Triple e is alive!

[Kenny kustom]

I had to post this. These are built two blocks away from my school.
I see them everyday, and they are beautiful.
Built like a tank, and amazing quality.

http://youtu.be/dazD1sWkYxc


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

[mlatter]

I love Triple E. My first motorhome was a 19' 1979 Triple E class A. One piece fibreglass roof, and amazing under belly insulation. The bad part was the 454 and exhaust manifolds...

[B and B]

A former coworker bought a Jayco but wanted a Winkler built Triple E.

[Platokidd]

nice unit

[Flatlander49]

We used to have a Triple E Topaz fiver. It was a great rig. I wish they still made them. They were expensive but you get what you pay for.

[Kenny kustom]

Factory tour.
I wish FR would spend half the time these guys do, building an RV.
Leak check every unit.
Check out the plumbing and wiring.
Clean, neat and tidy.

THEY EVEN WEIGH EVERY UNIT!!

http://youtu.be/N1hrVzhd4jw


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

[Kenny kustom]

I do wish, they would build sobering bigger than a sprinter. I would buy that.

They used to do everything...
Almost went under. Now, only B class. Get in line if you want one, there's a waiting list. Every unit that leaves, is sold. ( so I am told..)


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

[namusmc]

Beautiful high end rig if you really want to spend $50k more than what a FR MBS will cost you, even if it does come with TPMS standard. 😊

[Kenny kustom]

Originally Posted by namusmc

Beautiful high end rig if you really want to spend $50k more than what a FR MBS will cost you, even if it does come with TPMS standard. 😊

Sure!
In all the quality threads.. Members were begging for some decent quality. They said they would be more than willing to pay for that quality. Well, here it is.
6 weeks to build a single unit, everything made in house.

I'm certain though, when it actually boils down to writing the check...
People don't really care as much as they say they do..
Everything is driven by price.
Turning FR quality up is not going to cost a few grand.

This is what FR could look like.
But then, nobody would pay.


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

[namusmc]

Indeed, everyone wants a flagship Lexus for the price of a Kia. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing the interesting video.

[nusslejj]

Originally Posted by namusmc

Indeed, everyone wants a flagship Lexus for the price of a Kia. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing the interesting video.

I visited the local CampingWorld in Canton, OH. this past Saturday, and wandered through their indoor showroom. There sat perhaps the nicest looking, coolest RV I have ever seen. A 2011 'mint' 20,000 mile odometer Monaco Vesta. 30,000 pounds, 16mpg front engine Diesel 32' (no DEF), air-brakes, high-end everything and way cool body, for $109k.

As a 2011 it easily outclasses all new fully loaded Winniebago Views that go for more than that price. Of course new it went for $218.

[MNtraveler]

Now that guy (in the video) is a salesman! He can even sell you on the very nice LED lights. (Not denigrating the unit at all - it's quite nice - just saying he can sell a unit!)

[Joshua Cavitt]

I can't speak for other divisions of Forest River but at ours we have ten different tests our units have to go through before they come offline.


This includes testing the electrical, plumbing, the propane system and a pressure test in the rain bay, we are the only manufacturer that fills our tanks with water the entire time they are on the production line to make sure they don't leak. Once they come offline and are finished we pull them over to our scales and weigh them and send them on a 10 mile test drive at varying speeds.

[Byron in TX]

Originally Posted by namusmc

Indeed, everyone wants a flagship Lexus for the price of a Kia. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing the interesting video.

I take a slightly different view as an about to be FR owner (PDI is this Saturday and Good God I'll be picky thanks to the advice and resources on this forum).

Forest River (and others) peddle what they can get away with at a price point because WE accept it.

Hyundai was in the same boat 10+ years ago. They were a 'throw away' car in the same class as a Yugo.

But Hyundai made a business decision to be reliable at an affordable price point and changed their culture and business model and offered a 10 year, 100k warranty on all their cars. Lesson: Reliability and quality can still be affordable....but only if the organization is willing to make the commitment.

I now own 2 Hyundais...an 09 Sonata with nearly 200k on it that's only needed tires and brakes.

And an '11 Hyundai Equus (you may need to look it up, there are damn few of them out there) that is bigger, more powerful, FAR less expensive and FAR more reliable than a BMW 7 series (I've had to replace a battery but it was my fault).

There's a lesson in here for all of us......Forest River needs to stop hiring Temps to work on their production line (probably to avoid paying benefits) and not allow Gilligan clones to supervise them. Crushed ductwork, trim not attached, cabinets missing latches, loose screws in the mattress.....Really?? These aren't Price Point issues, these are worker supervision and leadership issues.

And we need to apply pressure to them directly or through the dealer network to not accept a sub-par quality product that isn't even a necessity.

