Picked up our 28a today a few Qi’s

[Shortline]

Was a good day, picked up our 28a this afternoon. Was pleasantly surprised at how it handled and drove, it’s much easier really, than our previous truck and camper. We are going to like this. (Though we will absolutely be adding a sway bar right away)

I think we have most all figured out, not much different than our campers we had, but have a few questions, after the drive home.

Under power can’t really notice it but when letting off the gas and coasting, there is a fairly pronounced whine. I’m thinking it’s either gear whine, or perhaps maybe the fan belt whining a bit? Is that a normal engine noise or something we need to have checked out?

Climate controls- we did the pdi in daylight, so didn’t even think about it, but it got dark on the way home and was quite surprised the climate control switches aren’t illuminated. I don’t think I’ve had any vehicle in the past 30 years where they weren’t backlit…the only switch/button illuminated is the tradition control switch (I think can’t remember and I’m in the house now…). Had to use my phone light to see what I was reaching for. No big deal, in time it will be second nature, but curious if that’s normal, and they aren’t lit up, or if they should be lit.

The overhead bunk that hangs over the cab-daytime it was not bothersome at all, barely notice its there but in the dark, lots of reflection from oncoming on the the shiny fiberglass. Very annoying! After just a bit of night driving, almost thinking of spraying it with black plastidip to keep it from reflecting. Much like old WWII fighter planes were painted flat green or black on the cowling in front of then cockpit. Is it just me, or anyone done something with that? (Thinking plastidip as we can simply peel it off later if we want later)

And last, I forgot to ask this, but coach heat. I know we can run the generator, to run the AC when warm, but heat-I assume it’s cool, to run the furnace too? Or is it like the old gas refrigerators, where you weren’t supposed to have it on when traveling?

Thanks all, appreciate it!

[16ACE27]

HVAC controls should be lit.
You can run both the furnace and the propane fridge while traveling (always could)
Not sure about the whine. Is it engine related or speed related? It may be noise from the high geared rear end. Shouldn't be any noise from the transmission.
I'll let other Class C owners address the bunk issue. Our bunk is folded up out of the way while driving.

[Shortline]

Thanks, I figured the controls should be lit, but had to ask. Guess I’ll put that on the list to look at.

The whine is indeed speed related, increases in pitch with acceleration, winds down as we decelerate, so I agree, it’s probably gear whine. But thought I would ask! The E 450 is different than our F350 pickup. Assume it’s just par for the course in this kind of configuration.

[Lt Keefer]

Congratulations on the new rig. I've never had gear whine in a healthy machine. If it is under warranty, take it to a Ford medium duty truck shop and have that issue fixed.

[Shortline]

Alrighty, was hoping it was just a normal engine sound, I have never driven these van based trucks before. Guess I will make an appointment, just to be sure.

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Originally Posted by Shortline

Was a good day, picked up our 28a this afternoon. Was pleasantly surprised at how it handled and drove, it’s much easier really, than our previous truck and camper. We are going to like this. (Though we will absolutely be adding a sway bar right away)

I think we have most all figured out, not much different than our campers we had, but have a few questions, after the drive home.

Under power can’t really notice it but when letting off the gas and coasting, there is a fairly pronounced whine. I’m thinking it’s either gear whine, or perhaps maybe the fan belt whining a bit? Is that a normal engine noise or something we need to have checked out?

Climate controls- we did the pdi in daylight, so didn’t even think about it, but it got dark on the way home and was quite surprised the climate control switches aren’t illuminated. I don’t think I’ve had any vehicle in the past 30 years where they weren’t backlit…the only switch/button illuminated is the tradition control switch (I think can’t remember and I’m in the house now…). Had to use my phone light to see what I was reaching for. No big deal, in time it will be second nature, but curious if that’s normal, and they aren’t lit up, or if they should be lit.


