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Old 11-19-2019, 12:19 AM   #1
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Questions about Axis and Vegas RV's

I am recently retired, new to RV's, and trying to decide which direction to go in. So far I have focused on class C's, but these 2 small Thor class A's have caught my eye. I would like to hear about experiences from real owners, specifically in the 24-25' class. We plan to travel in it, not live in it, and probably not tow, at least not often. I hear from many that Thor build quality is quite bad, but that seems to be a common problem with most RV's. And are slides as much of a problem as I have been reading? It seems that some have a lot of problems with the slides, is that something that can be remedied by some preventive maintenance? And the bedroom slide does not seem to prevent a problem while travelling, but does the front slide get in the way when it is not open? Any constructive answers will be appreciated.

Thanks

Lucysdad

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Old 11-19-2019, 12:26 AM   #2
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Model: 2018 24.1 AXISSIXxSIX
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Everything you need to know is here.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...-3-go-820.html

And here.

Thor Forums - Search Results

We have a 24.1 and almost, 99% of the time don't use our slide. It is not in the way on a 24.1.
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Old 11-19-2019, 12:30 AM   #3
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Model: Axis 24.4
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Welcome to the site.

Given you are asking about two slides you must be interested in the 27.7 model.

In general the Axis/Vegas line is pretty much on par, maybe a little above average in quality than any other RV (Thor or otherwise).

We've had our Axis for five years and haven't had any significant problems other than a window leak that factory service fixed up better than new.

These units use the Schwintek slide system (basically a rack and pinion type of operation where the motors are computer timed). The general rule for these slides is simply: Don't stop in the middle of motion: if you're opening the slide open it all the way and hold the button down for an extra 3-5 seconds. Likewise when closing: keep it moving until done and hold the button down for an extra 3-5 seconds. The extra 3-5 seconds keeps the motors timed.

I don't think I've heard of any Axis/Vegas owner having an issue with the slide wile travelling down the road.

If you really want to know everything about Axis/Vegas units read Ed's excellent crowd sourced owner's manual found here: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f10...nual-4961.html

After reading that you'll know way more than the dealer trying to sell you something.
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Old 11-19-2019, 12:53 AM   #4
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I have a Thor Vegas 27.7. Love it. No significant issues. Drove 7500 miles this year.


I like the Class A feel. The open front give a larger feeling inside. I would go with the 27.7, not smaller. It is easy to drive. I had no experience and am now very comfortable.
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Old 11-19-2019, 01:06 AM   #5
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The Vegas/Axis concept is an excellent value for money if you shop right.

Purchase end-of-year model, or just-used, and you're likely to pay well under 60%, sometimes as low as 55% of suggested new retail.

Right now you can land an end-of-year new or barely used one for well under $70K, or even less depending on condition.
Just shop around.

Regarding quality...I'm fine with the quality of my rig.
There are DIY fixes now and again.
But overall, Thor is like most other RV's in this Class A $60-80K category.

Keep in mind, that when you read the posts in this Forum you will see complaints by those with $200-300K rigs.

With all the new gadgets, current RVs tend to have their minor (or major) issues.
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Old 11-19-2019, 03:23 AM   #6
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Axis

Sorry to be honest but I will be. The Axis handled terribly right off the dealer lot. Then again, so did the S.O.B. we bought that is on the 22k GVW F-53 chassis. On both, it required a severe investment of after market suspension parts to make them ride the way I needed them to. One thing I did not like about the Axis was the leaking front side windows. The only way to identify the source of the leak was to pay almost $2000 to remove them. Seems that the joint where the front cap meets the side wall was not sealed properly. Then there are the infamous Command Electronics leaky tail lights.... If you are good at the DIY aspect of RV ownership, you might be happy with an Axis. We had the 24.1 which was 25.5 feet in length.
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Old 11-19-2019, 12:04 PM   #7
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We are happy with our Axis 25.2. I don't care what you buy you will have issues with it. Just be prepared to deal with it.
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Old 11-19-2019, 12:23 PM   #8
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We have a 2016 Vegas 24.1. Have had it 3.5 years and over 25,000 miles. I tow an open racecar trailer with drag car all over SE. We have used it to live in up to 3 weeks, we take ir on trips with grandson, we take it to Disney campground along with race track. We just got back from a 3 and 4 day race weekend after spending a week at farm in NC. 14 of last 21 days living in it with no issue.

We were lucky, ours handles great. I did add a return to center stabiliser in front. Wife is little thing and sometimes will drive with or wirhout trailer.

Unit has never been back to dealer. I need it available and do everything myself. I carry a spare water pump and items that may be needed on road. I also carry a spare.

The floorplan works with slide in or out. We have the 24.1 model.

Fit and finish does not meet automotive standards but we have no complaints. The beds are comfortable and overall utility/simplicity of use impresses me.

We use it at least twice a month and keep it plugged in at house. We do not race this coming weekend and are emptying fridge for 2nd defrost in 3.5 years.

We would do again with same model/chassis.

