Thor Super C (Chateau/Four Winds) improvements and mods

[Sites]

Hey folks,

I purchased a 2014 Thor Chateau 33SW last August and right from the start I experienced the new RV owner blues. In short, after driving back to San Diego from where I flew out to purchase it in Texas, it spent its first 3 weeks in the shop with about a dozen issues, ranging from minor to major.

That said, aside from all of the issues, now that I've resolved most of them either through warranty or just fixing it myself after the local Thor service dealer either did a half-assed job fixing a problem, or just flat out didn't fix it after it sat in their shop for weeks, I like this motorhome. I wanted something fairly nice and that could reasonably tow 10k+ LBS, since I have a desert prerunner truck and several motorcycles to trailer out with the family. Dynamax's were nice, but out of the $$$ range I was willing to invest on a first MH. I also looked as used medium duty chassis Super C's (older Show Haulers, etc.) but anything close to $100k was too dated looking and generally VERY used. So I saw the F550 chassis based Thor 33SW and bit the bullet.

After owning it for about 7 months now, my impression is that Thor came up with a great layout and mated it to a good chassis, but as a result of both production line quality assurance issues and the general feeling that everything beneath the surface was designed to speed up build time, there are many improvements that can be made by owners to make this coach better. And frankly, should have been done at the factory before shipping off to the dealer! 🙂

The reason I'm starting this thread is because I've noticed a few other Thor Super C owners on here and other forums, that have all mentioned having similar issues (house water pump leaks, front fuel tank filling issues, front hydro jacks too low from the factory, poor house battery capacity, etc.) I've also noticed a few very cool modifications and improvements by others on here as well, such as relocating the house batteries to one of the storage compartments and switching to a bank of four 6v batts. I figured it would be useful to try and centralize the communication of issues encountered, how to resolve them and suggestions to improve the coach.

I've done a few already and will post one of them shortly. Hopefully other Thor Super C (33SW, 35sk, 35sg, Etc) will chime in as well.

[RobbieH]

Just watch your weight and length, and be aware of state laws. In Texas, Sites could be ticketed for being over the limit of the hitch, and for potentially being over the maximum length without a CDL. I can't tell his overall length, but in Texas a tow rig and trailer cannot be over 65' total without CDL. That's one of the big reasons why I went with the coach I have rather than a 45' Class A.

[DonnieSJR]

I like "Sites" set up. I am wrestling with pulling flat or trailering. I like the idea of an enclosed trailer because my current vehicle that I would take cannot be pulled flat. With that, i have been looking at several Jeep products, but also am looking at coach trailers at the same time. Pro of the trailer for me, is more storage, con is overall length. Having to have the trailer really cuts down on camp locations from what I can tell....

[RobbieH]

I haven't run them completely flat yet, sorry for the British term but it was the best I could think of. I have the monitor set to fire up the generator when the batteries get to 12v, but as far as I know it's never turned on to charge them. In other words, I don't know, but then I haven't been in a situation where they have gone dead. I had it set to 11v previously, but someone (either Thor or the dealership) recommended bringing it up to 12. I may turn it down some until I can determine where the safe spot is, and at that time I'd have a good idea of how long they will safely keep the house powered.

I did go out to dead chassis batteries a couple of weeks ago, and used the emergency start to start the truck off the house batteries. It worked. 🙂

[mbacfp30]

Yes on the 4x4. How are the upgraded interstate batteries doing with the full refrigerator? How many hours are they lasting?

[RobbieH]

FYI, I forgot to mention, the dinghy guide states that the Canyon (and Colorado) is towable as long as you get the 4x4. I always buy 4x4 anyway.

[mbacfp30]

I was actually looking into that truck as well...might wait and trade in one of my cars to get a truck...will have a tow car and a truck for around the house.

[RobbieH]

I've been using Uber where it's feasible. Thing is, 90% of our vacations are in the middle of nowhere, isn't that the point of having an RV? 🙂

We have too many cars anyway. Once the VW debacle has a solution, we are considering trading both my diesel 3/4 ton truck and wife's VW in for a new GMC Canyon diesel. I don't need my big truck anymore for towing since we usually use the RV now, and the Canyon has the capability to tow what I need for any short trips I may need it for. I just can't live without a truck around the house. 🙂

I also have a 2001 Cherokee, and my daughter has a 1998 Cherokee that she's about to leave here when she goes to college this fall. I could just have the tow bar reinstalled on it and call it quits. But then I'll have WAY too many cars here. 🙂

[mbacfp30]

Hi RobbieH,

That is exactly my dilemma. None of my cars can be towed on all fours. Thus, do I tow on front tires with tow trailer, trade a car for one that can be dingy towed or buy a dedicated 3rd tow car? Not sure as of yet. Last time we rented a car, but is a pain getting car plus installing children's care seats each time. Thanks for sharing your setups and advice. Glad I have a rig that can handle pretty much any towing path I take. So glad to hear your slide is working great.

