Questions for 24.1 Owners

[MJC62]

Presently we own a 2018 ACE 27.2 which I like but the wife not so much. She would like to downsize a bit as the jump from the 22' B+ we had to a 29' class A was a bit too much for her. (I didn't want a C I hate driving with a cabover) At 4'11' and two "new" knees she has a bear of a time reaching controls, upper cabinets etc in the ACE. At 82" interior height on the 24.1 we lose 2" of interior height for her. (84" in ACE) A positive
Right now the ACE F53 we have is a 3 valve V10, 320 HP and 460 ft lbs of torque. Pulls the 4500 lb Jeep Cherokee 4 down with no problems. The 2 valve V-10 in the 24.1 gives up 15 HP and 40 ft lbs of torque. I am looking for an honest assessment from those towing 4 down how the 24. 1 handles their toad.
Next roughly how much does your 24.1 weigh dry? (or what's your yellow load sticker say you can put in it?) The 2020 24.1 is listed on Thor's site at a GVW of 12,500. That would be the E350 correct? Our ACE when we are loaded for a trip is usually right at or just a smidge above the 16000 lbs GVW. I am trying to determine how much "stuff' we can haul in a 24.1 & if downsizing to fit the wife is a viable solution for us. I want to make her happy ( happy wife = happy life). I don't want to downsize at the expense of A) running overloaded, or B) having to leave stuff at home on extended trips.

UP NEXT: How do the electric stabilizers work? I assume you must basically level the rig on planks or Leggos and the stabilizers take out the shake. (Tough to give up the hydraulic leveling system on the ACE)

Does a single A/C do the job cooling the coach? On our ACE one rooftop 15000 BTU unit on hot humid days is marginal.
Surprisingly the 24.1 has more basement storage by volume than our 27.1 by a about 7 cu ft ( that's if GVW will allow its use)
How do you like the tankless hot water heater? After 6 gallon hot water heaters are we going to notice a drop in performance?

Tank space on 24.1 is a substantial drop from the ACE 27.1 about 10 gallons on the fresh and 10 gallons on the black. Ace has two tanks on the gray (40 gallon rear same as Axis) 33 gallon mid tank only services the galley.
Propane is double on ACE 20 gallons to 10 on Axis same as our old Gulfstream. A negative when dry camping
Fuel is 55 gallons on 24.1 to 80 on the ACE. More fuel stops a negative. The 3+ feet of length we lose makes getting into Forest Service and National Park campsites a bit easier as does losing 14" of exterior height, both a positive for me.
Finally and this is the most important point, can a "shorter" person access the controls for the genset, tank gauges, water pump and HWH without having to climb on a stool?
We traveled extensively for 10 years for 4-6 weeks at a time in the smaller B+ Gulfstream we owned and made it work either dry camping or hooked up so the drop in water and gray/black tanks capacity will not be an issue we can make that work. I hate the thought of getting out of the bigger MH I love the room but we didn't research the access for her well enough on the initial walk through and PDI
Trying to get a good feel for this Floorplan before we go over to our local dealer for a look. All input is greatly appreciated. Mark

[JamieGeek]

E-350 yes. Here is how much our Axis weighs with all our stuff, two adults, 1 child, full gas, full fresh, full propane, and empty waste tanks:

(Keep in mind that ours is a 2014--quite a bit is different in 6 years: the windshield, for one, will weigh less as the 2020 one is shorter. In addition, we have a conventional water heater.)

Can't answer the stabilizer question as ours doesn't have the electric ones--I had some scissor jacks welded on for stability, not leveling. Basically you have to level "manually" first (boards, Lynx blocks, etc.) then drop the stabilizers to snug it up.

We have the smaller A/C (13,500) and it keeps the inside cold on most days. There have been a few times (camping on asphalt in 90+F weather) where it would run all day and finally catch up around sunset. A really good way to help is get a front windshield cover (like a Magneshade, or a Sunguard one).

Keep in mind that you're going to get a little better mpg so even though there is "only" 55 gallons of gas you may go about the same distance (towing a car I can get 450 - 500 miles out of a tank on flat ground).

[ducksface]

I'm not understanding how ceiling height affects a shorter person.

I can understand if she's driving and the length of the vehicle is an issue.

What controls does she need to reach that can't be easily lowered?
At 4'11", a cabinet on a 24.1 will also be out of reach. Especially when opened. They open Upwards. A wand similar to the wand on a manually opened skylight will cure the opening and closing, but 2" of differential is not going to let her reach the mac and cheese on any shelf any easier.
A microwave is easy to move lower if this is one of the reasons for a 24.1

$1,000 in alterations let's you keep your current rig.
$5,000 in alterations let's you have the tank capacity you have in your current rv installed in a 24.1
The hp torque and 350vs450 won't be noticed. Analyze your driving style and see if you use your engine within 80%. Almost no one does. It's amazing how many people complain of acceleration while the pedal is only halfway down.


Just a take based on the decisions I'd have to make.
I also won't drive a c class for the same reasons you have.

Mine is a very modified 24.1. Any pictures or measurements you want, I'll supply quickly and happily. I've checked and measured. All the tank sizes you have now are a pretty easy fit into the 24.1. However, we chose not to do it. We adapted easily. We also carry a 10" high foldable step stool.

The water heater is very nice. It takes about 45 seconds of adjusting a valve on the heater itself, once, and never again. Some can't do it, some do it in 45 seconds. Some have added an auxiliary tank to save 20ounces of cold water at the beginning use. It's not like a tire pressure or turn off the fridge pilot when fueling debate, but it's not worth getting involved in the discussion of tankless vs tank.

You're right about the stabilizers. They do not level. They're antishake, at best, an odd psychological replacement for levelers at worst.
I'm not understanding why you'd have to give up hydraulic levelers. They're aftermarket and can be added any time during ownership.

17,000 miles of 75mph or whatever the speed limit is, -40altitude to 11,000ft. We've never averaged worse than 9mpg, never better than 10mpg. We don't baby it and we don't like the '55mph gives me better gas mileage' faction. We drive it as traffic dictates.

Our v10 uses 6/10ths gallon per hour at idle. Leaving it running with both ac on is the norm when it's hot out and we're out of the vehicle. This works fine in Las Vegas and Lake Havasu summers, but it's a cheap easy add to install a second ac and the slow start capacitor kit(or whatever it is) that allows a 4k generator to run ac units.

24. 1 does not come with an inverter. It's a dealer installed item. You'll want one.

It's all a money equals comfort thing. It always is.

(yours is an excellent well thought post. Thanks for the details.)