Possible Upgrade to Diesel Unit - Thor Yes or No?

[Bob Denman]

Congratulations!
How about a couple of pics?

[Pete'sMH]

Well this is a Thor forum, not SOB. But....[ATTACH]24659[ATTACH]24660[ATTACH]24661

[saddlesore]

Being a former Thor owner , now an SOB owner...interesting thread..
& Thnx Bob for the plug for our brand of coach..

[GVP-The Boxcar Children]

We have a 2019 Aria 4000 DP. It's our 3rd coach from the 3rd different manufacturer (Four Winds, Forest River, and Thor), and the teething pains are consistent regardless of builder, at least in our experience. Having said that, it is a very nice coach that we plan to full-time in before too long, and the warranty repairs are not so insurmountable that we can't enjoy the coach. Also, I saw a post in this thread wondering about towing capability: the Aria is rated for 10K, has the 360 Cummins with an Allison 6-speed auto. We tow our 4-door Rubicon and the Aria doesn't even know it's back there.
Just our 2 cents,
GVP

[Bob Denman]

Pete,
S.O.B. or not: that's areal Beauty!
I try to keep my conversations about Thors; or at least RVs in general...

[Missile3b]

Thank you to each of you for replying and sharing some very valuable information. I have looked at a few of Thor’s diesel pushers, but not very closely just yet. I was not aware of the multi facility manufacturing which Thor utilizes; however it does make sense. Obviously Newmar & Tiffin are top of the list and if we can locate a used model within our price point; we will go that route.

Not to get off on a tangent, however the reason for my asking is due to our displeasure with the Thor product we currently own. We purchased the Windsport new (mistake no. 1) and our dealer was prompt on correcting some of the issues which came to surface. However other issues were very poorly handled. For example, there was water coming in near the front passenger seat from the outside. The subfloor was obviously saturated however the dealer only siliconed the exterior trim and stated the subfloor repair would be extensive and they didn’t feel it was necessary. Another example is when the side entry door latch mechanism broke, locking us out of the rv on a trip. The only way to enter the rv was by prying the door trim back far enough to then knock the broken latch free and open the door. The dealer replaced the latch assembly but told us the door would not be replaced. I disagreed stating the only reason for the door damaged was due to the latch failure & our immediate need to get into the rv. They refused to replace the door. Like many others, I could go on all day with similar issues we have faced. Many of which I have repaired myself because our dealer is less than detail oriented when doing the warranty work. Discouragingly, every time I work on our unit I come across more examples of the shear lack of quality, lack of pride, or concern for safety which Thor has put into their class A gas models.

[TurnerFam]

I would think you might have more of a beef with the 'dealer', than with Thor itself, but it's aggravating, nonetheless.

The Palazzo is built in Wakarusa, where all the diesels are also built on the same line together, along with some other higher-end gas models of similar sizes.

The Palazzo is the 'compact diesel' variety, meaning a smaller isb6.7L Cummins engine, MH2100 or MH2500 Allison transmission, and Frieghtliner Custom XCS Chassis, or 'thru rail' chassis design, making for a very 'low stance' motorhome, which we love. We're actually parked now, on our private lot, where we don't have the single entry step out, and don't even need it...we just walk right out onto the 'patio'.

The Winnie FORZA, Fleetwood PaceARROW, ForestRiver LEGACY, Coachmen SPORTSCOACH, and TiffinRED are similar XCS chassis diesel pusher 'compact' coaches. Newmar(now and Winnie company) and Entegra(a Thor company) 'may' have a coach that uses the XCS chassis, also.

Any of these are great coaches, and I've delivered quite a few from the factories to dealers all over, and LOVE their low stance, great FUEL MILEAGE, and SMOOTH air bag ride.

As for build quality: every factory can have a day when things just are built to their espoused standards, even Newmar and others... there may be a 'perfect' coach out there, but even the 'big boys' have issues from time to time.

And, as for moving from one Thor product to another: if you LIKE what you see in the floor plan, engine type/size, etc., then I wouldn't pull hairs on what the 'brand' is. They will all get you where you are going, and probably will make you very happy.

Note: Towing power, with rear engine diesels.
Our Palazzo, and I believe all Palazzo models, comes with a 10,000lb rated hitch.
Now, to be fair, the 'hitch rating' for ANY motorhome does NOT determine whether you actually can USE that much, it's all dependent on the fully-loaded WEIGHT of your coach before you ever leave the driveway. Deduct this 'weight' from your coach's GVWR and you'll have the 'maximum' that the motorhome can then tow behind it, AS LONG AS that weight is not MORE than the hitch can already handle.

So, if the weight of the fully-loaded coach is 24,952 lbs, and your GVWR is 30,000 lbs, you could conceivably tow up to 5,008 lbs with no problem, AS LONG AS your hitch is rated to at least that amount.
What's interesting, is that several of these other makes of diesel coaches on the same exact XCS chassis platform, with the same Cummins engine size and Transmission, only come with a 5,000lb rated hitch from the factory. So, in essence, the factory is more limiting the towing capacity than the motorhome actually is. I would also suggest, though, that most owners are not going to be towing over 5,000lbs, regardless, since that's a very heavy vehicle, or a vehicle/trailer combination, so maybe it's not as big of a 'deal' as some might surmise.
Some 'Super C' and very large diesels have up to even 20,000lb hitches and corresponding capacity, but those are typically FRONT engine diesels, made on a different chassis.
They also get about 6 mpg, whereas the diesel pusher 'compacts' might get 12 or better.