[RobbieH]

Tow trailer, tow dolly, or dinghy depends on your vehicle. If you go to Google and search "motor home magazine dinghy towing guide" then the year of your vehicle, you will be able to research what your vehicle's capability is.

I use a trailer, because of the vehicle I'm towing. It is on 42" tires that cost over $800 a piece, it's not street legal, and it gets broken on a lot of my trips, and I have to be able to get it back home even if broken. It's not going on the ground. 🙂

Trailer towing has advantages and disadvantages. The trailer adds weight, and they require maintenance. Also, many campgrounds don't have space to store them or to pull them into the spot. I will usually look for a very long pull-through spot, or I will ask them if there is somewhere I can store the trailer while camping.

Even when I'm not taking my rock crawler with me, I still trailer tow because my other vehicles cannot be dinghy towed. We are considering trading the wife's car in for something we can tow, so that on those trips we don't have to mess with the trailer. We have one of the VW diesels, so we have to wait for the dust to settle on what is going to happen with the car before we can do anything.

[mbacfp30]

Am excited to start towing as well. Trying to figure best way to go about it...tow trailer vs dingy? Now have 10,400 miles or so and I can say I have seen an increase in fuel mileage as engine has gotten broken it...at least as indicated by computer avg mpg. Only thing I have heard negative is the turbo...especially when using exhaust brake while in regen. Our model should not have ceramic turbo ball bearings that the earier 2011-2012 models had...but never confirmed that.

[RobbieH]

I tow around 7,000-8,000 and have been able to keep it well over that speed, but then I don't have a box trailer (anymore). The only time I have had any need for tow/haul mode is when crossing the passes in the Rockies. The rest of the time, I just leave it in normal mode and it seems just fine. It sounds like you are doing the same.

When going through the Rockies, cars would go around me to get a jump on me before we hit the passes. Where there were two lanes (passing lane) to work with, they were quite surprised to see me going back around them when the climbing got tough. In switchbacks, I was stuck with having to wait behind the slower moving cars that had passed me beforehand.

I was used to this in my previous tow rig (2006 Dodge with Cummins, 6 speed manual, and 4.10 gears), but was quite pleased to have a similar capability in the new rig. It should only get better as we get over 20,000-25,000 miles and the engine starts getting broken in.

[mbacfp30]

Hi Sites.

So glad to hear everything is working. Nice setup. Thanks for sharing the picture.

[Sites]

Took the RV out camping for New Years and I've got to say, this thing tows amazingly.

Took the family out to the desert with an F150 prerunner, quad and 3 dirt bikes. The total weight of the trailer with everything was around 11k+ lbs. Took the 8 from San Diego to Ocotillo/Superstition in Imperial Valley which is miles of 6% grades each way. I basically set cruise control to 55 and tow/haul mode then let it do it's thing. Going out (east), I maintained 50-55 the entire way. On the way back, I maintained 45-55
going up the grade (13 miles of 6% grade).

All issues I've had with the coach aside, I'm sold on this chassis. This thing tows like a beast.

Here is a pic of us on the way back. The trailer is 24' with 8' high ceilings and weights 5080lbs dry. As mentioned above, inside was a 4500lb f150 desert truck, 1 quad, 1 dirt bike, 2 kids dirt bikes and a bunch of misc tools. Stability was perfect, engine braking and brakes were great and it pulled like an ox.

[mbacfp30]

Hi Donnie. Welcome. Not sure about switching refrigerator...but I don't see why not? Let us know if you have questions...had my fair share of having to figure stuff out.

[DonnieSJR]

All,


New owner here of a 2015 Four Winds. I am interested in replacing the residential fridge with an RV refrigerator. Am I crazy and is this even possible? Other things I want to do is relocate the water pump to a belly bay, get the Aquahot and Sanicon(s) on board. We have put about 3k miles on it on our first trip and all seems ok for the most part. Problems include the wrong monitoring panel was installed and the leveling jacks were cross wired. Those were easy fixes. Other gripes are the door handle/latch systems is not what we were used to in our Class A and the couch/air mattress bed system leaves a lot to be desired. Another detail is the A/V systems was very poorly wired or not at all. That will be a weekend project to get that all working. I think Thor could do better with the details. I understand the price point here and am happy with the purchase knowing that there are opportunities to dial in the details. I love the chassis, the multiple doors and the diesel engine and generator. I look forward to passing ideas back and forth with you and will accept any education you can offer.

Best,
Donnie