We need to vote with our wallets and our feet. And if FR (and others) end up going the way of Yugo, we'll still be better off.

[Byron in TX]

To my point, this was just posted in another area of the forum:










They don't clean up


I pulled my Microwave, controller, and entryway switch panel to do some rewiring. to my surprise there was sawdust everywhere, wooden cutouts, rough holes for wiring just punched thru the paneling and nothing was cleaned up. I'm wondering what I will find when I pull the under covering on the trailer.

Years ago I worked for liberty coach (we lowered the floor on sonic cruisers) and we never left a speck of debris. times change.

So is this normal for a new TT or just my Flagstaff?


__________________
Retired Navy
Jake my sidekick (yellow Lab)
2006 F350 6.0
2016 Flagstaff 26 FKWS
AF&AM of Idaho

[ericlakin]

Seems normal these days, sadly. I've found all kinds of weird stuff in my 2016 MBS 2400R. Sawdust when you open interior service panels. Screws driven in crooked so they don't even go into surface they were intended to. Zero thought to keeping wires bended and neat. The list goes on. Byron is correct. It's a culture problem with these places. No pride in workmanship. I'm waiting for a Korean company to start shipping these things to the US. Maybe that's what it will take to change things.

[tkarper14]

Originally Posted by Joshua Cavitt

I can't speak for other divisions of Forest River but at ours we have ten different tests our units have to go through before they come offline.


This includes testing the electrical, plumbing, the propane system and a pressure test in the rain bay, we are the only manufacturer that fills our tanks with water the entire time they are on the production line to make sure they don't leak. Once they come offline and are finished we pull them over to our scales and weigh them and send them on a 10 mile test drive at varying speeds.

Joshua, thanks for the post.

[tkarper14]

Originally Posted by Byron in TX

I take a slightly different view as an about to be FR owner (PDI is this Saturday and Good God I'll be picky thanks to the advice and resources on this forum).

Forest River (and others) peddle what they can get away with at a price point because WE accept it.

Hyundai was in the same boat 10+ years ago. They were a 'throw away' car in the same class as a Yugo.

But Hyundai made a business decision to be reliable at an affordable price point and changed their culture and business model and offered a 10 year, 100k warranty on all their cars. Lesson: Reliability and quality can still be affordable....but only if the organization is willing to make the commitment.

I now own 2 Hyundais...an 09 Sonata with nearly 200k on it that's only needed tires and brakes.

And an '11 Hyundai Equus (you may need to look it up, there are damn few of them out there) that is bigger, more powerful, FAR less expensive and FAR more reliable than a BMW 7 series (I've had to replace a battery but it was my fault).

There's a lesson in here for all of us......Forest River needs to stop hiring Temps to work on their production line (probably to avoid paying benefits) and not allow Gilligan clones to supervise them. Crushed ductwork, trim not attached, cabinets missing latches, loose screws in the mattress.....Really?? These aren't Price Point issues, these are worker supervision and leadership issues.

And we need to apply pressure to them directly or through the dealer network to not accept a sub-par quality product that isn't even a necessity.

We need to vote with our wallets and our feet. And if FR (and others) end up going the way of Yugo, we'll still be better off.

Is there any truth to the statement of temps being hired to avoid being paid benefits or being supervised by Gilligan clones? This seems like an opinion not based on facts, logic, or actual experience.

I am sure there are many quality workers at Forest River. I would like to personally thank each and everyone of them.

[bclemens]

lol... sometimes I'm not sure its worthwhile to try and respond to every crackpot comment based on zero fact, so I let that one go earlier. But since you are asking...I don't know of a single FR division that hires temporary workers.

So here are the actual facts.
99.9% of our employees are full time employees (I leave 0.1 because I don't know every division). They all have a benefits package, vacation and an opportunity to contribute to a 401k plan. I do know of one part time guy that retired with Forest River, but he's a good guy and we let him work part time in the mornings. We employ roughly 11,000 employees.

Production employees are well compensated and the divisions I have worked for, have many people that have worked there for a decade or more. These are not robotic clean rooms however. These are like moving construction sites and it takes a LOT of people to build these things. Do we get 100% of people buying into the quality that we're trying to achieve...no way. But we never stop trying. I know personally I try and have things designed to take human error out of it, but its an ever evolving process.

[papa-jim]

My wife and I toured the Triple E plant a few weeks ago. We were really impressed. It is not an assembly line culture. Each motorhome was being methodically worked on by a team, much like working on it yourself at home. Everything was spotlessly clean. Everyone was happy at their work. I had to chuckle. Before entering a motorhome, we would knock and ask permission of those working inside it.

I was impressed with the atmosphere in the plant, the culture. I was impressed with the organization, the cleanliness, the pride in workmanship. The fit and finish of all the work is absolutely exceptional.

Jim