New 2018 Axis 25.5 owner

[Buckhorn13]

Hello, I bought a 2018 Axis 25.5. I know this model dosen't get much love from the RUV owners so please don't criticize. This model works for the two of us and the dog. Not planing to haul anybody else or make king bed. Lot of room to move around inside and shower. I don't care about about outside storage as I am not going to be hauling a bunch extra stuff around. Wife dosen't like tankless WH and small cooktop. I don't like having no spare tire but like the E450. So I think this is a good model for some of us. First trip 10.5 mpg and 12,020# lightly loaded.

[vegas25.5]

Congrats! We roll a 2019 25.5 and love it. You are correct though, not a super popular floor plan but for us it is a superior floor plan. When the king bed is made up the bathroom is a lil tricky to get to but not a huge deal for us. The simplicity of having two twin beds ready at any time or a king bed option and a decent size bathroom made the 25.5 our option. We have 4 kids who have spent every night with us in the 25.5 and it is completely doable. 4 kids, 2 adults and 2 small dogs is about max for sleeping space. Going down the road 4 kids, 2 adults and 2 small dogs there is plenty for seating/ lounging space in the 25.5.

We did the Roadmaster Hitch spare with a OEM Ford steel wheel and tire. Spendy but also desired a spare while on the road.

We found with the tankless water heater- set the temp you like and run only the hot water. We initially tried traditional hot / cold mix in the shower and temp was all over the place and unpleasant. Set the temp at ###degrees and hot water only. Enjoyable and everyone can shower one after another. Tanked systems like we have in our 5th wheel only allows for 2 showers then a waiting period while it heats more water.

Terrible time to buy a motorhome, trailer, 5th wheel or vehicle...but exciting!! Enjoy

[DavidEM]

It is fairly easy to get a spare tire. I went by TownFair Tire and they had to see the coach to make sure they got the right wheel but had it for me in a few days. The whole thing was less than $200. Mounting it is a bit of an issue. With your coach you could probably use a hitch mounted carrier. Others have mounted it underneath just in front of the bumper. I mounted mine to the ladder which has worked well.

Just having the tire and wheel on hand is 75% of the battle because then you don't have to wait for a tire/tow facility to find you the right tire if it is blown. But with the right equipment: jack, jack stand, 1/2" breaker bar and socket, you can do it yourself in a pinch.

One additional point about the water heater. If you are not getting enough flow from the shower head to keep the heating element on, remove the shower head. There is a little white button with three small holes in the fitting where the head screws on. Remove it and throw it away and you will get plenty of flow.

David

[vegas25.5]

Pics of spare tire setup...

[Buckhorn13]

Thanks for the replies. The rig is at 15k miles. I will look into spare tire options. Maybe bumper mount would work like a TT since there is no hatch in the back. I will have to address the windows as there may have been a leak at some point. The rig rides good on smooth roads but rides rough on cracked roads so I will be adding some suspension upgrades.

[ducksface]

The spare and heater info above is perfect.
I can add only:
On that heater, we always use our tank, never shore water. This allows perfect consistency of pressure every use.

(We don't carry much stuff either.)

[Buckhorn13]

I like that spare tire set up vegas25.5

[Sappy2]

congrats!

[Buckhorn13]

Seems like 2018 models had the smallest cooktop.

[Bill Johnson]

Originally Posted by vegas25.5

Pics of spare tire setup...Attachment 35802Attachment 35801

I see the hitch is off set with the spare tire, what is the capacity of that add on hitch?

[vegas25.5]

I'm a little reluctant to provide information as there are a couple folks that chime in on just about every topic with some helpful insight and other times just snarky, been there done that, waste of time, tone.

Expensive item, yet quality built and viable option for spare. Here is a link to the one on our Vegas. Cheaper one available as well with reduced capabilities...

https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-...RM-195225.html

I'm sure someone will clarify the information or correct my experience with the product.

[MJC62]

Congrats on your new coach! I like the floor plan with the rear bathroom. Enjoy the journey!

[ducksface]

Look on the underside of the stove.
Is there perimeter enough to install a bigger one?
Thor May have picked the smaller stove for supplier consistency throughout the line and not because it's as big as will fit.

It's an inexpensive household handyman type job not an rv dealer type job to install one IF there's room to cut.

[Bill Johnson]

Originally Posted by vegas25.5

I'm a little reluctant to provide information as there are a couple folks that chime in on just about every topic with some helpful insight and other times just snarky, been there done that, waste of time, tone.

Expensive item, yet quality built and viable option for spare. Here is a link to the one on our Vegas. Cheaper one available as well with reduced capabilities...

https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-...RM-195225.html

I'm sure someone will clarify the information or correct my experience with the product.Attachment 35807

It looks like it doesn't restrict at all what you can tow, nice product

[Buckhorn13]

Thanks everyone. Yes not really a good time to buy MH but I didn't want to wait till spring. Long dry spell out west makes for good traveling right now. The wife wanted something she could drive so this was it. People were crawling over themselves to get my 20 year old 31' TT. The RV market is way overpriced right now just like everything else. Price was fair (75k in Ca.) for this Axis as dealers wanted the same amount for crappy stuff not even cleaned up. Lucky I sold off some stock market gains two weeks ago and as I am typing this the stock market is going down rapidly. Eventually it will take everything else down with it and I'll buy the stocks back.

[Bill Johnson]

Originally Posted by Buckhorn13

Thanks everyone. Yes not really a good time to buy MH but I didn't want to wait till spring. Long dry spell out west makes for good traveling right now. The wife wanted something she could drive so this was it. People were crawling over themselves to get my 20 year old 31' TT. The RV market is way overpriced right now just like everything else. Price was fair (75k in Ca.) for this Axis as dealers wanted the same amount for crappy stuff not even cleaned up. Lucky I sold off some stock market gains two weeks ago and as I am typing this the stock market is going down rapidly. Eventually it will take everything else down with it and I'll buy the stocks back.

You're right about the prices, mine went up to 181,000 msrp, By the end of the year it will probably be over 200,000. The dealers are just playing us, they don't change anything and raise the price 50,000

[coachray]

Welcome to the forum

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by vegas25.5

I'm a little reluctant to provide information as there are a couple folks that chime in on just about every topic with some helpful insight and other times just snarky, been there done that, waste of time, tone.

Expensive item, yet quality built and viable option for spare. Here is a link to the one on our Vegas. Cheaper one available as well with reduced capabilities...

https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-...RM-195225.html

I'm sure someone will clarify the information or correct my experience with the product.Attachment 35807

Thanks for the post. Says it’ll hold my 19.5 spare. I’ll have one one the way shortly. Welcome aboard and nappy travels.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

Thanks for the post. Says it’ll hold my 19.5 spare. I’ll have one one the way shortly. Welcome aboard and nappy travels.

It’s a terrific - if expensive - product. It’ll outlast several RVs. I have one that I’m not using anymore. They come in several levels of “drop” and, given the cost, it makes sense to get the right one if you plan to tow a car.

[BigD]

My wife and I also have a 2018 Axis 25.5 and love it. The floorplan works for us. We keep the beds set up as twins and while they are narrower than normal twin size they are fine. We can get to the bathroom and appreciate having a decent size shower. We could not have handled the shower in the 24.1. We agree with the comment on the tankless water heater. We keep the temp set at 108 degrees and only use the hot faucet. A Oxygenics shower head helps.
Storage is fine for our needs. Being able to use almost everything without needing to extend the slide is also a plus.
Like everyone else we have had issues that needed to be dealt with (mostly when under warranty) but we are happy with our choice.