Thor Forums

[swiderskij]

Originally Posted by Judge

I traded in a 2018 Outlaw 29H last October for a 2020 Magnitude SV34 and could not be happier.

The overall quality as well as fit and finish of the Magnitude is much better than the Outlaw.... but it is also twice the price!

The SV34 is the perfect floor plan for us. We wanted a king size bed and outdoor kitchen and also the 4x4 option. We have put on about 4500 miles and love it so far.

The F-550 truck chassis with 6.7 PowerStroke blows away the E-450 V10 Triton in terms of power, fuel economy, ride quality and handling. There is just no comparison.

I had to put $1500 in suspension upgrade parts to get the E-450 to ride and handle properly. The stock suspension on the E-450 van chassis is just not designed to handle the length, height and weight of a motorhome 25' or longer on it.

The F-550 truck chassis is the real deal. It rides and handles great and I haven't had to put a dime into it. It is 6' longer and 5000lbs heavier than the Outlaw and it just handles and rides like a dream.

Dislikes are minimal. Would have been nice to have a washer / drier but that would have taken up some storage space and added weight. It would also be nice if we could access the bed without the slide having to be out (that is not an issue with the XG32). Neither is a show stopper for us.

In terms of upgrades and mods, I have done the following:

1) Installed two additional 6V batteries with a battery shut off switch (the stock battery tray was designed to hold 4 batteries).

2) Installed two Renogy 160W flexible solar panels.

3) Replaced the stock WFCO Converter / Charger with a Progressive Dynamics PD9260C Converter / Charger.

4) Installed a Progressive Industries HW50C Hardwired EMS Surge & Electrical Protector that protects the power from shore power or the generator.

5) Installed an easier access fresh water tank drain (the stock one is under the bed on the SV34).

6) Installed SnapPads on the Levelers.

7) Installed a TPMS system.

8) Purchased (but still need to install) the Crossfire Dual Tire Pressure Equalization System.

9) Installed Camco Aero-Flo vent covers over the bathroom and living area vent to protect against hail and to allow vents to be open when raining.

10) Installed a swivel mount for the bedroom TV and will be installing one for the TV in the cab-over bunk as well.

11) Installed a 10' and much more flexible hose and better shower head for the outdoor shower to make it easier to use when the slide is out.

12) Installed Wet Okele Seat Covers with the heated seat option for the driver and passenger seats.

13) Installed a Camco grab bar for the screen door.

14) Installed a Valterra Sewer Hose carrier the width of the rear of the coach under the trailer hitch that holds four 10' sewer hoses.

15) In the process of putting EternaBond tape over all Dicor sealed areas on roof so I won't have to maintain the Dicor on a regular basis.

16) I ordered the new Bluetooth Remote Control Panel for the Xantrex Freedom X Inverter so I can control it with their app from my phone.

17) Installed a spring hatch holder for the step that allows battery access so the step will stay open without having to hold it open when working in the battery compartment.

18) Purchased an Camco adjustable support for the electronic steps.

19) Took a large wooden cutting board and added rubber feet to it to cover the induction stove top to protect it and add more kitchen working space (also covers the gas burners).

20) Repositioned Inverter to allow for better storage space utilization.

21) Added water shut off for fridge ice maker supply line.

I am probably forgetting a couple things but that is the bulk of it. The wife made sever modifications to the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc. of course!

Good luck with your purchase!

This is a great list and have many of these on my list! Overall, this chassis and design gets a A+. It is the small things that need to be upgraded.

Here is the list of items I did (or will be doing shortly).

1. Installed 3 MAXXAIR deluxe fans replacing the 3 fans/vents installed by factory. All in one functionality and brings air in/out, quiet, temperature and remote controlled and very low profile on roof. Only issue i have to find power for front fan since the installed vent had no fan or power.

2. Entertainment: Installed a Dish Playmaker satellite dish (single receiver to living room) and ran wire access with the Winegard 2.0. Dome and wally receiver only $350 and easy install in an hour. Dish is great since you can month-to-month and turn on/off anytime. Replaced the antenna switch with antenna/cable/satellite switch faceplate in bin. Having the single receiver Sat receiver gives us more options when the cell phone coverage is limited in remote areas. The Winegard Connect has its +/-s. Plus is a single source for internet connection using either your home, Cell Jetpack (I use both Sprint and Verizon) and will switch automatically. Minuses are: the HD OTA antenna is not nearly as powerful as other dedicated OTA antennas and the cell/internet signal strength/bandwidth is much lower than using the jetpack directly. I suspect Winegard has some algorithms in the firmware that lower this substantially. Also cuts out from time to time and need a reset. I think i will be just connecting devices directly to Jetpacks... Added, directly via HDMI ports, 4k Apple TV to front room TV and an Amazon FireTV stick to rear TV. Both work wonderfully. Will probably swap out both TVs for smart/4k TVs in future.

3. Installed 2 175W solar panels and upgraded the solar charger controller to 30Amp. Now have 350W of charging to batteries which should cover refrigerator. I can add another panel or two if needed. Will upgrade to 2 (or 3) lithium batteries.

4. Replaced tail light bulbs with high intensity led bulbs which provide enhanced visibility.

5. Purchased a 7 - 6 pole trailer electrical harness adapter to accommodate towed vehicles and trailers with led lights. I have read where some folks thought the trailer tow wiring was not correctly wired and this may have been the issue. The Ford F550 trailer harness needs this adapter to fix the led light issue.

6. Added 2” foam gel pad to the overhead bed (aka the Loft). This is where i go to read and chill out with a great 270 degree view.

6. My TO Do List is below:

A. Fix plumbing issues and move Fresh tank drainage, water filter and winterize port to the Wet Bay bin and also re-plumb to be capable of adding water to the freshwater tank from the city water port connection. Also add water and waste tank sensor in wet bay and water pump switch. This is the first RV i have had where the plumbing was from decades ago.

B. Swap out the theatre seats for a more upgraded and comfortable set. Also possible shorten up the dinette seating if that is possible to provide more aisle room.

C. Long term swap out the two 13.5k roof ACs for two low profile 15K ACs. Maybe a heat pump on one as well although I have been told the Spyder control panels is not programmed for the heat pump.

D. Maybe look at going to the F550 chrome bumper replacing the big plastic bumper installed by thor. This should improve airflow for engine and transmission.

E. The rest of the items on JUDGE’s list.

CHASSIS UPGRADES; The Ford F550 4x4 chassis requires “no enhancements” and drives better than any other rig i have had. I have owned 4 winnebagos (1 class A gasser and 3 class C View/MB chassis), 2 tiffins (Class A DPs), 2 fifth wheels, a TT and cabover camper. Driving 1/4 to 1/3 of each trip makes the trip quite enjoyable driving this rig and the wife is quite comfortable driving for a few hours each day. She likes the power and road control....