2017 Thor Freedom Elite 30FE

[wsgts]

Hello all,

Just took out our 30FE one day over President's Day weekend. We picked it up on the 14th and just got back last night from our "shakedown" trip (where you figure out everything you really needed). We ended up with 3 kids under 14 with us and were glad to have all the extra room.

Thanks!
wsgts

[dogday51]

Great, now what have you learned during this shakedown that you can share since I have the same model? Thanks

[SuperD]

Congratulations on your new coach, sounds like you're enjoying it!!! Welcome to the forum!

[wsgts]

Originally Posted by dogday51

Great, now what have you learned during this shakedown that you can share since I have the same model? Thanks

Oh man, it's a great coach so far, this is my 4th RV, first motorhome, differences are subtle.

- the range vent exhaust is into the motorhome, not outside. This is ridiculous on any RV, going back to the dealership to get this corrected.

- the overhead television is on a kill-switch, when the engine is started, the outlet the TV is connected to goes dead, going to work to disconnect this. Kids like to play video games while on trip.

- mine has a broken television amp for the antenna (green light doesn't come on), this was working at the dealership, not now, all fuses are intact.

- there are outlets by both sides of bed in the master bedroom, the one closest to the bathroom is the same color as the wood, so we thought there wasn't one there.

- Airflow between master and the A/C seem to be constricted with the door closed, not surprising at all.

- The bunk beds televisions need to be moved over away from the outlets so the kids can use the ac outlets to charge stuff.

Going to:

- Install Vent Covers, Vent Pillows on 3 of the 4 overhead vents
- Need to get a 30 amp service on side of the house
- Going to install a removable gas grill and plumbing (probably get CW to do this)
- Wife doesn't like mattress, says too hard (I like it, but I can step on asphalt)

We forgot some much stuff, including coffee. But hey, that's why you do a shakedown trip, next time we will not forget so much.

Good luck,
T

[dogday51]

Thanks for the update. We have not taken ours out yet but will check those items you have mentioned. Do you plan on towing anything? I would be interested in what brand of brake controller we should use. Let me know how the installation and cost of your grill and gas plumbing go.

[wsgts]

We haven't even looked at towing anything. I'm going to post about towing our 2016 Dodge Durango 2WD from those more experienced as this is my first motorhome, and I don't know much about it.

Congrats to you as well!
wsgts

[Sidewinder]

Hi, we pickup our Axis 25.2 in a couple days. Totally newbies, Our first MH. Our shake down trip will to the wild flowers in the Gorman area of Southern California. There will be just the two of us and our 3 dogs, about 8 pounds each.
We will be pulling a PT Cruiser on a tow dolly.
Lots to learn.

[Lefty02]

We did the same thing on the same weekend with same 30FE model. Just a couple issues...

- GFCI trips on the house when the RV shore power cord is plugged in. Tried 3 different outlets, same result. Checked shore cord with my multimeter and found the ground and neutral directly shorted together. Took it back to CW and after a long heated discussion with the technician that checked it out, was told not to plug it into a GFCI outlet. He also said the short was a false indication. 36+ years shooting electrical issues on aircraft, I know he was full of it and didn't want to spend the time finding the problem. I checked the coach wiring/outlets and found they are all shorted at the ground and neutral as well. So there is a problem on the RV. I'll fix it myself.

- The bedroom pocket door keeps coming off the guide when we drive the RV. Adjusted it to a perfect alignment, but it still had the same issue. Made a fabric strap ~6-7” long and screwed it to the wall just forward of the door and put #24 snaps on the other end. Screwed the male snap ends to the edge of the door and fastened the strap. Works great.

That said, we really like the RV. Plenty of room and everything seems to work despite the electrical grounding issue.

[dogday51]

Lefty02, can you attach a picture of your modification to your pocket door? I am having the same problem with it coming off the track. Thanks

[wsgts]

We didn't have any issues with the Pocket Door on ours. CW had two on the lot, my wife liked the interior color that was more gray interior, but the other one had been at a show and the pocket door was broken. I does seem rather flimsy.

I have the parts coming in today to route the output of the range hood to the outside. This includes a new hood and outside outlet, it seems to measure ok, I'll post some pictures as we figure it all out.

- I did fix the television amp (wire was unplugged on back of the switch) 2 second fix.

- Televisions in the bunks are movable (duh!!), the mounts are still but they do move.

- Also, the master does not have pre-wiring for additional A/C, Thor rep says that it would trip the main breaker anyway. We shall see how the 13500 unit keeps us this summer, but I suspect this will get upgraded in short order.

T

[pmandart]

Originally Posted by wsgts

We didn't have any issues with the Pocket Door on ours. CW had two on the lot, my wife liked the interior color that was more gray interior, but the other one had been at a show and the pocket door was broken. I does seem rather flimsy.

I have the parts coming in today to route the output of the range hood to the outside. This includes a new hood and outside outlet, it seems to measure ok, I'll post some pictures as we figure it all out.

- I did fix the television amp (wire was unplugged on back of the switch) 2 second fix.

- Televisions in the bunks are movable (duh!!), the mounts are still but they do move.

