If anybody has any ideas on this before I have to call Thor, I'd appreciate your thoughts! I have a loose wire that needs to find a home.

Behind the fireplace I found an exposed wire on the 12V circuit. I apologize for the crappy pic, but you can see a gray wire and a white/black wire joined by a gray wire nut. The exposed wire was the white wire coming out of the small conduit in the lower right of the highlighted frame that now ends in a big blob of electricians tape.

Now, I'm *pretty* sure that white wire must have come loose from the wire nut, and the white/black wire goes up into the TV cabinet where the USB charging station is (note: our rig is a 2014.5 37KT). And, coincidentally, the charging station, which normally is backlit red, isn't lit and doesn't seem to charge anything now. But I didn't want to just jam the wires together, LOL!

Anyway, if someone happens to know what that wire should be connected to, I'd appreciate your info. Failing that, I'll call Thor to see if we can get it sorted out.

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...37e205ad96.jpg

Another electrical issue I found was that the receptacle mounted behind the fireplace (and is what the fireplace plugs into - not on the inverter) is wired wrong - reverse polarity. So I'm going to have to pull that thing out and flip the wires.

Today's mods included installing the subwoofer for the new Vizio 2.1 sound bar behind the recliners (the sound is fantastic), bolting/screwing the recliners into place (getting to the rear screws required some serious contortions, LOL), replacing the shower head with a new Oxygenics model, and clearing out the bin where I plan to put the litter box.

Challenger Owners Unite at RVillage
 

What makes this interesting is you can see where every member is as of their last report. Go to RVillage - Group Profile - Thor Challenger Owners Unite click group map icon and go to very bottom below map where the drop down menue says 100 mi. Click 100 mi and select "all members." Once we get more Challengers involved we will have to try some "get togethers."

This board is awesome! I'm still several threads behind trying to read through it all. We aren't as far along as you with our remodeling. All we have done at this point is install a fireplace below the TV in the living area, replaced both living area and bedroom Tv. Fantastic fans. Installed an external wifi booster and repeater, which works great when at the camp Walmarts, but only amplifies the horrible campground wife's, so we can get 4mb download speeds instead of none inside the RV...lol.

Just finished installing a rear sway bar, steering stabilizer and did the chf for the front sway bar. Plan on taking it out for a test ride this weekend to see and feel the improvements.

We are looking at replacing the dinette with something more comfortable for us and also replacing the vinyl flooring, but those will have to wait till we get back from our trip.

We will be going reverse of you into Colorado. We are heading to Estes park first. Then up to Red Lodge area to explore beartooth. From there into Glacier National Park for a couple of days. Then down to Yellowstone and Jackson. Legs up from here May 28th :)

Well, I just started on all this stuff in the last couple/few weeks. Fortunately I've got time right now as I don't work 9-5, otherwise I'd have needed to start a year ago to meet our departure deadline! :D

We had a Safe-T-Plus and a Blue Ox track bar installed, but I have to confess that for the small fortune we paid LazyDays to install them, I didn't see much of an improvement in handling. I'm going to do the CHF before we leave in hopes that will help. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for, but we still get pushed around pretty bad by trucks and wind, so we'll see.

Can't help you with that - our little kitchen table works fine for us, although I can't imagine ever raising the drop-down sides. That would be a little cramped. And the flooring is ridiculous! You don't really notice unless you start pulling things up and get a really good look at it, but it's more like patterned vinyl paper. But we're fine with ours for now - it hides the dirt well!

Awesome! We were thinking about getting up to Glacier, but decided that it was just a bit too far for this trip. Rats...

I joined.

Didn't get too much done today. A small but *really* helpful thing was to raise the first entry step and get rid of that stupid threshold that came from the factory. It's both a nuisance and a hazard: I don't know how many times I've stumbled on the stupid thing.

Anyway, a single piece of 1/2" plywood cut to 29 x 10.5 inches did the trick. I had to notch the sides about 1/8" to accommodate the frame of the screen door, and also had to trim a little bit from the rubbery floor covering. But then I just had to press the plywood into place and flatten the covering on top of it - no nails or glue required!

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...1329d82220.jpg

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...0d491613b0.jpg

Of course, after that happy little victory came the agony of defeat over the pet door project: there's just too much framing in the way in between the stairwell and the adjacent forward compartment (the compartment aft of the stairwell is too small) to use a commercial door big enough for our cats (Siberians - they're pretty big). I may look into making something from scratch, but that'll take more time than I want to allocated right now. So it's on to the other things on my list first...

Which brings us to ventilation for the A/V cabinet, which how holds two Dish receivers and will also house my PS4 if/when I decide to take it with us. The lower shelf is a piece of 3/4" plywood that I'll later either stain or veneer, but for now it's functional. I'll be installing a fan (pictured) toward the rear of the cabinet on the aft cabinet wall. The fan has a little temperature display that I think I'll put out of the way on the right side of the cabinet (which faces the back of the driver's seat), and will also cut out some slots for cool air to enter the cabinet. The fan will vent into the area behind the fireplace.

