New to Forum Need Opinions Please

[TexasRT]

First Thanks in advance for any help. We are going to be in the market for a new RV in the near future. We looked at the 39 RKFB and really like the floorpan, I have researched the RiverStone line and they seem to be very well built. Can some of you that currently own a RiverStone please give some feedback on the actual built quality, product quality used in them and warranty customer service from the factory. We have had two 5th Wheels already so we're familiar with the basic operations, I am mainly looking for comments on overall quality and would you recommend a RS product or not based on your experience.

Thanks again
Ron

[CurtPutnam]

Welcome from SoCal! Sorry, I have no experience with Riverstone

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum. DBLR has considerable knowledge on this camper maybe he will chime in here. Later RJD

[lcv800]

In the price range, I don't think you can find a better unit. I have a 2019 38MB Riverstone Legacy and spend winters in Florida with it. Download the brochure, as it will list the quality construction specifications. Contact the factory and speak to Dana. Don't have the number handy now. They will give you a tour. I've followed a multitude of forums and have found very few people who have bashed their units, not that they, like all RV's don't have an occasional issue. If there are issues, it's usually a component problem, and not a build issue. Fit and finish on my unit is excellent.
Rusty

[dblr]

Ok here is my opinion, yes we have a River Stone Legacy and are very happy with it, was it issue free, of course not but what few issues we had were handled well and quickly. We have noticed that things have and are currently changing in their build, things that were in our unit are no longer installed or offered in the current builds some for better but more for worst (IN MY OPINION). Now to agree with Rusty for the money and build quality and also for what other choices you have out there they still are the better choice but be prepared for possible issues with the fireplaces and the theater seating. If you can try to visit the factory to see for yourself, heck if you do visit other brands factories while out there and you can compare for your self.

PM me if you wish to ask any more specific questions will be more then glad to help

[TexasRT]

Thanks to all for responding, good info.

[GWJohnson]

Welcome to the Forum. We have a 2020 Riverstone 39RKFB since September 2019 and have wintered in it in AZ since then. We're very pleased with it. We tow it with a 2020 GMC 3500HD Denali. We had a Tiffin Phaeton diesel pusher for 9 years prior to this and traveled in it in 45 states & 6 Canadian provinces. So far, the quality of build seems to be very good and we have not had any warranty issues yet.

When we decided to go to a 5th wheel & truck, we toured some 5th wheel manufacturers to check out how they're building them, including Grand Design, New Horizons, etc. We also considered VanLeigh, since we had great experience with our Tiffin bus. Although the floor design was a major factor in our decision on the Riverstone, some of the other mechanical / design issues that sold me were:

1) 8,000 lb axles with disc brakes, Mohr ride suspension & H rated tires
2) There are NO water lines, sewer lines, propane lines in ANY of the 4 movable slides, which should be safer / less maintenance with no exposure to elements or road hazards.
3) 3 A/Cs + solar panels + generator. 40 lb LP tanks vs standard 30 lb. Also, the 'on-demand' water heater means not ever running out of hot water.
4) The 450+ lb residential refrigerator is NOT on a slide (it's on back wall) which slightly helps balance out the tongue weight, which is a heavy 3,158 lbs, but more importantly results in LESS weight moving on slides.
5) 1 & 1.5 baths & walk-in closet are vary convenient (huge main bath).
6) 3" side walls + better insulation than most.

At this point, some of the only issues we have (which is common to most) is that the internal tank sensors are not accurate at all. "If" there was an option to have the See Level external sensors from the factory, we would have opted for those, but they don't offer that. The DW would like a little more cabinet space in the kitchen, but having a dishwasher outweighs that. Lastly, although many questions about the rig can be researched on-line, it would have been nice to have an 'owners manual' from Forest River specific to this model for reference.

We think we made the right decision with the Forest River Riverstone 39RKFB. We're pulling it to Alaska this summer. Good luck on your decision.

[TexasRT]

Originally Posted by GWJohnson

Welcome to the Forum. We have a 2020 Riverstone 39RKFB since September 2019 and have wintered in it in AZ since then. We're very pleased with it. We tow it with a 2020 GMC 3500HD Denali. We had a Tiffin Phaeton diesel pusher for 9 years prior to this and traveled in it in 45 states & 6 Canadian provinces. So far, the quality of build seems to be very good and we have not had any warranty issues yet.

