Palazzo Owners

[Redridge]

When I picked up my 33.3 it was sensitive to wind, def need to constant steer as it was empty. It felt light and the feedback was terrible. On our last trip, we loaded it up and it drove a lot better. The rig had better feedback and drove smoother with little play. It also felt planted and didnt feel any wiggle as big trucks passed by. I drove with about 1/3 of fresh/gray water and 1/4 black.... I need more seat time in this thing and soon the installation of toad system will be finished... Im sure the drive dynamics will be totally different.

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Gropler

Hello Fellow Palazzozians, I’ve been Busy! I picked up the Palazzo as I mentioned earlier, in NY on May 17th and made it to Colorado in 3 Days including one 808 mi day! LOVE THIS RIG! The Following Friday we did our shake down Run to Tucson for a week’s stay at my Nephews HS. Graduation. Once again I was plagued by high winds in the Desert along the I-10 between Hatch, NM and Tucson, AZ. We stayed for a Week in the Beautiful Catalina State park nr. Oro Valley AZ, and then made our way back to Colorado Springs through Flagstaff and Durango. This includes the 10857 Wolf Creek Pass (7-8% Grade on either side!) between Pagosa Springs and South Fork Colorado. We smoked the Gassers on the way up with nearly no effort. Maintained an easy 40-45 mph in 4th gear towing a Jeep Liberty. LOVE THIS RIG! She’s done 3600 miles in the first 3 weeks and we are looking at another 900 next week for a wedding in Nebraska.
SO: Questions.
1. Do any of you have recommendations with the Wind issue? It can be rather nasty. I’m wondering if the Tire pressure can be modified or if I need to put a Stabilizer on to help with wind shear? Perhaps better weight distribution?
2. Did any of you (in particular the 2014 33.3 owners) get a Jack Knife sofa instead of a “side Sleeper” installed by the factory? I am not real happy about this as it will not fold flat and therefore is next to useless as a sleeping arrangement.
3. On the Overhead Bunk. Has anyone modified this to allow for a mattress of more than 1 inch to be stored up there while driving? I have a 2.5 in memory foam pad which works for me but I cannot get the bunk to squish it enough to allow me to put the pins in to secure the bunk for driving. I would like to modify the bracket on the guide rails (the one with 2 little holes in it for the pins) to allow for a deeper mattress to be installed and secured while driving. Any comments?
4. H2O leak. There is water dripping out of the rig under the water heater section of the drivers side rear. I think there must be a loose connection here. Does anyone know what is hidden under the cover underneath the water heater – is it the water pump?
PS> LOVE THIS RIG!

Wind Issue: We had our 33.1 weighed a Gaffney (as recommended). After adjusting our load and proper tire pressure, it really cut down on the sway issue.
Was considering a stabilizer but don't think it's needed unless as a precaution for tire failure (Heaven forbid).

[DPCruzer]

I recently found mouse dropping in the coach, more specific in the large storage compartment as well as the kitchen cabinets and dining area of my 33.2. I assume they are getting into the storage compartment via the chassis rails following the cable looms. I looked, there are big holes in there. It should be fairly easy to seal them with foam. The challenge is going to be the large slide. Any good ideas on how to seal then off?

[RVRandy]

