Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Motorcoach & Motorhome > Class A Motor Coach
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-28-2015, 08:20 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Illinois
Posts: 2
THOR #3146
Palazzo 33.2 Observations and Discoveries

So my wife and I (along with our little Maltipoo, who essentially runs the whole show) just finished a 4-day shake down cruise in our (new to us) ’14 Palazzo 33.2 in preparation for a 3-week trip from Chicago to California and back at Christmas, and I decided my “learnings” from the experience might help some other poor bloke survive the experience with far less hassle and frustration. We’re new to this RV thing, and my first observation is it would be helpful for converts to be some combination of a mechanical slash electrical engineer, urban planner, logistics expert, and general contractor. Oh...and it would really be helpful to be a plumber, but more on that later.

General Observations

This coach is far more comfortable and capable than its entry-level, diesel pusher status would suggest. Once you get past the less than attractive vinyl flooring (which I admit is easier to keep clean than either carpet or the beautiful, white tile a close relative’s $400K coach sports), and the depressingly beige color scheme, the accommodations are more than comfortable. Our first priority (really?) was to redo the window treatments to substitute teal as an accent color, and to add a matching ottoman to make the couch more relaxing. With those changes, the coach feels quite pleasant (it was already in fantastic shape...the previous owners only put 2,600 miles on it in the 9 months they owned it, and they obviously treated it lovingly), and while it doesn’t have the fireplace, second bath, dishwasher, and upgraded surfaces available in the Tuscany line, it’s also several hundred thousand less expensive. The air conditioners are too loud, and the ceiling fans in both the main living area and the bathroom are pretty cheap, but those are minor annoyances, and I’ll simply upgrade those elements as time allows.

Inside, the Palazzo 33.2 feels larger than 35 feet, but it “drives” much smaller. At 26,000lbs. GVWR, the 300hp Cummins is powerful enough to make acceleration relatively quiet and brisk on ours, which is admittedly lightly-loaded. The tail swing is modest, at least when compared to a gasser, yet the wheelbase is short enough that it isn’t necessary to drive half way into an intersection before beginning a right turn. The Palazzo also has a lower center of gravity than models built on the larger bus chassis, and this seems to lessen the rocking motion a rough road surface can cause. And, at 12’, we were able to sneak under some tree branches on rural roads that would have been a problem otherwise. Finding temporary parking spots was also less of a hassle in the 33.2 than it can be with the larger coaches. I found I could find two, end-to-end parking spots to slide into in almost every parking lot we visited, as long as they didn’t have concrete parking curbs between them.

Discoveries

Our coach was delivered with 110lbs. of air pressure in all six tires, and the handling was skittish, to say the least. I’m sure I looked like my 2-year old Grandson on his riding tow...leaning far out over the steering wheel and jerking it back and forth rapidly in response to every pavement groove or wind gust...when I first drove it. Since I haven’t been able to get our coach weighed yet, I didn’t want to risk lowering the pressure too much (Goodyear’s tire charts suggest they can be run as low as 80lbs., depending on the corner weight), but I followed the advice of other Palazzo owners on online forums and lowered the fronts to 90lbs. and the rears to 100lbs. at this point. The change was dramatic! The coach now tracks very well, even in some pretty gusty winds, and there are far fewer creaks and groans from either the structure, its contents, or its owners! I’m going to get the actual weights as soon as possible so that I can lower the pressure to the most optimal level for a smooth ride and solid steering, and I’d suggest that any new Palazzo owner should make checking the tire pressure a high priority.

About the chrome lug covers holding the front wheel covers in place.... Your coach should have been delivered with a 1 5/8” T-Wrench to remove the two, dimpled covers holding each wheel cover in place (the others are welding in place). Ours was in a corrugated box in the storage area underneath the bed. That worked fine for three out of the four covers I needed to remove in order to remove and replace the valve stem covers. The fourth was apparently installed by a gorilla with an air wrench set on stun. I promptly stripped the cheap T-Wrench trying to remove it, and then switched to my largest vise grip, with no success. I simply couldn’t get enough grip on the slightly-curved edges of the cover to loosen it. I eventually resorted to drilling a small hole in the cover and threading a machine screw into the hole to give my pliers something to grip, and that worked. A replacement cap is on its way, and I’ve lightly lubed the threads before re-installing them to avoid problems in the future.

The dash stereo is connected to speakers behind the driver and passengers’ heads, but also in the bedroom at the rear of the coach. So how do you turn on or adjust the volume of the rear speakers? Good question! After an unsuccessful search for some form of volume control in the bedroom, I turned my attention to the Jensen Radio itself and discovered that the fade control (you’ll have to consult the owner’s manual for how to access these controls...my old, addled brain isn’t capable of retaining the incantations involved with accessing the function) is used to balance the volume front to back in the coach. With that solved, the sound was pleasant throughout the coach.

