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Old 07-20-2021, 04:35 PM   #61
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Originally Posted by GaeTim View Post
I know, I know I’m to blame for buying from the same manufacturer but to be fair they’re all the same.

Wrong. I traded my junk FR for a KZ 270thle. So far in three years only one problem and that was a recall on the Solera power awning extending for no reason, even while in motion. Called the dealer and the service manager told me to tie the awning frame members together until parts arrived. Three weeks later I took it in and 20 minutes later I was on my way home.

As far as all being the same, yes, all Forest River models are the same. Research the model name and see just how many FR makes. You'll be surprised.
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Old 07-20-2021, 04:41 PM   #62
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This thread...


There are only 50 things RV'ers ask or complian about. So all of them are beating a dead horse. Lets shut down all forums and facebook groups.
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Old 07-20-2021, 05:11 PM   #63
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Wrong. I traded my junk FR for a KZ 270thle. So far in three years only one problem and that was a recall on the Solera power awning extending for no reason, even while in motion. Called the dealer and the service manager told me to tie the awning frame members together until parts arrived. Three weeks later I took it in and 20 minutes later I was on my way home.

As far as all being the same, yes, all Forest River models are the same. Research the model name and see just how many FR makes. You'll be surprised.
You'd also be surprised how many more brands Thor Industries makes.
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Old 07-20-2021, 08:07 PM   #64
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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



Well .. We bought a 8319ss Rockwood new in 2012. We ordered it. took 4 months to get. Ours had no problems at all except the first day traveling we found that at the Factory, they only put a screw in every 4th hold for the clothes rack and it was bent and on the floor...........You folks have bought, like so many, a unit that is built in 2020 or 2021. The factory is sooooooo behind that all they want to do is get them thrown together and out the door to sell. The hope is that the dealers will fix it. The workers at the factory are paid for how many units they can get out in a week. Also the QC is none extent there. But if it make you feel any better....AirStreams are no better. Annie and I have out on the road since 2009. We know people, and have talked to many owners. In hindsight the used units that are on the market today, if bought from a private owner are soooooo much better than the new??? from the factory. Just my 2 cents on it all. In 2 years or less this buying bubble will pop and the market will be filled with them for half the price.
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Old 07-20-2021, 08:27 PM   #65
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You'd also be surprised how many more brands Thor Industries makes.
Thor does not make the Forest River products. Berkshire Hathaway does.
Thor owns Dutchmen, Keystone, Heartland, Livin' Lite(one of the best toy haulers on the market) Jayco and KZ. Plus the Motorhome lines.
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Old 07-20-2021, 08:47 PM   #66
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It's very common. I have come close to buying a new one several times but thinking about all the bugs I had to fix, I keep mine.
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Old 07-20-2021, 09:27 PM   #67
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Thor does not make the Forest River products. Berkshire Hathaway does.
Thor owns Dutchmen, Keystone, Heartland, Livin' Lite(one of the best toy haulers on the market) Jayco and KZ. Plus the Motorhome lines.
He knows that. He was saying Thor Industries makes MORE than Forest River does.
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Old 07-20-2021, 10:06 PM   #68
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Thor does not make the Forest River products. Berkshire Hathaway does.
Thor owns Dutchmen, Keystone, Heartland, Livin' Lite(one of the best toy haulers on the market) Jayco and KZ. Plus the Motorhome lines.
As Mr Dan said, I said Thor Industries makes more different brands, than FR does. Nowhere did I say that Thor made FR products.
Thor Industries is the largest RV manufacturer in the world. FR is is a distant second.
Thor also owns Starcraft, Highland Ridge, Airstream, Crossroads, Cruiser RV, DRV, Vanleigh and many more.
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Old 07-22-2021, 07:23 AM   #69
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As Mr Dan said, I said Thor Industries makes more different brands, than FR does. Nowhere did I say that Thor made FR products.
Thor Industries is the largest RV manufacturer in the world. FR is is a distant second.
Thor also owns Starcraft, Highland Ridge, Airstream, Crossroads, Cruiser RV, DRV, Vanleigh and many more.
We had a StarCraft, it was worse than all our Forest River units
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Old 07-22-2021, 08:29 PM   #70
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Ok we've had a bunch of minor issues with our '21 Wolf pup 16fq that we shouldn't have had to deal with (more effectively by me than the dealer). But nothing that prevented us from enjoying camping with it. Every time we use the thing, I'm impressed by what an enjoyable, well designed couples trailer it is, and I find myself forgiving Forest River for the quality lapses.
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Old 07-23-2021, 03:26 AM   #71
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We bought our 2016 Forest River Salem Hemisphere 282rk new and it took me about 2 years of repairing to get it under control. The last 3+ years have been much easier. Generally speaking, I think that anyone purchasing a new rv these days should expect some problems. Sad, but true.
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Old 07-23-2021, 07:29 AM   #72
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This scares me as our first trailer a heartland product had a lot of problems. When we went to Forest River and I can name the two problems I had. The DVD player was hooked up wrong and on third trip the fresh water tank overflowed. While hooked to city water. That’s it in 4 years of ownership. We just traded it in on a shorter trailer back to a heartland product. We scheduled our shakedown trip this weekend. Unfortunately the dealership called said it failed PDI and they are awaiting parts.
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Old 07-23-2021, 07:59 AM   #73
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This scares me as our first trailer a heartland product had a lot of problems. When we went to Forest River and I can name the two problems I had. The DVD player was hooked up wrong and on third trip the fresh water tank overflowed. While hooked to city water. That’s it in 4 years of ownership. We just traded it in on a shorter trailer back to a heartland product. We scheduled our shakedown trip this weekend. Unfortunately the dealership called said it failed PDI and they are awaiting parts.