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...d6296a7ad7.jpg

One of the first mods that I made to our coach. I don't know why the designers thought that would be acceptable!?!. Like you said, an easy fix. I hope the 2016s & 2017s don't have the protruding threshold.

Water pressure tank
 

Since we dry camp a fair amount, I was always concerned by the wear and tear on the pump (and the noise) when just running a small stream of water -- brushing teeth, washing fruit, etc. Several units ago, I purchased and installed a 2 gallon pressure tank (Menards?) for about $30. I teed it in very close to the output of the pump. Now when we are hooked up to city water, the tank takes on a little over a gallon of water. When dry camping, the tank provided about a gallon of water before the pump turns on. The pump then runs to meet the immediate demand and then runs enough to refill the pressure tank.
I like the fact that the pump doesn't cycle on and off when running a small stream of water. Saves on the pump and my nerves!

Funny you should mention the water pump: ours isn't working. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Oy!

I finally got all the crap, er, cables and stuff in the A/V cabinet sorted out. I installed a fan with temp control, hooked up the two Dish receivers (one has a USB drive for DVR), HDMI splitters (to take off the HDCP protection of some Dish programming), and got everything plugged in. I had to daisy chain two power strips to get enough outlets for the electronics (the stupid wall warts waste half of them) and plugged them into the inverter outlets. I checked the total draw with a Kill-A-Watt and it was under 2 amps. The outlet behind the fireplace (which is on a separate circuit, not on the inverter) is wired wrong, with polarity reversed, but I wasn't comfortable messing with it, as it's in an awkward spot. However, the receptacle on the same circuit that's inside the right A/V cabinet is wired *correctly*. Go figure. So I just plugged the fireplace in there (a bit under 12 amps).

So the only thing left to do circuit-wise is to figure out how to fix the wiring to the USB charging station. I may have to bring in a mobile repair guy to sort that out.

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...045f6996ef.jpg

Lyons
Did you happen to save measurements for the placement of your 2 x 2 pieces of plywood.I am also saving the shelf behind the recliners.Also I'm assuming you used the #12 x2 screws to screw the plywood down thru the hollow metal studs.What other hardware did you use. thanks. Mark

Ready Brake Info
 

Does anyone on here use the Ready Brake for pulling a Jeep Unlimited 4door if so could you provide a little info on the system and if it works well with this vehicle. I also have a 2015 Thor challenger 37KT and need to get a brake system to pull the Jeep.

Thanks,
Russ

Quick question for anyone with a 2014.5 37KT: is there a second water pump switch, other than the one on the main panel in the hallway?

Webman - "The outlet behind the fireplace (which is on a separate circuit, not on the inverter) is wired wrong, with polarity reversed, but I wasn't comfortable messing with it, as it's in an awkward spot."
Pretty sure you will find a metal electrical junction box in basement under slide near front end. Look in area near flexable cable hole in floor. You might be able to fix wire error there a bit easier. I tried working with RV style outlets and gave up. Much easier to just use residential type with screw terminals. I am sure factory has a special tool used to press wires into those prongs

We used Ready Brake to pull a 1990 Jeep Sport for over 30,000 miles behind a 33 foot gaser. Only had one problem and that was cable getting hung up on wierd turns. Solved that by welding big washer to guide cable on top of tow bar. Cable install on Jeep was a DIY project that went well. Not real fast install but easy enough. I used Harbor Freight A frame tow bar and bolted it directly to the bumper. With magnetic lights you can't get a new braking system cheeper than that combination. Original Ready Brake on it's second coach (now KT) and car (now Fiesta S) and still doing a great job. Did not pull Jeep behind our KT - hopefully some can answer that part.

I have a 2014KT and I think my shelf behind the cabinet has to come out. I also have to notch the plywood no matter which way I install the recliners because my cables are 18' apart. I tried to lay the recliner out flat but in order to do so the front of the recliner frame on the plywood will be cantilevered almost 12" over the platform.In your photo with the shelf in place it looks like your plywood extends 9-10" over that platform.

Yes, I know exactly which metal junction box you mean. But since I was able to plug everything in to the "good" receptacles without overloading anything, I'm just going to not worry about it. ;-)

If I can figure out how to fix the USB charging station, I'll be done with the behind the fireplace work and can reinstall it. Of course, that still leaves the mystery of the water pump!

M72561, there is 14" between the back of my plywood pieces and the cabinet (lots of good storage). The front of the plywood extends 9-1/4" over the slide platform. When the recliners are bolted in place, the front of the recliner frame is aligned with the front lip of the plywood.

