On Latency, or that 4 letter word, "Should" (long)

For us, it's not about money. It's about the distruption since we are full timers on the road, so service is a major change to our lifestyle, we have to deal with emptying the fridge, moving what we need off.
So delaying a few weeks can be a big difference,.especially if things are still functioning, if not perfectly.
 
Hello again:
To review, we are 3 people in a 2017 35' Class A Thor Hurricane 34J, testing out "full timing it" for a year. We left June 7th and are about 8000 miles in, with about 40 stops along the way.
We have reached a spot where we can get some work done on "Maude" the motorhome, while we house sit.
The question is "should we?"
I scratched her a up a bit at idle speed on a parked car and have an insurance adjuster coming out. It is totally cosmetic. That is the first "should." Maybe we should just live with it until/if we are ready to sell?

But there are other latent issues that we are living with and result in anxiety and finger crossing:


1) Driver side full wall slide out:
Motors turn off quickly after trying to retract/expand, have to manually override them at the controller switch then slide comes in okay, sometimes forward motor makes whining sound, sometimes get error code 8 on motor 2, 6 on motor 1. Lippert suggested a “tolerance test” and a possible "adjustment" after contacting TMC. Manual over-ride has been working fine. Maybe we "should" just roll until we can't?


Leveling:
With jacks down, one jack (typically drivers side front) will lose ~¼ of height over night. Rarely the control pad will "wake up" while underway, and just say “jacks up.” Once (Sept 12), right rear jack dropped a few inches underway, emergency message came on. Has not happened since extending all jacks to maximum for 1+ hour. The hydraulic hose outer sheath is cracked on two jacks, at connection to jack end but there are no leaks. ATF fluid came out of fill reservoir cap, probably was overfilled. Seems okay now. Losing a bit of leveling overnight (that I can add back easily) doesn't seem that bad (we do hear noises when that happens, we think)
Lippert suggested “jack bypass test” or system pressure test


There are other small things, parts etc, that I can have serviced (fog light switch, awning tightening, etc). Many I can do on my own with time. BUT, I did buy a GoodSam Extended Warranty with a $1000 per service deductible (in case things went really bad).

So, "should" I try to live with this and wait till things really need fixing, or try to get as much out of the extended service plan?

There is no right or wrong answer here, but I value your opinions.
Thanks!

As for the scratch can you buff it out with compound and wax a picture would help
 
I've done that. It's a little more substantial and its decals that are scratched off so compounding doesn't work great.
It's livable. More about resale value
 
I've done that. It's a little more substantial and its decals that are scratched off so compounding doesn't work great.
It's livable. More about resale value

Then it becomes cheaper to fix now then in 3 years as everything cost more next year when your talking about paying a tech for work if that makes sense
 
This is utterly off the main topic of the thread, but the point that really jumped out at me -- and that no one else has commented on -- is that you've done 40 stops in four months!

Hello again:
To review, we are 3 people in a 2017 35' Class A Thor Hurricane 34J, testing out "full timing it" for a year. We left June 7th and are about 8000 miles in, with about 40 stops along the way.

That's a very hectic pace.

No judgment. I'm also full time and have done 14 straight hours of driving from time to time. But, for the most part, the beauty of being full time is the ability to travel at a much more leisurely pace.

Not trying to throw shade. I guess this is just me expressing mild shock.
 
Repairs in Route

Personally, I would address and the (non cosmetic) items while traveling


Rather than leaving RV at a dealer, i would schedule mobile RV repair mechanics in advance at a city you plan to be in. I have found these guys very efficient and knowledgeable



Hello again:
To review, we are 3 people in a 2017 35' Class A Thor Hurricane 34J, testing out "full timing it" for a year. We left June 7th and are about 8000 miles in, with about 40 stops along the way.
We have reached a spot where we can get some work done on "Maude" the motorhome, while we house sit.
The question is "should we?"
I scratched her a up a bit at idle speed on a parked car and have an insurance adjuster coming out. It is totally cosmetic. That is the first "should." Maybe we should just live with it until/if we are ready to sell?

But there are other latent issues that we are living with and result in anxiety and finger crossing:


1) Driver side full wall slide out:
Motors turn off quickly after trying to retract/expand, have to manually override them at the controller switch then slide comes in okay, sometimes forward motor makes whining sound, sometimes get error code 8 on motor 2, 6 on motor 1. Lippert suggested a “tolerance test” and a possible "adjustment" after contacting TMC. Manual over-ride has been working fine. Maybe we "should" just roll until we can't?