I’m fortunate to have a technology background, so I was able to tackle the television setup (there are three on our coach) fairly confidently, but I suspect this is an are where many will meet their match. Perhaps our particular situation presents more challenges than most, since the previous owner (bless his heart) had a retractable Winegard satellite antenna installed on roof of the coach and HD and Blueray DVD units with HDMI outputs added to the rats nest of cables and control boxes in the entertainment cabinet. I’ll eventually sort it all out and will probably upgrade the controlling equipment, but in the mean time choosing between the various inputs and outputs can be a bit of a puzzle, even for someone with some grasp of what needs to happen. In any event, there is a cable input under one of the tanks toward the front end of the wet bay that could easily be missed in a walk through (I pointed it out to the technician doing ours), so if an RV park provides a feed, you’ll need a length of RG-6 coaxial cable with F-Style connectors on either end.

The first, harder than desirable, left turn proved that a refrigerator latch is essential. Who knew? (Remember...we’re new to this!) The previous owner had left us one, but it apparently didn’t make it through the detailing process (though the rig was absolutely immaculate...hard to complain, really). We cleaned up the 7lb. bag of ice we’d tossed in the freezer only minutes earlier and ordered an even better latch than the one originally supplied through our dealer—Total Value RV in Elkhart, IN...(574) 262-4460.

No matter how well your wealthy friend’s RV toilet handles the thick, luxurious, super soft toilet paper your wife considers essential to life itself, your Palazzo’s system won’t like it. Turns out, his toilet is the fancy, macerating variety, and his wife’s assurances that there won’t be any problem will be proven inaccurate along about 11:00PM on a rainy, Saturday, long past time for a visit to a home improvement store even if one does have a toad (which, I should clarify for essential background, we don’t). Fortunately, Total Value had thoughtfully provided us with a redundant white hose and one roll of RV-approved toilet paper. The hose was sacrificed to clear the line, and we were back doing business...so to speak. The learning here? Have an extra hose available “just in case,” and follow the manufacturers recommendations on toilet paper limitations rather!

Many of the other discoveries we made were born out of the requirement that we winterize our coach before returning it to storage this trip, even though the building it’s being housed in this winter is climate controlled. Our Christmas plans call for us to retrieve the coach somewhere around the 17th of December and immediately pointing it south. Unfortunately, it could be REALLY cold that time of year in the Chicago area, so we’ll run completely dry until we hit warmer weather. Hence, our introduction to winterizing.

Learnings? Open all of the hot water faucets prior to removing the drainage plug on the water heater. I did actually need a bath at that point, but I would have preferred to do it in the shower rather than in a rather unceremonious fashion fully-clothed and crouched alongside the coach in full view of the other campers. Took me five minutes to find the plug, which had flown yards away into the neighbor’s site. Not one of my smoother moments.

I had purchased a “Watts FP-WP100 3-5/8" Winterizing By-Pass Plate” off of Amazon and I found the plastic wrench provided with the coach to loosen the water filter canister in one of the storage compartments above the passenger seat. The canister came off without a hitch, but it was only then that I discovered the filter had never been installed. No problem, I guess (we hadn’t noticed any problems with the taste of our water), but it did reveal that the “extra” filter rolling back and forth in the long cabinet above the front windshield was not, actually, “extra.” The By-Pass Plate worked perfectly, however. Highly recommended as a simple way to eliminate the filter from the system while the coach is winterized.

I elected to use the “blowing out the supply lines” method rather than injecting RV antifreeze into the lines since we’ll be using our Palazzo again in just a couple of months. Learnings? The shut off valves for the washer in our 33.2 are accessed through a panel in the driver-side bedroom closet. The shut off valve for the refrigerator ice-maker can be accessed through a removable panel (looks like another drawer without a pull) below the three real drawers next to the stove. Other than that, the process was pretty straightforward once I successfully assembled the hoses, fittings, and pressure regulator required to safely use the Palazzo’s air supply for the purpose.

