FR3 questions/comments

[arnie1960]

I'm out shopping for my 1st MH. I like the look and size of the FR3's,
specifically the 25DS and 28DS with the extra wide slideouts.

Questions: I went to a local dealer to look at the 25DS.
He said they don't carry it because "it doesn't show well"
do to floor plan (bedroom part of galley).

Can any 25DS owners comment on their MH (like/dislike)

Also, I don't see any/much counter space on the 25DS.
Is there no slide out or hinge counter???


I like that the floor is one-level (no step down/up from cab
to galley). But, I don't see any "table" for the cab chairs
like there i on the Thor (ACE, Axis, Windstar) or
Coachmen Pursuit.

Any plans to put in a cab table?

Any comments on suggestions - ACE, Vegas, Pursuit, Windstar, Fr3
to help my decision would be great...

[MaltnHops]

The a/c is horribly under powered and you'll need to install a 2nd AC if you're going to be in weather above 90. Other than that, I love the FR3's. I have a 30, and it has great counter space.


2015 FR3 30

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[auntieshoes]

Arnie - I will apologize to everyone now for the length of this post, but since you asked, I have a lot to say about this.

The FR3 25DS is our first motor home and we wish we had restrained ourselved a bit and done more research. We were really excited about the short length as we want to be able to go to National Parks and other places that would be impossible to get to in a larger motor home. We did not like the layout of the ACE as I recall.

I agree that not having to step up or down is a plus (as you would in a Class C or B+), but in our model (2014.5) it's very difficult to turn the captains chairs around so having that cab area as additional living space is not really much of a benefit in my opinion. We also like to move around a lot when we camp, and that would not be such a big deal if you are going to one place and going to park there.

There is essentially no kitchen counter space. We wind up having to use the few inches behind the stove, and as far as I know no flip up counter has been added since ours was built. We have an Ikea drawer set in the big closet and it has a nice white removable solid surface which could go on the cooktop for added room - but I use the kitchen table for prep work.

There is no table for the cab chairs although you will find someone on here made a pretty simple fix for that.

I didn't try the other brands you mention so I can't say, but I did look at an Itasca Sun-something that comes in a 25 option that has one more chair and more counter space and a better bed set up.

Having gone to the motorhome mecca of Quartzite last weekend, here is my list of things that I do not like about the FR3, now that I am older and wiser.

1) The gas engine in the front is really loud, and the dash and windows rattle like mad, and the blinds for the windows in front bounce around so you pretty much have to yell to communicate if you are rolling down the highway. We had our windshield resealed but there is still plenty of wind noise at times as well. This is not something we got a feel for in the short 2 mile test drive trip we took.

2) There is no privacy for any of the sleeping areas, although a newer model I saw had a curtain to close around the bed. The bed is very hard to make as you have climb on top of it to get the sheets onto the far back corner, and then the mattress does not have a support that goes down all of the way, so it sags at the bottom. This makes it hard to keep the sheets tucked in, so for us they just hang loose. There is not much clearance on the far side or at the bottom, so the person sleeping on the far side (my husband) has to climb over the other person (me) to get in and out of the bed.

3) The lack of kitchen prep space - you already spotted that.

4) Some of the other RVs I have looked at have dedicated closets and drawers for clothes. The FR3 is marketed as having "customizable" storage, which means that you have to figure out how to take advantage of the space. Since the walls of the cabinets are as thin as cardboard, you can't do a lot in there without some serious modifications. There is only one large drawer in the 25, and the bottom fell out of ours when I put a fair amount of stuff in it. The little cubby drawers are nice in the small closet, but you have to open the doors to get to them and alot of space is wasted.

5) My husband has a hard time with the driver's seat as his legs are shorter than mine, and it's not adjustable up and down. I don't like the set up as far as where the steering wheel is as it blocks the part of the speedometer that I need to see the most (the 50-70mph part).