I used nine #12 x 1-1/2" sheet metal screws to anchor each piece of plywood to the floor. I used #12 x 2" sheet metal screws to attach the rear frame of the recliners to the plywood. I used 1/4" x 1-1/2" bolts & washers to attach the front frame of the recliners to the plywood.

I have two suggestions for you. Before the final install of the recliners...

First, I bent out the retaining clips on the backs of the recliners so they do not "lock" into place when installed. Now I can easily lift and remove the backs to gain access to the storage between the cabinet and the recliners.

Second, I painted (black) pieces of 3/4" x 2-1/2" pine trim and glued them to the exposed frame of the slide floor with "quick grip" construction adhesive. I also painted the front edges of the plywood pieces. Now it looks great with the recliners installed.

Webman9113, my 2015 37KT does not have a second water pump switch. My factory pump just died on me after only 1-1/2 years! I'm not real happy about that so I decided to upgrade to a better pump and in-line strainer. I've always had good luck with Shurflo pumps.

Okay, good to know about there being no second switch! I didn't think there was, but one never knows. I first checked with my voltmeter to see if the pump was getting power, checking the wires coming to the pump: it was not. Then I checked the fuse (#9, 15A): it was fine.

Then I pulled the control panel in the hallway and checked the switch. It has two purple wires running to it, one on top and one on bottom (relative to one another), with a red wire terminal in between. I pulled the wires off and put the test leads to them: the top purple wire + red wire showed 12V; the bottom purple wire + red wire showed 0V.

Alas, unless someone has a brilliant idea for something else to try, I think I'm going to have to break down and call someone in to fix this. Not that it probably matters, but I'm a bit perplexed that there are three wires going to the switch, as if it was a 3-way. I would have thought if it was a single pole that you'd only have hot and ground. It could also just be that the switch is bad. The one that controls the main slide went bad on us not long after we had the coach. Humph...

You know, here's a really dumb question: does the water pump stop running if the water level gets too low in the tank? We typically only run with 1/4 tank or so, and if we ran it down enough, maybe the pump is smart enough to not run??

EDIT: Oh, wait: I think when I tried to sanitize the tank we filled it all the way up and the pump wouldn't work. Oy.

If you have a second switch for the water pump, I believe it would be located in the water bay, somewhere near the pump. My previous coach had one there so you could turn the pump on or off to use the outside shower.

New LED exterior lights
 

Added blue led lights to my galley slide under the awning. Ran the lead to the power control that I installed in the top of the refrigerator compartment. Ran the power cord down inside the compartment and plugged into refrigerator socket. Easy 30 minute or so mod.

Larry,
Thanks for all the great tips.I will take some measurements today.When I laid my plywood at about a 9" overhang my chairs were no where near close to reclining fully.Thanks again

Nope. Just the one.

Living Room TV - How to get behind?
 

The LR TV is mounted on a mount that has two levers that appear to be intended to allow the TV to pivot so you can reach the ports on the back side. When we pull the levers nothing happens; the tv cannot move. Anyone know how to get behind this thing?

I'm not sure which mount you have but those levers should "unlock" the TV mount so you can lift or separate the TV from the mount.

Slick! :-)

LyonsL is correct: the levers release the lower lock mechanism on the TV mount, then you lift the TV straight up, then away from the wall. It doesn't tilt or swivel at all.

Got the wifi router installed. Decided to mount it to the wall at the back of the washer/dryer/pantry cabinet - easy access to power and the basement, and it's out of sight. Ran the ethernet cable to the compartment directly below. I was planning to run the cable under the coach all the way to the rear ladder, where I'll have the outdoor access point (a Nanostation) velcroed to our FlagpoleBuddy (only when parked, obviously), but there's not a lot of easy attachment spots under there. Until I get that figured out, I'll just keep the cable coiled up and store it and the Nanostation in the compartment below the washer cabinet, then just unroll the cable and set up on the pole when we camp.

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...27d5f61cc7.jpg

How is the nanostation working out? I have been looking to get that setup. Do you have the Loco or the more powerful one?
Seems like a great location for the Gateway router. How's signal strength with it in the pantry closet?

Sorry for so many questions but I am really interested in this setup and wanting to make sure I get the right setup and install best way. Been looking at the nanostation and the bullet both by same company. I Only want to spend the money once.
Thanks

No worries about the questions! :-)

I can't give a fair evaluation of the setup yet, as we haven't used it "for real." However, in my impromptu tests around the house, the system certainly seemed to work quite well.

I'm using an Airgateway-LR inside (that's what you see in the pic) to get some extra gain, connected to a Nanostation LocoM2. I found a great how-to on the Outside Our Bubble blog that made setup a snap. The two devices together were about $90 from Amazon. I don't have an accurate way to measure signal strength, but my iPhone has all "bars" lit everywhere in the rig. And having the router centrally located can't hurt.

