Love our Challenger

[greenfield3]

Thank you all for your suggestions. We pick up our new 2017 37KT on May 13th! I have a question about the residential fridge. Can I use dogbone adapters 50amp to 30amp to 125V and plug the coach into house power and keep the Fridge running?

[tmtube]

I would be certain that the Extension cord used for the 110 is sufficiently capable of supplying the proper amps, since you probably won't be opening and closing it very often it should be fine, I have a digital thermometer in my fridge with a external monitor so I can keep an eye on the temperature in side the fridge or freezer, you may find that you will get to cold if your not using it a lot
Hope you enjoy your 37KT

[dsheets]

Have you thought about hooking a battery charger to the batteries. That would keep the batteries charged and just run the refrer off the inverter?

[gmc]

You didn't mention how long you would be running it - just prep for a trip or longer term?

I would recommend plugging in to 110 rather than running off the inverter with a battery charger when you have a choice...

Use your RV power cord to the needed adapters - and try not to use an extension cord after that - if you need to - I would recommend something heavier than the typical 14 gauge 'orange cord'.
Be sure the A/C is off in the RV.
Feel the thinnest wires after running a while - shouldn't be very warm...

I'd run off the inverter when I need to (ie - no 110 available) - but a residential fridge (assuming uses between 6 and 10 amps when on 110) will use over 70amps on 12v...
(8amps * 110volt = 880watts / 12 volts = 73.3amps - and doesn't count the power consumed by the inverter itself...)
Yes - it doesn't run full time - and startup current is more than normal running - but with 10% of the voltage - the amp draw is MUCH higher...
I'd save my batteries till they are needed on the road.

[oldgold]

Originally Posted by Hoosier 26

Oldgold...I am considering bypassing the switch box and just having the three video feeds run full time on the split screen. The monitor I am considering has a toggle feature to put each feed in full screen mode or all three at once. Do you see any issues with this idea? This would also accomplish ending the annoying volume loss with the radio.

Thats what I did. I took out the switch box all together.

[greenfield3]

Hi gmc, I plan to keep the coach plugged in full time when I am not traveling. Currently with my Jayco Precept I keep the coach plugged in and only run the fridge. The Jayco has a camping Fridge and it runs with no issues plugged into 110V with the orange cord. It sounds like like this may not work but wanted to know if anyone has had success with this config with a residential fridge.

[Hoosier 26]

Oil change and suspension mod

First oil change this week along with front tire rotation. Tires look great at 7K miles and the coach is tracking straight.

The big news is the suspension mod. I had Sumo Springs installed front and rear this week by the same guys that did my towing setup. Total price was just under $1500. The labor was about 350 of the total. I thought very reasonable.

The result is amazing. Low speed body roll/sway is almost completely eliminated. On the freeway I now feel nothing when a big rig passes and the bounce that happened on uneven roads is gone. The combo of Safety Steer steering stabilizer and Sumo Springs is as close as you can get to diesel pusher air ride without the diesel maintenance headache and price tag. I think it is the best $ spent so far for driver comfort/confidence and safety.

Next project is the dash mounted video monitor like OldGold did. I will be ordering parts within the next week and scheduling the work for early June.

I also was getting a lot of rust starting on the framework under the coach. I wire brushed everything and painted it with Rustoleum gloss black. It looks great and should stop the progress of the rust especially around the basement storage doors. I was surprised that rust began so quickly given that I have indoor storage. Has anyone else noted rusting of the frame work around the basement doors?

Enjoy trip journey!

[schreinertms]

Yes, I have noticed rusting of the frame and plan to do the same, wire brush and paint. For it to rust this quickly means that either the paint they used was very thin coat or non-existent. I noticed the rusting with only 1500 miles on the coach.

[Hoosier 26]

Originally Posted by oldgold

Attachment 4082

I bought everything from www.rearviewsafety.com. Here is the parts list from them. Also you will need 18ga butt connectors.

Attachment 4081


I tied the power supply into the incoming power wires to the dash fan switch. This makes the screen only power up when the RV is running or in the on position and it was the easiest to steal power from.

Unplug the wiring harness to the dash fans. Crank up the RV and use a volt meter to test which wires are hot. My wires were two of the multi color wires. Make sure you have correct polarity. Turn RV off double check with volt meter to make sure no volts before cutting. Cut wires about a foot away from the switch and tap into them with the power leads on the wiring harness for the screen. Once tied back together, make sure your dash fans still work.


