Unfortunately I have to agree with the fix it yourself and move on. What every first time owner needs to know before they buy a TT is there are a lot of things to go wrong and if you are not at all handy the ownership will not be pleasant. I own a 2018 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S and I'm pretty handy to fix most of what can go wrong. Most of what I've learned is from other owners.
Having worked around the RV industry for many years (Elkhart Indiana) as an electrician, working on remodels and new buildings for the rv industry & having 2 sons that have worked in the industry I have seen and heard a lot.
1) Most manufacturers hurry units out the door as quick as possible. (Profits, Profits, Profits)
2) Most, not all, rv employees don't give a damn about quality, they are in it for the money and the more units they get out the door the better the pay.
Kinda like the manufacturers. ( Money, Money, Money)
3) If you want a unit that has some quality, have it built on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Mondays some, not all, employees are coming off a.
drunken or drug infested weekend. On Friday those same employees are already getting ready for their drunken and drug infested weekend.
I know what I said is pretty harsh but unfortunately true and if you are fortunate enough to get a unit without problems you are truly lucky.
Hi all
We are first-time Travel Trailer owners. As the price of used trailers was through the roof, we bought new so we wouldn't buy someone elses problems. Turns out new trailers have more apparently...
We bought our 2021 17JG Wolf Pup in May and its in the shop for the 2nd time already. The first time ithe manufacturer picked it up from the dealer and took it back to the factory.
So far we've found;
Awning wont electrically extend but will retract.
Outside fridge heats up instead of cools down.
8" crack in interior sidewall.
BAD burning smell when furnace was used the first time.
Entry door latch fell off when closing the door.
Microwave trim bent and missing bottom screws.
Bottom bunk couldnt be lifted up because of poorly installed trim.
Missing advertised bathroom sink and solar prep plug.
Cook stove not adjusted correctly and leaves soot on pots.
Toilet water supply hose leaking on floor.
And lastly extremely poor fit/finish throughout.
Some of this stuff has been fixed or installed but we are still waiting for the rest.
My question is is this typical from Forest River???
Have others had bad quality issues with FR?
We love the floor plan but dont hold out much hope for longevity.
Cheers
YES. We bought a 2016 22RR toy hauler. Nothing was straight or square. Cupboard handles were all crooked, the shower door rubbed on the bottom after few uses, (dealer did a half-a$$ed fix, not a repair, roof had air bubbles (dealer said it would settle itself down), The loading ramp cracked the first time I tried to load my bike, dealer said to call FR, FR told me to contact the dealer. Both told me I overloaded the ramp. The ramp was rated at 1500lbs and the bike weighed less than 800lbs. We didn't notice all the problems during the walk through except for the cupboard handles.
We discovered a leak from ceiling during a rain storm.
The shower door plastic trim falls off... no adhesive.
The ladder bent while using the optional bike rack. They'll replace it, but we'll upgrade to a hitch-mounted rack.
The entry door often doesn't close completely because the fold down ladder is misaligned.
Lastly, the locking mechanism on the dining table broke easily.
It's getting fixed currently at the dealer since we've had it only 4 mos., but have used it a dozen times. We're lucky that we live close to the dealer!
We did but the dealer rushed us through it. It was late Friday and the tech was late for a wedding. In fact he disappeared after pulling it out of the lot. Left us to fend for ourselves. The awning worked then but died later. The crack was behind the slideout so couldnt be seen until it was retracted at home.
Not taking my time inspecting at the dealership was a newbie mistake that wont be repeated.
I used to buld Beaver coaches and I would have been fired for releasing this kind of crap.
A FR isn’t a Beaver. I have a Beaver. I am so glad you guys did a great job building them. There is a reason a bunch of the Beaver guys set up shop supporting them. Mine’s 18 years old and you wouldn’t know it by looking at it. The solid wood is still beautiful. The hinges, drawer slides, etc. haven’t had to be replaced.
But the FR price point is much different from a Beaver.
Like employees everywhere they are not vested in the product anymore. It is just a job they show up for. And I see this getting worse.
I’ve had two different FR products. The 2014 was perfect, never a problem. The 2019 not so much. There were only 2 1/2 nails holding the bathroom medicine cabinet up. Lack of proper caulk. The island was a joke.
I will go along and repeat most of what has been said; Our Wildcat has been the biggest joke I have ever owned. I mean we lover the floor plan and the set up but quality, not there. I will add that it ended up that it was manufactured in a Prime Time facility which makes it 5x worse as I owned a Crusader Lite and was far worse than this.
The whole thing is getting someone to help and Forest River, thus far for the past 6 years, has done little of nothing.
Wildcat: Roof membrane never installed properly. Lots and lots of bubbles, wrinkles and you can even see where the seems of the roof wood itself were never taped! Both front storage compartment doors have leaked since day 1. Fridge doors were crooked. Heck, the whole fridge was installed wrong. Water pipe leaks galore. Bolt on front nose cap continues to this day to back out from under the seal trim. This is just for starters.