I have an older Bullet and a higher gain antenna, but didn't feel like rigging an antenna mount for it. The Nanostation is much handier, and I can just velcro it to our FlagpoleBuddy. Also, it won't really matter much in many parks because the problem often isn't connecting to the park's access point, it's the lousy throughput on the far side.

Hey all! I have learned so much from everyone here, as I have waited for my coach (a 2017 LX) to arrive. Well, it has finally hit the dealer, so I am getting close. I asked to have two additional batteries (of the same kind and size already installed) added to allow a bit more (easier?) dry camping. The service guy said:
1. The batteries will not charge the residential fridge - I know this is not true, as several of you boondock with a residential fridge.
2. The system is only set up to charge two batteries, so adding additional ones won't help.

I'm inclined to just hold on any battery mods for now (was also going to install pro-fill) and look for someone who can better assist, but would appreciate any thoughts from those who are already doing this, so I don't make a mistake. I'm not an engineer and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Thank you!

I have a 2013 37GT which I put 2 more 6 volt batteries under the hood in from of the cross frame, they hook up with the factory batteries and I also had 2, 80watt solar panels on the roof. We have plenty of juice for the week end, our refer is not the residential style it is gas and elect.

Camping chair recommendations?
 

My wife and I are in the market for some new camping chairs, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations specifically for shorter folks (my wife is 5' 2")? The gravity chairs we had are just too darn heavy and don't lock in place very well, and most of the more typical fold-up camping chairs leave my wife's feet dangling, and sometimes cut off the circulation in the back of my legs, too...

I make no claim to being a battery expert, but I *do* know that the residential fridges run off the inverter, which draws power from the house batteries. The charging system should handle four, it just may not charge them as quickly. Also, I'm not sure about your LX, but just eyeballing the factory battery tray in our 2014.5 KT, it looks like it would be large enough to hold four batteries. In fact, I vaguely recall someone on here who added a pair like that.

Anyway, I think you probably need to find a new service guy! :D

Recliner Dimension Questions
 

Webman9113:

The recliners look great. When they are reclined, what's the distance between the top of the footrest and the floor. I have a dining table across from the recliners and I want to make sure the footrest will fit under them.

Lippert suggests 1.5" spacing from the top of the recliner and the wall. When the recliner is actually reclined, does the sofa use this space?

Thanks,

Jerry

Jerry -

I'll try to remember to measure that the next time I'm at the rig (probably tomorrow). I'm going to toss out a guess of maybe 18" or so, footrest to floor, but will confirm.

As for the spacing from the wall, 1.5" is correct per documentation, although that's probably cutting it a little tight. I think it does use that space in the fully reclined position, but to be honest I'd recommend that you actually test it to make sure.

I apologize if this is in the wrong spot.... Feel free to move it if so.. I was also considering a gas power rv... I would be towing around 5k lbs... I had concerns in the mountains.. I obviously know it will be slow going. That is fine.. But is it a safety issue.. Also how do those v10's hold up over time .. I know they get "dogged" pretty hard

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

This post is more specific to the Thor Challenger owners. You may get some feedback form this group, they are generally a helpful group.

You may get a better general response though if you post this in one of these two forums; iRV2 Community Forums > General Discussion, or the Motorhome Forums > Class A Discussions forum.

Regardless, I have had two Class A coaches, both were gassers, always towed a vehicle, never a problem.

A few additional thoughts are;

1) Buy the most you can afford, to enjoy the ride.
2) Look at many models, and floor plans before narrowing you scope.
3) Compare coaches of a similar type (apples to apples) once you decide on the entry level you want to buy in.

Don't start out comparing $500K coaches to $100K coaches, unless you can afford a $500K coach. Then compare a $500K coach to other $500K coaches.

I love my Challenger, and comparing to the other's in the same class, I have not found any with the floor plan I like, nor any better construction or durability.

The Ford V-10 is about the main engine in these coaches, and it is tried and true, with a long history of durability. On the other hand, if you look at 2007 or earlier models, a Chevrolet Workhorse engine with an Alison transmission was a great combo.

There are a lot of posts that will pit diesels against gassers, so you can review them for those thought on that subject. But in my openion, the cost difference in this class of coach did not persuade me to make the move. This also depends on many other factors;

1) What is your expectations for how long you will use your coach (10 years, 20years, less, more...)?
2) What is your camping plan (weekend warrior, long trips of thousands of miles with little downtime, staying in one place for months at a time)?

LED Ceiling Lights
 

Our 2014.5 KT came with 17 ceiling lights that were manufactured by Gustafson Lighting. They are 4 inch diameter, frosted glass covered LED fixtures with 18 chip bulbs. The bulbs can't be replaced separately. The entire fixture has to be replaced. We have several failing. They flicker and not all of the chips light. Gustafson no longer makes the same fixture, although they do have a replacement that has 15 instead of 18 chips and a more difficult clipping into the ceiling mechanism. They want $25.30 each for them.

