GreyWolf 29BH first outting 200miles from home need help

[dketter]

I just got a 2014 Grey Wolf 29BH with out door kitchen and took it down to Texas this weekend for next weeks races. I've got a few issues and questions. First I know it is under warranty but I can't get back to the dealer for 2 weeks and we're staying in it next weekend.

Q1: Got down to Texas late Friday night to get in line for when they opened the campgrounds, it was cold. Made sure my propane tanks were on, bled the lines, stove lights up immediately, Refer will run off propane, went to turn on the furnace. Fan was set to Low, furnace temp set to 80. I was a little unfamiliar with the thermostat controls as my previous trailer heat/air controls were separate. Anyway I just turned it on and went back to setting things up. after a while I noticed wasn't getting any warmer and was questioning why the ceiling vents were blowing air. Cycled the thermostat to completely off waited a few minutes, turned it back to furnace. I did this a few times. One time furnace did light. I could smell that first light smell but I was still questioning why air was blowing from ceiling vents too so I played with it some more and finally realized if I set Fan to Auto and then the Furnace temperature the ceiling vents did not blow air. However I've never been able to get the heater to light again. It will kick on blow air for about 20 seconds and shut off. I am assuming it hasn't lit and that is why it shut off. We just broke out some extra blankets for the night and went to bed. Got up early packed up to go into the campgrounds. We got our spot so I decided to try to get the heat going again. Same issue. Called the Dealer to ask if I was doing something wrong or something to check, after explaining what I had tried they just said to bring it in when I get back. Well it will be a week from today before I'm back and I'd like to have some heat at night. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. (Sorry long story I know just wanted to give all the info I thought might be relevant)


Q2: Outdoor Kitchen door - I've only opened this door a hand full of times, I was told to be gentle with it, not to get it twisted when closing it etc which I have always done. Opened it up while setting up and later when I went to close it one of the brackets that hold the shock/plunger popped right off pulling the screws from the wood. I went to re-attach the bracket and noticed there were a couple different holes where they had put the bracket on previously. I assume this was done at the dealer or factory since the TT is brand new. I had to move the bracket to get a place not stripped for the screws. I adjust the placement of the other side to make sure they were equal and noticed that side though not as bad had a couple extra holes as well. Anyway the place I had to move them is too far off and the door is unable to close. Shock/plunger bottoms out before the door can be latched and the side that popped off first ripped right out before I ever reached the bottom of the plunger just due to all the holes that wood is like swiss cheese now. I don't know for sure but can imagine they are going to claim this is my fault and not want to fix it as part of the warranty. Maybe maybe not but I don't really care so much about who fixes it as I just want it fixed and make sure it doesn't happen again. Any suggestions again with this issues I would appreciate as well.

I previously owned a 2005 Jayco Jay Feather Expandable, unfortunately it was stolen by an idiot who had the wrong ball on his hitch and it came off the ball and plowed the back of his SUV and then when the chains caught it rolled both the TT and his SUV. SO this is our replacement and upgrade from our previous camper and I have to say I am borderline concerned over some of the things I am seeing and experiencing. Its just been little things starting to add up. My Jayco even after being rolled was solid. When I got inside to get my stuff out of it at the impound lot you could barely tell it had been rolled over. Obviously from the outside it was a different story but inside very little sign of what it had been through.

This new one I just keep finding small signs of shotty or questionable construction I'm just hoping I didn't make a mistake buying this camper. I really hope I am wrong but so far I've had the TV fall off the wall, The kitchen door, furnace, I keep finding strange sealing foam stuff in places I just don't understand why it was used there and I have my doubts its actually going to stay. There were small piles of metal flakes and saw dust in the storage compartments like someone just drilled the holes, all kinds of stuff blew out of the vents when I turned on the air for the first time, the putty used to hide staples in the ceiling pieces doesn't quite match and was put on very sloppy. Bathroom sink has leak in the pipe like a small pin hole that drips down on cabinet. All things I plan on bringing up when I get it out to the dealer but things are adding up and have got me worried.

Again sorry for the length of the post wanted to make sure I gave enough info and just kind of wanted to hear some feedback from others if they've been happy overall with their purchase or should I expect my list of little things to keep getting longer?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave

[Grn_Mtns]

Q1- do you have shore power or just battery ?
Best
Jon

[Lefty59]

If you have shore power and a nearby store (Wal-Mart etc.), you can possibly find some small space heaters and plug them in. We often use small space heaters instead of the furnace when we camp. We figure the electricity is paid for in the camping fee and it saves us a few $$'s on propane.

Another option might be a little buddy indoor propane heater http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F215...e+buddy+heater if you can find one locally. Although not ideal, you should be able to warm up things even if you just use it first thing in the morning.

Last resort, try the oven maybe??

Must be frustrating to have a new unit and no heat! Based on your experience, I'm planning to check mine out before we go out for the first time this year.

[Grn_Mtns]

Without shore power your battery voltage may be too low to operate furnace but still ok for other appliances.
Jumper cables from running vehicle to your RV battery would let you raise voltage enough to get furnace running.
Good luck

[dketter]

I'm running off my generator at the track

[davel1971]

turn the breaker off for the AC. Since the thermostat controls both, the dealer told me that on certain settings they will fight each other. Might not make your furnace light, but will stop air from blowing out of ceiling for no reason.

