Axis/Vegas Mods...1,2,3 Go.

[Bldcop]

That is beautiful and very inovated. We are having Sumo and airbags installed on our Vegas and as soon as we get it back ill be posting some pics of our upgrades.

[JohnnyD]

Driver's side led area light

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

What are the best brand stabilization scissor jacks bal or libra or some other. Going to mount on Axis 25.2. Has anyone done a four point weigh on 25.2 empty

[Ken P]

Good day,
Would appreciate details (make / model) on the recliners
Really like what you did
Kenp33@yahoo.com

[Jake-n-Marty]

Originally Posted by Karenfleck

25.2 has the largest shower in the Axis. 30 x 24. Unfortunately they stopped building that floor plan in 2019 because it wasn't selling. We love ours as we can even fit a shower chair in it.

Check out the Axis/Vegas 25.3! I’m 6ft tall and the shower is roomy dare I say. It’s 32x32! Installed a better shower head and it is great!

[twovillagers]

Just installed Shademaster shades from ShadePro on windshield and two front side windows. The fit is good and they are well made. Cost was $279 for three pieces.
The side shades have four snaps and the windshield has six.

The only drawback is it's a long reach to the top snaps-especially the windshield. I am 6'3" and I can reach it from the second step of a kitchen utility ladder. For anyone shorter, you will need to carry a 4 or 5 foot stepladder with you.

[Long & Winding road]

Thats sound great. Much cheaper than Magna shades (but not as easy).

Do you have some pictures of the installed? Do they look like Magna shades (Besides the snaps of coarse)?

I been thinking of trying to make my own verson of Magna shades some day.

[Hammer]

The DW and I were growing tired of the amount of effort required to open the hall closet doors so I came up with some new handles. I used 3/4" X 3/4" aluminum angle cut to 4" lengths, used my disc sander to radius the corners, drilled and counter sunk 3 holes in each handle. I cleaned up the sharp edges and using a scotch bright pad, gave it the appearance of brushed nickle. Mounted to the edge of the door flush with the back side of the door and we couldn't be happier. Way easier to get those closets open now.

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

Have you replaced the running lights with led lights. Axis or vages

[Long & Winding road]

Hammer, I love your homemade handles, Looks great!

Huge, I have not replaced all of my side markers or Clearance light to LED. Only my Headlights and Driving lights and I love them.

I figured as the old ones blow I will replace slowly with LED but it dont bother me they are Not LED.

Other members Im sure have gone all LED on all marker / Clearance lights.

[ducksface]

I have led headlight bulbs and led reverse light bulbs and a hidden front light bar.
I can find no reason to change tail lights or running lights to led.
I don't need them to see by and they don't need to be seen miles away and led tail lights and brake lights are sometimes blindingly bright to drivers behind you.


In my signature thread there's a side by side comparison of led reverse bulb vs stock filament bulb with lux readings for both.
There's also pictures and wiring instructions for the hidden light bar so it comes on with your brights.

[RAWeems]

Originally Posted by Retired&LovingIt

My husband and I purchased our 2018 Thor Axis 24.1 in November 2018. Though we love our RV, it has not been problem free. During our walkthrough, the salesman said the refrigerator would cool down to temp in an hour or so, it still was not cooling after five days. We had it serviced locally under the warranty.

My husband is very handy and can build anything so I thought I'd share the mods we have made during our first year.

