Soon to be new owner of Magnitude RS36

[elbenson]

I wanted to jump on and introduce myself. Next week we should have our delivery of a Thor Magnitude RS36 (new bunkhouse floor plan on F600 chassis). My family has been camping over the past 5 years in our Jayco Whitehawk trailer. We figured it was time to upgrade in something that is more comfortable to road trip with our 4 kids and 2 dogs.

At the end of the month we are planning to travel from the Bay Area in California out to Cooperstown NY for my sons baseball tournament. We figured since I am still mostly work from home, that it is a rare opportunity to take extra time off for a huge road trip and I still work from the road.

Eric

[coachray]

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum

[Bob Denman]

I'll bet it feels just like Christmas is coming...
Congratulations, and welcome to our campfire!

[DonkeyFluffer]

I've been trying to see an actual one on video or pics. Please share

[elbenson]

Yes, there is very little information on them as I think they are just now getting to the dealers. I did find a video on the BT36 from DeMartini RV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmevLNq4WXY

It is the same F600 chassis, so not exactly the same.

Eric

[EA37TS]

And you are aware of the slide and over an structural issues those rigs are having?

Good luck

[elbenson]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

And you are aware of the slide and over an structural issues those rigs are having?

Good luck

I have searched the threads and have seen some items going talking about this. Do you have any more detailed information or anything that is worth looking into when going over the PDI.

Thanks in advance.

Eric

[elbenson]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

And you are aware of the slide and over an structural issues those rigs are having?

Good luck

Sorry, but I hope this is not indicative of the support this forum has. To welcome a new person with "good luck". Are you pissed at Thor for building bad coaches that every new person here gets a cryptic message and a middle finger.

For reference, I have done quite a bit of research and have extensively used our ultra light trailer with 2 slides for 4+ years. I am a mechanical engineer and have designed satellite components, solar panels, and consumer electronics, so I am familiar with design issues, fixing, trouble shooting etc.

I have found a few active threads on this forum with good advice going over there issues, but based on the number of coaches sold, and relatively few issues with clear pictures/root cause I don't see a huge trend (or at. least any worse than other coaches). I also see slide issues in 100% of the other manufactures as well. I mean, there is only a few manufacturers of these components. You will have a set failure rate, as it is impossible to make a perfect system. So, on the forums there is no way to determine the defective parts per million just by reading these treads as people without issues tend not to post or come looking for advice.

Sorry, for the rant, but I guess time will tell if this forum is helpful or worth participating in.

Eric

[Bob Denman]

Please don't let it bother you: some folks wouldn't even be happy; if you hung them with a brand new rope...

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by elbenson

Sorry, but I hope this is not indicative of the support this forum has. To welcome a new person with "good luck". Are you pissed at Thor for building bad coaches that every new person here gets a cryptic message and a middle finger.

For reference, I have done quite a bit of research and have extensively used our ultra light trailer with 2 slides for 4+ years. I am a mechanical engineer and have designed satellite components, solar panels, and consumer electronics, so I am familiar with design issues, fixing, trouble shooting etc.

I have found a few active threads on this forum with good advice going over there issues, but based on the number of coaches sold, and relatively few issues with clear pictures/root cause I don't see a huge trend (or at. least any worse than other coaches). I also see slide issues in 100% of the other manufactures as well. I mean, there is only a few manufacturers of these components. You will have a set failure rate, as it is impossible to make a perfect system. So, on the forums there is no way to determine the defective parts per million just by reading these treads as people without issues tend not to post or come looking for advice.

Sorry, for the rant, but I guess time will tell if this forum is helpful or worth participating in.

Eric

Simple facts that Thor has a long history of issues with the full wall slides going back to at least 2014. There are numerous posts about the overhead cab area having structural issues. I will tell anyone, buying any brand with a Schwintek full wall slide “Good Luck”.

Sorry I’m not going to say the Magnitude is the greatest thing since sliced bread because it is not.