[Grn_Mtns]

Starting to sound like gas supply issues. In cold weather when we switch from empty to full - manually the flow rate can be restricted by the overflow valve in the propane tank.A sure sign is when you light all the burners on your stove top and the flames drop to next to nothing... Then we try removing supply lines or opening the bleeder screw of shut off on top of propane tank to remove pressure on the valve inside tank. We have had this happen several times...only when we need heat - only in cooler temps say below 40º.....

[dketter]

Anyone have any comments on my concerns with construction issues or how well their Grey Wolfs have held up over time?

[Grn_Mtns]

Great.
FYI - Our 2014 Windjammer had to have it's Coleman thermostat changed this winter in FL to get AC to run.... We think the layout is nuts on them and had ceiling "fan" going for a while too.

(Thanks Camping World for the 8.5 hours in your waiting room and the $265 bill for a 20 minute "warranty repair" since I did not want to come back in a week after FR sent up a new thermostat :~)

[bikendan]

Grey Wolfs are an entry-level line, because of the "stick and tin" construction.
the Jayco hybrids are not an entry level hybrid line.

[dketter]

Entry Level I understand but I don't care if it is poor boy level it shouldn't be broke within the first month. I will say I think the cabinetry is very solid construction and comparable to my Jayco and its not so much materials that were used that have me concerned it is how things were done.

Like I said there is some type of foam insulation/Sealer stuff that I'm not sure why it is where it is and if it isn't just sloppy application and those things really need to remain sealed what they put there isn't going to last more than a few months. There should not be 6 - 8 holes needed to install a bracket that only has 2 screws. Was my air conditioner ever even tested since it tons of styrofoam stuff blew out the vents when I turned it on? They didn't notice the puddle of antifreeze sitting under the bathroom sink? I mean I understand there are sacrifices for weight and things that come with an entry level TT but you can build an entry level trailer with entry level materials and it still be put together well.

My 2005 Jayco new was around a $25,000 (MSRP) paid around $18,000 new. My 2014 Grey Wolf $31,000 (MSRP) paid around $20,000. For the price I would expect similar quality.

[dketter]

Gas works fine, stove and refer on propane all work no problem

[Big Dawg]

We have had our grey wolf since we bought it new in 2011. We did have problems which forced us to return it to the factory, but it was trouble free this past year. Looking forward to camping season in a few weeks to get it out.

[dketter]

What type of issues did you have Big Dawg if you don't mind sharing?

[Big Dawg]

We had leaks at the skylight, axle, and tire problems. The leak caused some of the cabinet areas to mess up. They replaced everything that was wrong and even added a awning over the slide out. I have heard of others that have not had any problems at all. Work with your dealer, they should take care of things for you.

[CampOsborne]

I bought my Grey Wolf new at the end of February 2013. It was a 2012 model, but still new. I have had a few issues, which I either took care of myself or took it back to the dealer.

1. The kitchen sink drains leaked when I used the sink plugs. This was due to the gasket around the sink drains not setting right. I disassembled the lines, used plumbers tape to seal the threads and reseated the gasket. This solved the problem.

2. Had the GFI blow and kill all of my outlets. It could not be reset. I was on a trip so I just went to Menard's bought a new outlet and replaced it myself.

3. When the Heat or AC were on, the fan would blow on high constantly. I was noticing that it was not hot during the heat being on, or cold during the AC being on. I figured out that my fan setting was set to high and not to Auto. Auto just kicks on when the Heat or AC turn on.

4. I have a remote to slide the slide out, put the jacks down, extend the awning, and turn on the porch light. Well the slide function stopped working. Scheduled a warranty repair for this and they replaced it.

5. My tires after only 6 months of owning, were starting to dry rot. After researching this, I found it was an issue that Forest River had with the Grey Wolf line. Scheduled a warranty repair for this and they replaced 4 of the 5 tires.

6. My touch audio does not play certain DVDs. The message I get is that the region is not compatible. I am rather tech savey, so I attempted to fix this myself, assuming it was a setting that needed changed. It was not actually, so I scheduled a service for this. They could not find an answer, told me that just some DVD's work and some do not. I was frustrated and plan to change the unit out at some point.

[Goat Man]

Originally Posted by dketter

Anyone have any comments on my concerns with construction issues or how well their Grey Wolfs have held up over time?

We bought a 2013 Grey Wolf 26BH and went on a trip from Texas to California and back. Everything worked well, it pulled great, but the outside covering popped loose. After returning, took it back to dealer, and they had to take the outside off and restaple. The service supervisor said that there were only one or two staple at each stud. It was repaired, then we went to New Mexico. The trailer did fine with no more issues.

[5Hawkeyes]

We bought s new 29BH two years ago and have used it extensively. We have had a few issues, but most due to use and wear/tear. The only one that can be attributed to construction would have been when the backing plate fell off nearly damaging the brakes. Quickly fixed by dealer under warranty. We've been happy overall with our unit.