Expecting my first (RV) in a few days!

[Spinner]

Hi.
We went to pick up our 2018 Thor Axis 25.2 this morning. Everything was fine when we saw it the first time. But, when the salesman went to get the rv for the walk through the slide wouldn't come in. The motor on one side had stopped working. It was working when we first saw it. So, we couldn't take it it home today and have to wait for parts and service I guess one needs to be prepared for something like this happening.

I also downloaded Faulkner's manual. What a wonderful thing to have for reference and ideas.

After mentioning the stabilizer bar and someone else mentioning front end alignment I suppose we should get that done too. How much does the stabilizer and front end alignment cost (ball park)

By the way, I am a RN too, BSN, OCN, CCRP.
RETIRED!!!!! My husband is retired from retail.

[Spinner]

Felker's ......sorry about that!

[Strait331]

Our slide motor failed after 3 uses. Luckily it failed with the slide in.

[Spinner]

We've never had an rv with a slide and it worries me that this happened before our final walkthrough. I've read so much on the forum about the poor quality of the Thor Axis I feel like we've made a big mistake.

[Drau2th]

Welcome to the Thor family. Glad to see that you have Ed’s “Bible” on the Vegas/Axis Motorhome. We keep our copy of it in a leather bound binder!!! We have been blessed to have the most definitive guide to a specific model of Motorhome on the planet! We went with the Roadmaster stabilizer, front end alignment and many other improvements that we learned on this website. Have Fun with your new coach. Ray

[bonesy]

Originally Posted by Pabs4

Welcome to this forum! My husband and I are also newbies. We purchased our first RV in March 2019. Searching topics on this forum and merely reading through posts have been invaluable for us. I truly don’t think we could have managed nearly as well as we have without the knowledge shared by these fellow owners. I hope you love your Vegas as much as my husband and I love ours!

You were so right to have a steering stabilizer installed. We did the same, even though our salesman and dealership also told us it wasn’t necessary. Our initial trip home from the dealership was tough. We had to travel I-10 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Beaumont, Texas. Even with the stabilizer my husband was fighting the wheel due to wind and 18 wheelers. Our Vegas also pulled to the left. We immediately scheduled an appointment with our local Frame and Front End shop. They did an alignment and adjusted casters? It drove better but was then pulling to the right. I read more on this forum and we decided to have our local shop add a rear trac bar. They also adjusted things to get rid of the pull to the right. It’s like driving a completely different vehicle now! You can let go of the wheel on a smooth road and it doesn’t pull at all. Now when most 18 wheelers pass us, we hardly feel any effect.

We just returned from our final trip to our dealership in Baton Rouge to have some warranty work completed. It’s our final trip there because the traffic is horrendous in Baton Rouge. It’s really bad. We will find someplace in Texas that can do warranty work if we find the need. While driving home my husband and I were remembering how tough the initial trip home was. Just so you know, I also drive our Vegas. Every dollar we spent on stabilizing the way it drives was worth it. If it still handled the same way it did when we first brought it home, I would not be driving it. It truly made a difference.

Enjoy your new RV and don’t hesitate to ask the experienced people on this forum for help. They are awesome!!

Pam

If you don't mind me asking, how much was it to install the stabilizers and the rear track bars. l have the same problems with my 2016 25.3 Axis. Because of the present handling situation, my beautiful wife will never be able to drive. Makes long trips longer.
Trust your RVing experience is all that you could hope for. Regards, Ron

[paulwadley]

The front end alignment should be under $200.00 Make sure you fully load it before the front end alignment done. Fill all three holding tanks with water and be sure the propane tank is also full. When it comes from the factory, it is aligned completely empty and that changes once you load it up.

Paul
Retired LEO, Good Sam Member, Sumo Springs front and rear,

[mstng]

You may find that a good alignment is all you need.

[Calico]

Originally Posted by Spinner

After mentioning the stabilizer bar and someone else mentioning front end alignment I suppose we should get that done too. How much does the stabilizer and front end alignment cost (ball park)

While on a month-long trip out west, the hubby and I encountered some huge winds in OK and TX, and immediately called to make an appointment at Saf-T-Plus in Georgia for our return trip to TN. I believe the steering stabilizer system ran us under $600 and when you buy at their factory, they install for free. You even walk away with a nice goody bag!
We also logged onto Amazon and ordered front and rear Sumo Springs and hubby installed the fronts when we got home. The rears seemed to be above our pay grade, with wheel removing and drilling, so we let a local shop do those, along with oil change and generator servicing... less than $250. That little shop is the best kept secret in Eastern TN! If any of you happen to camp at Anchors Down it would be a good time to servicing done while here!

[Pabs4]

Originally Posted by bonesy

If you don't mind me asking, how much was it to install the stabilizers and the rear track bars. l have the same problems with my 2016 25.3 Axis. Because of the present handling situation, my beautiful wife will never be able to drive. Makes long trips longer.
Trust your RVing experience is all that you could hope for. Regards, Ron

I don’t mind your question at all. I will need to get the receipts tomorrow. They are in the RV. As I said, the steering stabilizer was installed by our dealer before we took delivery. I seem to remember it was around $3000.00. Our local shop did the initial front end alignment. When we asked them about the rear trac bar they told us to order what we wanted and they would install it. I’ll get back with you tomorrow on the details. Hopefully I have been as organized as I think I am.

