Forest River 2014 PT Crusader 295RST

[wicked1]

I should have never gotten rid of my PT Crusader 295, I had always been a FR customer now switched to SOB (Keystone Montana) and now wished I stayed with FR so mad at myself.


Anyone else switch and regret switching to SOB????

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by wicked1

I should have never gotten rid of my PT Crusader 295, I had always been a FR customer now switched to SOB (Keystone Montana) and now wished I stayed with FR so mad at myself.


Anyone else switch and regret switching to SOB????

Please, do tell.....details!!

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by rracer5

Please, do tell.....details!!

Well first I owned the Crusader outright, second buying new I would never do again bc I have had to do certain repairs on my own bc they are not covered under the 12 month warranty bc they are subjective repairs. We like the Montana but feel we have always reced good service and response from Forest River.

I may be looking to sell the Montana if we decide we have had enough with camping, also it seems that Campgrounds policies are getting stricter, more expensive, and now that there are more ppl then ever camping it is very hard to get into most CG’s unless you can book 12-18 months out.

I am very mechanically inclined, but some of the stupid things that are not taken care of by the mfg when these are built are just lazy ppl not doing their job. Also MFG’s build them so fast there are lots more issues, then the dealer doesn’t want to deal with them, and the consumer gets screwed. Ugh just so frustrating to have to deal with silly little issues and bicker with the mfg to get them resolved, nothing big but you would expect them to make good on small defects and it just doesn’t happen. FR units I have owned from 2012-2015 were built so much more solidly that I didn’t have to deal with this minor crap. That being said our unit is now fixed minus the parts that are on order and getting shipped to me, and one person @ Keystone has tried to rectify most of our issues.

Sorry you asked now?....lol

[heavynlori]

We have an early 2014 (built July 2013 and purchased 9/2013) Crusader and we have had less than 5 very minor issues since buying it....cap is just now starting the fade being the worst

After reading so much about newer PT units and SOB units, we really appreciate the fact that PT was putting out their better units at initial production to get their product out there but they seem to have dropped in quality/pride since then

We are looking to uograde in a year or so and are considering a Cedar Creek now instead of a Sanibel after looking at how they have been cheapened as compared to earlier units

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by heavynlori

We have an early 2014 (built July 2013 and purchased 9/2013) Crusader and we have had less than 5 very minor issues since buying it....cap is just now starting the fade being the worst

After reading so much about newer PT units and SOB units, we really appreciate the fact that PT was putting out their better units at initial production to get their product out there but they seem to have dropped in quality/pride since then

We are looking to uograde in a year or so and are considering a Cedar Creek now instead of a Sanibel after looking at how they have been cheapened as compared to earlier units

I got a good deal on this unit only reason we pulled the trigger but I could do it all over again I would have purchased a Cedar Creek Champagne Edition for sure, just that they are more $ then the Montana was, Like I said we got a fully loaded Montana in SC for $1500 below my best deal I could find. Unit itself is ok just dealing with stupid little things but strong and works well for us.

Biggest pet peeve is that I can’t buy parts direct bc they have these agreements with the Dealers, yet the dealer just for ordering the part racks more on and if they order the wrong thing I have to deal with that. The amazing thing is the local dealer has the right not to service my unit under warranty bc I didn’t buy it from them. It is amazing how they write these Dealer/MFG contracts they are so unfair to the consumer. I will never ever buy new, that being said I may keep this one longer if I decide to sell may just get out of camping altogether bc the industry is not consumer friendly at all.

I can’t imagine how bad it is when a consumer can’t fix things on their own, or they get a really bad unit with tons of issues, spoke to a woman the other day, she purchased a $200K Class A that has been in the shop the entire year she owned it, that is bad.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by wicked1

Well first I owned the Crusader outright, second buying new I would never do again bc I have had to do certain repairs on my own bc they are not covered under the 12 month warranty bc they are subjective repairs. We like the Montana but feel we have always reced good service and response from Forest River.

