New 8301ws

[NJLOAD]

No pictures yet but a few comments: Not impressed with the lack of electrical plugs in the living area but will make due. I don't like the position of the heater by-pass valves, not very easy to get to. And I have no idea where the water pump is and how to revers it to suck antifreeze out of a bottle to winterize it. Other than that its really nice. Love the outside kitchen and sink area. The rear dump's are now combined into one, so you only need one hose. Lots of stuff to still explore so will post more and hopefully some pictures when I figure out how to.

[RusLwt001]

Originally Posted by NJLOAD

No pictures yet but a few comments: Not impressed with the lack of electrical plugs in the living area but will make due. I don't like the position of the heater by-pass valves, not very easy to get to. And I have no idea where the water pump is and how to revers it to suck antifreeze out of a bottle to winterize it. Other than that its really nice. Love the outside kitchen and sink area. The rear dump's are now combined into one, so you only need one hose. Lots of stuff to still explore so will post more and hopefully some pictures when I figure out how to.

That's what YouTube and this forum is all about. Somewhere someone has the same camper and will answer your questions. YouTube your camper model. You might get a thorough walk thru video. Good luck.

[MD DAVE]

Originally Posted by akin2camp

Picked it up last Friday, after just going to "look" on the previous Monday. DW and I knew we wanted that floor plan but hadn't seen on in person since it is a new one. We were going to wait until the spring to get the new camper but it was there so we pulled the trigger. Having never pulled a fifth wheel before I was a bit nervous before leaving for the 2 1/2 drive home. I shouldn't have been. It tows unbelievably easy and backs into my tight home parking spot much easier than my 33' travel trailer ever had. The only downside is we have to wait to go camping until after Christmas. Our weekends are booked until then! See you on the road


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

Does the living room TV pivot out so that while sitting on the couch you have a good viewing angle? Thanks

[akin2camp]

Yea it is on a big arm that swings out. Then it locks back into position when done for travel

[MD DAVE]

Originally Posted by akin2camp

Yea it is on a big arm that swings out. Then it locks back into position when done for travel

Thanks for your reply, we'd love to see this floor plan in person but can't find one anywhere nearby

[NJLOAD]

Akin2camp, have a question. We are on our first trip with our 8301ws and my wife was using a hair dryer in the rear bathroom and blew the GFI circuit and we can not find the reset for the rear bathroom plug the bunk-room TV plug the outside kitchen plug. I reset all the breakers and nothing worked. The only two plugs I found with reset buttons are in the master bathroom sink plug and and the plug in the kitchen on the back side of the sink. Any ideas on how to reset this circuit?

[akin2camp]

Did you set all the GFI plugs? Find them and make sure they don't need to be reset. Also, make sure you didn't trip the main and are running off of battery power. If the microwave is not on you are running on battery. Other than that the breaker should be labeled with the other breakers. We just got back from a three week trip to Yellowstone. Camper preformed flawlessly

[NJLOAD]

Ok, the only two plugs with resets are in the master bathroom and on the kitchen island, am I missing one? both have been reset and tested with a night lite and are working. Every plug in the bunk room and back bathroom and the outside kitchen are dead. Tomorrow I will be moving to a new camp ground and test them again before plugging into the 30amp circuit.

Glad you had a good trip West. I was on the road 82 days last year with my other camper and saw lots of this country. Plenty more to see.

[akin2camp]

Did you figure it out?

[Ka5zci]

Also new owner of 8301WS, South Louisiana, and from Gauthier's! Small world. Picked it up right after the 4th of July and made 4 day trip to Grand Isle for shake down trip.

Hot Water Heater would not light or stay lit on GAS, fine on Electric luckily.

Control Center displaying incorrect contents on Grey Water 1 and Fresh Water Tanks.

Contacted Gauthier's and arranged for revisit to address both issues. Bad Ignitor module on Suburban Water Heater changed...All Good on Gas now.

Repair techs saying they have a recall notice on Control Panels to REFLASH firmware for same panel but different Rockwood 5th...did procedure but did not resolve or even change the behaviour of my control panel. They are to get with Rockwood and develop a plan to address. I will post FIX when it comes available.

All said, staff and techs at Gauthier's have been great to work with. Suffice it to say I drive from Laplace to Lafayette for service because I am very comfortable with the treatment we have received.

Glad to see others posting 8301 likes/dislikes and mods...only mod I made a storage system for my fishing poles using 1" wide sections of PVC to hang them under the roof section of the storage area in the front. Pics if you like...just ask.

[akin2camp]

We are leaving Monday to bring the camper in for it's first service. We are going to PawPaw's rv where we bought it. There are a few minor things that need to be taken car of. The most pressing is the plastic "runner" the water hoses are connected to for the outside kitchen has broken. It is not holding up the hoses. So I bungeed it up on our way back from Destin last week. After our last Keystone travel trailer where the axles came off on the maiden voyage, this camper is a dream. Very minor things to be taken care of before the fall camping season.

[NJLOAD]

Ok, haven’t checked in lately but have lots to report. I got my unit in April 2017 and it was the 2018 model. Unfortunately it’s almost been in the shop as much as in my driveway. I have issues with electrical as in the whole rear end of the trailer was out. The issue was a loose wire in the junction plug located on the outside of the camper where you would plug in your T.V. after weeks in the shop and talks with Forest River the dealer was able to get a hand drawn electric schematic of the 5th wheel. This was also after many holes were cut in the under belly and patched up with black tape and numerous plug sockets were broken to try and locate this issue.
Another trip the bunk room slide motor burnt out and had to be replaced and another hole in the underbelly to replace the motor, this same trip the water connectors on the outside kitchen sink were leaking, I placed a plastic container under the water lines because I didn’t want to risk breaking a connector and having to go the rest of the week without water because there is no shut off valves to any of the water valves in the sinks. I had the dealer put two shut off valves behind the pull out stove for future issues. Lucky for us owners they at least give you the option to manually move the slides in or out with the crank handle. Heaven help us if the bedroom closet slide ever quits in the out position because no one at the dealer could give me an answer on that if it was an issue. Only answer was “OH, that motor never breaks”
I just winterized the camper because up here in the North East it gets cold. What a pain to use the antifreeze connector to draw the liquid from a container. You have to remove the whole wall in the basement compartment to get to the transfer valve and the lousy location of the water filter container makes the job even harder. And why wouldn’t the factory put a by-pass system for this water filter system because the whole canister has to fill up with antifreeze.
With all these issues, I still like the unit and because I bought an extended warranty have no issue dumping it back in the lap of the dealer to get it fixed. Oh one thing I missed on the awning right hand side there is a piece of plastic that slides in there to protect the electric wires well it blew out somewhere on the highway and now I have to pay 38 some dollars because the warranty does not cover this according to the service manager.
Hopefully nothing else goes wrong

Best wishes to you other owners
Dave

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by akin2camp

Attachment 134210
Here is picture of the rear dump valves I was referring to. The dump on the right is just black. The dump on the left is grey

I see steps next to the valves, which side are they located on? Driver side of a tv or passenger side, they can’t be on the passenger side correct

[arter368rlbhk]

I believe it’s setup like this

[Witch Doctor]

Thanks, that's the first unit I have seen with a door on that side

[akin2camp]

Two doors. This door is on the rear bathroom

[doc73]

We saw a few at the Hershey show with driver side doors and even one or two with a door on the back wall.