First long trip in my new Axis 24.1

[sportcoupe]

Why wouldn't you "risk" a soft start? And what is the risk?



I installed a soft start in my Coleman Mach 8 13.5k btu rooftop unit and I easily started it and ran from my Honda 2000 inverter clone. It also started and ran from my 2000 watt pure sine inverter. No problems at all.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by sportcoupe

Why wouldn't you "risk" a soft start? And what is the risk?



I installed a soft start in my Coleman Mach 8 13.5k btu rooftop unit and I easily started it and ran from my Honda 2000 inverter clone. It also started and ran from my 2000 watt pure sine inverter. No problems at all.

Yeah I have one on my Axis (also a 13.5k btu A/C) and regularly run it off a 15a circuit.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by sportcoupe

Why wouldn't you "risk" a soft start? And what is the risk?

The risk is that after spending $3K on a new generator, plus my labor to install plus the cost of a soft start kit, the new 2.8 kW generator wouldn't start my 15,000 btu/hr A/C.

But if it will start a 13,500 btu/hr A/C with no soft start kit, that is a very low risk.

David

[Muggs]

Anyone with 1st hand experience with soft start on 15k units?

[nutty]

Looking forward to reading your posts.

We picked up our 24.1 Axis in TX and just got home here in CO. We have some issues sadly that will need to be fixed under warranty. One is a big water issue which damaged some of the inside.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by nutty

Looking forward to reading your posts.

We picked up our 24.1 Axis in TX and just got home here in CO. We have some issues sadly that will need to be fixed under warranty. One is a big water issue which damaged some of the inside.

That is unfortunate. I found that Thor had installed bypass valves on the hot water heater, whereas Girard says they are unnecessary. When I switched them from their winterization position I got leaks at several of the fittings. Fortunately it was easy to tighten them before much water dumped out.

Also the water line from the tank to the pump was also loose and was leaking water. I tightened that up as well.

Simply poor assembly by Thor.

David

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by nutty

Looking forward to reading your posts.

We picked up our 24.1 Axis in TX and just got home here in CO. We have some issues sadly that will need to be fixed under warranty. One is a big water issue which damaged some of the inside.

Welcome to the Forum!
You’ll be happy with the 24.1
It’s a great floor plan

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

That is unfortunate. I found that Thor had installed bypass valves on the hot water heater, whereas Girard says they are unnecessary. When I switched them from their winterization position I got leaks at several of the fittings. Fortunately it was easy to tighten them before much water dumped out.

Also the water line from the tank to the pump was also loose and was leaking water. I tightened that up as well.

Simply poor assembly by Thor.

David

It was suggested on the Forum and something I found useful:
- Remove all your cabinet drawers, look under, around, and on the floor
- Use zip ties and re-fasten cabling and tighten loose screws
- Also, vacuum out all the sawdust
You can’t believe what you’ll find under all the hidden spaces

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

..........

The Dometic absorption fridge was good and bad. It doesn't have an adjustable thermostat so it keeps the fridge at almost 32 and the freezer near zero which is colder than it needs to be and uses more propane than necessary. But it worked and was big enough at 6 cu ft for a weeks worth of cold food.

FWIW, according to the external propane tank gauge we used about 10 lbs of propane over 8 days for cooking, fridge and a couple of hours of furnace use.

David

1) I keep my Norcold absorption fridge plugged-in, on inverter, or on propane...and running virtually 24/7.
So one thing I have to do from time to time is defrost.
Photo 1 is what it looks like after about 6mo

2) You made the statement that you used 10# of propane on your trip.
1# = .236 gallons. So you used about 2.36 gallons.
I have a difficult time knowing how much I actually use with my Thor gauges. So I’m wondering how you knew that you used 10#???

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

You made the statement that you used 10# of propane on your trip.
1# = .236 gallons. So you used about 2.36 gallons.
I have a difficult time knowing how much I actually use with my Thor gauges. So I’m wondering how you knew that you used 10#???

Well the external gauge on the propane tank read 1/2 full when we started (the BM Pro indicator said 5/8) and at the end it read 1/4 full. According to Thor's specs the tank holds a nominal 41 lbs, so about 10 lbs were used. But that 41 lbs may be gross weight and you can only fill them to 80% so maybe I used 8 lbs.

