Any Happy Forest River Owners Out there?

[Ontario Sam]

Just got back from 5.5 weeks (8,000km) of camping with our 2016 Crusader. Everything worked perfect. No factory defects that weren't corrected by the dealer (Wholesale RV Club ---Colrain RV Cincinnati). Just wished the dealer had done a better job of showing me how to connect the 5th wheel to ensure it does not disconnect. Pulled out of the drive way trailer disconnected and took out the tailgate and dropped the trailer on the truck bed....ouch. After that all went well.

[Shutterbug]

We bought our 2017 Cruise Lite 201BHXL on July 1st.
We have had it out 1 full week, and 8 weekend trips. It has only sat for 3 weekends.
We have not had one issue, and are loving our purchase.
I did change out the shower head, add a battery shutoff switch, and add a 24" tv.
I have a few other changes to make. But the trailer has performed flawlessly.

[Hugeez]

I should not post this since it will probably jinx me but we have had our Puma for a little over a year. We have had a couple pieces of interior furniture trim come loose and of course the grey and black tank sensors don't work but other than that we are very happy with our cat. With the DW work schedule as it is we don't get to go out as often as we would like but none the less are happy.

[Paul GA]

Originally Posted by 2Evil4U

So far DW and I really enjoy ours. It is our first, and I will say most likely not the last. There have been a few minor issues that I suppose I could warranty, but we have been taking it out on average every two weeks and will continue to do so. I don't want it trapped in the shop for a month for the dealer to do a crummy job fixing something I can do myself at home. (I'm the same way with my vehicles. They never go back to the dealer.)

The only thing I may consider calling FR about is the state of the hide-a-bed couch. It has never stayed upright and locked when travelling and knocked a small hole in the floor on one trip. I started tying it up after that and now it has become very difficult and clunky to extend.

Once I get the 50Amp service installed at the house this week, that thing is coming out and the investigation will commence.

Extend it all the way out. Then look by the back wall towards the floor. There two arms, snug up those bolts.

Then when you fold it back up, make sure to lift the front so that the back of the part you sit on hooks in the back. There are two hooks on the back of the part you sit on, those have to hook in.

[2Evil4U]

Originally Posted by Paul GA

Then when you fold it back up, make sure to lift the front so that the back of the part you sit on hooks in the back. There are two hooks on the back of the part you sit on, those have to hook in.

THAT's WHAT THAT's for!!!!

I had that bugger apart down to the frame last weekend to fix a failed drawer slide and generally inspect it and it never occurred to me that the hooks on the back of the seat might go into the loops on the back frame. Mainly because I had the seat removed for most of the work.

As soon as I read it it made sense.

Bravo!

[Paul GA]

Originally Posted by 2Evil4U

THAT's WHAT THAT's for!!!!

I had that bugger apart down to the frame last weekend to fix a failed drawer slide and generally inspect it and it never occurred to me that the hooks on the back of the seat might go into the loops on the back frame. Mainly because I had the seat removed for most of the work.

As soon as I read it it made sense.

Bravo!

Mine was jamming bringing back up and unfold on its own... seemed those arms were jamming it. I was folding it back up and spotted the hooks and went DOH!

[2Evil4U]

Originally Posted by Paul GA

Mine was jamming bringing back up and unfold on its own... seemed those arms were jamming it. I was folding it back up and spotted the hooks and went DOH!

Yup. It makes perfect sense once you see it.

Thanks again!

[Wsmith60]

My DW and I purchased a 2017 Heritage Glenn in July and so far we are more than happy with it. It has a few minor quality issues, but the biggest issue we've had is the awing arm can't support the awning and I can't get the dealer to fix it.

I don't know if the biggest problem is with the manufacturing or the dealer support. I know the there will always be manufacturing defects especially when you have this many different components being brought together to make the whole assembly. The dealer is the one who can ultimately make the manufacturer look good or bad. If they're not willing to put the extra effort in to customer service, then the manufacturer will look like they don't care. IMO!