A few other little bits of knowledge that might help another “newbie” avoid delays or undue concerns.... The jacking system won’t operate with the engine running. (Probably a really good idea, but it caused me a few moments of anxiety while I imagined myself unable to leave the campsite at check out time because I couldn’t lift them.) Starting the engine also bypasses the shut-off for the electric steps, which means they’ll slide out and in every time you open and close the coach door. There’s a little moon/sun icon on the right side of the radio that can easily be bumped or touched in the normal course of events. If it’s in the wrong position, the right/left/rear camera images will be impossible to see on the screen in daylight. (That little number cropped up while I was blocking traffic and desperately needed to back the coach into a driveway, but I couldn’t see a blasted thing on the screen!) And, finally, there are two metal pins dangling from chains at the top of the retractable bed mechanisms on either side of the cockpit designed to keep the bed from slowly winding it’s way down the track as one drives along. That’s a really good reason to make sure they’re used, but an even better reason is the fact that they’ll drive you completely nuts as they swing and bang against the wall and track until you’re able to find a safe place to stop again and deal with it.

Conclusions

We love the Palazzo! It’s a very comfortable, it handles well, and it looks really sharp. And, since we bought ours used (albeit only slightly), we feel we got a whole lot of coach for our money. We’ve read all about the slide problems some of the early adopters experienced, and it took very little research to discover that pretty much every RV manufacturer has its share of those complaints. (Read the Prevost forums for some real entertainment in this regard. Imagine how happy people plunking down a couple of million dollars for a coach feel about even more aggravating problems!) The Freightliner chassis and the Cummins engine/Allison transmission package is solid. What’s left to complain about?

Oh, I know...some of the people on these forums will treat that challenge like a full time job!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_3088.JPG
Views:	469
Size:	119.4 KB
ID:	994  

__________________
abrask is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2015, 08:59 PM   #2
Site Team
 
EA37TS's Avatar
 
Brand: Entegra
Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
Posts: 8,726
THOR #1469
Welcome to the forum and I enjoyed reading your post.

I will tell you experienced RVer, weren't always experienced and most can probably relate to some of your "Learning".

On thing I learned is every trip is a new experience, be it good or bad, and when I ask myself Am I having fun, the answer usually comes in the evening sitting around a campfire and is a resounding "Heck Yeah I'm having fun.

Again, welcome to the forum.
__________________
Dave
US Army (Ret)
2020 Entegra Accolade 37TS
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (Toad)
FMCA - F432054
EA37TS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2015, 12:13 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Nursx2's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2015 Hurricane 34 J
State: Ohio
Posts: 680
THOR #1295
You stated "Our coach was delivered with 110lbs. of air pressure in all six tires, and the handling was skittish, to say the least".

Kudos to the tech at Total value RV in Elkhart Indiana last year this time when I purchased my Hurricane. He purposely let out air and set my tires to 90 PSI and educated me he did so for the ride quality! I keep them at 90 and the ride is great and they are wearing fine also!
__________________
Darren
2015 Thor Hurricane 34 J
Custom paint 2019 (Pro Custom Inc., Elkhart, IN)
2019 Honda Accord 2.0T Sport 6 speed manual
(THOR)
Nursx2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2016, 02:59 PM   #4
Junior Member
 
Scintor's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Palazzo 33.2
State: Oregon
Posts: 28
THOR #4145
May GOD bless you for that write-up. I'm sure some will think it too long and detailed, but this new 2014 Palazzo 33.2 owner found it very informative and valuable. I'm not new to RVing, just new to this DP (diesel pusher). I've only had mine long enough to have made one trip which raised several issues including the handling. I called the steering "wonky", and thought I would have to invest tons o'money to stabilize it. Now, thanks to you I'll look at the tire pressures first.
__________________
Scintor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2016, 04:59 AM   #5
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Texas
Posts: 3
THOR #4521
Thanks.

My new 2016 Palazzo was supposed to allow raising and lowering the jacks with the engine running, but did not. I was told by a tech at the dealer it was often the case while the chassis battery was charging. Use shore power or generator.

I discovered two 100 AMP circuit breakers in the battery compartment, and both had been tripped. How and/or by whom is a mystery. That did not solve the leveling jacks problem.

The culprit was that my coach battery was not being charged from the engine alternator due to a faulty Trombetta solenoid. Took me a while to puzzle that out. It showed 11.5 volts with engine running, and 11.9 volts on shore on the purple wire from the BIRD. Chassis to coach was open with engine running but closed on shore power. Voltage across chassis batteries was 14.1 volts.

Before replacing the solenoid, panic set in when the coach was on jacks and the generator was a little slow starting. So I reviewed the procedure for raising the jacks if there is a failure of the pump motor. Discovered the location of the pump (front right of the generator) prevented attachment of a drill with a 1/2 inch socket unless a right angle attachment was added to the drill. So, added a right angle attachment to the coach tool chest.

Upon reading some problems with the slide, I discovered the you tube video showing how to lubricate, and also reviewed manual retraction procedures. The control panels for the slides are on ceilings of compartments. One front left. The other is on the ceiling in the same compartment as the solenoids and inverter.