To the OP, again good luck, maybe you will buy a trouble free coach.

As a note, we walked away from the Magnitude in Sept 2019 because I didn’t like what I saw after sitting in it and other Super Cs. And as long as people keep buying the rigs with the well known issues Thor will keep building the crap (Schwintek full wall slides).

Sorry but I’m not sugar coating issues because someone is new to the forum.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Until Thor designed the 3 Trak system...yes they had issues. Since then I've heard of very few. I've never had a single issue with mine...nor have I had any issues with the overhead cap. Do a good PDI and enjoy the trip.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

Until Thor designed the 3 Trak system...yes they had issues. Since then I've heard of very few. I've never had a single issue with mine...nor have I had any issues with the overhead cap. Do a good PDI and enjoy the trip.

There are still plenty of issues even with the 3 TRAK system. Just do a search. Start with a search on the issues reported by Judge (a Magnitude owner) and him needing to carry an extra motor and other parts just in case. He has also reported on other owners not being able to operate a slide or even get it in so they could get to a service center.

Sorry but the problems are there for the reading and anyone that is considering buying any Thor coach with a full wall slide needs to be aware of the problems. Thor's FWS problems extend across TMC and have been felt by owners of the Hurricane/Windsport, Miramar, Challenger and the Magnitude.

As a note, Schwintek slide problems go across manufacturers check out the Forest River Forum as well.

One point to note, and this is one reason we ran away from the Magnitude is in some Floor Plans if the slide is not extended you can't use the bed because it can't be lowered.

Enough from me. The info is there and folks can read it and do what they want.

[DonkeyFluffer]

Congrats. I ordered an Accolade but only didn't get a Magnitude/Omni because of low CCC, which the F600 solves. Be happy with your purchase, any issues week eventually get resolved like the one on my Accolade eventually will.

[Judge]

I just got back from my third trip of the season. I have one more in two weeks before we head out on our 7-week trip.

Here is what I can report with my 2020 Magnitude SV34.....

1) Front Cap Structural Attachment Issue - Since the Thor Service Center in Wakarusa did the repairs at the end of last year, I have not seen any signs of the issue recurring. The cab over seems to be a little more stable when driving as well.

I can say I know at least two people with the 2021 Omni / Magnitudes that have had this same issue.... dating back to the earlier Super C models. The issue seems to be Thor is using screws that are too small and not enough where the front cap attaches to the house.

Whether Thor finally changed the front cap attachment on the 2022's remains to be seen.

2) Slide - Since I replaced my rear slide motor and fixed the screw in the slide box that was damaging the motor, my slide has been working well.


I still have concerns with the front cap and slide as only time will tell.
A guy I know just sold his 2021 SV34 back to a dealer at a significant loss because of slide and front cap issues.

As I've said in other posts, I never use AutoLevel. For the sake of the newbie on the block, I will again mention what I find works best.

I am very "gentle" when it comes to leveling the coach in order to protect the front cap / cab-over and the slide.

I have three small levels that I place on the floor of the coach at the front center, kitchen and bedroom entrace. Based on the levels I will manually level the coach... very gently. If the front is signficantly low, I drive onto one or two wood planks and place a wood plank under the front levelers and then gently raise the front of the coach if / as needed.

There are two major challenges with the full wall slide.... weight and house box structural integrity. Having the kitchen w/ fridge, theater seats and wardrobe on the slide is a lot of weight. Also the full wall slide means there are no studs supporting the drivers side of the house box.

AutoLevel causes more jack movements than are usually needed and it also tends to extend the jacks more than is needed. This all results in stress on the front cap and slide from excessive torque.

I also use slide locks on the slide. While the slide motors have electric locks, the weight of the slide creates some serious centrifugal force and can put a lot of strain on the motors and the slide meachanism when making right-hand turns or using right-hand exit ramps. By placing a slide lock at the front and the rear of the slide it removes some of the force on the motors and slide mechanism.

