Forest River Craftsmanship

My 09 Cardinal was a piece of c---! It spent more time in the shop then on the road. Water leaks inside and outside, trim falling off, slides misaligned, on and on. Forest River fought the dealer all the time, warranty work was a hassle, and getting parts even worse. Took six weeks to get a piece of interior trim for the slide out. Will never own another FR product.

Charlie D. wrote:

469whj469 wrote:
Forrest River is owned by Warren Buffitt and he has stated just what is stated above, he only buys good, well run companies, and if they are well run to start with, why would he change managment. Forest River makes money and with 10,000 people truning 65 years old every day, Mr. Buffitt stated that it was a good business to be in because the old fokls will by RVs and travel.

Berkshire-Hathaway owns Forest River which is run by Buffett. Buffett is motivated by profit as all business people are. He normally does not get involved in running companies and some of the companies they own are not necessarily well run but for the most part profitable. Buffett keeps an eye on the bottom line. Once it falls out of favor with Berkshire-Hathaway, they will split it off or dump it.

I own a Forest River product and so far has been a good unit. Problems are cropping up on Forest River forums and it appears to be increasingly difficult to get answers or help with warranty issues.

I have only had to contact Forest River a couple of times and they were very helpful and responsive . Is it that it is getting harder or you only hear from the ones that are having a hard time. Seems to me that few people that have had a good experience take the time to share that until asked

We are only in our second season with our Willdcat bit we have been very pleased with it.

469whj469 wrote:
Forrest River is owned by Warren Buffitt and he has stated just what is stated above, he only buys good, well run companies, and if they are well run to start with, why would he change managment. Forest River makes money and with 10,000 people truning 65 years old every day, Mr. Buffitt stated that it was a good business to be in because the old fokls will by RVs and travel.

Berkshire-Hathaway owns Forest River which is run by Buffett. Buffett is motivated by profit as all business people are. He normally does not get involved in running companies and some of the companies they own are not necessarily well run but for the most part profitable. Buffett keeps an eye on the bottom line. Once it falls out of favor with Berkshire-Hathaway, they will split it off or dump it.

I own a Forest River product and so far has been a good unit. Problems are cropping up on Forest River forums and it appears to be increasingly difficult to get answers or help with warranty issues.

469whj469 wrote:
Forrest River is owned by Warren Buffitt and he has stated just what is stated above, he only buys good, well run companies, and if they are well run to start with, why would he change managment. Forest River makes money and with 10,000 people truning 65 years old every day, Mr. Buffitt stated that it was a good business to be in because the old fokls will by RVs and travel.

Buffett is motivated by profit as all business people are. He normally does not get involved in running companies but keeps an eye on the bottom line. Once it falls out of favor with Berkshire-Hathaway, they will split it off or dump it.

marilyn49 wrote:
Forest River--ha ha! After dealing with that company on our modular home, we wouldn't even consider buying an RV from them. Would not back their product at all. Even after Buffet took over, their line still gets poor reviews. One worker told us that he went in as a carpenter but after a couple of weeks, he was told to be an electrician because one was needed.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I did not see you mention it , what brand RV do you have?

Forest River--ha ha! After dealing with that company on our modular home, we wouldn't even consider buying an RV from them. Would not back their product at all. Even after Buffet took over, their line still gets poor reviews. One worker told us that he went in as a carpenter but after a couple of weeks, he was told to be an electrician because one was needed.

Mr. Buffet knows a thing or two about companies and making money.

My info is that Cedar Creek/Silverback does not vacuum bond it's walls but "builds" them with aluminum studs 16" or less and silaprene adhesive. This is why they can guarantee no delamination.

This info is from their "Back to Basics" construction guide.

Forrest River is owned by Warren Buffitt and he has stated just what is stated above, he only buys good, well run companies, and if they are well run to start with, why would he change managment. Forest River makes money and with 10,000 people truning 65 years old every day, Mr. Buffitt stated that it was a good business to be in because the old fokls will by RVs and travel.

My 2001 Cedar Creek 34 ft. 5er was purchased used in 2006 and it was a repo. I was prepared to do running repairs to it as I had graduated from a tent-pop up-13ft-15ft. The biggest problem are the drawer slides coming loose but I learned to keep a bottle of Elmer's white glue and toothpicks or wooden matchsticks to fill the holes and stick the screws back in. The young lady who cut my hair (what's left of it) said her father was retiring and intended to buy an RV and tour the country but he didn't know how to use a screwdriver so he'll be the guy at the campground or side of the road looking for help. No doubt, the workmanship is shoddy and you can tell by the amount of staples holding the rig together. Oh yeah, get a bottle of Mr. Bubbles to check for propane leaks. My 2 cents worth

rattleNsmoke wrote:
99% of the components along the entire Forest River line are the same. The build process and materials used vary. Vacuum bonding is also had in the Silverback and Cedar Creek line. The OP was correct that those two brands are the only ones manufactured in the same building. The rest are scattered in a 25 mile radius within Indiana.

According to Cedar Creek... vacuum bonding is not used in the construction of the Silverbacks and Cedar Creeks lines.