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Old 12-28-2023, 05:02 PM   #1
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Compass B+ / Transit AWD / Lithium / In Depth - Mike Mas

Hello Guys - After studying Transit’s new “All Wheel Drive” chassis and Thor’s B+ Compass RV for over a year now, I finally completed my In-Depth review and would like to share my findings and images with others on this forum.

A long awaited feature for Transit owners and the RV industry is Transit’s “All Wheel Drive” chassis. AWD allows RV owners to venture off paved highways, visit remote locations or even extend their traveling season into Winter. However there are some restrictions owners need to adhere to.

In this review, we’ll also look at the Transit’s chassis with its powerful Eco Boost V6 engine and discuss Transit’s 10 speed transmission and five Drive Modes. I’ll also discuss Transit’s unique “Low Slung” chassis design and how it provides the best handling chassis for B+ RV’s. We’ll also look at the many advantages of having a Transit gas RV over a diesel chassis.

I’ll cover dozens of Thor upgrades and improvements I made to both remedy factory errors and design problems. Just a few of my many upgrades was installing a macerator system to avoid dealing with the monster 4” hose. Adding a drip channel over the slide, to prevent water leaks, look at the new RVMP 4000i Flex Power generator advantages over an Onan. Share my “Anti-Winterizing” upgrade which avoids winterizing using Marine / RV heaters to heat the entire coach and its plumbing in Winter. Disclose dozens of potential trouble areas found in the Compass.

In this article - I’ll relocate the Relion lithium battery from the outside step location to inside the coach. We’ll look at RedArc’s 40 amp battery charger problems where it continues to charge the house battery when the engine is off, plus the absence of a charger for the engine batteries when plugged in. Why there’s no longer a “jump start” feature on the Compass. We’ll examine Relion’s Bluetooth-less lithium battery and how it can leave you stranded in cold weather with no means to move the slide in or even start the generator. Discuss why Thors 100 watt solar panel only puts out 10-20 watts most of the time, plus much more. Revel a tankless water heater problem when Thor incorrectly routed the recirculate line in error to the pump inlet, plus much more.

I’ll also share my new “Dual Lithium Battery System” I designed for RV’s and installed in my Compass. This system incorporates two separate lithium battery systems, a “Primary” “Inversion” system, used solely to create 120 volts for the RV’s, AC unit, Micro etc. with a capacity from 4,000 -12,000 watt-hours, plus a “Secondary” 100 ah or 240 ah 12 volt lithium system which is dedicated to power the Compass’ 12 volt devices such as her slides, refrigerator, furnace, pumps etc.

I’ll look forward to your comments, thoughts and questions on this thread.

Please click the link below for the Article:

http://www.rotory.com/coach/compass/

Enjoy - Mike Mas
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Old 01-14-2024, 10:07 PM   #2
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Thanks for posting your info. I bought a new 2023 TE model in November. This is my 1st RV so I'm still figuring things out. I did have a problem with the generator, an Onan 4000 KW. I had to take it to a Cummins dealer and they replaced the carburetor. Hopefully that will take care it.
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Old 01-15-2024, 08:30 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickmoran View Post
Thanks for posting your info. I bought a new 2023 TE model in November. This is my 1st RV so I'm still figuring things out. I did have a problem with the generator, an Onan 4000 KW. I had to take it to a Cummins dealer and they replaced the carburetor. Hopefully that will take care it.

Thanks for the reply - enjoy your new coach, there's a lot to take in when you're new to RV's. For the most part the Onan generators are bullet-proof must have had a factory defect.



Keep Warm - Mike
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Old 07-28-2024, 09:08 AM   #4
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Thanks for the reply - enjoy your new coach, there's a lot to take in when you're new to RV's. For the most part the Onan generators are bullet-proof must have had a factory defect.



Keep Warm - Mike
Hi Mike! I realize this is an old thread but in the article you wrote I didn't see anything on towing or tow limits? Did I miss that or are you coming out with an article on it? I'm thinking of buying one and want to tow a 3400lbs bass boat around the country. Thoughts on that? With that said it was a very informative and comprehensive article and will help me immensely on my search for a Compass. Thank you!
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Old 07-28-2024, 03:21 PM   #5
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Hi Mike,
Appreciate you posting your review of your Compass. We just picked up our 2024 Compass KB a few weeks ago and have been working on trying to find the right spot for all of our "stuff" as we're down sizing from a class A. I've saved your review to my desktop and have read it several times and it will be a valued reference. We love the KB's floor plan and had a hard time finding one here in Ohio.



We also find that the the power shade for our skylight is requiring repair. I can see where the driver side string is bound up. Camping World has ordered a replacement shade and will install it shortly. In the event I'd have to repair it again in the future I was wondering how the frame around it is removed? I see one screw on each side but I also see some brackets that are barely visible. Any insight will be appreciated.


You might want to check your Vin number to see if there are any open recalls for your motorhome. I checked ours and found that there was a recall to check the gear oil level in the differential.



Safe travels.
John
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Old 07-28-2024, 06:04 PM   #6
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I sure will enjoy your Coach!


Mike
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Old 04-15-2025, 09:37 AM   #7
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Hello:

Thank you for the excellent review. Very informative. We just purchased last week a Compass 24KB. As you may notice from my id we have downsized from a Winnebago Tour 42QD. This is our fourth RV. Before the Winnebago we had travel trailers.

I enjoyed reading the review and want my first change to be the installation of the macerator pump. As part of the sale I had the dealer include a porcelain toilet and a pump. Now I just need to install the pump as they did the toilet.

Some questions on the install. It appears that you made a hole in the compartment to allow for clearance of the pump. I can see why as the pump I have does not quite fit in the compartment. What size hole did you make? Any tips on getting this properly aligned? It looks like you installed some type of access plug on the hole. What did you use? Finally, what did you use for the hose end where it fits into the drain at a campground? I have not seen this before. Is it available at a camping supplies store?

Any other tips you may have on the macerator install would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 04-15-2025, 10:49 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by nova 42qd View Post
Hello:

Thank you for the excellent review. Very informative. We just purchased last week a Compass 24KB. As you may notice from my id we have downsized from a Winnebago Tour 42QD. This is our fourth RV. Before the Winnebago we had travel trailers.

I enjoyed reading the review and want my first change to be the installation of the macerator pump. As part of the sale I had the dealer include a porcelain toilet and a pump. Now I just need to install the pump as they did the toilet.

Some questions on the install. It appears that you made a hole in the compartment to allow for clearance of the pump. I can see why as the pump I have does not quite fit in the compartment. What size hole did you make? Any tips on getting this properly aligned? It looks like you installed some type of access plug on the hole. What did you use? Finally, what did you use for the hose end where it fits into the drain at a campground? I have not seen this before. Is it available at a camping supplies store?

Any other tips you may have on the macerator install would be greatly appreciated.
Hello and congrats on your new RV I'm pretty surew it was a 4" hole saw, you only need to make it big enough for the motor to slip in a few inches.

I only pull the hose out for dumping - seldom if ever stay for more than a few day, I think it will drain the gray tank slowly without the pump running enjoy your coach.

Mike
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