I may be looking to sell the Montana if we decide we have had enough with camping, also it seems that Campgrounds policies are getting stricter, more expensive, and now that there are more ppl then ever camping it is very hard to get into most CG’s unless you can book 12-18 months out.

I am very mechanically inclined, but some of the stupid things that are not taken care of by the mfg when these are built are just lazy ppl not doing their job. Also MFG’s build them so fast there are lots more issues, then the dealer doesn’t want to deal with them, and the consumer gets screwed. Ugh just so frustrating to have to deal with silly little issues and bicker with the mfg to get them resolved, nothing big but you would expect them to make good on small defects and it just doesn’t happen. FR units I have owned from 2012-2015 were built so much more solidly that I didn’t have to deal with this minor crap. That being said our unit is now fixed minus the parts that are on order and getting shipped to me, and one person @ Keystone has tried to rectify most of our issues.

Sorry you asked now?....lol

No, not sorry at all. Curiosity had gotten me wondering why you were having second thoughts about SOB's.

Originally Posted by heavynlori

We have an early 2014 (built July 2013 and purchased 9/2013) Crusader and we have had less than 5 very minor issues since buying it....cap is just now starting the fade being the worst

After reading so much about newer PT units and SOB units, we really appreciate the fact that PT was putting out their better units at initial production to get their product out there but they seem to have dropped in quality/pride since then

We are looking to uograde in a year or so and are considering a Cedar Creek now instead of a Sanibel after looking at how they have been cheapened as compared to earlier units

We haven't seen or been in any newer Sanibels to be able to compare but, even our 2014 (built 9/2013) Sanibel has gotten elective upgrades and enhancements to make it more "homey". So, there's no telling how much work would have to be done to get it to the standard ours is at presently.

We've upgraded the furniture, added more wood trim in corners to break up the drabiness of the walls, replaced the main carpeted area with wood plank laminate, upgraded stove, microwave (now convection), fireplace & replaced the Dometic fridge with a large residential. Added peel & stick backsplash in the kitchen & bathroom. Replaced the bedroom carpet w/better quality carpet & replaced the faux leather headboard with something nicer & installed a "studio" sized LG washing machine.

Fortunately, all the above I was able to do myself over that past 3 1/2 years as the time, money & original equipment/furnishings started showing its' wear & tear.

Externally, it has held up well to full timing since 2014 other that the usual minor issues that all/most RV's have after coming off the line and being missed by the delivering dealer and not noticed during PDI. We've been up & down the east coast 3 or 4 times, Florida annually, 2015 International Rally & a 2017 trip out to Mt. Rushmore with no break downs other than 1 blowout on the way to the Rally. The 4 GY LT tires have performed flawlessly since then.

[johnruff]

I had a 1999 Montana 295RST and a 2014 PT 315RST. Both had their issues. If you are looking for a trouble free RV - you are out of luck. Pulling all of that down the road at 65 mph over bumps and stuff, just will not happen.
I agree the cap fade and the poor AC on the standard unit is not good and should not be an issue but just expect it and budget an extra $5k or so for any new unit. If I were looking to get back into the RV thing, I would look at the Grand Design units but all units will have problems. Like you, the cost of campgrounds has gotten so high (for a decent cg) and the price of fuel has made it just as economical to drive a car that gets 30+mpg and use a hotel.
However, nothing beats camping and the people you meet. Those were the best times we ever had over the past 60 years and I would not trade them for anything. Hiking the Great Smokie Mountains, baths in the Little Pidgeon River, sitting around the campfire at night with bears, skunks and racoons walking through your campsite (and one bear in the brand new car). Or camping near or on the beach at Top Sail and Myrtle Beach, playing golf in Savannah, the food and people of Bloomington, IL, etc. Families cannot find a better time to be together and just enjoy each other..