I would look on the bright side that the dealer was actually making an effort on a PDI. One more thing you did not have to discover.

I have come to realize many years ago that a good PDI before ownershipe is better than having gotten a good deal on the purchase.
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Old 07-23-2021, 11:13 AM   #74
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I bought my first new camper last spring (2020), when, it seems, everybody else was also buying their first. I might agree that a good used camper could be better than new. I found a hole in the roof rubber around a screw that was not completely seated, the plumbing coming up through the floor was hardly even foamed around, HDMI cable inside a cabinet not even plugged in and sawdust and metal shavings in cupboards and in nearly every corner! Yes, I should have done a more thorough inspection before accepting delivery. Seems like either the manufacture or dealer should have found before it was sold?
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Old 07-23-2021, 11:37 AM   #75
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Covid units from spring of 2020 onward are way worse off on quality control then units built before covid not that they were a whole lot better . but it just get worse when in the covid yrs .
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Old 07-23-2021, 10:44 PM   #76
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I would look on the bright side that the dealer was actually making an effort on a PDI. One more thing you did not have to discover.

I have come to realize many years ago that a good PDI before ownershipe is better than having gotten a good deal on the purchase.


This is true
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Old 08-15-2021, 09:29 PM   #77
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After reading all of these comments, I feel very fortunate. We haven't had our camper long but so far, we have not had any major issues. There are some minor fit & finish issues like the kitchen counter being slightly out of level when the floor is dead level. We did do a few modifications to prevent possible problems but for the most part, we have not found any real issues (heading out for a 2 week trip soon so we shall see).
Our last camper was a high wall popup-last built by Fleetwood. It was very well built. Colman took over a couple years later and then ditched the tent camper line. In 12 yrs, we never had a major issue with the exception of the 3 way fridge which never worked right but that's another story. Biggest problem we had was the lack of available parts for the wear and tear issues since the camper line was defunct. Had the same problem with our Saturn Wagon. For the most part, I don't see a lot of proprietary parts on the newer campers. I hope that means DIY repair will be easier.
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