Where are all the Alpha Wolves?

OntarioRVer · 07-26-2019, 07:28 PM

Hi. I just joined FRF, although I purchased my first Forest River trailer last year. I have a 2019 Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L. I have not seen a whole lot of other AW owners on this forum, and until last weekend I had not seen another one in over 8000 kl of travels. I am wondering, are they not that popular yet? Quality is fairly good, in my opinion. I did have a list of relatively minor warranty work that had to be addressed. I would be interested in learning of others experiences with AW, and maybe helping others based on my experience.

doc73 · 07-26-2019, 08:44 PM

We have an artic wolf, the 5th wheel version of your brand.

Cdj1990 · 07-27-2019, 05:48 AM

Hello fellow Alpha. I too own a 2019 Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L. I have recently started seeing a few more Alpha's here in Michigan this summer. So far we've only had a few minor cosmetic issues. My biggest complaint would be FR's marketing ploy for their Extreme Weather Arctic Package. As I found out last November what a joke it was. I have a few posts here about the issue. If you purchased the Alpha for that reason be fore warned it won't do anything for you.

OntarioRVer · 07-27-2019, 09:32 AM

I have not had a chance to test the cold weather package, but based on posts about it, I am not expecting much. I am typically a May to October traveler anyway. My biggest warranty issue was the toilet would not hold water in the bowl. Ended up having to have a new toilet installed. And be warned that the seam in the front side eaves is directly over the outdoor fridge door, and is prone to leaking.

**bikendan** · 07-27-2019, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdj1990

My biggest complaint would be FR's marketing ploy for their Extreme Weather Arctic Package. As I found out last November what a joke it was. I have a few posts here about the issue. If you purchased the Alpha for that reason be fore warned it won't do anything for you.

FR makes no true 4-season campers(except for their short-lived ice fishing trailers), like Northwood Manufacturing or Outdoors RV. But their RVs are much heavier, due to the extra cold weather features.
That "Extreme Weather Arctic Package" is a marketing gimmick, common in the RV Industry. At best, it's a good 3-season RV.

DMeyersAlpha · 07-28-2019, 09:51 AM

We just bought a 2019 alpha 29qb-l. Love it so far. We have had issues with it though but all relatively mino. I did close the slide on the storage bin door and they are going to warranty it. Just waiting for the part to come in. It was my fault but a poor design. Didn't buy it for the arctic package but would never think a camper could make it in the cold.

OntarioRVer · 07-28-2019, 10:25 AM

Exact same thing happened with the storage door on mine, and it was during my walkthrough at the dealer before taking possession. And yes, poor design. The 2018 model of the DBHL had the storage compartment at the rear, then the HW heater, then the slide. In 2019, the heater and compartment switched locations. Dealer or FR also covered the replacement of my door. The closing of the slide is now a 2 person operation, and I have been relegated to being the "spotter", as my wife has taken over the "button pusher" duties!

OntarioRVer · 07-28-2019, 10:29 AM

Nice unit, by the way. One thing to check is the amount of silicone that they used to hold the mirrors into the bedroom and bathroom cabinet doors. For some reason, FR really likes to scrimp on the silicone. My mirrors fell out on the road (into the cabinet, fortunately) and they all need to be re-siliconed properly.

Evader72 · 08-01-2019, 09:35 AM

Just got one here in south central Pa... 23Rd-l

OntarioRVer · 08-01-2019, 09:11 PM

Awesome! Welcome. I love PA. Gettysburg is one of my favorite places. Enjoy the travels.

DMeyersAlpha · 08-04-2019, 01:43 PM

Thanks! The mirror in the bedroom on my side is loose. Plan on having them warranty that while it's there. The problem is they just got the parts to replace the door friday, I live across the state from the dealer and we have a trip that we leave for Saturday. Time is tight but i have to make it work.

ChrisMoore · 08-05-2019, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OntarioRVer

Nice unit, by the way. One thing to check is the amount of silicone that they used to hold the mirrors into the bedroom and bathroom cabinet doors. For some reason, FR really likes to scrimp on the silicone. My mirrors fell out on the road (into the cabinet, fortunately) and they all need to be re-siliconed properly.

I got my alpha last fall, I just fixed my mirrors last night. I got the tabs you use to install windows and added caulk. Done.

Be careful of the drawers in the dinete First thing I fixed on mine, after ripping them out. Added 3/16" plywood. Good to go now.

I am having trouble with my air keeping the camper cool Been doing a lot of research on that and have some ideas. Any thoughts on this issue?

EZEKIEL2517 · 08-05-2019, 10:22 PM

We just bought a used (repoed) 2019 26dbhl. Got it for $20k vs the completely new price of 27-30k most are charging. Felt like that was a good hedge against depreciation and worth the risk. So far we love it. It was built for use in Washington state but we are in Texas. Had the dealer swap the 13.5kbtu AC for a 15k btu AC. So far so good.