When we decided to go to a 5th wheel & truck, we toured some 5th wheel manufacturers to check out how they're building them, including Grand Design, New Horizons, etc. We also considered VanLeigh, since we had great experience with our Tiffin bus. Although the floor design was a major factor in our decision on the Riverstone, some of the other mechanical / design issues that sold me were:

1) 8,000 lb axles with disc brakes, Mohr ride suspension & H rated tires
2) There are NO water lines, sewer lines, propane lines in ANY of the 4 movable slides, which should be safer / less maintenance with no exposure to elements or road hazards.
3) 3 A/Cs + solar panels + generator. 40 lb LP tanks vs standard 30 lb. Also, the 'on-demand' water heater means not ever running out of hot water.
4) The 450+ lb residential refrigerator is NOT on a slide (it's on back wall) which slightly helps balance out the tongue weight, which is a heavy 3,158 lbs, but more importantly results in LESS weight moving on slides.
5) 1 & 1.5 baths & walk-in closet are vary convenient (huge main bath).
6) 3" side walls + better insulation than most.

At this point, some of the only issues we have (which is common to most) is that the internal tank sensors are not accurate at all. "If" there was an option to have the See Level external sensors from the factory, we would have opted for those, but they don't offer that. The DW would like a little more cabinet space in the kitchen, but having a dishwasher outweighs that. Lastly, although many questions about the rig can be researched on-line, it would have been nice to have an 'owners manual' from Forest River specific to this model for reference.

We think we made the right decision with the Forest River Riverstone 39RKFB. We're pulling it to Alaska this summer. Good luck on your decision.

Thanks for the response and info.

[SaltDaddy]

Originally Posted by GWJohnson

Welcome to the Forum. We have a 2020 Riverstone 39RKFB since September 2019 and have wintered in it in AZ since then. We're very pleased with it. We tow it with a 2020 GMC 3500HD Denali. We had a Tiffin Phaeton diesel pusher for 9 years prior to this and traveled in it in 45 states & 6 Canadian provinces. So far, the quality of build seems to be very good and we have not had any warranty issues yet.

When we decided to go to a 5th wheel & truck, we toured some 5th wheel manufacturers to check out how they're building them, including Grand Design, New Horizons, etc. We also considered VanLeigh, since we had great experience with our Tiffin bus. Although the floor design was a major factor in our decision on the Riverstone, some of the other mechanical / design issues that sold me were:

1) 8,000 lb axles with disc brakes, Mohr ride suspension & H rated tires
2) There are NO water lines, sewer lines, propane lines in ANY of the 4 movable slides, which should be safer / less maintenance with no exposure to elements or road hazards.
3) 3 A/Cs + solar panels + generator. 40 lb LP tanks vs standard 30 lb. Also, the 'on-demand' water heater means not ever running out of hot water.
4) The 450+ lb residential refrigerator is NOT on a slide (it's on back wall) which slightly helps balance out the tongue weight, which is a heavy 3,158 lbs, but more importantly results in LESS weight moving on slides.
5) 1 & 1.5 baths & walk-in closet are vary convenient (huge main bath).
6) 3" side walls + better insulation than most.

At this point, some of the only issues we have (which is common to most) is that the internal tank sensors are not accurate at all. "If" there was an option to have the See Level external sensors from the factory, we would have opted for those, but they don't offer that. The DW would like a little more cabinet space in the kitchen, but having a dishwasher outweighs that. Lastly, although many questions about the rig can be researched on-line, it would have been nice to have an 'owners manual' from Forest River specific to this model for reference.

We think we made the right decision with the Forest River Riverstone 39RKFB. We're pulling it to Alaska this summer. Good luck on your decision.

Nice summary review Greg. First time poster here and doing some research on a 2019 Riverstone 39RKFB. We are also considering the Grand Design Solitude 375RES for the rear storage which is fairly important as a need for our use. I wish Riverstone had a floor plan that offered more cargo storage. Was there anything specifically that turned you off about Grand Design as compared to the Riverstone? I'm assuming you would have been looking at the Solitude line.

Hope your Alaska trip can still go on as planned. I was born and raised up thre and it is one beautiful place. My daughter and son in law currently are stationed close to Fairbanks and are loving it for the outdoor life.

[SlowrideHD]

Originally Posted by GWJohnson

Welcome to the Forum. We have a 2020 Riverstone 39RKFB since September 2019 and have wintered in it in AZ since then. We're very pleased with it. We tow it with a 2020 GMC 3500HD Denali. We had a Tiffin Phaeton diesel pusher for 9 years prior to this and traveled in it in 45 states & 6 Canadian provinces.

I can't imagine leaving a Tiffin and moving into a 5th wheel. My DW and I have considered for a couple of years about trading for a MH, and since we live close to Red Bay, the Tiffin quality would put them at the top of our list.

Could you give some reasons for your move? I'm always very interested in the reasons folks choose one or the other. It may help us make up our mind.

[GWJohnson]

Originally Posted by SaltDaddy

Nice summary review Greg. First time poster here and doing some research on a 2019 Riverstone 39RKFB. We are also considering the Grand Design Solitude 375RES for the rear storage which is fairly important as a need for our use. I wish Riverstone had a floor plan that offered more cargo storage. Was there anything specifically that turned you off about Grand Design as compared to the Riverstone? I'm assuming you would have been looking at the Solitude line.