Has anyone else experienced this bulb failure and found a better solution? It sure would be nice to have ones where you could replace just the bulb.

Shop Ebay for SMD LED panel - look like this attached pic. Just remove old light panel and wire in new. Different colors like warm and white and soft or bright lights. Just buy one or two as test before buying enough for the whole project. These were only $17.98 for ten. As cheap as $1.98 for just one. They have double stick tape on back.

Jerry - the distance from floor to top of the recliner is 23-24"...

Chuck, when you say to wire them in, are you using the old frosted lense? What is involved in wiring then in?

Sorry - I did not say enough. I have not had any lights fail yet but I am expecting it. Already bought some light panels like in the picture. My "plan" is to remove light fixture from ceiling and disconnect or cutwire several inches away from fixture. Best to find factory connection if possible to minimize the number of connections. Remove old light panel from fixture - suspect it will be secured with double stick tape. Wire on new panel will not be long enough to work with outside of fixture so connect to old wire and reinstall. LED's are polarity sensitive - if new one does not work just reverse the connections. BTW if you park for many days at a time - use the battery disconnect after the second or third day. Voltage supplied by charger will be lower resulting in longer LED life. LED panels also avaible in round for under $2 each.

tedgard01, I completely agree and could not have said it any better myself!

I do thank you... Where the two gas coaches you had very big? And do you know the weight.. Or were they a quality coach... One other option (looking at the dutch star)Is the Tiffin allegro gas.. Figure might be good to get some wheel time behind something less expensive since I have never driven an RV .. May be a bit much to jump right into a 40 foot pulling 20 foot trailer.... Not decided completely as im a quick learn... I like the idea of the allegro... But it doesn't list UVW.. So not sure how close to gvwr (24,000) the sa32 is.. I know it likely is a heavy rig for a gas... Also as long as I can keep it under the gcwr?(might have letters wrong)can I upgrade the hitch. Not familiar with metal work

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

I am not the one to answer all those questions... So I will let others answer...

My two coaches were 35' and 38', and I towed a Ford Escape Hybrid on the first, but now tow a Honda CR-V...

With both set ups, I was under 25,000 lbs. My current set up is;

RV Front Axle: = 6,610 lbs
RV Rear Axle: =14,230 lbs
-----------
RV Total: = 20,840 lbs

Honda CR-V: = 3,800 lbs
------------
Total weight: = 24,640 lbs

Troll Killer - you gotten good advise. I would like to comment on your 20' trailer (if I read your post correctly). A good many of the longer gas chassises are either on a 22k or 24k chassis. I'd make sure I did the math at how much weight your are adding to the GVWR. Just a 20' trailer alone would be fairly heavy. So do the math of how much your total weight would be before you make any decisions.

Just my 2 cents.

ARRRRGGGHHHH... Wrote a fairly long post breaking every down and it didnt post :( ... Well im not writing it again... Will just say ty for the info but I was already aware and already figured out the weights

That is frustrating when you have a large post, then it does not post.... I totally understand... You may try what I'd do for longer posts, write it up using Word or Pages, then once you have it the way you want it, simply copy and paste into a post.

https://www.irv2.com/photopost/data/2/thumbs/sofa3.jpg This is how I framed for the sofa mod

https://www.irv2.com/photopost/data/2/thumbs/sofa2.jpg I placed the rear sofa bolts facing up in the plywood

https://www.irv2.com/photopost/data/2/thumbs/sofa.jpg

I also kept the shelf behind

https://www.irv2.com/photopost/data/2/thumbs/sofa4.jpg

With all slides in

Thor Challenger Owners Unite group at RVillage just reached 16 owners. Looks like we will be able to actually meet other Challenger owners in person. We are just missing sbleiweiss by a few weeks in AZ.

Looks great! Glad it worked out for you. We'll be "road testing" ours this weekend.

Side Pilot and Co pilot window night shades.
 

I have the accordion style side shades in my 2015 Challenger 37KT. Has anyone changed those out and what did they use I am looking at shades like the front windshield and run the wiring to the same switch. If there is any other posts on this thread about this please let me know.

Thanks,
Rsapp

Our early 2015 has brackets on the bunk that hold ends of cables. There is not enough space for the shade rollers. Next time you lower the bunk measure available space. Can't use same switch as one shade would reach bottom before the other

Too bad Chuck. You'll hate the weather here. Blue skies and sunny, hot during the day and (at least if you are coming to the mountains like we camp in) cool every night. No humidity. Hard to take.

RVillage said there were two other members in our campground or one mile away. I messaged both but never heard back from either. Strange.

Enjoy your trip.

We don't have the bunk and there would be plenty of room. All we have done is disconnect the shade at the back end and add velcro so that we can slide them forward or back. that way we can open the windows and let air in without the shades being in the way.