David

[tomiverson]

Piggybacking. We pick up our Axis 24.1 in 2 weeks. Great to get your reports and will try to do same, as we plan a June trip from NC to Maine.
Questions:
1. Did you install the master control on your phone? Possibly could help to reset in the shower :-).
2. I have seen ladies videos who drive Axis with no complaint and men who complain they are white knuckle. And a video where a guy explains that an alignment made total difference. Is this just hit and miss? The guy argued that only a place in Anderson SC understood his issue. Is it unreasonable to think I could book an appointment at any Ford truck service center for an alignment? And do I need to tell them +5 degrees caster (? from my memory...correct if anyone knows)?
3. Sight unseen, I have been poring over the 177 manuals and videos in my Thor owners resource. It lists my fridge as a N8DCSSR, which has temp controls both for fridge and freezer. BUT, I think we are apples and oranges, as mine is a 2022 model so possibly they made a change. It shows 8 cu ft also....
4. Ditto for water heater, as it appears they went back to 6 gallon tank...assuming from your problem you have instant.
Disclaimer...there is junk in my resource files that doesn't apply to my model...so this is best guess.

This will be our first slide, so just curious....are you holding the switch for three seconds after deploying all the way? One of their videos mentioned this and it struck me as unnatural. Asking user to fix what seems to be a design flaw.

At any rate, I am appreciative of the experts on this forum. I have learned so much.
Thanks all.

[DavidEM]

Answers in bold below:

Originally Posted by tomiverson

Piggybacking. We pick up our Axis 24.1 in 2 weeks. Great to get your reports and will try to do same, as we plan a June trip from NC to Maine.
Questions:
1. Did you install the master control on your phone? Possibly could help to reset in the shower :-).

No, There is no difference in using the Thor provided display and a paired phone when you are in the shower dripping wet and soap is in your eyes.

2. I have seen ladies videos who drive Axis with no complaint and men who complain they are white knuckle. And a video where a guy explains that an alignment made total difference. Is this just hit and miss? The guy argued that only a place in Anderson SC understood his issue. Is it unreasonable to think I could book an appointment at any Ford truck service center for an alignment? And do I need to tell them +5 degrees caster (? from my memory...correct if anyone knows)?

Personal reaction to the driving experience is highly personal. I do think setting the caster to +5 degrees will help as much as anything, not that it needs much help.

3. Sight unseen, I have been poring over the 177 manuals and videos in my Thor owners resource. It lists my fridge as a N8DCSSR, which has temp controls both for fridge and freezer. BUT, I think we are apples and oranges, as mine is a 2022 model so possibly they made a change. It shows 8 cu ft also....

Mine is definitely a 6 cu ft, absorption fridge.

4. Ditto for water heater, as it appears they went back to 6 gallon tank...assuming from your problem you have instant.
Disclaimer...there is junk in my resource files that doesn't apply to my model...so this is best guess.

Wow, after touting the virtues of tankless, they went back to a tank type? Actually I have come to grips with the Girard tankless and find it works ok.

This will be our first slide, so just curious....are you holding the switch for three seconds after deploying all the way? One of their videos mentioned this and it struck me as unnatural. Asking user to fix what seems to be a design flaw.

It is a bit unnatural and I only hold it for maybe a second. Holding it for 3 seconds resets the synchronization between the two slide motors. So far they seem to be in synch.

At any rate, I am appreciative of the experts on this forum. I have learned so much.

Glad to help.

Thanks all.

[taylorbob1]

#3 - aren’t all the newest refrigerators battery & 110 volt only? That is, they no longer work on propane. That’s probably why they have more cubic feet storage

[Selurgniman]

We started full timing about a month ago in our 2021 24.1. I have a couple of comments to add:

I’ll echo David’s comments on performance and handling. I’ve only had one white knuckle experience: driving through west Texas with 25mph sustained cross winds.

Mine actually came from the factory perfectly aligned and already set to +4.8 caster, the alignment tech recommended just leaving it so I did.

I had lots of problems with the tankless water heater and finding camp grounds with adequate water pressure to activate it. Turned out getting an adjustable water pressure regulator solved that.

I definitely echo the advice about pulling out every drawer and removable panel in the motorhome and look for holes and loose screws! Apparently when they built mine, the guy that was supposed to foam seal the floor penetrations was out. There were 6” and greater unsealed holes under the starboard bed and under the drawers in the kitchen.

Also check the caulk on the outside compartment doors. About half of mine were separated from the body allowing water in. Also, I lost two fender flares at some point, they’re apparently attached entirely by caulk!

[Selurgniman]

Also, maybe it’s the millennial in me but I love the bmpro panel and app. I’ve had zero problems and it’s great being able to control the motorhome from my phone. You can even connect it to their cloud service so you can control it when you’re out of Bluetooth range.


I wonder if yours is defective or something @DavidEM?

[Wandering Woods]

I also had problems with campgrounds with lower than required water pressure for the Girard tankless. We just use the water pump and fill the tank as needed.

