New to class c motorhomes

Ami · 03-08-2017, 03:23 PM

Hello. My name is Annette. My husband Mark and I are looking to buy a class c motor home Forested 2301. We like the layout and it is the perfect size for us. We have tent and TT camped before. My concerns are as follows; the 2301 I tested to day felt as though the steering had touch play in it, it bounced when I hit bumps, ( I figure that will probably go away once it has a full tank of gas and they put the propane tank back,in it. Now, they are giving us a really good deal on the coach and my trade In. Also has anyone used the Ipad control panel yet? If so how is it. LI know in the Sunseeker they kept the button control panel. Sorry if I jumped around. I am a little overwhelmed. My TT was easier to pick out [emoji12]

geeman53 · 03-08-2017, 03:58 PM

Welcome from SW Ohio . We have a 2016 2250 Sunseeker ,to which we added a steering stabilizer AND new shocks all around. The results were well worth it . Good luck!

texasbozo · 03-08-2017, 04:07 PM

One more thing. Make sure your tires are at proper pressure or you will get that bounce when going over bumps. I found this true after my pickup ( from the selling dealer) on my 1st RV. Tires had been 20lbs underinflated. 2017 220qb. Ist trip, to Big Beng this weekend.

Ami · 03-08-2017, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeman53

Welcome from SW Ohio . We have a 2016 2250 Sunseeker ,to which we added a steering stabilizer AND new shocks all around. The results were well worth it . Good luck!

Thank you. That seems to be a common thing. Do you,mind if I ask about how much does that cost.

Ami · 03-08-2017, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texasbozo

One more thing. Make sure your tires are at proper pressure or you will get that bounce when going over bumps. I found this true after my pickup ( from the selling dealer) on my 1st RV. Tires had been 20lbs underinflated. 2017 220qb. Ist trip, to Big Beng this weekend.

Thank you and have a great time away this weekend!!

Tapex · 03-08-2017, 08:11 PM

Welcome to the forum Mark and Annette,
Congratulations on your decision to potentially purchase a Forester. Have fun while making your decision. Then make some memories with family and friends while traveling. Stay safe and Happy RVing from Farmer NC

wahoonc · 03-08-2017, 08:35 PM

Hi Annette! Welcome to the forums!

A full new set of heavy duty shocks and some sort of steering stablizer is ~$750. I like the Saf T Plus, however there are other good systems out there.It is well worth the cost to have the front end realigned to the proper FR specs. Ford does align the chassis prior to sending it to FR, but then they add the RV body and it changes everything. Quite often you can get FR to pay for the alignment under warranty.

Aaron

Ami · 03-08-2017, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tapex

Welcome to the forum Mark and Annette,
Congratulations on your decision to potentially purchase a Forester. Have fun while making your decision. Then make some memories with family and friends while traveling. Stay safe and Happy RVing from Farmer NC

Thank you, we will be sure to have fun and make memories.

Ami · 03-08-2017, 09:00 PM

Thank you for the information. It is something that we will definitely do.

Ami · 03-08-2017, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wahoonc

Hi Annette! Welcome to the forums!

A full new set of heavy duty shocks and some sort of steering stablizer is ~$750. I like the Saf T Plus, however there are other good systems out there.It is well worth the cost to have the front end realigned to the proper FR specs. Ford does align the chassis prior to sending it to FR, but then they add the RV body and it changes everything. Quite often you can get FR to pay for the alignment under warranty.

Aaron

Thank you for the information. This is something we will definitely do.

JLud · 03-08-2017, 09:41 PM

Before spending money on fixes I would try air pressure and time at the wheel first. Our class A felt like it needed a ton of input at first compared to a truck, but after a few miles you get comfortable. After a few thousand miles it will be normal...

My 2 cents...try it for a while first.

Ami · 03-09-2017, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLud

Before spending money on fixes I would try air pressure and time at the wheel first. Our class A felt like it needed a ton of input at first compared to a truck, but after a few miles you get comfortable. After a few thousand miles it will be normal...

My 2 cents...try it for a while first.

Thank you. However I have to say this forester compared to another model we test drove had loose steering. The other one was tight.

Ami · 03-12-2017, 08:14 AM

Update on the 2301. Went back to the dealer for my husband to test drive it. Of course they want to know what we are going to do. I told them we will call them later. So, my husband even agreed with me about the steering. He said it needs an alignment. He calls them and let's them know....before we do anything, they need to align it, fill it with gas(was almost on e, couldn't test the generator), put the propane tank back in with propane. (We originally saw it at a rv show we went to and they had removed the propane tank.
) . They said, the will send it out to the ford dealer they use to get it aligned,( said forest river will cover it under warranty) and they are going to prep over the whole coach. Then we will go,back and rest drive it again and make sure everything works!! The u shaped dinning area is comfortable as are the front seats while driving. I did notice a bit of wind draft coming in from the bottom of the dinning area window and the window was closed and locked. Is this common in all coaches. Like I said never had one before. The screen door rattled a bit and a couple other places made some noise. I compared that to the other brand I drove which was no rattles and really quieter.

GL1800Rider · 03-12-2017, 08:58 AM

Ami, if the dealer will pay to get it aligned (or reimbursed by FR) make sure they do it to FR specifications and not Fords. Also not all Ford dealers will align a motorhome due to not having the proper facilities.

The window draft may be something out of adjustment. As for rattles, if a unit does not have any it will later as it is a house on wheels.

See if you can get the dealer to throw in a steering stabilizer in the deal. Saf-T-Plus or Roadmaster are both good and will help a great deal in taking the play out of the steering as will a correct alignment.

One more thing to check is the pressure on the air bags which I keep around 70 PSI. Since the dealer has apparently been using this unit for parts I would bet it has been around for awhile and they probably have never put any air in the bags which should be checked before every outing. Last year I was camping near another Forester owner who bought from Camping World and they never told him anything about the air bags or showed him where to hook up the cable on the outside for the television.

As for other brands, we did a lot of research before looking. In my opinion the fit and finish on the Forester/Sunseeker is a bit better than most others and they use better components such as the Atwood water heater instead of Suburban and the Progressive Dynamics converter instead of the Chinese WFCO found in most other units. The Progressive is a 4 stage and the WFCO is a 3 stage....4 stage will likely help your batteries last longer.

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