Question Georgetown 378

we2lovecamping · 09-09-2010, 07:21 AM

We are new to the motorhome world, have camped 25 years in tents, popup, trailer and now have a 40 ft 5th wheel. Yesterday we looked at the 378-loved it-until we drove it. It was very loud with road noise, rattles, shakes etc(Interstate 20 South Carolina). We know they had just gotten the motorhome in the day before and dealer said they had not checked tire pressures etc and assured me the service guys would drive and try to correct all rattles. My question is - is this typical of a gas motor home? Not sure I can travel 100's of miles listening to this. Any help would be appreciated.

kvtaylor · 09-09-2010, 07:51 AM

We also have a 378 and the road noises never crossed my mind. We had our's undercoated from the factory and keep the air pressure at 90 as prescribed. We have over 20,000 on ours now and wouldn't trade it. An empty rig will make noises if your used to a car. We also went from tent camping, to trailers, and 5th wheels and to the Georgetown. the 378 is a perfect motorhome for us. We seem to carry everything we own in it. Just kidding, it does have a lot of storage. we winter in Florida and the large living room is great.

ronhanson · 09-09-2010, 08:21 AM

When I first picked up my 350 I was surprised by the noise and rattles also. The first few trips I hunted down many rattles and was able to fix many of them. Also, proper air pressure will help alot. Tire pressure should be set at the recommendations of the tire manufacturer which is based on actual loaded weight. After weighing I was able to reduce my front tire pressure down to 75-80 psi which quieted the ride considerably. After you get it loaded up, bring it to a truck scale and get good weight numbers and you can adjust the pressure.

NWJeeper · 09-09-2010, 09:57 AM

As others have stated, correct tire pressure can make a big difference. On our 378 I run 80lbs front and 85lbs rear based on our load. That said if you hit rough road there will be rattles and noises in all motorhomes. It's just the way it is. I guarantee the inside of a trailer sounds just the same, you just aren't there to hear it. Compared to other RVs we have owned however it is much much better handling and a lot less engine noise than any we have ever driven. When pulling a pass with the boat or Jeep in tow and the engine has to downshift and run higher RPMs then it does get a bit loud but then so will a truck pulling a trailer. I can see where if you are used to trailers it might be a bit irritating but that is just the nature of the beast. One thing that rattles a lot in the 378 you wont hear in others is the fireplace. This is because the fireplace is a residential fixture that wasn't designed to be bounced down a road at 60mph. We have just learned to live with it. We love our 378 for it's roominess and features.

we2lovecamping · 09-09-2010, 10:14 AM

Thanks for all the replies, we just don't want to trade in the 5th wheel and regret it later. We are not fulltimers but take at least two major trips (500+miles) per year and lots of shorter trips (avg. 2 per month), and think a motorhome would be great-going to restroom, fixing lunch etc. The 378 has the openess similar to our 5th wheel. Decisions, decisions.

we2lovecamping · 09-09-2010, 10:16 AM

Also I have tried reading all the issues with the Georgetown on this forum to watch out for. Any advice in this area would be appreciated.

NWJeeper · 09-09-2010, 11:12 AM

You will normally only read of the problems people have with rigs on a forum so you really don't hear of all the people who haven't had many problems.

We have had relatively few issues with the rig and those we have had save for one hasn't been FRs fault. We had a bad pixel in our Sanyo TV and FR sent us a new one and a problem with the magnetron in our microwave but the local Amana repair center sent a guy to our house to fix that, all I had to do was remove the MW from the cabinet.

We found out that in a lot of new motorhomes the front end alignment is not set correctly at the factory. We burned up a set of front tires in the first year, very expensive. From talking to other owners of other rigs this isn't isolated to just Forest River. My advice for new motorhome owners is to call FR (not your dealer) and tell them that it steers funny and you want them to pay for a front end alignment. You have to do this in the first 90 days as FR only warrants front end alignment in that time frame.

As you might see in the tech section we had an issue with the way our refrigerator was installed, it wasn't vented correctly and thus wasn't cooling right. As we were out of warranty by the time it became an issue I pulled the fridge out and fixed it myself. It seems to be more of an issue in the 378 than other rigs but I haven't heard of anyone having the same issues so I think it was isolated to ours.

All in all very few issues and nothing I wouldn't expect from a new RV. Overall we have been really pleased with our 378.

we2lovecamping · 09-09-2010, 11:27 AM

Another question. We plan to tow a Lincoln MKX(Ford Edge)the dealer is including the Blue Ox tow bar(installing also) we ask about brakes and he said they weren't necessary with the weight of our toad. Is this true?

cfsoistman · 09-09-2010, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovecamping

Another question. We plan to tow a Lincoln MKX(Ford Edge)the dealer is including the Blue Ox tow bar(installing also) we ask about brakes and he said they weren't necessary with the weight of our toad. Is this true?