1. Upgraded the software on the Axxera radio so it stopped cutting out when we turned on the turn signals.
2. Replaced the two heavy tables with three lighter, more useful tables. Having two at the couch allows much better access to the couch. They are attached slightly off center to allow them to swing close to the table for eating. These smaller tables now easily slide in, and store next to the couch.
1. Built a new side storage console for the passenger seat that fits cups, magazines, the speaker and is more useful.
2. Built a new side console for the driver seat that is higher, fits cups and placed the windshield wiper controls there. The current location was hard to use and distracting.
3. Built a wooden console with cup holders and a large drawer between the two front seats.
4. Attached and repaired all the heat vents. Several were not connected from the factory.
5. Added insulation to the doghouse. There was none.
6. Added a spare tire on the outside, under the rear bunks.
7. Straightened, and adjusted the driver’s seat back a few inches. It had been installed crooked from the factory.
8. Added a shower dispenser to shower and water filter at external water connection.
9. Replaced the hose on the shower to a flexible one and added a hook to attach to the ceiling.
10. Added shelves and a magazine rack to the rear/side walls of the bedroom.
11. Added clear plexiglass fronts (with space at bottom to drain) to all the shower shelves so that we could store other toiletries (razor, scrungie, bath cleaners, etc) in the shower. This was a wonderful addition as it added lots permanent & visible bathroom storage.
12. Added broom/clothes hooks and toothbrush holders to the bathroom.
13. Added a magnetic latch by the front door for quick access to a flashlight.
14. Added the Campco bar to the screen door.
15. Replaced the TV brackets for both inside TV’s with ones that rotate and tilt for better viewing.
16. Purchased two folding ottomans for storage. When folded, they store perfectly in front of the passenger seat and create the perfect passenger footrest when traveling. This solved the problem with the passenger seat being too high.
17. Purchased a small foldable step stool to place in front of the bed. It was hard enough to get into the bed, but we also added a mattress topper which added another 3 inches, so the step stool was needed.
18. Replaced the thermostat on the a/c with a Honeywell digital programmable one to stop the radical temperature swings.
19. Added a large automatic clock that includes the outdoor temperatures. When traveling, we store the sensor in the refrigerator so we don’t leave it behind, and we can easily see that it is working properly.
20. Purchased a small digital thermometer for the freezer.
21. We use fabric bins in all the overheads for storage in the bedroom. They are labeled and it makes it very easy to load/unload and see what’s stored there.
22. Added a small shoe rack next to the inside front step (just behind the passenger seat).
23. Added a ham radio, mount for iPad (navigation) and portable speaker to front dash to improve communication and navigation.

Still on the to-do list
1. Resolve why the Audible and Chirp Apps do not play without cutting in and out on the front radio.
2. Replace the couch chairs with recliners.

We appreciate all the wonderful ideas and modifications that have been shared in this forum. As you see, we have already put many of them to good use - while adding some others we thought of as we traveled.

where did your husband get the software upgrade from? We have a 2020 (2019....) and it does that still

[Chucke]

Originally Posted by twovillagers

Just installed Shademaster shades from ShadePro on windshield and two front side windows. The fit is good and they are well made. Cost was $279 for three pieces.
The side shades have four snaps and the windshield has six.

The only drawback is it's a long reach to the top snaps-especially the windshield. I am 6'3" and I can reach it from the second step of a kitchen utility ladder. For anyone shorter, you will need to carry a 4 or 5 foot stepladder with you.

Hello we added the shademaster shades for our Vegas 25.2 front windshield and side windows. Really cuts down on heat build up. I went ahead and ordered for the window at kitchen sink and window on opposite side at couch. I hope you all enjoy yours.

[twovillagers]

Originally Posted by Chucke

Hello we added the shademaster shades for our Vegas 25.2 front windshield and side windows. Really cuts down on heat build up. I went ahead and ordered for the window at kitchen sink and window on opposite side at couch. I hope you all enjoy yours.

I'm glad to hear you had a good reduction in heat. I just installed mine and am looking forward to our next trip to see the difference.

On our last trip, I noticed how long it took the A/C to bring the temp down, even though I had run the A/C while driving. Just the time to set up caused a good rise in interior temp. The A/C is right on spec. for temp drop, but just way too much heat up front with all of the glass and a hot engine from driving.

In addition to the shades, i have installed improved noise and sound insulation on the underside of the doghouse and note some improvement in noise and heat. I feel that the result of both improvements will lower the heat enough to improve the cool down time.

Thanks for the comments!

