Sightseer 33C.. need some help!

[Vintagercr]

Hello folks,

Need some help... Looking at a Sightseer 33C and had some questions regarding the main bed sizes:

-Is the under bed storage the same size between the queen and the king?
-Has anyone swapped out the 75" long Queen or King for an 80"?
-Is there a reason why 33C did not have the 80" option?
-Has anyone swapped out the fixed bed for the powered version?

Hoping to get some of these questions answered before making a 2000 mile trip to see it in person.

Thanks n advance!!

[georgelesley]

What year us it? Likely close to our Sunova 33C which is the same model, just a different name. The under bed storage is the same king or queen. The reason the bed cannot be over 75” is because it slides in and out, nothing longer would fit when slide is closed. We actually cut our king down to a queen to give move room along the sides so we can easily get in/out.

I have no knowledge about the power option so cannot help there.

[Vintagercr]

It's a 2014. A shame you had to cut down your king. Something doesn't make sense. The beds are mounted transverse in the coach. The 30A has a full king (80" Long) and so does the 35G. Basically the same model RV just one longer and one shorter. The 35G has a motorized bed that tilts up slightly as the slide closes to accommodate the length. It was a factory standard if ordering the 80" King.
I'm trying to get some info if anyone has made the conversion.

How do you like your Itasca Sunova 33C??... Anything in particular I should be paying closer attention to?

Thanks again for your reply!

[georgelesley]

Originally Posted by Vintagercr

It's a 2014. A shame you had to cut down your king. Something doesn't make sense. The beds are mounted transverse in the coach. The 30A has a full king (80" Long) and so does the 35G. Basically the same model RV just one longer and one shorter. The 35G has a motorized bed that tilts up slightly as the slide closes to accommodate the length. It was a factory standard if ordering the 80" King.
I'm trying to get some info if anyone has made the conversion.

How do you like your Itasca Sunova 33C??... Anything in particular I should be paying closer attention to?

Thanks again for your reply!

Ours is a 2014 as well. We absolutely love the floor plan. We did some suspension mods which greatly improved swaying with trucks passing and side winds. Search the CHF thread in the F-53 sub forum. Helps a bunch and free! Also recommend a rear trac bar, cost 5-600. I installed myself a few hundred for someone else to do it.

Watch for water mysteriously appearing on dash. If it happens contact me via PM there is also the “leaking windshield club”. I am a member and can give lots of help should it occur to you. We also did the Amish cooling unit for our Norcold 1211 refrig cooling unit. World of difference.

Check the air mattress in the fold out couch if you have one. They all leak or will someday. We finally put in a 4.5” foam mattress custom made for it.

I fixed several steaks and rattles in our dash near the video monitor and near the slide out desk in front of the passenger seat.

Most important thing is check the large full wall slide on the drivers side. If it has the same original Schwintek slide mechanism as the bedroom, pass it up or expect a 3000 repair very soon. Ours was rebuilt 5 times. If you hear popping noises or the counter extension touches the floor when the slide is closed, it will have to be repaired. The final repair was to install the new, improved Power gear designed mechanism. The factory installed it free of charge since ours was under the three year good will factory warranty.

Call Winnebago with the VIN # and see what has been done previously done on the slide. The other two slides work fine. We have cycled the new full wall slide with the new mechanism over 150 times now without problems. DO NOT allow ANY RV dealer to repair the slide out. Have it done ONLY in Forrest City, Iowa at the Winnebago factory.

Once we got everything right, it is a great machine. Good luck.

Thats all I can think of for now, PM me if you have any questions.

[RandyLee]

When the bed slide is in. the standard mattress is tight up against the wardrobe. No room for a longer one.

[Vintagercr]

That's great info!! Thanks you so much for taking the time to reply! Will definitely keep those things in mind when shopping.

Any idea if there were upgrades made to the slide mechanism that appears to be problematic?

[Vintagercr]

Hi RandyLee, Totally get the the mattress touches when closed, however the 30A and the 35G use a powered mattress that hinges up when the slide closes allowing the 80" long mattress to fit. When the slide is open there still plenty of room to open all the wardrobe drawers and closets.
Would be nice to understand what the design rational was.

[georgelesley]

Originally Posted by Vintagercr

That's great info!! Thanks you so much for taking the time to reply! Will definitely keep those things in mind when shopping.

Any idea if there were upgrades made to the slide mechanism that appears to be problematic?

As I mentioned in my post, Winnebago did come out with a new mechanism and it works well and after 150 cycles ours is working fine. The new one has a slimmer rail that looks like a gear rack whereas the original is a larger solid strip with notches that the gears rotate against. If the bedroom and full wall slide mechanism look and sound the same it is the original mechanism. Stay away or plan on the fix being done at the WGO factory. Adjust the price accordingly.

I know my original post is long and detailed, but understanding the pitfalls of the full wall slide is very important. That being said, now that ours is fixed, we love it.

[Vintagercr]

Is the slimmer rail system also a Schwintek product? Any idea if the upgrade/mod was added as a standard feature on later models?

Thanks again!

[georgelesley]

Originally Posted by Vintagercr

Is the slimmer rail system also a Schwintek product? Any idea if the upgrade/mod was added as a standard feature on later models?

Thanks again!

Yes and yes. Schwintek bought Power gear awhile back, but the Power gear division developed it. We looked at a 2019 Forza recently and it has the same new system as do some other WGO models.

That plus our own experience of over 150 cycles gives us confidence the new system is reliable. When we had it repaired with the old system it always failed again in less than 10 cycles.

However, the bedroom slide on ours is the same system and has never given trouble. The full wall slide is just too long and heavy for the system to handle and the “L” shaped counter tips downward when it closes because of weight and throws the system off track. The sew system also adds a roller under the counter to prevent this.

[mcbus]

Just saw this thread and hope you guys are still around to answer a question.
I am looking at a 16 sightseer 33c. Does anyone know if the newer slide mechanism was changed on the full slide on the 16 year model. Or is the only way to find out is to get the VIN and call Winnebago.
Dont need to buy this rig and find out it needs 3k of slide work done.
Thanks for any info.

[Vintagercr]

Hi mcbus,

Our 2016 did in fact have the upgraded passenger slide assembly and was verified by factory using the VIN. I guess that really doesn’t mean anything since our slide is failing!! Actually taking it in next week. After some troubleshooting it appears that one the encoders when out. Fortunately our unit is still covered under an extended warranty.

I’ll post again once the unit is repaired.

Good luck!
Dino

[Vintagercr]

Hi mcbus,

Our 2016 did in fact have the upgraded passenger slide assembly and was verified by factory using the VIN. I guess that really doesn’t mean anything since our slide is failing!! Actually taking it in next week. After some troubleshooting it appears that one the encoders when out. Fortunately our unit is still covered under an extended warranty.

I’ll post again once the unit is repaired.

Good luck!
Dino