Forest River quality

[sledhead77]

OK, so after 3 awful years with our Coachmen FE 292BHDS we have unloaded it. That unit has left a bad taste in my mouth towards any other Coachmen product and Forest River for that matter. What I am wondering, did we just have a lemon unit? The coach wasn't cheap by any means (over $24k for a travel trailer). We are now searching for a decent fifth wheel. With the past experience with the Coachmen, is there reason for us to try another Forest River product? We are currently considering a Keystone Cougar but for the price, we can get into something like a Wildcat or Rockwood for thousands less. Any advice you can give on what we should do, do you all seem pretty happy with your F.R. product?

[trbomax]

We bought our TH strictly for the layout and the bathroom (I require a handycap bath) because it allowed room for the conversion.Withhin 2 months we had a substantial 32 item list,crooked slide,soft kitchen floor,soft spot all across roof,and so forth.Dealer wouldnt even look at it.We took it to a local Salem dealer and was told it didnt matter if they sold that modle or even that line,it was FR so all was good.Long story short,he made arrangements for it to go back to the factory. Last w/e we were down in the area for a funeral and decided to drop in(unannounced) to inspect the unit. They were great,spent 2 hrs going over everything and checking it against the 3 pages of work orders thay had. I thought it was interesterig that every tech that did a particular repair had to sign off on it.Anyway,we had a great encounter with the cherokee factory people.We had full intentions of selling it off this spring,but now everything looks and works good so will keep it. To finish off,they put a topper on the 12' slide,and a screen door on the garage sliders at no charge and without us asking for it!

[rmac04401]

IMO all manufacturers are the same. I have not had any real issues with my Grey Wolf. I looked at other brands and the look all basically the same quality. I know some others that have some other brand and they have had issues just like people on this forums. I don't know all the issues you have had and sounds like a lot. I had my last travel trailer for 9 years SOB. I had things go bad on that one. I'm handy and fixed them. I'm looking forward to having this one longer because this one is new when bought it. The last one was eight years old when I bought it. Some young couple is now enjoying that camper.

I look at it like I look at my house. It will always have maintenance that needs done and parts and equipment will wear out.

I will keep my house and my TT until they become a money pit or no longer fit my lifestyle. Good luck with your choice.

[Mars]

They build them to sell them and most are built like crap, not just FR. I'm not saying you should except a bad unit but their will be some quality related issues on these units. I could not afford a $60-$100 TT so I have to deal with common issues on a $30k unit.
A detailed PDI is your best friend and even then a few items may come up after a trip or two.

[donniedu]

Coachman is a wholly owned division, bought when Coachman went bankrupt. Other brands are sub divisions or parent company. My 11 year old Cedar Creek has been flawless for most of its life. Yes, I have replaced some parts over the years, but overall it has been great.
BTW 24K is not a lot of money for a new RV. My Creek cost me 45K in 2005. A similar new unit today is nearly 90K. Plus all the extras I have added over the years.

[SubVet]

I have limited experience admittedly however I can say without reservation that my TT is working flawlessly. At PDI it worked fine, and has been so for a few months.

Every system is working as expected. No complaints or gripes. I also am in the position to fully realize that my TT is a home on wheels that experiences minor earthquakes every time I move it.

So with that knowledge I have NO COMPLAINTS. To the contrary my Flagstaff Classic Super Lite 832IKBS is good to go.

[CWSWine]

I would check the forums and see what major problems people are having. The the lose screw or the one off problem probably just that unit. I had a Crusader that has lots of people having the faded cap, damage slide bottoms, and damage kitchen flooring. I had all three problems and the kitchen floor happened when the tech and me was checking out the damage slide bottom and he was bring the slide back in. When the floor got damage I traded the 5er in for a premium model from a non Forest River and as we type it is in the shop for warranty repair. The things cost couple dollars to fix and is easy to fix I do myself but the higher dollar stuff I leave to the dealer.

[sledhead77]

Originally Posted by trbomax

We bought our TH strictly for the layout and the bathroom (I require a handycap bath) because it allowed room for the conversion.Withhin 2 months we had a substantial 32 item list,crooked slide,soft kitchen floor,soft spot all across roof,and so forth.Dealer wouldnt even look at it.We took it to a local Salem dealer and was told it didnt matter if they sold that modle or even that line,it was FR so all was good.Long story short,he made arrangements for it to go back to the factory. Last w/e we were down in the area for a funeral and decided to drop in(unannounced) to inspect the unit. They were great,spent 2 hrs going over everything and checking it against the 3 pages of work orders thay had. I thought it was interesterig that every tech that did a particular repair had to sign off on it.Anyway,we had a great encounter with the cherokee factory people.We had full intentions of selling it off this spring,but now everything looks and works good so will keep it. To finish off,they put a topper on the 12' slide,and a screen door on the garage sliders at no charge and without us asking for it!

Sounds similar to my list of issues with my TT. The factory did take it back and made a bunch of repairs. It was good for one Summer before more major issues sprung up again (out of warranty of course). We just gave up and sold the unit. So I don't know, maybe it was just a lemon. For the money I am really contemplating getting a Puma but don't want another Coachman nightmare.

[B and B]

I have a Rockwood Fifth wheel. This is our second Rockwood we had a TT with a super slide. I had some problems but the dealer rectified the issue. They changed the design and operation of the super slide at my request that fixed the alignment issue.

The Rockwood Fifth Wheel has had some small issues but for the most part everything is good. We bought for the floor plan as well. We are looking at a Columbus but until the canadian dollar rebounds we are just looking.

A lot in my mind depends on the dealer and service you get. Buy cheap out of state and then try to get service, that seems to be a major issue with many that have problems unresolved and end up being unhappy.