We did the same thing with our 2013 KT. By the way, when driving, I often put a clothes pin about half way down the track so if I un-velcro the pleated shade while driving, it slides forward just far enough to shield me from the sun coming in on the side of the camper. It does a great job when driving North in the afternoon (or South in the morning)! The same trick works on the passenger side.

Ahhh, comfy! SOOOOO much better than the sofa bed! :)

We replaced ours with day/night roller blinds. I can't remember if there was a valance for each window or some sort of decorative cover for the blinds themselves, but whatever it was had to be removed (sorry, it's been a while). But they fit perfectly and don't interfere with the drop-down bunk.

Ways to stay warm?
 

Hey, folks! I need some suggestions on options to heat our coach (2014.5 37KT) beyond the furnace. We're leaving for Yellowstone on 4 June, and it's a bit cooler (ahem) there than where we typically travel. The few times where we've been anywhere cold enough to use it, the furnace in our Challenger seems to come on at every possible opportunity (like ever 30 seconds, LOL).

Anyway, I think we're okay up front in the living room between the electric fireplace heater and our Rug Buddy (which covers the floor vent), but I'd like to get some sort of electric heater(s) for the bedroom, at least. Anyone have any suggestions??

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

Go to Wall-Mart. You can get a couple small Comfort Zone heaters for ~$20 ea. They have three settings (fan, low, high) and a thermostat, with a tip over and over heat auto shut off for safety.. I use the low (for lower amp draw) and mid thermostat, with one up front and one toward the back. I can keep the whole coach at ~72 degrees in below freezing weather. My coach furnace does not come on at all, which makes for a better sleep... I use propane for cooking on the stove or grill, that's all.

Btw, I even use one in the water bay and hook it up to the 110 outlet. On the lowest setting, it will keep the bay at ~65 degrees down in the negative degrees... Then on the other bay with the tanks, fold up a heating blanket and stick it between the bay door and the tanks, and using the medium or high setting it will keep that bay at ~57 degrees down to negative temps...

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and get a couple of remote thermometers and put one in each bay, with the monitor in the coach (or in the house when home) and you can simply look at the monitor to track what the temp is inside each bay and in the coach... I don't winterize eithe, as I use my coach even in the winter. I even have an extra heater in reserve, in the event one goes out.

Cool, thanks for that! Think I'll wander over to Wal-Mart tomorrow and pick up a couple. I'm hoping we won't need more than that to keep our teeth from chattering... ;-)

Don't put two heaters on same circuit. Breaker will trip. Washer dryer prep uses two independent 15 amp circuits. I moved one outlet to side wall of pantry so now I can run two heater full blast without tripping a breaker. Just be sure one heater is on the general pourpose 15 amp circuit - not GFI that way you can even make coffee with two heaters full on.

Everything Tedgard said, plus, put a heat diverter on the furnace register by the kitchen/bathroom. It will spread the warm air and keep it from so quickly rising straight up to the thermostat and cycling the furnace so often.

Anybody know the thread number for repairing the rear roof ladder on a 2015 Challenger? Yep I did it low drive outside Atlanta and it took the bottom 1' and I want to put in the folding bracket that somebody posted on here to fix it.

Thanks for the help. Russell Sapp

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

That ladder is so low, no wonder it gets caught.... It should be a recall item, so many people do it...

Right, gotcha. Moving the outlet would make sense, but I'll have to save that for later - aside from getting the chassis and generator maintenance done, fixing the water pump (it's not getting power), doing the CHF, and finishing off the new "wall" behind the TV, I'm sorta burned out on fixing things and just want to hit the road, LOL.

And sbleiweiss, good call - that diverter was one of the first things I changed. You could roast a turkey in the bathroom and freeze another in the bedroom with the way they have the furnace heat distributed. Oy.

Anyway, with the help of a couple of those little heaters I think we'll be fine. It looks like the lows for the Yellowstone area are in the 30s now and expected to climb into the 40s. So hopefully we won't turn into popsicles. Of course, now I have to go get some cool/cold weather clothes: about all I have now here in Florida are shorts and t-shirts!

Help with Lippert Slide - Stuck
 

We were all ready to hit the road from an RV Park this morning, only to find that one slide would not come in. It binds on one end within an inch or so of the extended position. Can anyone help? We can't reach Thor or Lippert on Memorial Day Sunday. Maybe private message me? Thanks.

Did you try Thor Emergency number?

KC

Yes, closed for holiday. Grrrr.