[Rollingdunder1]

Have you checked that all the screws, rivits and connector jobbies are installed and tightened? It is an unfortunate part of this industry that most dealers do not give a hoot about their customers after the sale papers have been signed. If you can't get your awning figured out; you might consider enlisting the aid of a good RV tech. They'd probably figure it out in a jiffy.

[67hvymtl]

Hi all. I have a 2016 Rockwood Roo 233S that I bought in June as an upgrade.

I am very pleased with it so far and don't have any complaints.

My friends get a kick out of sleeping on the pop out beds, and I've gotten several compliments on it so far.

[winterdaughter]

First of all, I would love to say thanks to all the nice RV people who write and help out on this site. I enjoy learning and reading about RVs.
Well this was our first Class A after having one Class C Winnebago and its had a lot of problems that were covered under the warranty. However we are finishing year 2 and still having problems-the biggest one is the MBR bed would not lay flat so the RV spent 6 months in the shop this year being fixed. Forest River was very slow to cooperate with the dealer. We took it out in July and the bed lays flat but now the slide broke and makes horrible noises and wont go all the way out and its back in the shop. The dealer is afraid its not under warranty anymore even tho we have the RV Warranty forever. Do other people have this warranty? Other problems with the Master bed slide? Thanks,
Lisa

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by winterdaughter

now the slide broke and makes horrible noises and wont go all the way out and its back in the shop. The dealer is afraid its not under warranty anymore even tho we have the RV Warranty forever. Do other people have this warranty? Other problems with the Master bed slide? Thanks,
Lisa

The "Forever Warranty" does NOT cover slide mechanisms or LOTS of other stuff in the RV. It is mostly a sales gimmick that requires you to perform a lot of maintenance tasks at the dealer to keep it in force. You will be paying for your slide repair.
Since it is out of warranty and your dealer has not been too speedy or prompt...you might do well to find an independent RV repair shop who will be happy to take non warranty work and depends on REPAIRS for a living.
Good luck!

Only this is free:
http://www.rvwarrantyforever.com/whats-covered/
but you must pay for this:
http://www.rvwarrantyforever.com/maintenance/

"Can I perform my own maintenance? No. All services must be performed by a professional repair facility. This is to ensure proper documentation as well as the workmanship of all services performed on your RV."

[slamac]

Too many replies to read them all. Here is my story:
I have owned in my 40 + years of camping. 1 truck camper used, don't remember the brand a Coleman tent trailer used, a Fleetwood Wilderness Travel trailer park model used a Fleetwood Wilderness 5th wheel full slide new and now in a 2014 Forestriver Sunseeker 3010DS Moterhome one model year old. Non of them are high enders. When I sold all of them they were in great working order and had quiet a few good years of service left in them.

Yes, you will have some, mostly miner quality issues with all of these, what I call weekender quality type units, but for the most part if make some mods and you keep up with all of the regular maintenance and repairs as needed they should last for a very long time relatively trouble free. This forum is a great resource for information and repair tips and as a lot of people mentioned a lot of us use it for problems we are having so sometimes we are a little frustrated. If you are not a little handy with some tools and if you think having to repair a minor issue on your rv fom time to time makes it a pos I suggest you rent a cabin or rv. and most of all!!!

[Larry Roth]

Has anyone figured out how to get better lighting on the road with an FR-3? The head lights are very very bad and if the lower fog lights were not there it would be a disaster.

Can these head lights be changed??

[auburnspitfire]

Originally Posted by tothebeach

Hey, I just purchased a new Roo which I will pick up in several weeks. If you read the thread below titled Quality, it would seem that Forest River puts out nothing but POS. It is rather disconcerting reading this as a new TT buyer. I'm hoping that my unit is decent quality with minimal issues, not perfect but just decent. From what I have read on here, that may be asking a lot. Can't help but wonder if I should have bought that other make and model.

I would really appreciate hearing from some of you that have been relatively pleased with your units. I hope there are some of you out there.