I won't even go into the Crusader issues.
Dealers blame FR. FR won't take responsibility because dealers should fix under warranty but FR won't honor it's own dam warranty!
No, I am not a "handy man" (unfortunately) but one should not have to go through these pains of a purchase if they are going to have continued problems. It's not a matter of "Oops, something went wrong" under normal wear and tear, this is a matter of build. All the advertising in the world of how superior a product is means nothing if you do not back it up and have your employees take time and pride in what they do.
Will I own another FR product if we get rid of this Wildcat?, probably not.
Has FR had ample opportunities to make things right back when I purchased? yes. Did they? No.
But like most others have said, probably better to take matters and tools into your own hands and do best you can.
(one of the other reasons I have not been very active since joining this forum)
It doesn't matter if it's a 20k rig or a 350k rig they all have issues , We have a Tiffin Phaeton 40 IH ( well for 2 more weeks til trade in ) and I have had problems with it , most I repaired myself , but a few we went back to factory for repair, we looked at the Vanleigh's and the Riverstones , the 2 Vanleighs that I was able to physically see the fit and finish inside was terrible , sloppy trim work , wiring messy and unbundled , I was able to see 3 Riverstones none of them were Legacy models but the finish work was much better . We opted to order a 39rkfb in mid March ,went to production June 14th and is scheduled to be delivered 1st week in august. All of these manufacturers need to step up the QC it's not rocket science , unfortunately demand is so high right now they are pumping them out and quality suffers and it will catch up with them all eventually. If you are looking for an trouble free RV that never needs repair well maybe owning an RV isn't for you
We’ve owned many trailers and a motorhome as well, all being affiliated with forest River. If I wrote about all the problems and fixing I had to do to each unit I would have to write a novel! Some of the worst things we encountered were …
- A shower unit detaching from the wall, just caught it in time, I had to remove the whole thing and install it properly.
- 10 gal. Water heater installed in a plastic tub in one of the storage compartments on our Georgetown motorhome, this was ridiculous, I had to design a cradle to support it so it wouldn’t sag and eventually fall through the plastic tub. (Many electrical issues with this unit as well)
- On our latest unit the slide actuator wasn’t installed properly, when we got to our destination I noticed the bottom of the slide was sticking out so when we got home I cut open the underbelly and fixed the bent bracket. This was a disaster waiting to happen on the highway.
… there were many many other installation and quality issues as well with every unit we owned but I never brought them to the dealer since I wanted them fixed properly so I did them myself.
My advice is to make sure you do a complete inspection before accepting a new (or used) unit, grab, pull and shake things to make sure they’re securely fastened, look at the quality of the finish and have them show you that all the appliances work properly.
Happy camping 🏕
I have a 2020 Berkshire XL. Had some issues which FR immediately rectified. Had some other issues I repaired myself. Quality control is a
manufacturer issue. Dealers are supposed to do a thorough inspection and systems test but rarely do. Very few dealers, unless they are small, go over their units prior to delivery. It's easier to have you bring it back then they can charge the manufacturer for a warranty repair.
I have owned many RVs from truck camper to diesel pushers. They all have problems. I could list dozens of issues I have had. I just fix them myself rather than wait 6 or 8 weeks to get a repair done. Once you get the bugs out of your unit keep it. Then u know what you have!!!
I agree. Sometimes you take it in to get something fixed and it's worst than when you brought it in or something else is now broken. If I took my 5er in for everything that needed fixed, I would never get to go camping. I am still waiting on a replacement wheel so all 4 wheels match and we bought the trailer a year ago. If I bought a car that needed this much work, it would be a lemon.
__________________
2015 Chevy 2500HD 6.0 4x4 CC SB
2021 Salem Heritage Glen 290RL GenY
1600W solar > 412 Ah LiFePO4 > Victron MultiPlus II > Cerbo GX
We’ve owned many trailers and a motorhome as well, all being affiliated with forest River. If I wrote about all the problems and fixing I had to do to each unit I would have to write a novel! Some of the worst things we encountered were …
- A shower unit detaching from the wall, just caught it in time, I had to remove the whole thing and install it properly.
- 10 gal. Water heater installed in a plastic tub in one of the storage compartments on our Georgetown motorhome, this was ridiculous, I had to design a cradle to support it so it wouldn’t sag and eventually fall through the plastic tub. (Many electrical issues with this unit as well)
- On our latest unit the slide actuator wasn’t installed properly, when we got to our destination I noticed the bottom of the slide was sticking out so when we got home I cut open the underbelly and fixed the bent bracket. This was a disaster waiting to happen on the highway.
… there were many many other installation and quality issues as well with every unit we owned but I never brought them to the dealer since I wanted them fixed properly so I did them myself.
My advice is to make sure you do a complete inspection before accepting a new (or used) unit, grab, pull and shake things to make sure they’re securely fastened, look at the quality of the finish and have them show you that all the appliances work properly.
