Thor axis Rv class A?

Greetings again,

I plan to go and look at an Axis sometime soon. If anyone has a question they would like for me to ask the dealer let me know. I'll try to come up with some on my own. I'll try to take some photos to share here on the forum. I'll look for the OCCC on the unit I look at. Price dealer had at the South Bend Show was just under 70K. Best!

ennored said:

If a GVWR of 12,500 seems low, imagine if they built it on a Sprinter with its 11,030 GVWR! Wait, that's a Winnebago Via 25T...

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Both have OCCC about the same, around 1500#.
Neither should be used to tow anything, because as soon as you have the tongue weight, flesh, and some water, you will be about at capacity.

MDKMDK said:

As for the OCCC question, camperAl made the (common sense) point that the number of times you'd be driving around with every fluid tank full would be extremely rare, but it has to be considered as a possibility in the calculation. If you traveled with just the gas (330#), propane (40#), and fresh water tanks (350#) full, it would use  720# of the OCCC. That would leave 1500# or so, for the rest. So, I thought even with the 3 main tanks completely full, there's probably a reasonable amount of excess capacity available, for loading it with humanity and sundries as well.

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Bad logic. Unladen Vehicle Weight includes full fuel tank.
OCCC for the Axis (and the Sprinter Via) are both about 1500# from my research (actual yellow stickers on built coaches).
You have 1500# to use with any and all of the following: flesh, water, gear.

szn8tt said:

Bad logic. Unladen Vehicle Weight includes full fuel tank.
OCCC for the Axis (and the Sprinter Via) are both about 1500# from my research (actual yellow stickers on built coaches).
You have 1500# to use with any and all of the following: flesh, water, gear.

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Not bad anything. My numbers were based on a "Dry Weight" of 10,300#, and a GVWR of 12,500# taken from an article by a reviewer of the vehicle late last year. The Dry Weight definition doesn't include any fluids, including fuel. I used individual tank capacities, and standard fluid weights, to calculate the approximate "Curb Weight" which includes fuel, water, etc., but not the flesh and gear. Unloaded/Unladen Vehicle Weight is closer to the Curb Weight than Dry Weight, by definition. This website is pretty good for general info. It also has a fairly decent trailer towing weight calculator, and some other pretty useful info.
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-tow-vehicles-understand.shtml
Since you've seen the stickers I'll assume your number is accurate.

camperAl, I'd also be interested to know
1) their best out the door price, including all fees and taxes for export to Canada. I would pick the unit up at the dealership, so no shipping to the border involved. 
2) what options are included - if I would add, the DC powered ceiling fans, a 2nd coach battery, and the heated tank pads. The range with oven would be nice, but the convection M/W would do.
3) is the 2nd coach battery space roughed into each coach? I would likely DIY that option later.
4) where are the coach batteries located physically on the coach? (for running inverter cables to galley)
5) anything else I didn't think of?

Hi MDKMDK,

When I go up will ask those questions. I am sure they will want to know if you are paying cash or financing for purchase. Might effect the cost of the unit.

I have a list of things I plan on asking also. I'll post all of them here after I have been to the dealership.

Hi szn8tt,

If the OCCC is 1500 lbs, what is the average tongue weight for a 2500 lbs vechicle? 400 lbs? Figure I will have about 1000 lbs plus items we need take with us.

It would be a cash deal, no trade in.
I'm also interested in knowing
6) Why they narrowed the frame towards the front of the vehicle. They said for improved handling, but I'd like to better understand their engineering reasoning for that mod. I'd think a wider footprint would lead to greater stability.
7) Can the chassis be serviced or have warranty work done at any Ford dealership with truck sized bays?
8) What are the options for corrosion protection for the chassis? Factory? After market?
9) Some of the installed equipment make/model? (Fridge, M/W, cooktop/oven, toilet, converter/charger, powered roof vents, etc.) - if they have an installed equipment list or spec sheet, that would be great.
10) Is there a bracket on the engine for adding a 2nd alternator?
11) Is cable/satellite connectivity roughed in inside throughout the coach, and at the outside TV location? I wouldn't add the factory optional TVs, but might want to add one or two later.   
12) Are either the forward or aft outside storage compartments accessible from inside the coach? Via a "laundry chute" setup, like some travel trailers?

For your trailer tongue weight, try this calculator. Just fill in as much info as you know, and it will fill in the rest. A general rule of thumb is to not exceed 15% of the gross trailer weight (GTW/GVW) of the trailer.
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml
You can also specify a safety margin, but in the case of the Axis, there may not be enough capacity. It seems to have lots of pulling power, but there may be a problem when adding tongue weight.

My last Sprinter diesel  rig had a 2000 watt inverter with extra batteries,  but I still used the generator for Coffee and Microwave. 

Ceiling LED lights are not much draw so they are not a problem.
Laptop and IPAD run for quite a while on a charge so they are OK

We would like to watch TV using the Satellite receiver without having to run the generator.
That is my main use for an inverter.