Good luck with your choice.
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Old 11-19-2019, 02:22 PM   #9
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Agree with everything you said with one exception. The beds in our 2016 did not have mattresses but what Thor calls "bunk pads"... If you are older and need a good nights sleep, these aren't it. We replaced ours with real twin mattresses which helped quite a bit.
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Old 11-19-2019, 02:43 PM   #10
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Muggs said about what I wanted to say.
I'll add:
The lack of drivability can be directly related to talent. This is a controversial thought, but 90% of folks don't know they have a problem because 99% of folks can overcome the handling of an rv without much thought or complaint.
I did the changes I wanted and yes, it handles better. It handles, based on comments in this forum, exceptionally. I didn't think badly of the handling before the mods I made, it was a vehicle. We drove the vehicle. The end.
The mods weren't needed, they were wanted.
You can do the changes you want.
Mattresses are a personal choice. Get personal. As you've read here some made a change to what suited them. Some refuse to make any change.



We make our happy.
My little bitty wife drove the hell out of ours before a single mod was made. We laughed and took pictures of the wheel clocked 70° in a 70mph wind at 70mph hiway speed. It was a cause of some tired and stress. It is RARE. It is overcome easily.
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Old 11-19-2019, 03:57 PM   #11
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We purchased a used (42k miles) Vegas 25.2 last year and have taken three trips in it over 4 weeks. We love it: good size for just two of us and one small dog. We tow a 2014 Honda CR-V and don’t notice it except while descending some hills, but the “Tow/Haul” made handles that perfectly. We like that its small enough not to intimidate us too much. The only modification we’ve made is to have SafTPlus Steering stabilizer installed, which greatly improved handling on windy days or when being passed by semis.
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Old 11-19-2019, 04:35 PM   #12
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They've got the attributes and shortcomings of the RVs well-covered for you; I'll just add: "Welcome to the forum!"
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Old 11-19-2019, 08:04 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksface View Post
Muggs said about what I wanted to say.
I'll add:
The lack of drivability can be directly related to talent. This is a controversial thought, but 90% of folks don't know they have a problem because 99% of folks can overcome the handling of an rv without much thought or complaint.
I did the changes I wanted and yes, it handles better. It handles, based on comments in this forum, exceptionally. I didn't think badly of the handling before the mods I made, it was a vehicle. We drove the vehicle. The end.
The mods weren't needed, they were wanted.
You can do the changes you want.
Mattresses are a personal choice. Get personal. As you've read here some made a change to what suited them. Some refuse to make any change.
Realisticaly.once tire pressures were set to loading and crown wore off fronts overall handling improved. Quartering and side winds can cause a slowdown at times. Passing trucks no longer an issue due to moving to opposite edge of lane. Tire wear is great, tires will age out before wear out by huge margin. My buddies class c on same chassis destroyed fronts in 15,000 miles. He also could not cruise above 60 comfoftably. An alignment by truck shop and new tires cured it. He says it drive much better now.

We are 60 and 70, the original pads still work good. Eventualy may add mattress.
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Old 11-20-2019, 03:23 AM   #14
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Let me add my welcome to the forum. We had problems with the slides on our previous Class A coach, but none on our Vegas 25.2 in 4 years. There haven't been many complaints on this forum about Thor slides.

Thor seems to depend on the dealers to perform quality control, and the dealers vary widely in their preparation of a coach for delivery, both new and used. I would suggest you look for a lightly used coach that the first owner hopefully worked out most of the initial issues. Happy hunting!
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Old 11-20-2019, 08:32 PM   #15
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Welcome.

We have been enjoying our Axis. No major problems but IMO you will need to add Front and Rear sway bars and Safty plus steering stabilizer to make handle like it should have from factory.

Plus it was very noise and hot in the cockpit are. So I insulated the dog house and fire wall / engine compartment and it made a world of difference.

Expect to spend about $2000 - $3000 for mods so your not blind sided.

If your handy you should be fine fixing all of the small things that pop up time from time. If your not handy you might think its a money pit.
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Old 11-21-2019, 01:17 AM   #16
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Just bought used 25.3 axis, build quality not as bad as I’ve seen , only has slide in back bedroom, which is fine for us. Has dinette. We looked at c class but having that room in front and the swivel chairs made up our mind. So far happy
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Old 11-21-2019, 02:46 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by C5pete View Post
Just bought used 25.3 axis, build quality not as bad as I’ve seen , only has slide in back bedroom, which is fine for us. Has dinette. We looked at c class but having that room in front and the swivel chairs made up our mind. So far happy
Welcome to the forum, C5Pete! Be sure you access the Felker manual, as Jamie suggested in post #3 above. Some of the issues covered in that manual were resolved over the years, but there is a lot of good information there.
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Old 11-27-2019, 08:06 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Long & Winding road View Post
Welcome.

We have been enjoying our Axis. No major problems but IMO you will need to add Front and Rear sway bars and Safty plus steering stabilizer to make handle like it should have from factory.

Plus it was very noise and hot in the cockpit are. So I insulated the dog house and fire wall / engine compartment and it made a world of difference.

