13, we bought in June. It had been sitting on the dealer's lot for approx a year..... I have already put more than 3,000 miles on her.
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Old 02-09-2015, 12:27 PM   #6
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Thanks to both of you for the info. Very helpful, agreed on the miles but 2000 is very low for an "11" but not big "red" flag, interesting about the tail lights. BLW2, if yours is a 2013, I like that layout better than the newer ones with a huge slide on the left. I think your storage is different from the new ones and about the same as a 31P.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I just came across a 2014 Minnie Winnie 331K model, very similar to the 31L by Thor, without slide in bedroom area. Not sure which way to steer. I have heard/read Winnebago make a better product. (I think they are all pretty close in quality).
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Old 02-09-2015, 01:44 PM   #7
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You are right, that does look very similar to my 31L. That would be a contender for me.......

My impression is that you are correct. Pretty close in quality. Definitely pretty close in terms of plan and amenities anyway.....

I think in this price point range, all are pretty similar. There's always a little give and take where one does something a little better but something else no so nice.

I looked at a Coachman that had a very similar floor plan. I would rank it a full notch below my Thor. Same thing really, just seemed a bit more chintzy. not much, just little things....

My impression, only having looked at Winnebagos while shopping and not having owned one is that they are perhaps a full tick better, overall.

Some things struck me as bit better thought out
such as the battery override switch that on the winny's I've seen is nicely placed up on the dash in a panel installed where ford made allowance for aux switches.....
while Thor put mine down by my knee where it looks like an after thought.

Also in that aux switch location on the winnys I looked at were remote generator switch and other controls that I would like to have. Not sure if that's standard though.....

Also, I believe that the winnebagos have a fiberglass roof. Not sure if that's a pro or a con, but I'm thinking that ticks it up half a notch....

The winny's I have seen have a wrap around fiberglass nose cap. A + in my estimation....

I do like where thor put my TV..... it's the door to kitchen cabinets. Functional and looks great. As long as the mount holds up over time, this is a huge + for Thor in my book..... but not all Thors use this.....
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Old 02-09-2015, 05:27 PM   #8
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Generally slide-outs have a bit more resale value, so that might be a consideration.
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Old 02-09-2015, 09:08 PM   #9
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You know, I was thinking as I was driving the other day, noticing some really great looking LED tail lights on the back of a TT.....

When they recently replaced my rear wall for this issue, I sure do wish that I would have thought for a minute



I should have had them skip their lame lights and sourced some nice surface mounted LED's myself!
A lot easier to seal a couple screw holes then it is an entire light cut-out!
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Old 02-11-2015, 03:19 PM   #10
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Thanks, we are still deciding. Cold and Snowy here in IL, not a big hurry right now. There is a lot to consider but it basically boils down to the right price for the right RV!
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Old 02-11-2015, 04:59 PM   #11
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One thing I think you may find... at least we did. In 2013, when we bought ours, we were looking for something almost new; perhaps 2~4 years old.

But in the 2010~2011 model years, the economy was a bit sluggish, and there are really not a lot of offerings in that range as not many people were buying then.

So we were having troubles finding something in our desired year/price/condition range. We found a lot of newer ones (spend more money), or older ones (less money, but a lot of wear and tear), but not a lot of offerings in the 2~4yr old range.

It's probably not as bad now for the used 2013~2012 model year market, as sales of new coaches started to pick up in those years.
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