On the back of the Axxera there is a video cable. Follow it backwards till you locate a black box with 4 inputs and one output. This is the video switch box. It is about the size of a deck of cards.

Unplug the 3 video feeds at the ASA connections. Note which ones are CA 1,2,&3. On my unit CA1 was left, CA2 was right and CA3 was rear. You might have to switch them back around if the wires are mislabeled or different. Plug the incoming video feeds into the screen harness using the adapters which are 5 round female to ASA female. At this point you can turn on the screen and make sure your feeds are the correct camera label on screen. Turn it back off.

Next, the 4th cable hitting the switch box is the trigger wire set. Follow it out from the switch box to the backside of a connector plug. There will be multi color wires before the connector and should be labeled CA 1,2,&3 as well. On my unit, the wire colors actually matched the colors on the screen harness. Hopefully they will on all units. Cut these 3 wires. Use a butt connector to attach each of them to their corresponding video trigger wire on the harness.

Power on the screen and TEST, TEST, TEST!!!

The blinkers on the RV should trigger the corresponding side camera. Shifting the RV to reverse should trigger the rear camera.

I unplugged the harness from the screen and then ran the cord thru the hole just above the left corner of the Axxera. This way you don't have to drill thru the dash cap.

Mount the bracket arm. I chose the flat spot just above right of the HDMI port. MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING BEHIND IT BEFORE YOU SCREW ON THE BASE!! I installed the screen on the bracket arm with the thumb turn facing down so you can get to it to tighten.

That should be it. Congratulations, you now don't have a crappy Axxera as an issue anymore for video feeds!! Lmao... Let me know if y'all have any questions... I tried to be fairly thorough. I highly suggest looking under the dash before ordering everything. As much as manufacturers switch stuff around, it would be a PITA to get all this stuff and not have the correct adapters, etc.

I'll try to get some more pics to go along with this soon.

@Oldgold...If I bypass the switch box do you think I still need the cables from your parts list? Getting ready to order and I not sure where the cables were needed. Thanks for your response.

[Hoosier 26]

A/V upgrades almost complete. I purchased the 10 inch Quad view monitor from Rearviewsafety.com and got some help from a local car audio shop owner that I know to instal it. I also purchased the iPhone lightning to HDMI converter. Now I can view all the cameras on the bigger screen and the GPS app on my phone looks great on the in dash unit. I am speaking with tech support at rear view safety to get the RCA video jack out put from the in dash unit to convert to the 5 pin plug for the 10 inch monitor. If that works out I'll have a big GPS picture. I was able to retain the turn signal and reverse sensing feature for the monitor and the stereo no longer mutes with the signals or reverse.

Also upgraded the front stereo speakers. Wow! What a difference. I installed 6.5 inch Infinity Kappas. Purchased on Amazon for less than $100 per pair. They are about $160 at Best Buy.

Here is a pic I took today. Had to close the front shade to see better. You can also see my toad brake monitor to the left below everything else.

[greenfield3]

LOVE this motor home! We made a great decision to trade in our Jayco Precept for the Thor Challenger. We love the floor plan and have only experienced minor issues. General RV has been responsive to address and fix the problems. If you are thinking about buying a Challenger I would not hesitate in pulling the trigger. This RV is top of the line for gas motor. While I would love a Diesel, this is economical and luxerious. We added SafeTPlus and two additional batteries. Thinking about adding Sumo but otherwise very happy with our new RV.

[Hoosier 26]

[ATTACH]5637[/ATTACH

Finally was able to get a picture. Roadside fest off I95. Still love my Challenger 37TB

[SuperD]

Hoosier that is an absolutely beautiful coach!!!

[Mothertype55]

Wow, it is beautiful!

[Mothertype55]

I put a deposit down on a 2018 Challenger 37TB that should be at Total Value RV in Indiana the first part of August. My husband is letting me pursue my dream, but the idea of even riding in it terrifies him. He plans to stay home while I travel with the kids and grandkids, but I have not given up hope that he will get over his fears once he tries it.