What attracted me to this camper was the length-features-weight ratio. Its packed with a lot of stuff at a decently light dry weight (5900) and a light tongue weight (about 600) . Very half ton towable unlike a lot of folks who I see struggling to pull 33 ft RVs with their half tons. That's just too much for long trips.

It has a lot of great features for the money. I will say, it is a Buick, not a Cadillac though. While it claims to be the most insulated rv on the market, their are lots of weak spots. I added foam board panels inside the front stowage to insulate the thin walls under the bed and closets from the heat. I also added lots of caulk to seal it off. I had noticed that quite a bit of cold air was leaking into the storage compartment. I want all I can keep inside the rv. Being in south Texas, heat is a way bigger concern than cold.

I also added an additional air vent to cool the bathroom. As it was, the bathroom door must stay open to get any cool air in there. I inspected the ductwork and found that it extended about 6 inches past the bathroom door. So I nervously drilled a hole with a hole saw and mounted a sealable vent in the bathroom. Cool air during the day, and can seal it off when showering.

I added a recessed toilet paper holder to the bathroom console by the rear door. It clears the step just fine.

Also added some recessed LED reading lamps in the master bed nook. The overheads shine right in your eyes. I wired them to the lights in the front storage compartment.

The prewiring was a cinch for a Haloview backup cam. Not the furion, but used its wiring. Its soooooo clear. In retrospect I would have bought the 5" monitor, the 7" is just too big.

The pantry is huge, but the shelves are too far apart. You just cant stack stuff high enough to take advantage of them in an rv. Added some wire rack shelves between them to add more storage space. Works great.

A Husky Centerline 600-800lb hitch levels the load and makes it pull smooth as butter. Just as good as my old E2 hitch but way cheaper. Not nearly as loud either.

Added a 39" FireTV on a locking swivel arm in the living room. You can run a headphone jack output to the stereo input and play it over the overhead speakers. If you play with the balance u can broadcast the sound only to the speaker at the rear bunks. Kids love it and we can take a nap and keep the sound away from us.

The space in the rv is amazing. Love the extra room over our old keystone 2300 bh. The room under the sink could be better but the pantry makes up for it. The under dinette slideout stowage is huge and can each hold a whole kids wardrobe plus toys.

Overall a good camper at a good weight. Needs a few tweaks, but they all do. And it looks pretty damn cool.

ChrisMoore · 08-06-2019, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EZEKIEL2517

We just bought a used (repoed) 2019 26dbhl. Got it for $20k vs the completely new price of 27-30k most are charging. Felt like that was a good hedge against depreciation and worth the risk. So far we love it. It was built for use in Washington state but we are in Texas. Had the dealer swap the 13.5kbtu AC for a 15k btu AC. So far so good.

What attracted me to this camper was the length-features-weight ratio. Its packed with a lot of stuff at a decently light dry weight (5900) and a light tongue weight (about 600) . Very half ton towable unlike a lot of folks who I see struggling to pull 33 ft RVs with their half tons. That's just too much for long trips.

It has a lot of great features for the money. I will say, it is a Buick, not a Cadillac though. While it claims to be the most insulated rv on the market, their are lots of weak spots. I added foam board panels inside the front stowage to insulate the thin walls under the bed and closets from the heat. I also added lots of caulk to seal it off. I had noticed that quite a bit of cold air was leaking into the storage compartment. I want all I can keep inside the rv. Being in south Texas, heat is a way bigger concern than cold.

I also added an additional air vent to cool the bathroom. As it was, the bathroom door must stay open to get any cool air in there. I inspected the ductwork and found that it extended about 6 inches past the bathroom door. So I nervously drilled a hole with a hole saw and mounted a sealable vent in the bathroom. Cool air during the day, and can seal it off when showering.

I added a recessed toilet paper holder to the bathroom console by the rear door. It clears the step just fine.

Also added some recessed LED reading lamps in the master bed nook. The overheads shine right in your eyes. I wired them to the lights in the front storage compartment.

The prewiring was a cinch for a Haloview backup cam. Not the furion, but used its wiring. Its soooooo clear. In retrospect I would have bought the 5" monitor, the 7" is just too big.

The pantry is huge, but the shelves are too far apart. You just cant stack stuff high enough to take advantage of them in an rv. Added some wire rack shelves between them to add more storage space. Works great.

A Husky Centerline 600-800lb hitch levels the load and makes it pull smooth as butter. Just as good as my old E2 hitch but way cheaper. Not nearly as loud either.

Added a 39" FireTV on a locking swivel arm in the living room. You can run a headphone jack output to the stereo input and play it over the overhead speakers. If you play with the balance u can broadcast the sound only to the speaker at the rear bunks. Kids love it and we can take a nap and keep the sound away from us.