I will say that I just love the coach and the floorplan of the SV34 when everything is working and I am very pleased with the F-550. I have had the coach for 21 months now and while it has required me to do dozens of my own repairs and many upgrades and it has taken two trips to the Thor Service Center in Wakarusa and one to the dealer, I still do like the coach. I have had people come up to me at every single campground and tell me it is the sharpest coach they have seen.

If I can make it through the rest of this season without any major issues ), I will be very pleased. This is RV'ing.... there will be some issues.... it is just the nature of this untamed beast known to exhibit little quality control and marginal workmanship. I carry an extensive spare parts kit and as long as I can fix issues myslef, that is acceptable.

But if I do have any further major slide or structural issues, I have already told the DW we will probably replace it with a Dynamax or Nexus.

We have a ~3 month trip planned to Alaska in 2023. We also have another 7-week trip in 2022 on top of several smaller trips. I'm not going to chance having serious issues that derail our big trips.

For now, I'm happy with the coach. And I really like how it looks now that I replaced the stock bumper with one that will provide a little more protection and a look with some attitude.

[Bob Denman]

There's no doubt: the Judge knows Magnitudes...

[elbenson]

Thank you for the detailed reply with examples. I did see your previous posts so at the very least I have a better idea what to keep my eye on. Wouldn't the cap to body be covered under the 12 year structural warrantee. Or have you gotten feedback during your visits to the service center that this is not the case.

I have a good PDI list and will take my time to look carefully at everything. Also, like many on here, I tend to fix it myself instead driving 1.5+ hours, waiting 3 weeks then maybe getting it fixed. Plus I can always look and figure out how to make it more robust and stronger.

Eric

[Judge]

Originally Posted by elbenson

Thank you for the detailed reply with examples. I did see your previous posts so at the very least I have a better idea what to keep my eye on. Wouldn't the cap to body be covered under the 12 year structural warrantee. Or have you gotten feedback during your visits to the service center that this is not the case.

Eric

The cap issue should be covered by the structural warranty. However in my case the structural warranty is only 6 years for coaches built in 2020 and earlier.

In my case I don't want to have to deal with it more than once. Besides the hassles of getting it fixed, there is also the concern of water intrusion once the molding begins to break its seal and loosen as screws begin to break or push through the molding if you keep using the coach before the problem gets addressed.

[elbenson]

Well, I think I should have listened closer to the folks on this form. I am now the proud owner of a piece of crap Thor. Did my PDI. Found lots of little stuff wrong that I had them fix before I left. Overall general cosmetics and alignment.

But, the best part is now that I got it home, levelers down, my stupid slide is now partially extended throwing a motor short code (8 flashes). And to top it off, for some reason I am also getting a shore power error and I cannot plug in to charge my batteries. Will spend some time tomorrow to continue to troubleshoot and reset the controller and hopefully get my slide back in.

I know I know. Should have went with a quality motor home. Sorry, but what a frustrating way to start. I even had them extend and retract the slide 3 times during the PDI.

Eric

[Judge]

Originally Posted by elbenson

Well, I think I should have listened closer to the folks on this form. I am now the proud owner of a piece of crap Thor. Did my PDI. Found lots of little stuff wrong that I had them fix before I left. Overall general cosmetics and alignment.

But, the best part is now that I got it home, levelers down, my stupid slide is now partially extended throwing a motor short code (8 flashes). And to top it off, for some reason I am also getting a shore power error and I cannot plug in to charge my batteries. Will spend some time tomorrow to continue to troubleshoot and reset the controller and hopefully get my slide back in.

I know I know. Should have went with a quality motor home. Sorry, but what a frustrating way to start. I even had them extend and retract the slide 3 times during the PDI.

Eric

I know that can be very frustrating.... especially after just dropping six figues on something brand new. With the demand created from the pandemic, more people are reporting more issues sooner because they are trying to get them out faster than ever before.

