ACE motorhome tailpipe close to ground

[JhnsnDavid]

Do other A.C.E motohome owners have their tailpipes distance between the tailpipe and the ground only 4 1/2 inches?

I purchase a 2014 Thor A.C.E. 29.2 motorhome last October and had put it in storage for the winter. Now I’m getting ready to take it on it’s first voyage to my brother’s cabin up North, but while walking around the motorhome in the storage area I noticed how low to the ground the tail pipe was.

To the average person it may look O.K. but I had previously owned a travel trailer in the past (no tailpipe) and in my travels I have driven in campgrounds with dirt roads and over railroad tracks that cross roads. I don’t know if a motorhome with a tailpipe 4 1/2 inches from the ground could make it. I don’t want to be stranded somewhere with a broke off tailpipe on my first trip.

My brother looked at it and said, “You could start a brush fire with a tailpipe that low!”

Is this normal for this motorhome or is this a factory defect? The height from the ground to the bottom in the middle of the RV is about 1 foot. Do other A.C.E. owners have the same distance between the ground and the tailpipe with their motorhome?

[jharrell]

Ground clearance is something not discussed very often and almost never any info listed on it from manufacturer with RV's.

I have been looking at class A RV's in the ACE size range and have a steep driveway to park it and also plan going out west to some places with dirt roads so have been trying to pay attention to ground clearance.

It seems Thor tends to builds lower to the ground than say Fleetwood specifically the ACE vs Storm.

I am not sure how big a deal the tailpipe is in reality, isn't it right in front of the rear driver side wheel? Normally you need to worry about departure angle and break-over angle so the front and rear dragging or something hitting in the center going over the hill. I know looking a the ACE the stair step folds under but still sticks out below the body whereas with say the Storm the stairs fold up completely into a notch.

Here is a example diagram of what you typically need to worry about, the tailpipe on ACE is not in danger of hitting unless the wheel drops into a 4 1/2 pothole which would be real bad anyway:

[JhnsnDavid]

Thank you Jharrell for responding to my posting. Yes, the tailpipe is about 10 inches in front of the rear driver’s side wheel which may give the tailpipe some protection. I’m sure the Thor designers planned it that way, rather
than putting the tailpipe in the back where it could get smashed on a good
bounce.

I also saw the diagram you attached. The dotted line shows the bottom of the motorhome in line with the center of the wheels. I measured my motorhome, and unfortunately it’s bottom is two inches more below the center of the wheel.

I did send an e-mail to the dealer where I purchased the motorhome.
Here’s what they said about it: “I have not had that complaint yet. However I did go out in the yard and presently have 3 of them in for service and the heights ranged from just under 5 inches to almost 7 inches. All three were at different heights so It seems to depend on where it was installed when it was built. It probably could be raised a little with a universal hanger if there is somewhere to mount it.”

I measured the distance between the top of the end of the tailpipe and
the bottom of the motorhome and it’s about 5 inches. I haven’t got under
the motorhome yet, but if I can find a spot under the motorhome to put the hanger, raising the tailpipe a few inches there can only help. But I wonder how much of a gap I should leave between the tailpipe and the bottome of the motorhome, so as not to leave burn marks or heat peeling in that area?

[lrover]

Check for a broken hanger. Mine had a broken weld on the last hanger closest to the outlet.

[camato5]

You can also get a hitch protector that will help protect hitch and tail pipe. That's is what I did on my coach. Pick one up at camping world or any RV dealer

[jharrell]

Originally Posted by JhnsnDavid

I also saw the diagram you attached. The dotted line shows the bottom of the motorhome in line with the center of the wheels. I measured my motorhome, and unfortunately it’s bottom is two inches more below the center of the wheel.

That diagram was just the closest example I could find, its actually a 4x4 box truck chassis,so it has much better ground clearance. You would need to measure the angles yourself to see your own red lines, anything inside those should be ok for the most part. Looking at the ACE myself I worry about the rear hitch and entry stairs more than anything.

Originally Posted by JhnsnDavid

But I wonder how much of a gap I should leave between the tailpipe and the bottome of the motorhome, so as not to leave burn marks or heat peeling in that area?

I did notice on the Fleetwood storm they started putting heat shields on top of the tailpipe, here is a pic:

[JhnsnDavid]

I noticed in the picture of the Fleetwood Storm the tailpipe comes out
in the middle of the RV and shoots horizontally straight to the outside.
Looking under my 2014 ACE the tailpipe also comes out in the middle, then
keeps dropping slightly as it reaches the outside. Maybe there is a hanger
missing? After it stops raining here in Connecticut, I have to try to get under the RV to see if a hanger is missing or if I can put one in.

Originally Posted by jharrell

That diagram was just the closest example I could find, its actually a 4x4 box truck chassis,so it has much better ground clearance. You would need to measure the angles yourself to see your own red lines, anything inside those should be ok for the most part. Looking at the ACE myself I worry about the rear hitch and entry stairs more than anything.



I did notice on the Fleetwood storm they started putting heat shields on top of the tailpipe, here is a pic:

[jharrell]

Originally Posted by JhnsnDavid

I noticed in the picture of the Fleetwood Storm the tailpipe comes out
in the middle of the RV and shoots horizontally straight to the outside.
Looking under my 2014 ACE the tailpipe also comes out in the middle, then
keeps dropping slightly as it reaches the outside. Maybe there is a hanger
missing? After it stops raining here in Connecticut, I have to try to get under the RV to see if a hanger is missing or if I can put one in.

This is the best image I could find of a ACE tailpipe:



Is yours similar?

[EricGT]

Mine is the same. I actually put a chrome extension on mine to clean it up a bit. I have had no problems with mine. If anything it is starting to rub some of the paint off the bottom of the ACE from bouncing up against.

[Six Pack]

I'm in the same boat as EricGt, I think mine is too high and actually hits the side of the Rv when starting the engine but the way the bracket is it can't be lowered without replacing the hanger.