Originally Posted by Gropler

Hello Fellow Palazzozians, I’ve been Busy! I picked up the Palazzo as I mentioned earlier, in NY on May 17th and made it to Colorado in 3 Days including one 808 mi day! LOVE THIS RIG! The Following Friday we did our shake down Run to Tucson for a week’s stay at my Nephews HS. Graduation. Once again I was plagued by high winds in the Desert along the I-10 between Hatch, NM and Tucson, AZ. We stayed for a Week in the Beautiful Catalina State park nr. Oro Valley AZ, and then made our way back to Colorado Springs through Flagstaff and Durango. This includes the 10857 Wolf Creek Pass (7-8% Grade on either side!) between Pagosa Springs and South Fork Colorado. We smoked the Gassers on the way up with nearly no effort. Maintained an easy 40-45 mph in 4th gear towing a Jeep Liberty. LOVE THIS RIG! She’s done 3600 miles in the first 3 weeks and we are looking at another 900 next week for a wedding in Nebraska.
SO: Questions.
1. Do any of you have recommendations with the Wind issue? It can be rather nasty. I’m wondering if the Tire pressure can be modified or if I need to put a Stabilizer on to help with wind shear? Perhaps better weight distribution?
2. Did any of you (in particular the 2014 33.3 owners) get a Jack Knife sofa instead of a “side Sleeper” installed by the factory? I am not real happy about this as it will not fold flat and therefore is next to useless as a sleeping arrangement.
3. On the Overhead Bunk. Has anyone modified this to allow for a mattress of more than 1 inch to be stored up there while driving? I have a 2.5 in memory foam pad which works for me but I cannot get the bunk to squish it enough to allow me to put the pins in to secure the bunk for driving. I would like to modify the bracket on the guide rails (the one with 2 little holes in it for the pins) to allow for a deeper mattress to be installed and secured while driving. Any comments?
4. H2O leak. There is water dripping out of the rig under the water heater section of the drivers side rear. I think there must be a loose connection here. Does anyone know what is hidden under the cover underneath the water heater – is it the water pump?
PS> LOVE THIS RIG!

Be sure and check your ride height. With the suspension fully aired up, measure the ride height from body to ground on the left and right, both in the front and the rear. The ride height on my 33.2 was off by almost 4 inches and it drove terrible. Once the air suspension was properly adjusted and leveled it improved it a lot. I bought an RSSI steering stabilzer and installed it myself with basic tools in less than 2 hours. It helped a lot for cross wind handling and was only $250. Remember too at the end of the day you are driving a billboard on wheels so you will always feel a crosswind. One thing is to learn to not fight the wheel like you would in a car that was blowing around. Otherwise you end up over correcting and you actually make it worse. Focus on a point way out in front of you and holding the wheel pretty steady, just aim for that point and let the coach handle itself as long as you arent in danger of leaving your lane.

I just use the air mattress in the overhead bunk. Buy a good quality air inflator for $30 and it only takes 60 seconds to pump the mattress up nice and firm. You can use the same pump to evacuate the air to deflate it. I, like you, was going to mess with trying to get a real mattress but everyone who has slept on the air mattress really liked it.

[TheArnolds]

Originally Posted by RVRandy

Be sure and check your ride height. With the suspension fully aired up, measure the ride height from body to ground on the left and right, both in the front and the rear. The ride height on my 33.2 was off by almost 4 inches and it drove terrible. Once the air suspension was properly adjusted and leveled it improved it a lot. I bought an RSSI steering stabilzer and installed it myself with basic tools in less than 2 hours. It helped a lot for cross wind handling and was only $250. Remember too at the end of the day you are driving a billboard on wheels so you will always feel a crosswind. One thing is to learn to not fight the wheel like you would in a car that was blowing around. Otherwise you end up over correcting and you actually make it worse. Focus on a point way out in front of you and holding the wheel pretty steady, just aim for that point and let the coach handle itself as long as you arent in danger of leaving your lane.

I just use the air mattress in the overhead bunk. Buy a good quality air inflator for $30 and it only takes 60 seconds to pump the mattress up nice and firm. You can use the same pump to evacuate the air to deflate it. I, like you, was going to mess with trying to get a real mattress but everyone who has slept on the air mattress really liked it.

I agree with Randy's comments on handling. Alignment, ride height, properly weighted rig with proper pressure based on your weight will improve your handling. Like Randy I installed a steering stabilizer (Safe T Plus) to help control in the unlikely event of a blow out. I will say that adding the stabilizer did give me a more positive feel with the steering wheel and all but eliminated steering bump that you get sometimes when hitting holes or very uneven roads.