The overhead bunk that hangs over the cab-daytime it was not bothersome at all, barely notice its there but in the dark, lots of reflection from oncoming on the the shiny fiberglass. Very annoying! After just a bit of night driving, almost thinking of spraying it with black plastidip to keep it from reflecting. Much like old WWII fighter planes were painted flat green or black on the cowling in front of then cockpit. Is it just me, or anyone done something with that? (Thinking plastidip as we can simply peel it off later if we want later)

And last, I forgot to ask this, but coach heat. I know we can run the generator, to run the AC when warm, but heat-I assume it’s cool, to run the furnace too? Or is it like the old gas refrigerators, where you weren’t supposed to have it on when traveling?

Thanks all, appreciate it!

What model RV 28A is only a sub model classification. You can add the specifics about your coach to your signature, like I do, so you don't have the retype it every time you ask a question regarding your model.

On my ACE F53 chassis I did something called the Cheap Handling Fix which stiffens the OE sway bars. You will get lots of opinions on what works best but truly each coach has unique characteristics so things that work for one model might not work for others. When I first got my used ACE I had a real time keeping it in the lane on windy days. It turned out that the kingpin bushings were worn out after only 3900 miles because they were never properly lubed by the OO. Once I got that fixed and had an alignment, I added a safe-t-steer and a rear trackbar.

The HVAC controls should have lamination. Was the instrument illumination on? Perhaps there is a brightness control than is turned down low.

Finally, you will get opinions both ways about running the heat while driving in cold weather. Personally, I run the heat, the dash heat is not enough to heat the whole coach. The only time you will have to turn the heat off is when driving anywhere that requires the propane be turned off like tunnels. Generally, I keep it at about 60 degrees since I also use the chassis heat.

[Shortline]

Thanks, yes sorry, it's a Thor Chateau 28A. I will play around with the lights tonight, while parked, didn't want to mess with it in traffic as I was driving. I had the lights on Auto, and headlights/taillights/dash lights were on, just very very dark in the center of the dash where the heat/air controls are. Might just have been user error, we will see!

I will be adding sway control, and a steering dampener soon, we will occasionally be towing a light weight horse trailer, and sometimes a motorcycle/ATV trailer, so any help with the oversteering and handling will be great. It's not bad really, but before we tow horses....well, we want it as stable as possible for our horse friends in the back!

[Chateau_Nomad]

Remember... things like handling, cabin noise and ride comfort are VERY subjective. There's a huge difference comparing those to a modern luxury car versus a commercial truck.

Your are only limited by your OWN expectations and the amount of money you throw at it.

For instance, I have a 2020 Chateau 24F on an E-350 Ford cutaway chassis. My brother-in-law has a 2021 28A on an E-450 cutaway chassis. Both of us have done NO chassis mods... and both of us AND our wives have shared driving duties for thousands of miles. It's a commercial truck... it is what it is.

[Shortline]

I totally get it, I'm certainly no stranger to driving large vehicles. It is a lot better to drive as is, than our previous F-250/travel trailer setups. I used to also occasionally drive a mercedes flat cab semi truck, withi 40 foot flat bed loaded with a 13K AT forklift and airdrop loads, for drop zone recovery when I was stationed in Germany. If I can drive that, on narrow european roads all the way across Germany and back, a motorhome is no biggie! Wife is the same, she has driven her truck and horse trailers, for decades, this little 28 foot RV is not a problem at all. But if I can make it just a bit safer, and more comfortable for a grand or so in simple bolt on upgrades? I'm going to go ahead and do it. Probably wouldn't, if we never planned to tow horses behind us, but we take every opportunity to protect them. One, they're very expensive animals, and two, we love them, and they're our partners. They deserve it!

[Jimbo56]

You maybe ought to check gear oil in rear end. A thread on this forum talked about no lube in rear end. My class A has only one illuminated button on the dash. The AC compressor button. Instuck battery operated lights over both driver and copilot seats for nighttime illumination.

[Shortline]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

You maybe ought to check gear oil in rear end. A thread on this forum talked about no lube in rear end. My class A has only one illuminated button on the dash. The AC compressor button. Instuck battery operated lights over both driver and copilot seats for nighttime illumination.

Good idea thanks! I hope it’s not the gear oil, it was driven down to Alabama from the mfg in Indiana…..but that’s a good place to start I guess. Ugh….