Happy camping ��
And you kept buying ones made by Forest River????? All of the brands have problems, but FR has to be the worst.
Nails !!! will pull out of the aluminum bed frame or seat.
Caulking will leak, have to check almost every trip.
Irritating little things that will need to constantly fixed.
We have the same issue with our wall panels or wallpaper falling off the walls! It took at least 6 months of going back forth between our dealer and the factory before we actually found someone who was helpful! The first FR representative we contacted, M. Wiley, gave us a huge run-around. We did everything he asked for including sending pics several times. The first time he said he never received them and the second time he said he lost them. We jumped through all the hoops, and in return we got nothing...he didn't respond to any emails...didn't return any phone calls...NOTHING! All contact was initiated on our behalf!! Finally we decided to try someone else and ended up talking with Rayna Dimitroff. She returned emails and was actually quite prompt about it! Within a week or so, she arranged for replacement 'wallpaper' to be delivered to our home. It arrived quickly and when camping season is over, we will replace it ourselves so the job is done right! Shame on M. Wiley for terrible customer service. You could have at least returned one phone call and/or email!! Thank you Rayna for your prompt replies and help!! You are an asset to FR!!
Love the garbage, yah, first time you turn the AC or heat on your have Styrofoam pellets all over the place.
First time, hah! We have had ours for a year and still have those little bastards flying around anytime we turn on the AC. I event took the vents off and vacuumed out the spaces with my Shark. I would think by now that there wouldn't be any Styrofoam left in the ceiling! Other than that, overall, my 2020 has been pretty good. We haven't had any problems that I couldn't easily fix myself without going back.
I purchased a new FR TT in 2018, no problems, AC did go after the first year. Extended warranty covered it. Traded that in for a 2021 FR fifth wheel. It was built right when covid became an issue. The black tank back-flow fitting was installed reverse so I couldn't flush out the black tank. Two of the brake magnets jarred loose and torn the wiring leaving me with no brakes as well as burnt out my emergency brake switch. The main AC doesn't work on High setting, the ground wire to the electric heat element was never attached. The fake tile backsplash above the stove warped. The control panel stopped working, which lead me to have to manually close all the slide outs. Now the hydraulic cylinder leaks and all the slideouts open and close when I use the self leveling control pad. The rear slide out developed a crack in the fiberglass in the upper corner. Lastly the residential fridge just stopped working. Everything is covered under warranty, but as you all know booking the service is forever. Luckily, I am handy, so I I fixed the brakes myself as well as made my own ground for the electric water heater and we have been able to camp. The fiver is at the dealership now getting the last few repairs done. But crazy how much trouble I have had on this unit!!!
Hi all
We are first-time Travel Trailer owners. As the price of used trailers was through the roof, we bought new so we wouldn't buy someone elses problems. Turns out new trailers have more apparently...
We bought our 2021 17JG Wolf Pup in May and its in the shop for the 2nd time already. The first time ithe manufacturer picked it up from the dealer and took it back to the factory.
So far we've found;
Awning wont electrically extend but will retract.
Outside fridge heats up instead of cools down.
8" crack in interior sidewall.
BAD burning smell when furnace was used the first time.
Entry door latch fell off when closing the door.
Microwave trim bent and missing bottom screws.
Bottom bunk couldnt be lifted up because of poorly installed trim.
Missing advertised bathroom sink and solar prep plug.
Cook stove not adjusted correctly and leaves soot on pots.
Toilet water supply hose leaking on floor.
And lastly extremely poor fit/finish throughout.
Some of this stuff has been fixed or installed but we are still waiting for the rest.
My question is is this typical from Forest River???
Have others had bad quality issues with FR?
We love the floor plan but dont hold out much hope for longevity.
Cheers
I have owned 7 vehicles over the past 20 years; 2 class C’s, 2 class A’s, a pop up trail manor, a feather light 19’ trailer, and currently another class C Dynamax Rev 24. And my favorite is definitely the Dynamax. It provides a smooth quiet ride, constantly 14 mpg, and very few problems. But for some reason forest River discontinued in 2018??? My least favorite was the fr3. Had several problems with slides, sewer plumbing, refrigerator motor, and it had too much road noise.
I just bought a brand new FR Surveyor this past month, and while I have not been unfortunate enough to have major issues I have had a few minor “annoyances”. Carpet on the dinette floor had staples galore not completely stapled down, a few other trim pieces staples were not all the way in, and last night when I brought my slide in I noticed the wall trim came apart from the wall about 2 feet up. (Just pulled the nails right out of the wall. Easy fix though) Plus the normal sawdust and miscellaneous remnants of construction left. Could FR be better about it all? Yes. Will they? Nope, not anytime soon. Do I understand that I’m buying something that potentially will have nuances and quirks and I might have to deal with them on my own? Yep. Should I after paying many thousands of dollars have to deal with it all though? Nope. Unfortunately it is the state of the mainstream RV industry now.
2018 Wildcat 383MB
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