I am assuming your Challenger has the Schwintek slide drive. Since you do not mention anything being broken, you should be able to simply re-sync the 2 side drives...these slide drives are power hungry, so ensure the batteries are good, or you're on shore power with the converter/charger on, or start the generator...and whenever the slide hits full open (or closed), ALWAYS hold the button for 2-3 seconds to let the controllers sense the stop...see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSafAnjxIV4

If this does not work, you can manually overide the controller and retract the slide to get home...or manually disengage the motors to push the slide in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGL4aILZYcY

And:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xojUdPDWNS0

Best luck

-run it in and out several times, or as far as it will go each time, and make sure to hold the button several seconds past full retraction or extraction to allow the motors to sinc.
-you can unplug both connectors, which are probably in the bay below the slide, from the controller. this will allow you to try to manually push the slide back in, or far enough to get past any binding. then replug the connectors back and try again.
-you can override the controller by using a pen or gymclip to push in the reset button for, I believe, 7times, with the 7th time holding it in until the light blinks. then try to run in the slide again... this override allows the motors to run full-out and may allow it to get past any binding.
-you can also have folks to help try to push in the corner while you press the button, it may help as well...

I had a similar problem on my bedroom slide. I got my ladder to access the motor from the outside. While I could not get at the connection where the wire harness connects to the motor, I was able to wiggle the wires close to where the connection to the motor is made and the slide started working and has been working for the last 5 or 6 uses. Not a long term fix but may get your slide back in.

Good Luck,

If it's one of the electrically driven slides (as opposed to the main/cable slide), check that all the screws in the drive tracks - or whatever they're called - are seated properly. Something like this happened to us two years ago with the forward driver's side slide, and it turned out to be one of these screws that had come loose enough to bind against the coach wall when the slide was brought in.

Which slide is it> If it has the swintech slide you should be able to follow the procedure in the manual to disconnect the controller usually in the bay beneath the slide and push the slide in with a couple of people. If it's the slide with the cable I can't help you, but you may look up Larry Lyons and PM him. I know has worked on his slide with the cable. Good Luck

Steve, Thanks for the input, and I always like the input you have on the Outlaw thread...

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

Shell, Let us know how it is going... Were you able to get it working? Did the feedback help?

Still stranded but did reach a mobile RV Tech who said he might be able to get here today (Memorial Day). If not tomorrow. Hope at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, one of the smaller, front electrical slides.

No screws seem to be loose and binding.

None of the methods for disengaging the motors seems to work to make the room pushable.

Both RV Techs that I actually reached (one was 1500 miles away for the summer) concluded the same thing, none of which is talked about in this thread so far, a broken shear pin. Unfortunately, Thor encloses the whole basements (walls and ceiling) so I can't see any of the mechanicals for the slide. I don't know how the techs would get to it but they must know how.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

With my old 2005 coach, that would be what I would think, in fact, I had that same problem with my '05, and actually fixed it myself by going to Harbor Freight and getting a set of shear pins...

But, with a 2014.5 Challenger 37KT, with the Schwintek slide drive mechanism, I would not think so... In fact, the access would not be through the bay, as was the case with the older slide mechanism that had rails under the slide that were in the bay...

Regardless, good luck in getting some help, and I hope that they have some experience with the newer Schwintek system... Frankly, it does not seem that the Tech's you talked to do, so I would suggest that you show them the clips that Steve provided...

Is the slide on the curb side with seat belts? If so it could be it is getting hung up on the T-Bars that are for safety to keep the slide from ever completely coming out with people seat belted. If the slide got out of alignment this could be your problem and why you can't push it in manually. There are two access plates in the two bays under this slide, but I wouldn't recommend working on this if you are not very handy!

Lesson in battery maintenance
 

On my seemingly endless list of things to do for our 37KT before we leave on Saturday morning for Yellowstone (I can't believe it's only a few more days!), I did some long overdue battery maintenance today, and it's a good thing I did!

First, a bunch of white powder/crystals had formed on the buckles and hooks of the battery tie-down strap for the house batteries. When I cleaned that off, I discovered that the crud had eaten away the buckle to the point that it just crumbled into pieces. I ordered a pair of new straps (one to use, one to keep as a spare) from Amazon and got that sorted out after cleaning out the compartment.

Then I finally installed the FloRite RV-2000 battery watering system that I've had sitting around for heaven knows how long. I got a gallon jug of distilled water, attached the hand pump, primed it, and started adding water. And adding. And adding. By the time I was done, the two batteries had taken in nearly half a gallon of water! The poor things, I felt really bad. :(

So, the moral of the story, I suppose, is to make sure you check the water level in your batteries on a regular basis. I also highly recommend the RV-2000. It was a bit of a pain trying to get it on because of the battery cables, which I had to loosen a bit so I could swivel them around, but once that was done, filling was a snap. Moreover, subsequent battery water checks will also be a snap.

On to the next item on the list...

Spare Parts
 

Just found one more I needed. In replacing whole house water filter I discovered canister 3.5 inch o-ring was missing. No o-ring no water. Note: selling dealer tech solved problem by just cranking canister super tight. Filter not an easy item to find on short notice. Recommend it as a spare part along with some plumbers silicone paste that is needed for installation.