Leveling:
With jacks down, one jack (typically drivers side front) will lose ~¼ of height over night. Rarely the control pad will "wake up" while underway, and just say “jacks up.” Once (Sept 12), right rear jack dropped a few inches underway, emergency message came on. Has not happened since extending all jacks to maximum for 1+ hour. The hydraulic hose outer sheath is cracked on two jacks, at connection to jack end but there are no leaks. ATF fluid came out of fill reservoir cap, probably was overfilled. Seems okay now. Losing a bit of leveling overnight (that I can add back easily) doesn't seem that bad (we do hear noises when that happens, we think)
Lippert suggested “jack bypass test” or system pressure test


There are other small things, parts etc, that I can have serviced (fog light switch, awning tightening, etc). Many I can do on my own with time. BUT, I did buy a GoodSam Extended Warranty with a $1000 per service deductible (in case things went really bad).

So, "should" I try to live with this and wait till things really need fixing, or try to get as much out of the extended service plan?

There is no right or wrong answer here, but I value your opinions.
Thanks!
 
Thanks. We needed to:
1) see the country AND
2) get to a specific location at a specific time.
Which we did. I am very much looking forward to staying still for a spell and staying longer at stops from here on out.
We did hear of a family that did 30,000 miles in 10 months. No thanks!
Also, thinking of maybe Camp Hosting here an there for the rest of out time out. It does not look like full timing it for us will go much past 12 months. I guess time will tell (there is a 13 year old involved).
Thanks!
 
Thanks. We have some time and places to stay now, so I've split the jobs between shops, exterior later, slide and leveling next week. My guess is that these jobs could exceed what a mobile mechanic can do in the field.
 
Thanks. We have some time and places to stay now, so I've split the jobs between shops, exterior later, slide and leveling next week. My guess is that these jobs could exceed what a mobile mechanic can do in the field.

:thumb: I am following, many may like to know how this turns out in terms of CW and GS.

If you ever just have a question about what a mobile tech may say or do, I can always ask my tech. I don't do anything (my mods excluded) without talking to him first. Thus far the only thing he didn't do that I needed was a Windshield. I suspect mobile tech may also struggle with some of those integrated electronic system where some of the TMC wiring looks like a ball of spaghetti
 
Interesting post and answers. First off—lemme say “good on you!” for finding this place and asking the questions. I feel it bodes well on an early sign that you will be successful in this new endeavor and have got and resources to make it successful.

This forum rescued me many, many times. Both in answering my questions, and me just doing research.

Having paid the high premium and “wasted” money buying mine brand new—I can tell you with a straight face and earnest answer that after 2-3 years of crap going wrong and being built poorly and poor materials—I probably save 3-6x my costs. General RV didn’t like me, and at one point I walked into the dealer with the folder of a lawyer I retained due to them jerking me around. But in the end, we stuck it out and have no regrets. Don’t sweat the call you made on the insurance.

For the slide—I was in the same boat and had multiple service calls and replacements. To this day I have a spare controller and a spare hydraulic cylinder in my “maintenance basement” just in case. But after all that work—I still get the slide stuck a bit, and a few errors are thrown. What keeps me going are two things. I keep the slide plates well lubricated. And I have a 2’ electronic level. Cost me about $30. Keep in mind you are extending a 22’ full body slide. You must get that thing as perfectly level front to back as possible. This is not accomplished via the auto-leveling system. Go manual, drop that level on the floor and set it to beep when perfect. Front to back is much more important than side to side. Manually level yourself until you hear that beep. You’ll find the slide thing much more successful.

Jacks losing pressure while you sleep is something that happens in my rig-but it shouldn’t. It’s nothing too bad. But dropping while you drive? That’s a problem. A big one potentially.

Cosmetic stuff is what you make of it. Get that done when doing the other stuff if possible. Roll the claims together will save you time and money. Downside is that puts you into a dealership rather than a mobile tech most likely.

Personally, I’m paranoid about delays and things being out of control. There’s no way I would delay making a claim to attend to stuff while on the road and trapped in your rig. Why put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today? Especially if you have a packed travel schedule.
 
Thanks for this thoughtful response.
I do manually level before sliding in, given the small drop innthe front. Lubrication is an interesting thought. I've done it, but now Lippert says not to. The motors seem quite strong when I override the controller.
The jack drop was just once, but I do think there may be a pressure leak somewhere, just very small. Time for some recommended testing from Lippert this week.
The saga continues, but we'll be in one spot for 10 days. I'm glad I waited.
 
I really truly absolutely cannot believe that every leveling jack ever made does not have a return spring.
How much can two holes and a trampoline(it was called a jumpoline until my sister got on one) spring cost?

I suggest to all with levelers to add the $6 guaranteed to not fail if you have a pressure situation, cheap cheap return spring.
 
I really truly absolutely cannot believe that every leveling jack ever made does not have a return spring.
How much can two holes and a trampoline(it was called a jumpoline until my sister got on one) spring cost?

I suggest to all with levelers to add the $6 guaranteed to not fail if you have a pressure situation, cheap cheap return spring.

I've seen springs on the jacks of older coaches. Did you add them to yours?
 