[Topsy57]

Originally Posted by Ziggys Vegas

I had already removed the Dog House cover and you can see from the attached photo that there was only about 2/3 of the Dog House covered with foam. Also the rubber seal was poorly installed and had gaps. This is another example of poor workmanship behind the surface.

How did you get the doghouse off? Hubby says there are 2 screws/bolts or whatever that he can't get to because of a piece if wood in the way. Thx

[twovillagers]

Originally Posted by Topsy57

How did you get the doghouse off? Hubby says there are 2 screws/bolts or whatever that he can't get to because of a piece if wood in the way. Thx

He is correct about the piece of wood in the way. I had a flexible shaft on my cordless drill with a Philips bit in it. I went around the wood at about a 90 degree angle and, even then, I had to push a little on the wood for screwdriver bit to clear. It all works with a little persistence!

The shaft is available at any hardware or home improvement store and is not expensive. I put the screw back in whan I was finished, but I don't believe it was really necessary.

If you decide to go ahead, there is also metal around the engine that I also insulated with self-stick foil faced, sound deadening, heat reflective insulation-many brands available on Amazon. I used Thermo-Tec 14620. Many on the forum have used Dynamat or FatMat. I also sprayed on 3M 77 adhesive for some extra sticking quality.

I feel there was an incremental improvement in both heat and noise. In hindsight, I might have used two layers on the doghouse, and still might do that. It's worth doing-just don't expect it to be as quiet as your car!

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by twovillagers

He is correct about the piece of wood in the way. I had a flexible shaft on my cordless drill with a Philips bit in it. I went around the wood at about a 90 degree angle and, even then, I had to push a little on the wood for screwdriver bit to clear. It all works with a little persistence!

The shaft is available at any hardware or home improvement store and is not expensive. I put the screw back in whan I was finished, but I don't believe it was really necessary.

If you decide to go ahead, there is also metal around the engine that I also insulated with self-stick foil faced, sound deadening, heat reflective insulation-many brands available on Amazon. I used Thermo-Tec 14620. Many on the forum have used Dynamat or FatMat. I also sprayed on 3M 77 adhesive for some extra sticking quality.

I feel there was an incremental improvement in both heat and noise. In hindsight, I might have used two layers on the doghouse, and still might do that. It's worth doing-just don't expect it to be as quiet as your car!

The underside of the dash is a huge noise and heat producer.
Not sure the best way to insulate it in a professional way other than removing entire assembly.

I’d love to see how it’s done.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

The underside of the dash is a huge noise and heat producer.
Not sure the best way to insulate it in a professional way other than removing entire assembly.

I’d love to see how it’s done.

I initially put some fatmat under the dash but then this year I added this stuff (Amazon) everywhere I could reach from the front hood under the dash. I covered everything I could including the defrost ductwork.

We can now carry on a conversation driving down the highway--its made a big difference.

[Topsy57]

Originally Posted by twovillagers

He is correct about the piece of wood in the way. I had a flexible shaft on my cordless drill with a Philips bit in it. I went around the wood at about a 90 degree angle and, even then, I had to push a little on the wood for screwdriver bit to clear. It all works with a little persistence!

The shaft is available at any hardware or home improvement store and is not expensive. I put the screw back in whan I was finished, but I don't believe it was really necessary.

If you decide to go ahead, there is also metal around the engine that I also insulated with self-stick foil faced, sound deadening, heat reflective insulation-many brands available on Amazon. I used Thermo-Tec 14620. Many on the forum have used Dynamat or FatMat. I also sprayed on 3M 77 adhesive for some extra sticking quality.

I feel there was an incremental improvement in both heat and noise. In hindsight, I might have used two layers on the doghouse, and still might do that. It's worth doing-just don't expect it to be as quiet as your car!

Hubby says tyty

[Oneilkeys]

I also crawled into the engine compartment in my Axis and stuck insulation anywhere I could reach. I5 made a big difference along with Insulating the dog house. Two summers ago I replaced the Chassis battery through the dash and took that opportunity to insulate in that area. Wife noticed the difference on our 2000 mile trip home. Every little bit helps.