The space in the rv is amazing. Love the extra room over our old keystone 2300 bh. The room under the sink could be better but the pantry makes up for it. The under dinette slideout stowage is huge and can each hold a whole kids wardrobe plus toys.

Overall a good camper at a good weight. Needs a few tweaks, but they all do. And it looks pretty damn cool.

Can you post pics of your pantry shelves?

EZEKIEL2517 · 08-06-2019, 10:03 AM

Sure, I will take pics of the shelves and other mods when I get it from storage next weekend.

OntarioRVer · 08-07-2019, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisMoore

I got my alpha last fall, I just fixed my mirrors last night. I got the tabs you use to install windows and added caulk. Done.

Be careful of the drawers in the dinete First thing I fixed on mine, after ripping them out. Added 3/16" plywood. Good to go now.

I am having trouble with my air keeping the camper cool Been doing a lot of research on that and have some ideas. Any thoughts on this issue?

Good idea about the metal mirror tabs. Extra security. I only had the old silicone removed and the dealer install the proper amount under warranty. But if this reoccurs I will use your method.

And my dinette bottoms fell out as well. I reused the same thin fibre board, but used proper sized staples all the way around. Seems to work so far........Thanks for the input!

OntarioRVer · 08-07-2019, 05:27 PM

And I'm pretty satisfied with my AC, but I had the upgrade to 15k BTU, and I do not live in a hot climate. But let us know your ideas. Thanks!

EZEKIEL2517 · 08-07-2019, 06:42 PM

I had a 15k installed by dealer in my used 26dbhl. It was ice cold in may but in june it was struggling. I haven't used it since then but I did several things to make it better (hopefully). I will find out next week at Garner SP in south texas. Should be hitting 100 easily there so keeping fingers crossed.

1. Caulked all edges around master closet bump outs to stop air leaks into storage
2. Added insulation foam board to all thin wood panels exposed to storage areas
3. Added gasket under bed lift up to stop air leaks
4. Inspection of AC installation revealed that they didnt properly seal the unit from the cavity between the roof and cieling. It was likely pulling in hot air from that space the whole time. I added metal tape flashing to seal that off.

Talking to the dealer they said it was critical to vent out all the hot air in the camper before running AC to give the AC a chance. This seems logical but I feel like I shouldn't have to.

The dometic 15k unit says it pulls 14.7 to 16.5 Amps. This would be the variance from 110v to 120v. I measured mine as it was popping my 20A home circuit in June. It was 18.3A. Which seemed high. This was with the dc converter turned off so it was the only power draw which got it under 20A. It sustained this for about 30 minutes then came down the 16. Then I burned out the kill-o-watt that was monitoring it but that's another story. Apparently the 15A limit is for real...

The dealer service dept told me that the rated power was the draw from a 90deg interior temp and that every 10 deg over would draw another amp. This could be why it pulled so much and then went down. Anyway this trip I plan to open the windows to vent it out over the last few miles.

I called dometic but they were useless. They told me I had to take it to a dealer to inspect it.

I feel like a 15k should so the job on a 26ft trailer. I had a 23 ft with a 13.5k and it did fine in august. Not icebox cold but very comfortable.

Oh, I had to add caulk to my mirrors too. Their job was very half @$$. And come to think of it I also had to do the dinette bottoms. This was easy maintenance that I figured is just part of working out the bugs on a new(ish) RV.

OntarioRVer · 08-07-2019, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EZEKIEL2517

Oh, I had to add caulk to my mirrors too. Their job was very half @$$. And come to think of it I also had to do the dinette bottoms. This was easy maintenance that I figured is just part of working out the bugs on a new(ish) RV.

Hi. Sounds like there are some common (and fortunately minor) issues that need either warranty (or DIY if not within warranty period) fixes. Another one to look out for is the eaves on the front side of the trailer. The seam is directly above the outdoor fridge hatch, and it is notorious for not being sealed properly. End result is that during rain storms or heavy AC use, water will drip onto your open hatch and splash into the refrigerator/ice maker compartment. Best solution is to get a tube of Black Knight Clear Roof Repair and spread a thin coat over the seam. Repeat a few times, and no more drips. I just did this with mine (after dealer "re-sealed" with silicone - which did not fix the problem) and it worked great.

EZEKIEL2517 · 08-07-2019, 10:32 PM

Interesting. Now that u mention that I have noticed water in my front storage compartment after a rain. I originally thought it was the metal to fiberglass seal around the door jamb and I added silicone all around it. That seemed to help but it did not fix it entirely. I'm not entirely sure though where u mean regarding the seams. Do you or anyone else with this problem have a photo? Thanks?

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