[tomiverson]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

#3 - aren’t all the newest refrigerators battery & 110 volt only? That is, they no longer work on propane. That’s probably why they have more cubic feet storage

Pretty sure it is 12V only.
Tolerance is good... 10 degrees versus my last one that could only be 3° off level.

[Edki45]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

All MHs are going to have glitches and we had a few. First the good stuff:

I tried the A/C running on the generator for about a half hour when I waited in the MH while my wife went into the grocery store for some forgotten items. The A/C worked very well. The ceiling ducted air was well distributed and the interior noise was minimal. I checked outside and the generator noise overwhelmed the A/C noise. That Onan 4kw generator is LOUD.

The propane furnace worked fine, a little noisy but we only used it for an hour or so in the morning after we woke up.

Like I said in a previous subtopic the engine ran great and the mileage was phenomenal. Handling was also good.

Windshield- I will just have to get used to washing bugs off of that huge windshield which gives a great view.

The storage on this coach is incredible. I got an E Bike, a fire pit, two long levelers and a couple of shorter ones, jack and jack stand, four camp chairs, etc all in the basement storage compartments and I still haven't used one of them.

Now for the bad stuff:

The BM Pro Rapid Camp touch screen display and controller is a POS. I yearn for the simple switches on my former T/T and 5th wheel. Important, critical things like the slide in and out and the water pump are only controlled by this system, and they sometimes didn't work.

I would have to jockey the slide in and out a couple of times to get it all of the way in. The water pump would mysteriously shut off while taking a shower. Fortunately all I had to do was turn it off and back on to get it to work again but that is not so easy when you are dripping wet with soap in your eyes.

I did have a conversation with Thor about this before I left on this long trip and he said I may have to update its app which I tried to do when I got home where I had a wifi connection. It failed to update. So more conversations with Thor are required. I may install simple rocker switches for these critical items and bypass the BM Pro.

The Dometic absorption fridge was good and bad. It doesn't have an adjustable thermostat so it keeps the fridge at almost 32 and the freezer near zero which is colder than it needs to be and uses more propane than necessary. But it worked and was big enough at 6 cu ft for a weeks worth of cold food.

FWIW, according to the external propane tank gauge we used about 10 lbs of propane over 8 days for cooking, fridge and a couple of hours of furnace use.

David

As far as your refrigerator is concerned there is high temperature adjustment. It is hidden. As you open the lower door look to your right at the cooling fins. That is where the thermostat sensor is. It is clamped onto one of the fins. Slide it up or down to increase or decrease Cooling. I think all the way up is cold on mine.
I wish my axis 25.6 had the 460 7.3 engine. It is a lot better. I have never gotten over 8 MPG with the V10. I hear about other people getting more but I've tried driving it several different ways. The best was over 65 and under 80 mph. Under 63 was the worst. On your bmpro you can move the slides using the buttons on the right lower part under the Screen. On the right button push it several times until it comes up to S1. That is slide one. I don't remember for sure but it seems like you press the other button to get it started. Just play with it and you'll figure it out. I don't like the bmpro either. When I first got in mine it kept making me reset it but I finally figured out it was because of the bad chassis batteries since the day I bought it. I had that problem through two sets of batteries from Thor. Both sets had dead cells. The last set was only 2 months old from the factory. I now have some Interstate 27m's. Check one of my other posts on alignment if you would like it to drive better.

[DavidEM]

Edki45:

Thanks for your comments. Yes I figured out the fridge thermostat adjustment and it is now running about 10F for the freezer and upper 30s for the fridge.

I have pretty well come to peace with the BMPro. Maybe the software update I attempted actually worked because the problems with the slide and the water pump have disappeared. And yes I did figure out how to use the buttons on the lower right for the slide and awning.

The lowest MPG I have seen is 11.2 mostly on hilly secondary/tertiary roads and the highest was 12.8- on a smooth and level Interstate at 60-65. These are actual fill to fill measurements. So yes i really do like the new V8.

David

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Edki45:

Thanks for your comments. Yes I figured out the fridge thermostat adjustment and it is now running about 10F for the freezer and upper 30s for the fridge.

I have pretty well come to peace with the BMPro. Maybe the software update I attempted actually worked because the problems with the slide and the water pump have disappeared. And yes I did figure out how to use the buttons on the lower right for the slide and awning.

The lowest MPG I have seen is 11.2 mostly on hilly secondary/tertiary roads and the highest was 12.8- on a smooth and level Interstate at 60-65. These are actual fill to fill measurements. So yes i really do like the new V8.

David

Thats great: You should be able to get almost 600 miles out of a tank.

We're happy if we see 400 miles.