IMPORTANT UPDATE - 7/22 I would NOT suggest adding the Hoodliner product (link below) to the belly pan. If you have the slightest gap in sealing the edge of it, any liquid (from cleaning, leak, etc) will be trapped in the foam - not cool. The belly pan (the Bentley manual calls this a “sound dampening pan”) on the EuroVan protects the engine from road debris, and provides an element of quieting for the cab....
I finally moved up to 16 inch wheels a couple of years ago and wanted to have a spare tire mounted on a 16 wheel, as well. I had heard some conflicting stories about how to go about mounting this in the same place as the 15 inch spare: some said to just adjust the stock spare tire holder, others said you needed a new holder and some longer bolts - neither version mentioned cutting metal off of the van - which is what I needed to do!...
Our van had a Carefree awning installed on it - the “standard” awning installed on the EVC by Winnebago - and frankly, it sucked. It was a terrible thing to try and use - difficult to get the awning out of the case, heavy, even harder to get back IN the case. We dreaded using it. We finally splurged on a Fiamma awning, as well as a ShadyBoy awning for the fridge side of the van (driver’s side) - see my earlier posts here, here, and here on the installation of these awnings....
The Fiamma comes with 2 brackets that mount to the side of the van, so you do not need to place the legs on the ground - great for a quick setup at a lunch stop. The placement of these brackets is not “spelled out” anywhere - here is what I found worked best for me. I placed the brackets the same distance below the “crease” in the side of the van....
I had a “Carefree” awning installed on the EuroVan - the awning that was “stock” from Winnebago - it was a terrible, terrible, thing. I could never get the Carefree OUT of the case without banging up my fingers, or smashing the wife’s, as she holds out the end that I FINALLY was able to get out as I try to PRY out the other side. Then once it comes free, we are so pi++ed off and tired that we can barely roll it out, then then legs fly out, smack us somewhere on the body, or again, pinch our fingers....
One of the awning choices for a EuroVan is the Shady Boy. This awning is made in Canada, of US materials, and has a very compact case, and a not too difficult set up procedure. The installation and set up instructions leave something to be desired, though. Wolfgang at Shady Boy is VERY quick to answer any questions, which helped. There is a YouTube video online showing how a Shady Boy is set up - not the best video, but it helped me figure out how to set it up....
My propane tank had a bad “service valve” - the part you turn on and off. Every time I would turn it on or off, a great cloud of freezing propane vapor would escape - the valve needed some work! I learned that rebuild kits for the valves are no longer available, as new valves are not much more money. Replacing the valve would require the tank to be removed and all the propane emptied from it....
Above the EVC cab is a luggage rack - a plastic cover over the roof that has 2 handles for strapping boxes, bags, etc (see my post: Storage Box Above Cab. I received a stainless steel bracket kit to replace the existing steel brackets that attach this piece of plastic to the roof, so I thought I would take this piece of plastic off and see just what is going on underneath - man, I am glad I did!...
We have a trailer hitch on our van (from Eurocampers) but we have had no power connection for hauling a trailer - until now. I wanted something that would handle both 4 pin an 7 pin connectors, so I got such a beast from Hopkins - here is it installed: The trick was just how do I wire this into the Van? As usual, the eurovanupdate list came through (thanks, Paul!...
This is going to be a long post - I have lots of photos! I finally installed the Maxxair MaxxFan Ventilation Fan I bought a few months ago - this was different than any other installations I have done, as it is a “destructive” install - once you do this, there is no going back to the original roof vent. Let me sum this up by saying that in my case, it was REALLY worth the time and trouble to do this....