Awnings and ladder missing--does it matter?

[janiemort]

I recently bought a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B and it does not have an awning for the slide out. I don't know if it is supposed to have one or not, but was wondering if it is okay to use the slide out without the awning.

Also, it has no patio awning and I can't see that it ever had one. If it never had one before, can one be installed?

It also doesn't have a ladder on the back, should I have one installed? Or shall I just use my extension ladder when I need to get up there? The only thing I can think of that I might want the ladder for is to attach a bike rack.

Thanks!

Jane

[topdownman]

Those are all considered "accessories" or extra-cost items. You can certainly add them if you like. You can use the slide-out without an awning, but the awning does help keep leaves and debris off the top. You may want to sweep it off before you bring it in, of course you'll need a ladder!

[Fiesta48]

Awnings can be a PITA. Can't use in winds, can be damaged when moving, and mat'l has be replaced periodically. I don't miss them. We move to the shady of the RV. New ones are $600-1100 + installation. Not a one man job.
I lived for 4 years without a ladder and finally broke down and installed a permanent one, I've used many times. They are only a $100. Not hard to install.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by janiemort

I recently bought a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B and it does not have an awning for the slide out. I don't know if it is supposed to have one or not, but was wondering if it is okay to use the slide out without the awning.

Also, it has no patio awning and I can't see that it ever had one. If it never had one before, can one be installed?

It also doesn't have a ladder on the back, should I have one installed? Or shall I just use my extension ladder when I need to get up there? The only thing I can think of that I might want the ladder for is to attach a bike rack.

Thanks!

Jane

There's something wrong with this picture. All the items you mention were standard features. The awning and slide cover may have been destroyed in a heavy wind or rain storm and never got replaced. The missing ladder is more disturbing. About the only way it could be damaged is by backing into something, or hanging something heavy on it.

The slide cover is a necessity since the top of the slide doesn't have an exterior skin like the rest of the coach. It's only a thin aluminum cover that could easily be damaged by any debris on it when closing the slide. The cover rolls up and dumps all the sticks, leaves, water, and othe debris off before the slide goes through the sealing gaskets. We replaced the one on our 2001 Adventurer in 2011 at the Winnebago factory for $650.00.

The patio awning isn't critical but a nice accessory when raining or the sun is shining in the windows on hot days. They aren't cheap. We replaced the one on our old Adventurer after it was destroyed by a rainstorm in 2008. A new one today runs in the $900.00 to $1,400.00 depending on the brand and model. Any good RV dealer can order and install a new awning and slide cover. We had our awning replaced at Camping World since there was no Winnebago dealer in our area.

As I said earlier the missing ladder is the most disturbing. It's screwed into both the back panel and the roof of the coach. We don't use ours often, but it would be impossible to check the skylight, antenna, satellite dish, roof vents, or any other accessories on the roof without it.

Our 2001 Adventurer had a 2 piece ladder. The main portion starting from above the tail lights was permanent. The lower section was removable. We never had to replace or repair ours, but I know the removable section cost over $300.00 because a friend of ours had to replace theirs.

I hope you took all those missing items into consideration when pricing the coach.

[RVThere]

Jane,

Was your unit once a rental?

Many rentals do not have awnings because they don't put up with abuse from novice RVers. Also insurance concerns eliminate the ladder so that renters don't go up on the roof and fall off.

[vsheetz]

Are you speaking of a slide topper or awning over the windows of the slide?

[PlayItForwrd]

Personally, I've seen more rigs without slide covers than with. Our Challenger 5'er didn't have 'em...

[Toyduck]

Originally Posted by janiemort

I recently bought a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B and it does not have an awning for the slide out. I don't know if it is supposed to have one or not, but was wondering if it is okay to use the slide out without the awning.

Also, it has no patio awning and I can't see that it ever had one. If it never had one before, can one be installed?

It also doesn't have a ladder on the back, should I have one installed? Or shall I just use my extension ladder when I need to get up there? The only thing I can think of that I might want the ladder for is to attach a bike rack.

Thanks!

Jane

The way our MH is designed we couldn't install a perm rear ladder even if we wanted to, so we carry an extension ladder.

Awning, in the 6 years we have had ours we've opened ours 5 times...our first MH didn't have one and didn't miss it.

We don't have a slide, never wanted one, but after watching others climb up on the roof to sweep leaves and 'stuff' off the top of their slides before putting them in, I would think I would want one, but I have seen plenty of units without em.

[Alan_Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

There's something wrong with this picture. All the items you mention were standard features.