Also, I have an Axxera AVM10BH monitor/radio/etc and found no documentation. Downloaded from Axxera and learned much, including how to disconnect the rear camera and attach it to a dedicated monitor.

I would have not known about access to the air pump except it was mentioned by a tech at the dealer. Purchased a 50 foot air hose and fittings so can air the tires.

One continuing mystery and worry is the 0.3 volts drop at the 12 volt plug on the dash when the dash A/C is turned on and the alternator is not charging the chassis. The voltage showing on the inverter control panel does not drop. Is it because of resistance of undersized wiring? It seems odd that the dash A/C is getting its electric power from the coach.

I rely on the backup camera for tight parking, but find it impossible to tilt the camera down enough to see the back bumper because of the custom recessed mounting epoxied inside the recessed panel. Fix is still in the looking at options phase.

Elsewhere, I learned of difficulty in fueling from the right side, and experienced diesel splashing back even when filling slowly. Have not traced the hose on that side. Have only filled the tank once so don't know about the left side.

Had significant shimmy through the steering wheel, so stopped by a smallish Mchelin truck tire dealer. The front tires were in balance, but one was not properly mounted so that it wobbled. The tire was remounted, but I still have a little shimmy. Maybe there is some play in the front end, or ??? Not sure what to do.

I feel like I am just discovering the vehicle, and a longish trip is coming up soon. Hope to do a 600 mile roundtrip before then (to get the four corners weighed).
__________________
Palazzo 33.2 2016
robtx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2021, 07:21 PM   #6
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Palazzo 36.1
State: Florida
Posts: 6
THOR #4963
ABRASK: I have a Palazzo 36.1 and according to the plate behind the drivers seat it calls for 120 psi which I have always run when traveling and the coach runs fine, no problems of any kind. From what I have read on the web about tires I would be afraid to run the tires at lower pressures.

ROBTX: I also had to have a wiring problem corrected to get the engine gen to charge batteries while driving had a bad solenoid and a wiring error.
__________________
fengland is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2021, 12:09 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 29.3
State: Pennsylvania
Posts: 115
THOR #20468
Just an FYI this post was started in 2015 and ABRASK has not signed in since 2015 and ROBTX has not logged in since 2017.

Easy to miss those details when reading old posts.
__________________
rbykid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2022, 10:50 PM   #8
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Oregon
Posts: 1
THOR #28070
Why is that important?
__________________
FlotsamParadise is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2022, 10:57 PM   #9
Site Team
 
16ACE27's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,121
THOR #7035
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlotsamParadise View Post
Why is that important?
Why is "what" important? If you are addressing a previous post, quote it to aid in continuity.
__________________
Ted & Melinda
2016 ACE 27.1
2016 Chevy Sonic Toad - Selling
2020 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Runner Toad
2024 Chevrolet Trax 2RS - Soon 2B TOAD
16ACE27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2022, 02:50 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 29.3
State: Pennsylvania
Posts: 115
THOR #20468
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlotsamParadise View Post
Why is that important?
Well if they were expecting a response from those two posters I doubt it will happen.

Just trying to be kind and point that out.
__________________
rbykid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2023, 05:35 PM   #11
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Palazzo
State: Texas
Posts: 4
THOR #27677
Thank you, great and enlightening post!
__________________
TXrider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2023, 11:45 PM   #12
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Oregon
Posts: 1
THOR #28257
Off topic but your text appears to me to be familiarly British. Am I correct? :-)
And it's informative so thanks for that.
Ken.
__________________
Ken Taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2023, 12:54 AM   #13
Site Team
 
16ACE27's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,121
THOR #7035
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Taylor View Post
Off topic but your text appears to me to be familiarly British. Am I correct? :-)
And it's informative so thanks for that.
Ken.
Who are you talking to? Quoting the post you are referencing adds continuity to the thread.

BTW, the first post was from 7 & 1/2 years ago if that's who you are trying to "converse" with.
__________________
Ted & Melinda
2016 ACE 27.1
2016 Chevy Sonic Toad - Selling
2020 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Runner Toad
2024 Chevrolet Trax 2RS - Soon 2B TOAD
16ACE27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2023, 02:28 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31y
State: South Carolina
Posts: 212
THOR #21394
Quote:
Originally Posted by 16ACE27 View Post
Who are you talking to? Quoting the post you are referencing adds continuity to the thread.



BTW, the first post was from 7 & 1/2 years ago if that's who you are trying to "converse" with.
I enjoyed reading the (reminded of) the original thread. Thanks to to Ken Taylor for posting.
__________________
Matthew is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 08:47 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2