Because of my four inch lift I can't have standard levelers.
It was in the works to adapt the long harbor freight 8ton rams but we just haven't yet to need levelers or stabilizers. They would absolutely have springs on them.

I toss a levelling app on my phone and then set the phone next to my seat as I rock the rv around until we're level enough.
The propane fridge thing is blown WWWAAAYYY out of proportion. 5° is a MAJOR amount of off level and we've never experienced it.

Someone do the math on an average rv wheelbase and figure a 5° ground differential.

But
We adapt easily.
There have been some spousal horror stories here about level and hissy fits and such.
 
Last edited:
I really truly absolutely cannot believe that every leveling jack ever made does not have a return spring.
How much can two holes and a trampoline(it was called a jumpoline until my sister got on one) spring cost?

I suggest to all with levelers to add the $6 guaranteed to not fail if you have a pressure situation, cheap cheap return spring.


I have always seen those springs and until now I did not know what they were for :facepalm:

It makes all the sense in the world, I will add this to my list of things the RV Mfg added to my coach that I didn't know I needed. Mine even comes with that Surface Oxidation Protectant :coolsmiley:

Maybe next time I have jacks down, I will take a picture; if I don't find one in my RV Library.

DISCLAIMER: I have a SOB Coach and the leveling system is made by Power Gear Systems.
 
Thanks for this thoughtful response.
I do manually level before sliding in, given the small drop innthe front. Lubrication is an interesting thought. I've done it, but now Lippert says not to. The motors seem quite strong when I override the controller.
The jack drop was just once, but I do think there may be a pressure leak somewhere, just very small. Time for some recommended testing from Lippert this week.
The saga continues, but we'll be in one spot for 10 days. I'm glad I waited.


FWIW, my slide never goes out unless the jacks are down and coach leveled. Even if I am on level surface level before the slide goes out, and leave that way until I bring the slide in. Once slide is in that is when I retract the jacks.

My Jacks Mfg(Powe Gear) told us to not do anything to the jacks as far as lubricating. They said if we were at some dusty park for an extended period of time to take a very clean lint free cloth to wipe while jacks was fully extended and carefully spray lightly with a silicon lubricate. But truth be told if we encounter a dusty park we just keep moving to the next place. It has been 5 years I may spray them very lightly for the hell of it.
 
Because of my four inch lift I can't have standard levelers.
It was in the works to adapt the long harbor freight 8ton rams but we just haven't yet to need levelers or stabilizers. They would absolutely have springs on them.

I toss a levelling app on my phone and then set the phone next to my seat as I rock the rv around until we're level enough.
The propane fridge thing is blown WWWAAAYYY out of proportion. 5° is a MAJOR amount of off level and we've never experienced it.

Someone do the math on an average rv wheelbase and figure a 5° ground differential.

But
We adapt easily.
There have been some spousal horror stories here about level and hissy fits and such.


Based off 5 degree the wheel base on my MH is 17’-6”(length ) is 1’-6 1/2” rise and 6’-10” (side to side) is 7 1/4” rise. I know I’m closer then that
 
If you all find a place being 18" off...
Find another place.

5° is a Lotta Lotta more than most folks think it is.
It's hard to be that far off without it causing you to roll out of bed or fall off the toilet. It's beyond noticeable and right at the 'pretty angry about it' threshold.

Thanks for math.
 
Last edited:
Leaving a slide in is an inconvenience. Having a jack deploy while driving could be dangerous (and/or very expensive). It doesn't mean you can or should wait months to arrange for repairs. But maybe weeks?

I agree with Eric. We own a 2016 Hurricane 34F and fully appreciate the big slideout. I have had to have it 'serviced' for weird grinding noises only once and I use the recommended lubrication a few times a year. That stuff smells quite strong in the RV when the slideout is retracted, so now I try to do it well in advance of our trips. Our jacks are very sensitive to low battery voltage and I sometimes have to get on shore power or run the generator to boost the batteries enough to trick the jacks into action. You have hit upon two of the weaker points (I believe) in our Thor and personally, I would tackle both of them. Otherwise, we love the RV and wish you happy travels.
 
If you all find a place being 18" off...
Find another place.

5° is a Lotta Lotta more than most folks think it is.
It's hard to be that far off without it causing you to roll out of bed or fall off the toilet. It's beyond noticeable and right at the 'pretty angry about it' threshold.

Thanks for math.

Close enough... but here's the math from my homemade phone app:

I can lay my phone on the MH floor with this app open and quickly get within 1/2° of perfectly level... which indicates the levelers would only need adjustment of less than an inch. It's difficult to even bump them that small amount.

5° is out of the question with front to rear level. The jacks won't even extend that far!
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20241104-233927.jpg
    Screenshot_20241104-233927.jpg
    45.1 KB · Views: 17
Last edited:

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top