[Comanchecreek]

Had a 2000 Montana. Traded it for a 2017 315rst Crusader. Montana was nice, but started having issues at 16 years old. Many suspension problems, roof delamination, etc. Now you only have less than half of the corporations to choose from than back at the turn of the century. Most of the really top notch manufacturers have been swallowed up by the big guys. I've had a few issues with my Crusader, but so far been able to take care of everything. It's all part of the RV'ing game. Good luck in what you decide to do.

[popinfresh2]

I have Owned a 2014 Sanibel made by Prime Time 2 Years ago. Prime Time also makes the Crusader on the same Plant Line as Sanibel. I took the Sanibel to a Forest River Rally 2 times for repairs. Each times things was breaking or not working correctly. Prime Time did their best to satisfy my needs, even transporting from Oklahoma to Indiana back to the Factory for repairs. It spent 6 Months in the Indiana harsh Winter. When it was transported back to Oklahoma, it arrived better but bad condition due the harsh Winter. After having more continue problems, I threw my hands up and traded it in on a 2016 Keystone Laredo. Since then I have had some minor problems with the Laredo but they have been taken care of by Factory Warranty. I loved the Sanibel High end Options but do not miss the problems I had with the Sanibel.

Good luck with your Montana!

[wicked1]

Our Montana 2018 3121RL has had relatively minor warranty issues I have correct 80% of the stuff myself, however my Crusader was great especially that we owned it outright but swapping the LCI Auto Leveling 2.0 for an LCI 3.0 system wasn’t worth the cost so we got this Montana. We will have this unit until we decide we have had it with camping but both FR and Keystone have been decent to deal with for us and our Montana is all done and we have it back hope to get thousands of more miles on it. The LCI hydraulic auto leveling is the best but as long as I continue to do maintenance I hope to be ok

[bikendan]

We had a Rockwood Roo that we bought new and now own a PT TracerAir we also bought new.
Researching for the PDI/walkthrough, I was aware of making sure it was thorough and that had sufficient time to look everything over. If it wasn't, I would've refused accepting the trailer unless I got what I wanted.
It's a mystery to me what consumers don't use the Internet to prepare and educate themselves BEFORE purchasing a RV. They get rushed through the PDI and allow the dealer to intimidate them. Then they end up on RV forums complaining about how they were treated.
Both our units were well built but had the typical small and cosmetic issues.
Our TracerAir had a furnace issue from rain water getting on the circuit board and recently, a Lippert door friction hinges system replacement.
All issues found during the walkthroughs were fixed under warranty.
Our TracerAir has had around 12,000 miles put on it since we bought it in 2017. It's a very solid unit and we really enjoy it.

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by bikendan

We had a Rockwood Roo that we bought new and now own a PT TracerAir we also bought new.
Researching for the PDI/walkthrough, I was aware of making sure it was thorough and that had sufficient time to look everything over. If it wasn't, I would've refused accepting the trailer unless I got what I wanted.
It's a mystery to me what consumers don't use the Internet to prepare and educate themselves BEFORE purchasing a RV. They get rushed through the PDI and allow the dealer to intimidate them. Then they end up on RV forums complaining about how they were treated.
Both our units were well built but had the typical small and cosmetic issues.
Our TracerAir had a furnace issue from rain water getting on the circuit board and recently, a Lippert door friction hinges system replacement.
All issues found during the walkthroughs were fixed under warranty.
Our TracerAir has had around 12,000 miles put on it since we bought it in 2017. It's a very solid unit and we really enjoy it.

We did a long PDI wife went thru the operation of everything g while I looked for issues. We put everything on paper and certain things had to be replaced while we were there like damaged chairs. The few issues we had that I did not correct I had worked with Keystone to correct.

I think of all my trailers I just favored my Crusader but the auto leveling 2.0 stunk, but when I priced out replacing it with a 3.0 system wasn’t worth the money.

Montana is nice but we have a small loan on it and I owned the Crusader outright. All in all I have had good communications with both Forest River and Keystone worked to correct or fix things and they helped us even FR supported us with all new decals on our 2013 Crusader we bought in 2017, so to be fair both MFG had supported us which was good.