The Slide Controller error code means the controller cannot measure the rotations of Motor 1 or Motor 2 (depending on the code) so the slide can and will get out of Sync. This can be caused by a bad connection or a pinched wire up at the top of the motor (this does happen). The wires coming out of the motor should have shrink wrap around them or electrical tape but they do not so a wire up there can get pinched and damaged. It could also be a bad motor.

I had this error code happen when a screw in the slide box was improperly installed and the head was sticking out and it knocked the top off the motor that contained the sensors that meaure the number of motor RPM's to keep the slide motors in sync.

Now it is possible if the slide was extended multiple times (even before your PDI) and the Extend / Retract button was not being held a full 5 seconds after the motors stopped, it could have gotten out of sync on its own.

It is also possible there is a loose connection. If the slide is not fully extended, you should be able to get to the top of the motors insde to check to see that the wiring harness is fully connected to the motor. You may have to pull back the bulb seal a little to get to it.

First, I would pull the the Motor 1 and Motor 2 harness connection at the controller and reseat them in case one is loose. Then I would do the same at each motor.

Then I would do the manual ovveride procedure below and see if you can get the slide fully retracted. When you do the 7th press of the reset button and hold for 5 seconds, make sure the lights keep flashing after you release it. You will have about 2 minutes in override mode if the lights are flashing.


Electronic Manual Override (Controllers C-1 and C-2 Only)

1. Press the mode button (Fig. 22) on the controller six times and hold on the seventh for five seconds to enter electronic manual override mode.

2. Use the slide-out switch (Fig. 1) to move both motors in or out.
NOTE: Over-current and short circuit detection are still enabled. Electronic manual override provides 12V DC directly to both motors.

3. To exit the electronic manual override mode, press and hold the mode button until the LEDs begin to blink simultaneously. Exiting the override mode resets the motor positions. Motors will have to be resynchronized.

NOTE: During the manual override procedure the motors are not synchronized. Visually watch the room. If one side is moving significantly slower than the other (or not at all) then immediately stop and follow the Motor Disengagement Procedure.

If you manage to get the slide closed, I would then get out of manual override mode amd check to see if the error code is flashing. The I would do the resyn procedure.


Synchronizing the Slide-Out Motors

1. Fully extend the slide room using the switch. Keep the switch engaged 5 seconds after the motors shut down on their own.

2. Retract the room 2 - 3 inches.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until both motors shut down at the same time. In many cases, three or four repetitions are necessary to synchronize the system.

4. Fully extend the slide-out and keep the switch engaged until the motors shut down on their own. Fully retract the slide-out, again keeping the switch engaged for 5 seconds after the motors shut down on their own. If both motors shut down at the same time at full extension and full retraction, the room is properly synchronized. If they do not shut down at the same time, repeat the process until they do.



You will need to expand upon the shore power error. Where is the error occuring and what does the error say?

I installed a hardwired Progessive EMS after the transfer switch and have a display that will give me error codes if there are issues with shore power or generator power but the stock Magnitudes / Omnis didn't have one from the factory (at least before the 2022 models).

If you run the generator, do you have normal A power? If you do, that will give you a way to charge your batteries.

As an FYI..... when I installed my EMS, I found a bunch of construction debris in my transfer switch when I removed the cover. Including a few screws. Not the best thing to have screws rolling around somewhere 120V is being applied.



Now all that being said......... you will want to call your dealer but you may need Thor's Customer Service to help troubleshoot as well. It is generally very good but poeple are reporting long delays in getting to people because of all the demand the flood of newbies has created.

For the slide problem, I would contact LCI directly. I have found their customer service to be excellent and they are very helpful.

[Pete'sMH]

Pretty quick to pronounce it a piece of crap. I know it can be frustrating but other brands are the no different. It’s very helpful if you are able to take early repairs in stride and work through them with good humor. you’ll likely eventually get the bugs out and then get good service from it. Good luck.