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]

I'm curious to know why you had to run the rooftop A/C the entire time? We have only had to do that one time when it was well over 100 degrees outside and we had multiple people in the living area. Otherwise we are just fine with just the cab A/C. And ours is the "Black Magic" color (I think that's right) so it is quite a heat sponge.

So you know, I have found that if you run both A/C units, you will drain the rear diesel tank in about 3 days. It can really suck the fuel down with those running. But I just ran it 3.5 days with no A/C, with another RV plugged into me at the same time, and used 5 gallons.

There are a few things I think you need to look at. First, look at the inverter read-out inside the house door. It should say something around 13.6 volts. If it says anything around 11.5, you have a problem. For me, this usually means I need to reset the inverter. It can also be caused by that tiny breaker I have pictured earlier being tripped, which will prevent the genny from charging the batteries, which is a problem in your case because the genny takes priority over the chassis generator, which means the fridge will run the batteries down. Third, check the water in the house batteries and ensure they are topped off with distilled water at the correct level. All of these issues will cause a genny no-start situation.

[mbacfp30]

Hi Todd,

Not sure what the S wire is? Maybe someone else has an answer. So, is it running now when you start it? I know how frustrating it can be to have a problem before a trip.

[RE_Todd]

Does anyone know what the "S" wire to the generator is coming from. Picked up our new to us, 2014 35SW on the 8th at MHSRV. Ran the generator with the coach AC on the whole way home (9 hours) with no issues. Hasn't wanted to start since. I did find my converter was not working, pulled and replaced the fuses and it was fine. Had a skilled diesel guy look at the generator, couldn't figure it out except it had power to the starter and fuel pump, but no power to the "S" wire. Took it to Rocky Mountain Cummins, started and ran with no issues. It's got me totally confused right now

I need to make sure I understand what's going on. Headed out for 9 days next Thursday to include several days at Johnson Valley.

[mbacfp30]

Was worried about the hitch lowered 10 inchs...good to see bottomin out isn't too big of a problem...trucks sits so high. Thanks for the real world advice.

[RobbieH]

Not even close to bottoming out. And it goes great with the weight back there. I don't really feel it because the rv is so big and heavy already.

[mbacfp30]

Oh know. Sorry to hear about that. How does it tow the 7,000? Durango is about 5,000...so excited to see how it goes. Do you bottom out when towing a lot since you have the lower...am afraid with doin the 10 inch...but have no choice.

[RobbieH]

Slide is still working. I just got home from an extended trip. Started it on April 7 and just got home yesterday. The water that comes out of the leak is nasty, it is really dark red. No telling what's in it.

[mbacfp30]

Thanks. Really appreciate your advice. Hope the slide is doing well. Hope the leak is an easy fix.

[RobbieH]

I have one of these. I could not find one with more drop than this back in 2013.

http://www.reese-hitches.com/products/Class_V_Titan_Hitch_Ball_Mount,45291

Looks like this is the current one:
http://www.amazon.com/Reese-7028300-Class-Heavy-Mount/dp/B0049MVDHE

As I stated, I tow heavy loads, so one of those 5,000 max capacity things was not going to work for me.

[mbacfp30]

Sorry to hear about the leak. Looks like I will need to get a 10inch hitch riser to tow my tow car due to hitch sitting so high on truck. How do you tow with your RobbieH? Thanks for the tips again.

[RobbieH]

You don't need to use the Tow/Haul button. I tow over 7,000 without it 99% of the time. I use it when I need engine braking on very steep downhills, as in going down passes in the Rockies.

My roof started leaking this weekend. I took some video. I'll share after I edit it. The water is coming in around the front vent, but I think it is leaking from somewhere else and traveling to the first hole it can find.

[mbacfp30]

My mistake Sites. I want to do something similar...batteries and solar? Look forward to some pics. Thanks for sharing.

[Sites]

I didn't do a solar project; just converted from the standard two 12v house batteries to four 6v batteries (232aH batts). I installed them a few weeks back using a pair of custom made aluminum racks in the forward most passenger side storage compartment. So far so good. I'm anxious to take it out and see how long I can go without running the generator 🙂 I also finished swapping all of the remaining incandescent bulbs out with LEDs. I will try to snap a few pics this weekend to post.

[mbacfp30]

Hello all,

Finally finished the tow car project this weekend. Am excited to see how the truck tows. The Dodge Durango weights around 5,000 lbs. Curious, do you guys use the tow/haul feature when towing?

Also, Sites, how did your solar project go? That is my next project. Hope all is well.

[mbacfp30]

Hi Writchie,

This is a great coach at this price point. It is not perfect for sure...I ended upgrading shocks and added air bags. Wife and kids love the ride. Am going to upgrade batteries next due to full residential frig. Haven't had any major issues other than leveling jack line problems. At the end of the day I am pleased with my purchase...it is a great base to build from. Please let me know if you have any other questions.