Axis/Vegas are of great interest to me because my wife will not drive anything over 25 feet.
When travelling in the RV, we seldom stay anyplace more than two or three days so mobility means a lot more than a little extra space from a bigger unit.
Also, I am an early riser and my wife is a late sleeper so the rear bedroom is a major plus.
If you use the rear as twin beds, I don,t think it will be too difficult to keep them neat.

Just under $70,000 is the best price I have seen but for some reason they want $80,000 here in San Diego.

MacInDaBox 

Just purchased a Vegas 24.1.  It is a pleasure to drive and would not trade it for a class A.  I traded my Itaska 26HE which was not very drivable even after adding a sway bar and steering damper.  The Vegas has good control without the heavier sway bar.  I am planning to have a heavier sway bar put in the rear and perhaps the steering stabilizer also.  You also don't feel like you are driving over your left lane marker like it is driving a class A because of the narrow front.  I never got used to driving the class A because I always felt like I was in the lane to my left all the time. The ride is smooth and relaxing.  Great design.

Anyway the capacity max is 2500 # from Thor with a combined max of 18,500 which includes towing.  You can tow up to 8000# if you don't overload the vehicle which I think is impossible since it only leaves you with 10,500#.  If you fill it up with gas you are at the 10,500 # level.  Keep the towing to 6000# and then you can load up to 2500#.  You should be able to buy it around $70,000 plus freight, prep etc.

I spend way more time here, better folks and more active here, but take a look at thorforums.  These new models seem to be very popular.
You'll see a lot of negative posts over there about quality, etc... but that really seems to be true across the board with any brand.  For every one negative, there are several positive experiences.
Anyway, despite their short comings they do seem to be very popular.  I think they are filling a niche that many folks want... and many seem to be happy with them.... some as is, and some after a bit of tweaking....

blw2 seems to reflect some of my thoughts as well. 

As I guess at it, the market for these rvs are not gonna be the full timers, with some few exceptions, and therefore they don't need to be built with full timer, snowbird, or extended time quality, or many amenities. They are unlikely to tow cars, but maybe a toy for the weekend or a week or two.

When I think back to the small toyota motorhome my family owned back then, the thought of quality never entered the discussion, just get in and go and enjoy. The heater didn't work so we took extra blankets...no big deal, I was also much younger and my family pretty hardy. The fish on the end of the pole was the focus. The swamp a/c was junk as well.

If you don't know a lot about rvs, why not buy a low end new and dump it as soon as it starts being troublesome or you discover a new amenity you want or you decide you want a different suspension now that you have spent some butt time on the road. Not everyone wants to spend the time to research or educate themselves...attention spans are short, work hours long, and the need for some stress relief can be very strong.

It probably will be bought with a loan and traded in like a used car on another model next year or the year thereafter.  Spending $80,000 is not the same as spending $160k or $240k. The lower the price the easier it is for more people to get into and enjoy and then dump back on the market when they want a different color.

Buying from the viewpoint of a full timing old fart is for the old farts like me who think in terms of buying a used rv for $80,000 to $125K (or more, or less), who have tired old butts and need comfort, and stuff like hydronic heating. Quality is important because the vehicle is complex and will be used more in one year than the vacationers will use before they turn it in on a new one.

After all, for most buyers, the cost is a monthly loan payment and a vacation budget. For a non researcher, it takes about two to three trades to get it right, until their needs change and they need to trade again. So why worry???

My dad and I went recently to the local RV dealership, and I drove the Thor Vegas for about 15 minutes.  Considering it's the very first motorized RV I've driven, I was very pleasantly surprised how easy and enjoyable it was to drive.  Of course, I've been driving 18-wheelers for years, so it wasn't exactly a huge challenge.  The dealer told me that they sell several of them every month, and that they always have to make sure there are a few in the pipeline, on the way to the dealership, because they can't afford to run out of them.  Considering we live in a somewhat remote location, not a big city, that's interesting news.

My wife and I have been looking at, and shopping for, trailers and Class B & C for over 5 years now, and frankly we like the Vegas a lot.  The big window in front is a huge draw, as is the bedroom in the rear.  I also love that the front bed that can be raised up out of the way, because we'd never use it.  Our other option is an R-Pod.  We're close to retirement, and we'll be purchasing soon, probably this year, so I have been reading this topic with great interest.  The best price we found for a used Vegas is just under $65,000.  Haven't seen the Axis, don't know yet how it differs.

I think the differences are mostly cosmetic.  They're sister ships. 

Thor Axis and Vegas differences are much like Winnebago Via and Itasca Reyo in that they appear to be 2 branches of the same coach under different names. Locally they're sold by different RV distributer outlets.

Other than graphics and interior color schemes, I see Thor's RUV line having the biggest difference being the headlights where vegas has vertical and the axis has horizontal assemblies.

Thor's V10 E350 chassis has a higher weight rating, larger water & LP capacities, other floor plans and a 4K gas generator. The higher priced MB diesel Sprinter chassis has a 3.6K LP generator connected to a lower capacity LP tank but sports a factory 1KW AC inverter option.