[Skyliner]

A good PDI is your best friend. Don't take delivery if it doesn't work. Don't let dealership bully you by omitting key steps of the PDI. A friend who bought a trailer last month was bullied because the dealer refused to fill the tanks with water to test for leaks in delivery and drainage system. I would have walked. Turns out the sink drain leaks when used and he is now having problems getting it repaired. Dealership claims it leaks from towing on bumpy roads and not within scope of warranty work.

[ondago]

I have never bought from them and have no significant experience with them, but Lazy Days in Tampa Fl has its own campground which they encourage you to use, at their expense, for I believe up to two nights to have the opportunity to use everything and note any problems. They address the problems before you leave the property with the rig.


Seems to me ALL dealerships should do that.

[phillyg]

Look at my signature and you'll see what we're doing. In all fairness, FR agreed to take our Wildcat back to the factory to fix the problems, but we were just sick of dealing with it. Having said that, I don't care who is the mfgr., they all have issues IMHO. We hope to minimize our problems with the Montana (picking up next week) but we're going to do an extensive PDI before we sign for it. We were rushed on the Wildcat and let the dealer lead us where they wanted us, i.e., signing for it before the PDI. Ain't gonna happen with the new one.

[jgroff]

Originally Posted by B and B

I have a Rockwood Fifth wheel. This is our second Rockwood we had a TT with a super slide. I had some problems but the dealer rectified the issue. They changed the design and operation of the super slide at my request that fixed the alignment issue.

The Rockwood Fifth Wheel has had some small issues but for the most part everything is good. We bought for the floor plan as well. We are looking at a Columbus but until the canadian dollar rebounds we are just looking.

A lot in my mind depends on the dealer and service you get. Buy cheap out of state and then try to get service, that seems to be a major issue with many that have problems unresolved and end up being unhappy.

The last paragraph I think hits it on the head. They are all basically the same. The dealer is where you will either have a good or bad experience. Service is what should be looked at. The dealer I deal with bends over backwards in regards to service. I had a bad dump valve on my pdi. Brought it in and changed it out while they let me borrow a brand new Sierra dmax to go for a coffee. Hard to handle. Any other issue I have had has been dealt with the same. I had some stitching problems with my couch. New couch came in within 2 weeks they booked me in within 3 days once receiving it. I consider trailers just like cars or trucks find a dealer with good service and you will
Always go back
Who cares what it says on the side.

[Dinostop]

So was it bad that I had to teach my dealer some of the features of my new 5er. LOL


Eastlake, Ohio
2013 F-350 Turbo Diesel
2016 Heritage Glen 368rlbh

[Otegoans]

I did a lot of research and decided on the Cedar Creek Silverback (29RE), we bought a 2015 from dealer stock. After being in and around several makes and models, the Cedar Creek seems to have a little higher level of materials as well as fit and finish. It is new to us so we don't have a long term test to report. Good luck, happy camping!

[bailer6334]

Consider Northwood (Arctic Fox) 5th wheels. They may not be available in your area, however they are rated #1 in the above average category. I've had 2 5er's from them and can say never any major problems and on the last one I had no fixes noted during the PDI. They have a high rating and are a quality unit. Remember you get what you pay for.

[Movike]

We had a V-Cross Vibe made by Forest River, and had problem after problem with it. My wife hated it. We was reluctant to buy another Forest River, but we was on a lot looking at Jayco's and out of curiosity, stepped into the Rockwood that we now have and instantly loved it. After spending a couple of days researching the Rockwoods and finding mostly positive reviews, we decided to get it. We've not had a single issue and we love it. Both Forest River, but night and day difference between the two, problems wise.

[stevensmith2859]

My wife and I bought our 28DBUD Wildwood last April and camped with it a whole season to make note of any issues it had. We made a list, took them back to the dealer and they were repaired at no cost and no hassle to us. I even had some problems with my power jack switches a few weeks ago, and they sent me new ones directly from the factory for free to fix it. In one year of use, roughly 20 night of camping and 600 Miles towed the issues had were:


The front light by the propane tank wasn't working
The shower was missing some molding
The cabinet doors over the sink shifted a little and wouldn't shut
A piece of trim was missing on the dinette
A piece of the awning pulled out of the track holding it to the body
Extra latches were installed on the pull out drawer under our couch, it would open in transit
The auto striker knob on our stove broke.


Everything was fixed, as many people have said, its more about the dealership when fixing things. But overall, I am pretty happy with our unit.

[rmac04401]

Originally Posted by stevensmith2859

My wife and I bought our 28DBUD Wildwood last April and camped with it a whole season to make note of any issues it had. We made a list, took them back to the dealer and they were repaired at no cost and no hassle to us. I even had some problems with my power jack switches a few weeks ago, and they sent me new ones directly from the factory for free to fix it. In one year of use, roughly 20 night of camping and 600 Miles towed the issues had were:


The front light by the propane tank wasn't working
The shower was missing some molding
The cabinet doors over the sink shifted a little and wouldn't shut
A piece of trim was missing on the dinette
A piece of the awning pulled out of the track holding it to the body
Extra latches were installed on the pull out drawer under our couch, it would open in transit
The auto striker knob on our stove broke.


Everything was fixed, as many people have said, its more about the dealership when fixing things. But overall, I am pretty happy with our unit.

Stephen what dealer did you use? I have not had good luck or heard good comments with local dealers in York/ Hanover PA area.

[AbdRahim]

Had a Tracer Executive. Great unit. Would buy it again if I ever went back to pulling a TT. Of course I purchased it from the only dealer around here with a good reputation for service.