State laws require additional brakes on towed vehicles. This law varies from state to stae with the majority requiring it. If you plan to travel long distances you'll need to have the additional brakes.

we2lovecamping · 09-09-2010, 11:38 AM

The dealer did mention some states require it but ours doesn't but of course we will be traveling to many other states. What brake do you recommend, I'm sure we can get them to install it also.

nemo45 · 09-09-2010, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovecamping

Another question. We plan to tow a Lincoln MKX(Ford Edge)the dealer is including the Blue Ox tow bar(installing also) we ask about brakes and he said they weren't necessary with the weight of our toad. Is this true?

I have a friend that tows a Honda CRV, which is probably lighter than an Edge, without brakes. He had a brake control for the first three years, but it quit working and he just towed it out west thru the mountains of Colorado and said that he didn't notice any difference. However, I wouldn't do it. Its pretty good peace of mind for around $1000. I'm going to be using a tow dolly since my Ford Focus can't be towed 4 wheels down, but it has surge brakes.

cfsoistman · 09-09-2010, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovecamping

The dealer did mention some states require it but ours doesn't but of course we will be traveling to many other states. What brake do you recommend, I'm sure we can get them to install it also.

We have the Brakemaster System by Roadmaster. I have a Blue Ox tow bar and bracket on my 2004 Grand AM.

Roadmaster Inc. - Tow Bars, Braking Systems & RV Accessories

It's very easy to connect to leave on a trip.

kvtaylor · 09-09-2010, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovecamping

Another question. We plan to tow a Lincoln MKX(Ford Edge)the dealer is including the Blue Ox tow bar(installing also) we ask about brakes and he said they weren't necessary with the weight of our toad. Is this true?

We have the roadmaster even brake. Its an all in one package that fits in front of the drivers seat and is adjusted to stop when you slow down. The package contains a receiver that mounts on the dash in the motorhome, a transmitter that mounts in the car and the unit it self which contains a micro board, and a compressor that activates the break pedal. Its a little expensive, but it stops the car when you need it. And there is no modifications to the car when you trade it. We also have the Blue ox tow bar and its the best. We just traded cars and rerouted the stop/brake and directional lights seperately from the vehicles rear lights. While we were on a trip, our old car (Saturn) lighting system went to ground and kept blowing out the fuse in the motorhome. I went out and bought a trailer kit and stuck it in the rear window the rest of the trip. In the Escape, there is room to add the extra light fixture and bulb in the tail light assembly. In many states, if you don't have brakes on your tow car and have an accident, they could charge you too. The car you plan on towing is about 600 lbs more than our escape. Be sure to ask the dealer if it can be towed 4 on the ground. There are some AWD/4wd cars that need modifications before it can be towed.

It was mentioned before about the front end alignment. Our dealer caught it while installing a Safe-T Stablizer on our stearing and FR sent it out to a Ford Truck dealer to realign our front end. Our tires are running true.

johnnyjoe · 09-09-2010, 09:18 PM

Got our 378 in March, yea she has some rattles, and going up a steep grade it can be noisey. I love this motorhome, it has a wonderfull floor plan, and suits us fine. I have had only one problem with it, the alignment which I fixed myself in about 30 minutes. As you will see in another post we are heading out again tomorrow. I can't wait to retire and spend more time in it. Great MH for the price.

whitebb · 10-24-2010, 09:56 PM

My self would not tow with out them. I hear that Canada will not let you in without toad brakes. I also have a Edge and in some 8% grades I could feel toad brakes helping me. Just a few bucks makes me feel better. I have Road master air compressor under coach and air to toad with a air cylinder in floor of toad. I have a 2008 George town 350 with a Ford chassis, and by nature it rides a little stiff, and I keep 90 lbs in all tires as recommended by MFG. I really like the coach ,just wish I had a 378, more room.

starburst2 · 10-28-2010, 11:33 PM

Whatever you heard about Canada not allowing you in without toad brakes is probably rumour. I have been back and forth across the border at least 30 times without toad brakes. Now that I have let the cat out of the bag they will probably catch me the next time.
Lloyd

ohiodude · 10-30-2010, 09:29 PM

was the forest river plant hurt during the recent strong storms?

EricBart · 10-31-2010, 08:55 AM

I recently got my Dodge Dakota equipped for flat towing and did invest in a Brake Buddy braking system. It has worked very well, and I have the Brake Buddy set to only hit the brakes in the "toad" when I am braking hard in the Motorhome. We have been very satisfied and actually really surprised at how easy it is.

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