Hope your Alaska trip can still go on as planned. I was born and raised up thre and it is one beautiful place. My daughter and son in law currently are stationed close to Fairbanks and are loving it for the outdoor life.

-----------------------------

SaltDaddy,... Our choice of the Riverstone was more about the quality of materials and the features, vs. anything that turned us off about the Grand Design, or the other brands we looked at. Those features included: 3" walls including the ends of the slide outs (you won't find that in very many rigs), 8,000 lb axles w/disc brakes, hardwood cabinets vs laminated, etc. Concerning cargo storage,.... yes, the Riverstone has less storage than our motorhome, but if you measure the height & depth of the cargo areas and compare, the Riverstone has slightly more cargo capacity than many 5vers. Also, compare the thickness of the cargo doors, hinges & latches and I'll think you'll find that the Riverstone quality of these features also beat the competition. Hope this helps.

[SaltDaddy]

Thank you for the information Greg. There definitely are quite a few quality features in the Riverstone brand. At the end of the day, I'm sure our choice will eventually come down to what is going to provide the best value for our situation and needs.

[GWJohnson]

Originally Posted by SlowrideHD

I can't imagine leaving a Tiffin and moving into a 5th wheel. My DW and I have considered for a couple of years about trading for a MH, and since we live close to Red Bay, the Tiffin quality would put them at the top of our list.

Could you give some reasons for your move? I'm always very interested in the reasons folks choose one or the other. It may help us make up our mind.

----------

We had no complaints about our Tiffin Phaeton motorhome. Our usage of the RV has changed. We drove the Phaeton in 45 states, 6 Canadian provinces and 62k miles. This was all done in the summertime, because we Wintered in the Phaeton in AZ for 6 months. If we were going to continue to travel extensively, we would have kept the motorhome. But, sitting for 6 months, it's a relatively expensive way to have a motorhome, since you still have to do annual maintenance ($1200-$1500 yr) whether you drive it or not, pay 3-4x the insurance premiums of a 5ver ($2,000+ a year), tires every 5 years on a motorhome are $4-$5,000, batteries for a motorhome every 5 years are $2,000, etc., etc. Again,.... "if" we were going to continue to travel extensively, we probably would have kept the motorhome, but sitting in 1 place for 6+ months, it made more sense to us get the Riverstone.

Yes, we were planning on going to Alaska with the rig this summer, so it gave us an excuse to get something "new" (Riverstone & GMC pick-up). I've had friends drive motorhomes to Alaska with no problems,.... but, I know some that suffer suspension problems, broken windshields ($3,000 on a motorhome), and one friend spent 2 days on the side of the road due to engine problems. On that type of trip, you can find someone to work on a pick-up if you have mechanical problems, or have it towed. A large motorhome is a little more challenging up there. Also, with a motorhome, if you do have mechanical problems and it has to go into a shop for a week (or, 2, 3, 4?), that's your living quarters. If you have mechanical problems with a pick-up, you still have your living quarters in the 5ver while truck is in the shop.

Yes, you give up the ability to have the DW fix lunch, or be able to go the bathroom, while you're driving down the road in a motorhome, but, in consideration of the amount of time you're driving vs. sitting, those really aren't compelling reasons to us for keeping the motorhome.

Those are some of the reasons we switched from our Tiffin Phaeton motorhome (which we loved), to our Riverstone 5ver. You can't go wrong with a Tiffin if you decide to go with a motorhome. Good luck on your decisions. Hope this helps.

[Jim1521]

We've been living full-time in our 39FK since October of '19 and are very pleased with it. The build quality is good, and we've only had one big problem with ours, and it had to do with the air conditioning. It was wired incorrectly from the factory, but that was corrected by a mobile tech coming out to fix it. Another problem we had was with the ducting work for the A/C. It was not taped down correctly up in the section where the A/C joins the duct work, which created a flapping noise. It was bad in all 3 units. We had a mobile tech come out and fix it, and I was reimbursed by FR. I need to submit the bill for reimbursement for the rewiring, but have been too busy of late to get to it.

The toilet seat sucked; it came off under my (and DW's) butt more times than I could count. Needless to say, when the Queen ROARED about it, I went and replaced it with a "real" toilet seat. BTW, it is easily replaced with an elongated toilet seat available from any home hardware store.

The rest of the build has been great. We love the floorplan. We had some customization done at the factory (Ethernet cabling pulled to various locations, HDMI cables pulled from TV to kitchen buffet top, additional electrical outlets installed, custom desk installed), and they were great to work with.

I would not hesitate to purchase another Riverstone. They did a great job.