Guess I'm wondering if my dream vacations could turn into nightmares based on some of the experiences shared.

Thanks much.

This is an excellent question as I need help selecting the best 5th wheel that people are happy with. I had chosen a heritage glen then read about the problems. Thought about a Rockwood 5th wheel. I like many of the Forest River 5th wheels. So WHO is the happiest with their Forest River, which one and why. All help is appreciated! Also I know dealer is important also.

[hbillsmith]

In the summer of 2015, after much research, we made the trip to Elkhart/Goshen area to visit the factories for Open Range, Jayco and Grand Design. Open Range was our first choice before the trip and then we changed to Grand Design.

Fast forward to the Ft. Worth RV show and we saw the Forest River Wildcat 295rsx. The list of features that the others didn't have was significant (Maxxis tires on 16" wheels, 4 step entry, largest storage bin of any we had looked at, 9cuft refr, std cargo rack, std 2nd A/C, std slide toppers, and others). As a bonus, the price happened to come in better too. Now 12000 tow miles and about 80 camping nights, we couldn't be happier.

Sure there were a few minor issues uncovered on the first trip or two but they were either easy to remedy myself or our dealer jumped in and made the adjustments. Probably the biggest failure was a water pump that needed replacing. I emailed the rep at Forest River and they overnighted one to me overnight for free (I did the labor, it was plug and play and took about 30 minutes even though I had never done anything like that before). Year two has been problem free. If I live long enough to buy another one, Forest River will be my first choice.

[auburnspitfire]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

In the summer of 2015, after much research, we made the trip to Elkhart/Goshen area to visit the factories for Open Range, Jayco and Grand Design. Open Range was our first choice before the trip and then we changed to Grand Design.

Fast forward to the Ft. Worth RV show and we saw the Forest River Wildcat 295rsx. The list of features that the others didn't have was significant (Maxxis tires on 16" wheels, 4 step entry, largest storage bin of any we had looked at, 9cuft refr, std cargo rack, std 2nd A/C, std slide toppers, and others). As a bonus, the price happened to come in better too. Now 12000 tow miles and about 80 camping nights, we couldn't be happier.

Sure there were a few minor issues uncovered on the first trip or two but they were either easy to remedy myself or our dealer jumped in and made the adjustments. Probably the biggest failure was a water pump that needed replacing. I emailed the rep at Forest River and they overnighted one to me overnight for free (I did the labor, it was plug and play and took about 30 minutes even though I had never done anything like that before). Year two has been problem free. If I live long enough to buy another one, Forest River will be my first choice.

I appreciate this answer very much. Anyone else with 5th wheels they love made by Forest River?

[keith52]

Originally Posted by auburnspitfire

This is an excellent question as I need help selecting the best 5th wheel that people are happy with. I had chosen a heritage glen then read about the problems. Thought about a Rockwood 5th wheel. I like many of the Forest River 5th wheels. So WHO is the happiest with their Forest River, which one and why. All help is appreciated! Also I know dealer is important also.

I would suggest you take a look at the Cedar Creek line of 5th wheels.

[Wayne Joan]

We have a 2015 Forest River Flagstaff 8528IKWS (same trailer as a Rockwood 8289WS). We are very happy with our trailer. Very few small issues. Most have been resolved while we were at the FROG Rally in Goshen. We pull our trailer with a 2013 Ford F-150 Eco Boost and have no problems at all with this combination. See signature below.

[SidecarFlip]

Being what appears to be the only TC camper owner on this site (Palomino Backpack SS1500) I have to say that I have had no issues at all. Everything works as it should, the camper was built well, everything lines up perfectly, all systems function perfectly. I'm a happy camper and no, this isn't my first rodeo either. This is my 4th camper. The last one was a Lance, supposedly the 'Cadillac' of TC's. It's not.

The Palomino is better built and much more well thought out.

I'm good to go anywhere my 4 wheel drive pickup can get me. and my 'house' on the back.