First-time RV owner from OKC

phoeg · 07-31-2017, 02:11 AM

Hello -

On Saturday my wife and I picked up a 2016 Thor Hurricane 34F Class A. It'e been a bit overwhelming as this is my first kind of camper/RV/etc....ever. I did a lot of reading ahead of time so things weren't totally alien, but when I walk outside and see a 36', Class A motorhome in my driveway I wonder what the heck I've done!

I will probably be on here a lot for advice.

Paul
Oklahoma City

rdd001 · 07-31-2017, 02:21 AM

Congrats on your new motorhome. We have a 2015 Hurricane 34F and we love it. I am sure you will enjoy it once you get used to it. The first thing I did to mine was have the front end aligned and added steering stabilizer and did the CHF " cheap handling fix to the front and added a rear sway bar and correct tire pressure and it handles great. Enjoy you adventures

phoeg · 07-31-2017, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdd001

Congrats on your new motorhome. We have a 2015 Hurricane 34F and we love it. I am sure you will enjoy it once you get used to it. The first thing I did to mine was have the front end aligned and added steering stabilizer and did the CHF "cheap handling fix to the front and added a rear sway bar and correct tire pressure and it handles great. Enjoy you adventures

Thanks! That's some helpful info; especially the part about the steering stabilizer. The "cheap handling fix to the front end"? Can you elaborate? My interest is piqued.

The only real problems on it right now is that the overhead bed didn't raise evenly. The tech at the dealer was supposed to lube it, but as they were busy I'm wondering if they did. Also, the slider went out by using the inside control panel when at the dealer. Got home? Nope. It extended while using the remote, though, which was odd. Oh, and now the awning won't extend, and we did it at the dealer hours before. What the??? The tech was supposed to lube that too. Hmmm.

Anyway, the windshield had a crack and when I take it back for the new windshield I will have them address the awning and bed issues.

rdd001 · 07-31-2017, 02:45 AM

If you do a search on CHF there is some good information on it with pics. It is basically moving the pivot locations on the existing sway bar to the inside hole location on the bar.
Make sure you do not have the key in the ignition when trying move the slide. I personally do not extend or retract the slide unless I have the generator running on I am plugged in. It is important to "sync" the slide motors by holding down the extended or retract button for an extra 5 secs and you will hear the sync up. This is important and if you go to YouTube there some videos on it.

SuperD · 07-31-2017, 03:18 AM

Congratulations on your new coach and welcome to the forum!!! Let the fun begin!!!

phoeg · 07-31-2017, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdd001

If you do a search on CHF there is some good information on it with pics. It is basically moving the pivot locations on the existing sway bar to the inside hole location on the bar.
Make sure you do not have the key in the ignition when trying move the slide. I personally do not extend or retract the slide unless I have the generator running on I am plugged in. It is important to "sync" the slide motors by holding down the extended or retract button for an extra 5 secs and you will hear the sync up. This is important and if you go to YouTube there some videos on it.

Excellent! Thanks!

There's so much to learn it is indeed like drinking from the proverbial fire hose!

SuperD · 07-31-2017, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoeg

Excellent! Thanks!

There's so much to learn it is indeed like drinking from the proverbial fire hose!

Everyone starts out as a rookie, if you have questions, ask! Lots of nice people on this forum that will be happy to help you learn. As I said before, have FUN, the learning will come.

Mike in AZ · 07-31-2017, 02:16 PM

Welcome to the forums! I'm a newbie also, and I've been mining this site for info for a month. There are many experienced RV'ers here who are very willing to answer questions and share their knowledge. Best thing that I could have found was this site!

gmc · 07-31-2017, 02:54 PM

Welcome... I have a 2014 Hurricane (32A).
For first RV, there is definitely a learning curve. Feel free to ask questions.

There are many mods you can choose to do/not do - based on YOUR perceived need and available funds.

My advice - load the RV for travel, have it aligned (some need it), weighed, and adjust tire pressure to match weight.
Then decide if you want/need to do more based on how it drives and how comfortable you are with it...

Everything is a trade-off - including the CHF.. I've chosen NOT to do it - the ride is fine to me - and a stiffer suspension has bigger issues for my passenger.

Everyone's needs are different - and certainly if you want to change the ride, there are MANY examples of mods on here you can try - with corresponding expense for most of them. The choice is yours.

Most of all - get out there and USE it... Have fun! and welcome again!!

wredman · 07-31-2017, 03:28 PM

we too started with a 34F as our first dive into RVs. Never drove, or rode in one before our test drive just prior to signing the papers. I found the acclimation to be really fast. Driving is not too difficult, just watch your width.

Ours drives really well, holds its line, does not get pushed by trucks. You feel road bumps a lot, there is some sway but I have to believe that is normal. We have gotten an alignment and have not done any other modifications to the suspension.

The floor plan suits us perfectly, and we use the over cap bunk a lot.

phoeg · 07-31-2017, 05:14 PM

Thank you very much, everyone for all the helpful and friendly replies.

I hope that's indicative of a lot of the RV community.

phoeg · 07-31-2017, 07:34 PM

By the way, am I correct in assuming (remember, I'm brand new to this) that "toad" is simply a pun for "towed [vehicle]"? I've been trying to figure out the origin, then when verbally saying I was wondering why the "towed vehicle..." a lightbulb went off above me.

Just want to confirm. :-D

SuperD · 07-31-2017, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoeg

By the way, am I correct in assuming (remember, I'm brand new to this) that "toad" is simply a pun for "towed [vehicle]"? I've been trying to figure out the origin, then when verbally saying I was wondering why the "towed vehicle..." a lightbulb went off above me.

Just want to confirm. :-D

You are correct. Don't known when or where that got started but it's been going around for many, many years!

Also in reply to the RV community, been doing this for a long time and have always felt rvers are a friendly bunch. Over the years I have seen many times when a bunch of people have come to the aid of a fellowship camper who was having problems, it's a good thing to see.

gmc · 07-31-2017, 08:40 PM

Yep... as SuperD said - 'toad' been used for a long time... You will also hear 'dinghy' - a carryover from the marine side..

And I've also found RVers in general to be a friendly bunch... I've had offers of help when needed - and have offered to help out when I see someone in need... and that seems pretty typical.

phoeg · 08-01-2017, 02:33 AM

I found something disturbing this afternoon. I was looking through the various manuals provided by the previous owner. I discovered that it has a Blue Ox TRUCENTER system on it. That explained the mystery button next to the driver's seat.

However, while looking underneath the rig I saw a cable sleeve (the flexible plastic kind that's slit down the middle) laying...across the driveshaft. I mean, across and on it. The driveshaft was shiny from where it was rubbing. Lifting the wires I found the sleeve had been worn through and the copper wires were exposed. That may have been the wiring to the control panel with the slider. This seems to be a manufacturer's QC blunder, as there were other cable harnesses running through a loop under the floor. It appears that this was probably there since it was new. I took pictures to show the dealer. How that was missed during service is beyond me, as apparently the owner was in constantly to have all manner of things done - even things that weren't issues he wanted tweaked.

I'm not sure a buyer would reasonably be expected to look underneath for such tiny things. I'm sure many RV'ers are well versed in the mechanics, but not everyone may know from driveshafts, and harnesses, and fittings, etc. Oil and fluid leaks? Sure. Bad tires or rotors? Yeah. Wiring harnesses where they should be? I probably wouldn't have noticed it had I not been looking for the other Blue Ox items I have manuals for. It will be interesting to see what the dealer says. They were supposed to look it over end to end.

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