[Beau388]

[QUOTE=TurnerFam;242166 {snip}
The Winnie FORZA, Fleetwood PaceARROW, ForestRiver LEGACY, Coachmen SPORTSCOACH, and TiffinRED are similar XCS chassis diesel pusher 'compact' coaches. Newmar(now and Winnie company) and Entegra(a Thor company) 'may' have a coach that uses the XCS chassis, also.{smip} [/QUOTE]
All RED Entrgras are built on a Spartan independent front axle K1, K2 or K3 raised rail chassis. The shortest Entegra is the Reatta 37K and it is on a K1 chassis with the 360 hp ISB 6.7. It is priced about the same as the Plazzo 37.4 coach.

[Jdb]

We had a 2018 Vegas 24.1. We did all the suspension mods, electrical mods, etc. it was falling apart faster than I could fix it...

I sold it for almost exactly what I paid (hot market for those right now), and bought a 2003 Country Coach 32’. The new coach has been extremely well cared for, and looks better at 17 than my Vegas did at 2.

One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The Country Coach is very well engineered and assembled. The difference is like night and day!

I recommend taking a serious look at some of these older, fine coaches: Country Coach, Foretravel, etc

Dave

[Bob Denman]

Congratulations!
How about some pics of it?

[Grab320]

Don’t rule out a Winnebago. I had a 2017 Miramar and it Was in the shop three winters for months. It was built in plant 850 with a long list of warranty and non warranty Repairs! Being Leery of another Thor purchased a 2020 Winnebago 8 months ago. In the shop 3 days for minor warranty work.

[Bob Denman]

Welcome to the best forum on the internet!

[jdamann]

Went from an ACE to an Aria....vowed never Thor again....we have a Fleetwood Discovery LXE....worlds apart....you get what you pay for

[SemperFi]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

We had a 33 ft Fleetwood gas class A and last fall went looking for a Newmar Ventana. At the dealer and parked next to the DP was a little 30 ft Bay Star Sport (Newmar’s entry level gas coach). Long story short we bought the little BSS. It was so much quieter and nicer than the Fleetwood and literally half the cost of the Ventana that we couldn’t resist. It’s pretty basic and we actually are happy to be off the “bigger/better” treadmill. But that’s just us!

Hey Pete,

At one point you may have had a 28H, like us. If so, how does your newest rig compare to this Class C Freedom Elite 28H? I recently retired and we have enjoyed traveling the midwest. I rarely email, but learn a lot from this forum! Hope everybody stays healthy.

[fcomans4505]

I would strongly recommend tiffin or Newmar,
Nothing but problems and I bought new , very poor quality,in and out of the shop for 2 years. Basement is sagging to the point it may fall thru, due to water leakes and not enough support to hold up floor.. to many issues on inside to name, and nothing but put off with Thor till your warranty runs out

[MikeHartman]

Originally Posted by Missile3b

We currently have a 2016 Thor Windsport 32N. However we are considering moving into a Class A Diesel unit. Our experience with the Thor product thus far has been less than enjoyable, to say the least. I have sworn up and down I would NEVER buy another Thor product, but to be fair, I wanted to see if their diesel units were any better.

My question is, are all of the Thor products manufactured the same? Is the quality of the Thor Diesel units any better than that of the Thor Class A Gas units? I understand they will not be a Newmar Essex or Dutch Star, however are they any better built than their gas units or are they all the same.

Thank you for your time.

Hi, I saw your question re: Thor diesel pusher upgrade and can tell you this. I was told AFTER I bought my 2018 Thor Palazzo 36.3 Diesel Pusher by the sales agent after my multiple phone call complaints that "it is best to be the 2nd owner of a motorhome as the 1st owner will have worked out all of the problems."

And it is so true. I have worked out all of the problems that i am aware of but now find myself in a position that I have to sell it. I would love to keep it for travels during my retirement but financial problems have arisen since my wife lost her job so it is necessary to decrease expenses. I love this RV but am looking to sell so if you would like to get more information send me your contact information. And no i am not a dealer but a private individual.

Finally, the other thing that is never mentioned is that almost, if not all, of the complaints that you read about are from original owners. This was further supported by a mechanic at my local RV dealership that said to me "we see as many Winnebagos and Tiffens in here as Thors."

[Carrollmj]

Super C 35SB Ford 550...wont get anything else.

[dfeld]

We have had nothing but trouble with our Thor Tuscany 38SQ we had close to 30 problems when we first bought it. We’ve had problems with the jacks that was traced after great effort to wiring that was incorrect. Our bedroom slide was acting up at day one, eventually quit completely and had to be rebuilt. We’ve had all sorts of water leaks which eventually caused the flooring in the basement storage to rot out—flooring in the three biggest cabinets had to be replaced. Especially the one that contained the water tank it was falling out the bottom. On our first trip we discovered that the grey water was never connected to the grey water tank. Our tv that goes up and down, broke free from its hinge and wouldn’t go down on our first trip. I could go on and on!

[Missile3b]

Just wanted to say thank you for all of the replies and input! We have not yet decided on a brand or model but all of the feedback greatly helps!

[Bob Denman]

Happy Shopping, and the Best of Luck to you!