Maybe on high-end coaches, but many RVs came from their factories with things like awnings, ladders, inverters, electric water heaters, and many other items as options. I'll bet a lot of low-end units STILL have those things as options.

The slide cover is a necessity since the top of the slide doesn't have an exterior skin like the rest of the coach. It's only a thin aluminum cover that could easily be damaged by any debris on it when closing the slide.

All the slide outs I've owned have had the same roof material that was on the roof - the only difference in the construction was the thickness of the roof. The actual roof has ceiling joists that are usually reasonably thick to account for things like insulation, wire runs, AC ducts, etc. while a slide out roof has no real thickness to it.

As I said earlier the missing ladder is the most disturbing. It's screwed into both the back panel and the roof of the coach. We don't use ours often, but it would be impossible to check the skylight, antenna, satellite dish, roof vents, or any other accessories on the roof without it.

Ever hear of a step ladder, or an extension ladder? Saying it's impossible to access the roof without an installed ladder is like the guy behind the counter at Autozone telling me it's impossible to find a battery for a 1953 Ford Customline because it has a Chevy small block powertrain in it - there are ways around the stock answers found in most catalogs!

[Selah]

Are the things you mentioned necessary? No, but they are all nice to have.
We are outside people and use our awning a lot. It also helps keep the coach cool when the sun hits that side.
Without a slide topper you need to be extra carefull when putting the slides in. If you camp in a wooded spot, particularly on the spring and fall, you should get up there and clear any debris from the top of the slide before retracting it.
The rear ladder is just a convenience. There will be times you will want to get up to the roof though. Can you carry one long enough to do that?

[janiemort]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

There's something wrong with this picture. All the items you mention were standard features. The awning and slide cover may have been destroyed in a heavy wind or rain storm and never got replaced. The missing ladder is more disturbing. About the only way it could be damaged is by backing into something, or hanging something heavy on it.

The slide cover is a necessity since the top of the slide doesn't have an exterior skin like the rest of the coach. It's only a thin aluminum cover that could easily be damaged by any debris on it when closing the slide. The cover rolls up and dumps all the sticks, leaves, water, and othe debris off before the slide goes through the sealing gaskets. We replaced the one on our 2001 Adventurer in 2011 at the Winnebago factory for $650.00.

The patio awning isn't critical but a nice accessory when raining or the sun is shining in the windows on hot days. They aren't cheap. We replaced the one on our old Adventurer after it was destroyed by a rainstorm in 2008. A new one today runs in the $900.00 to $1,400.00 depending on the brand and model. Any good RV dealer can order and install a new awning and slide cover. We had our awning replaced at Camping World since there was no Winnebago dealer in our area.

As I said earlier the missing ladder is the most disturbing. It's screwed into both the back panel and the roof of the coach. We don't use ours often, but it would be impossible to check the skylight, antenna, satellite dish, roof vents, or any other accessories on the roof without it.

Our 2001 Adventurer had a 2 piece ladder. The main portion starting from above the tail lights was permanent. The lower section was removable. We never had to replace or repair ours, but I know the removable section cost over $300.00 because a friend of ours had to replace theirs.

I hope you took all those missing items into consideration when pricing the coach.

The coach was recently painted and I'm thinking they just didn't replace those things.

I got the coach for $14K under NADA low retail value, so I'm fine if I need to put some bucks into it. It's the wanting-to-take-it-out and enjoy it part that is getting me

[janiemort]

Originally Posted by Selah

Are the things you mentioned necessary? No, but they are all nice to have.
We are outside people and use our awning a lot. It also helps keep the coach cool when the sun hits that side.
Without a slide topper you need to be extra carefull when putting the slides in. If you camp in a wooded spot, particularly on the spring and fall, you should get up there and clear any debris from the top of the slide before retracting it.
The rear ladder is just a convenience. There will be times you will want to get up to the roof though. Can you carry one long enough to do that?

Yes, I bought a 12.5 foot telescoping extension ladder that shrinks down to 37". I was just curious about the permanent ladder. I've never owned an RV before so wasn't sure if the permanent ladder would be easier and/or safer than the extension ladder.

[janiemort]

Originally Posted by vsheetz

Are you speaking of a slide topper or awning over the windows of the slide?

It is the slide topper.

[janiemort]

Originally Posted by RVThere

Jane,

Was your unit once a rental?

Many rentals do not have awnings because they don't put up with abuse from novice RVers. Also insurance concerns eliminate the ladder so that renters don't go up on the roof and fall off.

It was not a rental. It was recently painted which could explain the missing things. Or maybe it never came with them.