What upgrades do I need to have installed to ensure that I can keep it in the lane easily? I have never driven a class A, but I used to have a 25' trailer that I pulled behind a suburban from Houston to Niagara Falls, Canada and many other places around the country. It was a real struggle to keep it steady when the semi's went past. I managed to keep it on the road, but I was younger then, and I wasn't trying to win over a faint hearted spouse to the joys of RVing!

Would Safe t plus and sumos do the trick?

Thanks!

[SuperD]

Originally Posted by Mothertype55

I put a deposit down on a 2018 Challenger 37TB that should be at Total Value RV in Indiana the first part of August. My husband is letting me pursue my dream, but the idea of even riding in it terrifies him. He plans to stay home while I travel with the kids and grandkids, but I have not given up hope that he will get over his fears once he tries it.

What upgrades do I need to have installed to ensure that I can keep it in the lane easily? I have never driven a class A, but I used to have a 25' trailer that I pulled behind a suburban from Houston to Niagara Falls, Canada and back. It was a struggle to keep it steady when the semi's went past. I managed to keep it on the road, but I was younger then, and I wasn't trying to win over a faint hearted spouse to the joys of RVing!

Would Safe t plus and sumos do the trick?

Thanks!

IMHO you need three things: Safe T Plus, CHF (cheap handling fix) and a rear track bar. With a large coach tail wagging is a problem and the track bar stops that. Sumo's may help the ride but IMHO they do not improve handling, others may have a different opinion but I've had them so I'm speaking first hand. The three things I mentioned are the most cost effective items you can add or do.

I've seen lots of women, single, married, and divorced driving large coaches and semi's without problems. Driving a large coach takes patience and practice. Ask your dealer about driving lessons, some offer them.

[Mothertype55]

Thanks SuperD! I will look into availability of driving lessons and will research track bars.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Mothertype55

I put a deposit down on a 2018 Challenger 37TB that should be at Total Value RV in Indiana the first part of August. My husband is letting me pursue my dream, but the idea of even riding in it terrifies him. He plans to stay home while I travel with the kids and grandkids, but I have not given up hope that he will get over his fears once he tries it.

What upgrades do I need to have installed to ensure that I can keep it in the lane easily? I have never driven a class A, but I used to have a 25' trailer that I pulled behind a suburban from Houston to Niagara Falls, Canada and many other places around the country. It was a real struggle to keep it steady when the semi's went past. I managed to keep it on the road, but I was younger then, and I wasn't trying to win over a faint hearted spouse to the joys of RVing!

Would Safe t plus and sumos do the trick?

Thanks!

Before you make any modifications to the suspension load the coach for travel, have it weighed, preferably 4 corner weighted but if not then axle weighed, set the tire pressures to the recommended PSI for the weight, and have the alignment checked. After that is done then take it for a short trip and determine what, if anything you don't like about the handling and then mod the suspension to suit your needs or desires.

[Mothertype55]

Originally Posted by dstankov

Before you make any modifications to the suspension load the coach for travel, have it weighed, preferably 4 corner weighted but if not then axle weighed, set the tire pressures to the recommended PSI for the weight, and have the alignment checked. After that is done then take it for a short trip and determine what, if anything you don't like about the handling and then mod the suspension to suit your needs or desires.

I had chosen Total RV so that I could put the first miles on the coach, but that means a 500 mile trip to get it home....maybe I should find a dealer closer to home..

[Hoosier 26]

Originally Posted by Mothertype55

I had chosen Total RV so that I could put the first miles on the coach, but that means a 500 mile trip to get it home....maybe I should find a dealer closer to home..

I don't think the first miles are really important compared to the thousands that you will hopefully use it in the future. I would recommend finding a dealer within easy driving distance because there will be warranty items. I bought from Camping World only to find out that my local stores are not great for quality service and accessory installation. A dealership with a great service department would be a real plus.

I chose to add the Safety Steer first and then Sumo Springs. Once I had the Safety Steer installed I felt like the on center feel and ease of lane minding was fine. It felt like driving a large van. I went with Sumo Springs next to reduce body roll. I didn't like the feeling of cornering with the excessive (IMHO) body roll. With these two items together I am confident in any driving situation I would attempt in this type of vehicle. There are many opinions but you just have to weigh out the pros and cons and cost and pick what works for you.

I would also recommend reading the history of this thread. There are lots of great ideas some must do's, some that will make the coach more lovable and still others that are just fun.

Welcome aboard! Enjoy the journey.