Expect to spend about $2000 - $3000 for mods so your not blind sided.

If your handy you should be fine fixing all of the small things that pop up time from time. If your not handy you might think its a money pit.
Main advice: do not consider a unit with a folding mattress. My two year old Class C is getting traded for an ACE 30.4 Saturday. The original mattress proved unusable after a year. The $600 replacement in less than a year. Finding a replacement high quality folding mattress defeated me.

I know I’ll be replacing the mattress on the 30.4. It is a standard Queen so no problem to replace.

I took the 30.4 for a long test drive before ordering. The wind was gusting to about 40 mph. Took it down and up a steep hill and on country roads and Interstate. It handled fine: just like the E450 based Class C it is replacing.

It might be different after loading. I tow a Cherokee too. Will find out next week.
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Old 11-27-2019, 08:34 PM   #19
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Model: Vegas 25.5
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2017 Vegas 25.5 - Single slide
Like you’re doing, I did my homework and new I was going to be making a number of mods and patching up shoddy workmanship. I really wasn’t disappointed..
The other responders have done a good job. Here’s my take on it in addition...
The one thing that I was not prepared for was how loud the cabin was going to be. The insulation package for both heat and sound to the engine compartment is almost non-existent. I insulated the small doghouse with 3/4” thick HVAC foam rubber for ducts, then topped that with DEI fiberglass-foil 800° insulation. Helped big time. I did more insulation under the removable dash top and other points I could reach.
We also bought memory foam toppers for the two beds in the back that make into a king if you want.
Honestly, I have never put the slide out on this camper and I seriously doubt that I ever will. Easily 75% of all the problems you hear about with any RV are related to the slides. I don’t want to join that club and don’t need the extra space from the slide.

Frankly, I think that these motorhomes should have 19.5” tires on them rather than the 16” they come with. A couple of people on the net have made the conversion and I may join them when it comes time to replace the rubber.

Another thing that may catch you surprise is the track width. Normally a class A will have the same track width front and rear. Not with the Axis and Vegas. The front track width is much more narrow. So when you pull up to the curb and have it cleared with the right front by a short margin, the right rear is now scuffing and climbing that curb. Oh, and you also tear up the plastic fascia panel that trims out the bottom of your door....

If I were to do it over again, I may have selected the Class C just to get a bit more quiet in the cabin.
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Old 11-27-2019, 08:55 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucysdad View Post
Any constructive answers will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Lucysdad
Dear Mr. Dad,

My wife and I own a 2017 Thor Axis 25.2, a 26 1/2 foot model sitting on a Ford E-450 chassis, that Thor no longer offers to my knowledge. Our unit has only a tiny rear slide out, so I never expect to experience the major slide out problems experienced by some others. I agree with and disagree with some of the comments already posted, but the most important thing I want to impart to you is to HIRE A PROFESSIONAL RV INSPECTOR BEFORE SIGNING FOR YOUR MOTORHOME. It may cost you a few hundred bucks, but you will never regret it. We didn't know that such a profession existed two years ago.

Before you get your heart set on buying a Thor product, specifically an Axis/Vegas model, please poke your head under the dashboard and take a really good look at the way the front of the unit is constructed. In my opinion, a High School shop class could have done a better job. Had I done that I would never have bought the unit that I did and would have tried to find a Class "C" to my liking. At least with a Class "C" you have a real firewall, bumper and professional dash construction.

Speaking of non-existent firewalls, ask your salesman how to replace the chassis battery in an Axis. See if he will admit to you that the battery comes up through the passenger side dashboard and that the only thing separating the driver and passenger from the engine compartment is a thin piece of plywood, a sheet of (what looks to be) Tyvek, and some plastic trim pieces. I was shocked that ANY motorhome manufacturer is legally allowed to sell vehicles made that way.

If the dashboard doesn't scare you away you are a stronger man than I. Start poking your head in, under and around EVERY SINGLE COMPARTMENT. Keep your eyes peeled for construction shortcuts, shoddy materials, and the general fit and finish of the hidden stuff. Remove the cabinet drawers (push one plastic tab up and one down on the side of the individual drawers) and look behind them. If the unit you are looking at is anything like mine, you will see that the drawer slides are held to the rear wall with only one little screw instead of the two or three screws a manufacturer with a conscience might use.

We haven't had any large problems with our unit with 7,000 miles under our belts. The handling is about what I expected it to be, not great but not evil, and I intend to do some chassis modifications to the unit (steering stabilizer and anti-sway bars front and rear) to get the unit to handle just a little better before our next trip.

I don't know at what dealer you are using to buy your motorhome, but I saved $5,000 by walking away from the Camping World (now Gander Mountain) thieves and dealing with an independent RV dealer. That's a pretty healthy chunk of change that can be put towards future repairs!

If I had it to do all over again I certainly would not have picked an RV made by Thor (CAUTION: They own a LOT of different nameplates) or a unit made by Forest River (a company even worse than Thor).

Good luck in your search. If you are on Facebook, take a look at the "Thor Motor Coach Issues and Complaints" group. It may open your eyes.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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