- Also, the master does not have pre-wiring for additional A/C, Thor rep says that it would trip the main breaker anyway. We shall see how the 13500 unit keeps us this summer, but I suspect this will get upgraded in short order.

T

Seems like the pocket door issue is a problem for everyone. Ours was broken by the time we got it home. Camping world has fixed it, but we have not yet road tested it to see if it will hold up.

[wsgts]

We haven't closed our door that much, except to change clothes. We don't have a lot of airflow from the A/C unit into the Master with it shut. The summer will tell the tale, but even in this cool weather, the temperature difference is striking between the master and rest of the coach. I'm thinking a floor fan is going to be necessary around the bunk area to move the air from the cab air where the sleeper there is freezing to the Master area where we are burning up. I don't think the door is going to be able to be closed anyway.

Oh well, Florida Problems I guess. I'm going to run an inspection scope from the bedroom vents to the A/C unit and see if it's clear.

Later,
T

[Lefty02]

Originally Posted by dogday51

Lefty02, can you attach a picture of your modification to your pocket door? I am having the same problem with it coming off the track. Thanks

Will do this weekend. Can't get to the RV until then...gotta work and RV's in storage.

[Lefty02]

Originally Posted by dogday51

Lefty02, can you attach a picture of your modification to your pocket door? I am having the same problem with it coming off the track. Thanks

Used some short brass wood screws I had in the shop to attach the male snaps to the wall and door.

The strap keeps the sandwiched part of the door from swinging or sliding when cornering, which is what causes the smaller part of the door to come off the guide.

[airforceret]

Congratulations. We ordered our 26B back in mid January and are still waiting on a VIN... This will be our first MH but we've had everything else and 2 of some. Looking forward to getting back out on the road... Wish they had a priority for people that ordered over ones going to sit on a dealer lot! Welcome to the forum!

[dogday51]

WSGTS
Have you gotten your stove exhaust vent routed to the outside yet? If so, what did it cost and parts and labor and how about a picture of what it looks like (inside and out). Thanks

[wsgts]

I did, I'm actually sitting in the Motorhome now, I am working out of town and decided to take the MH instead of flying. Forgot how much more economical it is the camp that hotel it.

Parts: All of these plus ordered this from etrailer.com. The reality is I probably didn't need the new vent, but I couldn't figure out a good way to modify and get a reasonably good seal.

The installation went fine, have to cut three holes, the external one to the outside was the pucker factor. Inside, everything looks normal. Inside the Cabinet, there is obviously new hardware.

There is room between the back of the microwave to cut the hole in the bottom of the cabinet and still run the ductwork over to the cabinet, then out to the vent.

Total cost was around $150 bucks, several hours of my labor. I had called CW about getting them to do it, but they had a significant wait before they could do it, and I wanted it completed before we did much cooking in here. The lady on the phone did not say if they would actually do it or not, just that they would "have to look at it".

The biggest issue is cutting the hole in the exterior wall I would go as low as possible as I almost ran into the steel support inside the wall. Thor was great and sent me the sidewall plan, that I have attached.

It is totally worth it for us, we do cook a lot inside. In talks with my other RV friends, so many people don't cook inside or just use the microwave so probably not a big deal for a lot of people. It removes smoke and heat much better now!

wsgts

[Papaw59]

My wife and I just bought a new 30FE last week. Took it out for the shake down trip this weekend locally. Everything seems fine so far except for the AC. It's comfortable until the sun gets overhead. Even in the area where the AC is it still feels too warm and humid. The bedroom is very uncomfortable. Had to put a fan in there so my 2 year old grand daughter could take a nap. The unit is a 13,500 BTU. Never had this severe of a problem with the fifth wheel I traded in. Even had a pop up that worked better. Took it back to CW to have it checked out. The guy checking me in didn't sound too promising. Anybody else have this problem?

[wsgts]

Papaw59,

I just spoke to several people on this issue this morning. So far I have:

- Taped the Plenum between the intake and output (helped some), it was not installed correctly from the factory anyway, so that helped a lot.
- Tinted all windows which has helped more than anything so far.
- Foiled backed pillows in all the skylights and Vent covers over every skylight (this was standard practice for me).

To be done:

- Seal the ends of the vents on the front and back (no reason they should be longer than needed)
- Check the vent runs for collapse.
- Check to ensure that the temperature is indeed correct (20 degrees cooler) and the unit was charged properly from the factory.


Speaking with Thor:
13,500 was what the unit was designed with, the guy I spoke with said he doubted Thor would do anything about either changing out the unit or anything else as long as it is working correctly.

Speaking with repair guy:
He would be happy to do whatever I would like to the coach but agrees that Thor/CW should at a minimum put a 15k unit on.

So I don't have an answer, but I have a few days until I leave for Arizona for two weeks. Let me know what CW tells you.

[Papaw59]

Thanks for the info. Got a feeling I've got an upgrade in my future. It' a shame to spend an enormous amount of money for something only to find that it is minimally made. Had already given thought of the vent cushions. Going to get those ordered today. Thanks again.