Compass 23TR ownership so far

[CC38EL]

That road master looks like it would be the cat's meow.

[vfrhugh]

Mountinsam,
Glad it worked out for you. The main reason we purchased our Compass33TR is its 23’-6” bumper to bumper length. I park is a regular parking space 90% of the time. Not having a conventional rear bumper limits spare mounting choices.
Hugh

[mountainsam]

So the final piece of my spare tire mod came today. Two Closetmaid Cabinet organizers. They fit perfectly into the space on either side of the spare tire. I plan to carry our water bottles in them as well as anything else we want out of the way. I am sure they will be super handy. They are just setting there right now. I will raise them about 1/2 inch so they will slide out over the lowered access door. I also will plan something to raise the stored table a couple inches above the tire. There was a lot of wasted space down there.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1512075900

[vfrhugh]

Storage baskets on slides is a great idea. Thanks for sharing. I do store my table with the fitting down so the top won’t get scuffed.

[mountainsam]

Originally Posted by vfrhugh

Storage baskets on slides is a great idea. Thanks for sharing. I do store my table with the fitting down so the top won’t get scuffed.

Finished up today raising the baskets and tire. This mod cost me $49.00. Table top is turned the correct way


http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1512185107

[vfrhugh]

Although we haven’t really used the DVD much I like things to work. Ours quit working and I found a crushed HDMI cable end behind the Jensen. Apparently the factory coiled up a wad of excess wire and ty-raped it it where it interfered with the HDMI cable. With no easy way to replace the cable I decided to try an repair the existing cable.

It wasn’t hard but it was tedious. Purchased male and female HDMI ends with screw terminals on Amazon. Used the female for continuity testing. Since HDMI cables are straight through I only had to match number to number, no color codes to worry about. I was successful but another thing I shouldn’t have had to do.
Hugh

[CC38EL]

Nice job. Shows great patience and skill and resourcefullness. Which you HAVE to have if you're going to be an rv'er.

[vfrhugh]

Overhead cabinet doors
What do you do when all the possible mounting screws finally strip out? After trying quick fixes( wood glue & toothpicks) I tried this. From the factory there were three screws per hinge. Woefully inadequate the way mine were installed. The spring loaded hinges are designed to provide full open stop function. My cabinet doors are installed too high where the door top hits the cabinet face first. This puts a tremendous force on the tiny 1/2” deep screws used to attach the doors to the hinges.
I used a 5/16” hard wood dowel rod cut to short lengths. A drill stop is handy here. Wood glued the dowels to the cabinet doors. Also adjusted the hinge tension to just enough. We’ll see how it holds. I didn’t figure our the real mounting problem till after the repairs. These are the sink side cabinets that see a lot of use. If this doesn’t hold I’ll remount both doors to correct the interference issue. If that doesn’t work I’ll through bolt with SS marine hardware.
Hugh

[safari]

that looks great,I replaced the screws with #10x1/2 pen phillips from lowes a bag of 10 was about $2.00 hope they hold

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by Laco

The hitch carriers I have seen, look like they would interfere with the rear slide. I wonder if something could be mounted on the rear slide, and be solid, or would that be too much weight too far to the rear, for the slide mechanism to handle?

As wimpy as the slide mechanisms & the lack of sturdiness that Thor builds into their slides.... I wouldn't trust putting any additional weight on them.

[Pete'sMH]

Take a look at the Roadmaster 195225. It is rather pricey but is very nicely made and will outlast two or three motorhomes. It is designed to allow the spare tire to pivot down out of the way. It’s so you can lower a large heavy tire to the ground without lifting it but it should solve your problem. You’d need to devise some kind of lockout or “remove before flight” flag on the slide switch so you don’t forget to lower it before e tending the slide. It would be pretty easy to add switch and relay on the carrier pivot to make the slide inoperative with the tire raised.

[mountainsam]

Great job on the cabinet doors. I was also thinking of the marine hardware route. I now have all the tightening I am going to be able to do.

[vfrhugh]

Anyone have power steps for the driver & passenger doors on their Ford Transit chassis? We’ve been using a small step stool for my wife. My F150 has auto running boards that work great.
Hugh

[RDC54]

Originally Posted by vfrhugh

If been asked about my spare installation a few times so here's a couple of photos. Although The table storage shelf is permanently mounted it came up easily. The shelf wasted a lot of storage space under the couch. I keep a tool set under there also.
Hugh

Nice job on the spare tire modification! Love to see wasted space reclaimed and put to practical use. I'm wondering if you could share some details about removal of the storage shelf for the table top. How is it fastened into place, and how difficult was it to remove. Thanks for any info you are willing to share.

[mountainsam]

Here is a pic of my table storage shelf I removed from the MH. I put a set of Harbor Freight casters on it along with a few real screws and store spare ShopSmith accessories. Perfect size.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1525211261

[vfrhugh]

The table top support is stapled to the floor. I used a small pry bar typically used for removing trim molding. They are available at good hardware stores or any of the big box home improvement places. Pry the support loose taking small increments. You’ll be surprised how easy it comes up.
Good luck,
Hugh

[RDC54]

Just wanted to thank vfrhugh and mountainsam for the idea about where to put a spare tire. We took the table holder out from under the sofa on our 2018 Compass (ours was actually screwed into the floor with 4 screws and random staples). Had to move the door forward half an inch to accommodate the spare tire, but it fits perfectly, in the center of the compartment, with room for storage bins on either end. Much better use of the precious space!

We are on Day 2 of a cross country trip from Michigan to California. Loving our Compass so far, though we are having a continuous issue with various rattles and squeaks. Most irritating is a metallic rattle coming from around the stove area...possibly the metal shield over the stove/under the cabinet, or perhaps even the window valence??? Have found several screws that don’t seem to screw into anything solid. Anyone have any suggestions for how to deal with this?

We are so grateful to have found this forum! What a tremendous resource...lots of great ideas, and many questions answered! Thanks to all!

[mountainsam]

Glad the mode is working out for you but all the credit goes to vfrhugh. I just followed his idea but thanks for the mention anyway. I did put a small piece self stick door seal on the window post to keep the shade from contacting the metal post. It quiets them down a lot. We will heading east from California in three weeks. If you find any super nice camp grounds shout them out. Safe travels

[Jawsds]

Originally Posted by vfrhugh

If been asked about my spare installation a few times so here's a couple of photos. Although The table storage shelf is permanently mounted it came up easily. The shelf wasted a lot of storage space under the couch. I keep a tool set under there also.
Hugh

Vfrhugh,
I want to carry a spare tire and I like your set up. Can you guide me on how to remove the table shelf? I don’t see any screws and I’m not sure how to remove it.

[vfrhugh]

The table top support is stapled to the floor. I used a small pry bar typically used for removing trim molding. They are available at good hardware stores or any of the big box home improvement places. Pry the support loose taking small increments. You’ll be surprised how easy it comes up.
As a precaution measure your new spare and verify it will fit under the couch. I had to lower my access door to the floor(less than 1”).
Good luck,
Hugh