[Pabs4]

Originally Posted by bonesy

If you don't mind me asking, how much was it to install the stabilizers and the rear track bars. l have the same problems with my 2016 25.3 Axis. Because of the present handling situation, my beautiful wife will never be able to drive. Makes long trips longer.
Trust your RVing experience is all that you could hope for. Regards, Ron

Well, my memory isn’t too great. The steering stabilizer was $1186.00 installed by our dealer. They charged $785.00 for the stabilizer. Our local shop charged $145.00 for the front end alignment and they also adjusted the steering stabilizer.

We ordered the trac bar from SuperSteer at a price of around $550.00 and our local shop charged $240.00 to install it. As I said, these items made a big difference in the way it handles. Good luck!

[bonesy]

Originally Posted by Pabs4

Well, my memory isn’t too great. The steering stabilizer was $1186.00 installed by our dealer. They charged $785.00 for the stabilizer. Our local shop charged $145.00 for the front end alignment and they also adjusted the steering stabilizer.

We ordered the trac bar from SuperSteer at a price of around $550.00 and our local shop charged $240.00 to install it. As I said, these items made a big difference in the way it handles. Good luck!

Thank you. Gives me some ammo when l go to my local "Canadian Dealer".
Have a great day, thanks for the quick response.

[ducksface]

Just as reference and as a reason to do some research:
My steering damper was 65 bucks.
Rancho brand.
Adequate.
An install kit at $35, Four nuts on Ubolts.
An hour installation for someone really lost.


The track bar mentioned above was the right price.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Rv+steering+damper&ref=is_s

[ducksface]

Here's a pic of the $65 damper. I always try to show proofs.

My front suspension is different than yours (or anyone's) but the damper is the same. The Mount kits are different for your suspension. mine are welded on one end, pre-made by Ford on the other. Yours will bolt/clamp on.

[Bob Denman]

Have you had a chance to put that new Rancho stabilizer through it's paces yet?

[ducksface]

I have put 4000+ miles on the front end/straight axle/transfer case/four wheel drive.

That damper came with the new front suspension so I don't know a before and after, but it's the same damper+- on those fancy new Yellowstone winter access vehicles(they were building them alongside mine) and on the antarctic support/exploration trucks.

I asked about its miniscule looks when I picked up the 24.1
They kinda chuckled and said I'd be fine.
I have been fine.

It's the same make/model damper the builder has on his converted vehicle. His is a big Nissan van converted to 4x4.


It works, but the straight axle is night and day better than the original 2wd IFS, so it's hard to tell what's what.

For the $100+- I'd sure as hell try a Rancho or bilstien or anything else before I fell for any $3,000 dealer fluff.
Dual Rancho or Bilsteins dampers, according to the link I provided, are under $150 bucks with the install parts.

[NurseDon]

When I called the dealer to install a steering stabilizer, they had the Roadmaster brand in stock. I went with this one. Since I have never driven the Vegas without the stabilizer, I don't know how much of a difference this made, but I tend to pay attention to the experiences of others. Total price installed was just over $500.

I had the front end aligned on Monday at a local shop. I went in with filled tanks as others recommended. Only a minor adjustment was necessary and the cost was $59. After that, I went to Daytona Beach and purchased a tow dolly to bring my car along.

Today I am going back to the dealer with a slide problem. One corner in the middle (it is a 25.6), not on the end where the tracks are, does not close completely (the seals do not meet). Also, this weekend when I started to open the slide, I heard a scratching sound. Stopped and retracted the slide.

My next Vegas project is to go use it!! I'll plan a trip to somewhere in a 4 to 5 hour driving radius and spend 2 or 3 days to try everything out.

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that you're hitting the ground running!

[Spinner]

Hi all,
Well we tried again to bring the rv home and we were successful this time! The screen door and awning fabric replacement still aren't in but we went ahead with the walk-through and financing of our 2018 pre-owned Axis 25.2.
We had the Safe-t-stabilizer put on yesterday at the dealer and stopped on the way home to have front end alignment done. Freshwater tank and propane tank full. Of course it had to be windy and raining hard but the MH stayed on course pretty well.
I do have a question though. Is there no way for the driver to be able to open the window on his side and pass something through. We live in a RV resort in Florida and the front gate is manned 24 hours. Since we didn't have the sticker yet on our window so we could go through the automatic gate, my husband had to give his drivers license to the guard. My husband had to go through the side door and walk around to the gate. Just wondering if there was a way to be able to pass his license through his window until we get the sticker next week.

[EA37TS]

I'm not an Axis owner but most of the Class A's, if not all, have a sliding window on both the driver's and passenger's sides. There should be a latch/lock around the middle of the window and once released the window and screen slides forward.

I'm sure an Axis/Vegas owner will let us know if I'm wrong on this.