The FR3 is an entry level motorhome - so that said, it meets our needs now, and it's helping me to figure out what I like and don't like and I'll be more informed if we decide to upgrade in the future. It's not a bad motorhome, but if I had it to do all over again, I'd skip the entry level and fork out some extra money for something nicer that we would want to keep for much longer.

BTW - there is a 2012 28 foot Tiffin Allegro Breeze, diesel pusher, for sale by owner in Bremerton, WA on RV Trader that looks wonderful. I would never buy a new MH again either as our sales tax is 10% and that was money that could have been spent on a slightly used, but nicer equipped Class A. You are likely to get an extended warranty anyway, so the new warranty doesn't do a lot for you. And chances are all of the problems we have had to work out on ours (AC, slides, fridge shuts off, fuses blow, etc) have already been resolved by the first owner.

Sorry to take up so much time and space, but I hope that this helps. Feel free to contact me off forum if you have any other questions.

[Sev]

Yes there is not a lot of counter space. There does appear to be room to add a flip up on the left side.

The large cabinet is roomy but you will need to customize to your needs. My plan is to put a closet hanger on one side and shelves on the other.

The engine is loud but I do not get a lot of rattling. Though the installers did leave a loose screw inside of my slide out that rolls around while I am driving which is annoying.

Some have had issues with their slide outs but I think that has been resolved with the newer models. Always be level when pushing the slides out or you may run into trouble.

Some say they are limited on storage but personally I think there is just enough. Yes the kitchen storage could use some help. The rollout drawer under the large cabinet is not good for weighted items because the bottom has the tendency to fall. I just need to pull it out and fix that. Also underneath the table benches is ample storage.

You want a shower door and not a curtain for the shower or water will end up on the floor.

I personally added an inverter and extra plugs as this was lacking especially for dry camping.

Some have added a table between the captain chairs.

The stock tv antenna is very weak and worthless for me.

I'm not sure why there are so many a/c issues I have been in 100+ weather and was fine. Just needed to start the a/c early morning before the entire cabin heats up. But many people have commented on this.

If you search for the different upgrades in this forum you will find many great ideas.

Good luck to you!

[auntieshoes]

Wow. I'm surprised at how quiet everyone is.


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[reinerka]

When we switched from our Forest River Solera (Class C) to our new one we looked at the FR3 25DS and having spent a few seconds inside we dismissed it immediately.


While the Solera was well built and provided good value for the money our impression about everything in the FR3 was the opposite. It all looked cheap and the very dark interior made it claustrophobic.


We ultimately ended up buying a Winnebago Brave 27B and love it. I wouldn't say that the Winnebago build quality is that much different than Forest River but the floor plan of the Brave with the bright interior is working very well (for us).


As to the comments about loud engine - unless driving a diesel pusher you will have engine noise up front (and the same V10 engine on the same Ford F53 chassis). We find it is quiet if kept at descent RPMs - anything over 3000rpm and you want to upshift quickly.


Make sure you look at options - we didn't want to go above 28 foot and now find the 29.xx feet of the Brave to be very easy to manage.


Reiner

[auntieshoes]

We have decided to upgrade to a DP so our 25ds is for sale. Feel free to contact me if you or someone you know is interested.


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[pkenley]

We looked at a 28DS this past weekend which seem to resolve many of the issues mentioned above. It has two slides. The bedroom slides to the rear adding 3 ft to the over length, and the bedroom has two large cabinets and drawers and a wooden pocket door for privacy.

[wayne and sherry]

We bought the 2015 FR3 30DS. We feel we got a great deal and a kick ass class A.


Jenny (FR3/30DS)

[Brewster McFrisk]

We have the 25ds and for 2 people, with a occasional guest it's perfect for us. Added a invertor with extra plug-ins, modified the closets to suit us, added extra storage compartment lights, Installed sewer slinky tunes on top of Propane tank along with the screen in front grill and we are almost good to go!!!! Yes we had our problems but FR was great to help fix, local dealers not so much!!