Here are a couple pics of the "finalized" outside TV installation on our 37KT.

The TV is mounted on an Omnimount that can swing out, drop down, and turn, so you can position the TV so as to see it from just about any angle on the curb side of the rig.

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...9b761e189b.jpg

To stow for travel, you just push it back into the enclosure, then secure it with two velcro straps that are pinned in place by the aluminum angle "shelf" I bolted to the original metal TV enclosure.

https://www.irv2.com/attachments/phot...57c3df6721.jpg

When I get more time, I'll cut away some of the unneeded bits of the metal housing and paint the innards black to pretty it up a bit, but for now it's functional and ready to travel...

It is on the curb side. I feel pretty foolish at this point. After sitting around in AZ for two extra days (not the worst punishment) an RV tech got to us Tuesday late morning. All he did was push on the side of the slide that was binding while DW ran the slide in. It went. Then we ran it in and out a few times holding the button an extra 3-5 seconds the way they say to sync the motors. Hopefully all is good now. Still don't know what was causing it to bind. Maybe just being a little off level?

Had the same thing happen to mine. Can you post the part number at Amazon? Driving with them not strapped down currently. We also found the water level way low when we first checked. Actually I had been putting in small amounts of water earlier but obviously didn't know how high the level should be. I bought one of those pitchers that fills until full and stops by itself. I couldn't believe how much more water the batteries needed.

Yeah, I was shocked - half a gallon! Of course, they're big batteries, but still. Well, lesson learned.

As for the straps, here are the ones I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PL4H0O

It worked perfectly, just needed to be trimmed a bit.

Thor Challenger Owners Unite!
 

Glad you got it fixed, and that it was just as expected, versus something more extreme....

It is good to get your follow up as this impacts us all at some point... Just remember that this can happen in several ways, even if you start to extend, then change directions for some reason without fully extending (or retracting). If the motors loose their zero point, that is what can happen. At least you will have a better clue of what to do next time... That is the best part of most problems, they better prepare us for the future problems...

Thanks.

Squave wave to audio device problem
 

Just bought new sound bar with much better sound and wireless sub so sub can be anywhere. Great sale price. After hours of troubleshooting discovered sound bar did not like square wave power from inverter. HUM even at lowest audio level. Be sure whatever electronics that is going on the inverter can be returned if you have same problem.

The living room in our KT is finally back together! This shows the new "backsplash" behind the TV after I moved it down to a better viewing position. FYI, the sound bar is a Vizio SB3821W-C6 2.1 with wireless subwoofer (picked it up at Costco). The sound is *awesome*! I secured it to the desktop with a couple L brackets, and the subwoofer is behind our new recliners in the aft corner of the slide.

https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...14&oe=57DA0A58

On the to-do list for today is the CHF, changing the oil in the engine and generator, getting the RViBrake Towed Battery Charger installed and tested, and replacing the battery in our Patriot auxiliary braking system.

We'll be leaving for Yellowstone the day after tomorrow. Yikes!

Webman - TV looks great. BTW I got same soundbar and from Costco. Was planning to just return it. Now maybe I will try another. It is great sound even with the hum. A little disapointed that you didn't go with the backlighted favorite picture. I was really looking fwd to that one.

Well, we were going to put up a pic over the TV, but DW liked the stone so much she decided not to!

You know, we had a constant hum with the original sound bar that I was never able to trace/fix. Don't have it at all with this one - and hopefully it'll stay that way!

Today I changed the oil in the engine and generator (the generator oil was nasty - way overdue), filled the battery in the engine compartment, checked fluid levels and the air filters. Then I took a shot at greasing the steering assembly. Good grief, I was a hot stinking mess after that, LOL! But I got all the lube points except one on the driver's side - have to wait until I've got it up on the jacks a bit, as I couldn't get the grease gun onto the zerk.

Oh, and I was going to do the CHF, but decided to wait. I was a bit concerned about the clearance on the driver's side between the bar/strut and the big mounting bracket that is just above it. Meant to get a pic to post to show what I mean, but forgot. Will try to get one tomorrow.

We leave for Yellowstone day after tomorrow!

Wiper Blades
 

Dang, I meant to ask this earlier: does anyone know off the top of their heads what to get for replacement wiper blade?

Wiper blades
 

The only place I could find the correct one was at camping world.

Thanks! Turns out I ran down to the nearest RV dealership and grabbed a pair, but jeez, those things are pricey!

Pricey indeed! I keep mine covered when we're not driving the coach. They last a lot longer that way.

By the way, the new recliners have been road tested and received two thumbs up :thumb::thumb:! Very comfy... hard to stay awake some evenings when watching TV.

Webman9113, have a safe trip to Yellowstone! We'll be out there in August / September. Really looking forward to the trip!