[bbc5]

Originally Posted by RVRandy

Be sure and check your ride height. With the suspension fully aired up, measure the ride height from body to ground on the left and right, both in the front and the rear. The ride height on my 33.2 was off by almost 4 inches and it drove terrible. Once the air suspension was properly adjusted and leveled it improved it a lot. I bought an RSSI steering stabilzer and installed it myself with basic tools in less than 2 hours. It helped a lot for cross wind handling and was only $250. Remember too at the end of the day you are driving a billboard on wheels so you will always feel a crosswind. One thing is to learn to not fight the wheel like you would in a car that was blowing around. Otherwise you end up over correcting and you actually make it worse. Focus on a point way out in front of you and holding the wheel pretty steady, just aim for that point and let the coach handle itself as long as you arent in danger of leaving your lane.

I just use the air mattress in the overhead bunk. Buy a good quality air inflator for $30 and it only takes 60 seconds to pump the mattress up nice and firm. You can use the same pump to evacuate the air to deflate it. I, like you, was going to mess with trying to get a real mattress but everyone who has slept on the air mattress really liked it.

Where did you get your RSSI steering stabilizer?

[photoguy1313]

Every time I start the engine on the coach, there's a 30-second delay between start and when the alternator kicks in to show charging on the dash voltmeter. I can also observe this behavior with the displayed voltage on the Magnum control panel.

Does any one else experience this with their Palazzo?

Thanks,
Norb

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by photoguy1313

Every time I start the engine on the coach, there's a 30-second delay between start and when the alternator kicks in to show charging on the dash voltmeter. I can also observe this behavior with the displayed voltage on the Magnum control panel.

Does any one else experience this with their Palazzo?

Thanks,
Norb

Can't say the exact same thing but on mine the voltage fluctuates significantly for awhile after startup. It can be resolved by using the fast idle procedure with the cruise control. Can't recall the page in manual.

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Butte64

Can't say the exact same thing but on mine the voltage fluctuates significantly for awhile after startup. It can be resolved by using the fast idle procedure with the cruise control. Can't recall the page in manual.

Do the same as Jerry. Works!

[Sandee01]

Palazzo 33.1 owners
Has anyone installed a satellite dome on their coach via DIY. Understand a cable is installed somewhere in the roof but not sure where. How is the dish attached to the roof structure.
Thanks for any comments.

[photoguy1313]

Originally Posted by Butte64

Can't say the exact same thing but on mine the voltage fluctuates significantly for awhile after startup. It can be resolved by using the fast idle procedure with the cruise control. Can't recall the page in manual.

Actually, there isn't any fluctuation - it's as if the alternator is not there right after starting, but EXACTLY 30 seconds after starting, the dash voltmeter rises to 13 volts plus, indicating the alternator is now charging. Fast idle or normal idle, no difference. Just wanted to get a sanity check to see if this is something normal, or something to be concerned about. I'll call Thor tech support, start with them & see what they have to say. Will post my results ...

Thanks,
Norb

[Redridge]

The levelers also detects low voltage (low voltage indicator). Once the volt gauge goes up, the low voltage indicator shuts off....there must be a time delay circuit before the alternator recharges the batteries.

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Sandee01

Palazzo 33.1 owners
Has anyone installed a satellite dome on their coach via DIY. Understand a cable is installed somewhere in the roof but not sure where. How is the dish attached to the roof structure.
Thanks for any comments.

Had installed by dealer as part of PDI.
Don't know if this is a DIY project or not. To much "could" go wrong.
Our dome is behind the front AC unit. All wiring is in the roof running to the "BOMB".

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by photoguy1313

Actually, there isn't any fluctuation - it's as if the alternator is not there right after starting, but EXACTLY 30 seconds after starting, the dash voltmeter rises to 13 volts plus, indicating the alternator is now charging. Fast idle or normal idle, no difference. Just wanted to get a sanity check to see if this is something normal, or something to be concerned about. I'll call Thor tech support, start with them & see what they have to say. Will post my results ...

Thanks,
Norb

Norb,

You may need to check with Freightliner about the alternator.

Gary