Forum Discussion

RobWNY's avatar
RobWNY
Explorer
Mar 18, 2018

Power Converters in Forest River products

Does anyone know what Brand/Model Power Converters are used in the Forest River Salem 5th Wheels?
  • Class A diesel pushers at the top of the line or entry level single axel TTs?
  • Most have had wfco units. Owners manuals back to 2015 are on their website if that helps.
  • My TT had the WFCO and had bulk charging problems like so many have reported. I replaced it with Progressive Dynamics PD4655V. I'm just trying to figure out if I'll have to do that again. I emailed FR and also posted on their forum but haven't had any responses.
  • kerrlakeRoo wrote:
    Most have had wfco units. Owners manuals back to 2015 are on their website if that helps.


    x2

    our 30 amp 2018 wildwood tt has wfco.

    so far no problems since last july. we have 2 12v deep cycles. we don't boon dock but have a residential fridge and use an inverter to power it when we are on the road.

    at home i leave TT plugged in to shore power and wfco converter tops off and maintains charge on batteries.

    down the road if wfco goes bad i would probably upgrade but until then it works fine for us
  • Unless FR has an option for an upgraded converter which I believe few MFGs do offer such an option, you'll probably be in the market for a more capable smart converter. Our rig came with an Iota where we just had to purchase a smart module to make it a multi-stage charger. Enjoy your new rig!
  • Since I had to order the 5th wheel, I'll just have to wait until I get it to know. I was hoping to get a head start on shopping for a replacement if they were all the same based on camper model or manufacturer and one of the ones that won't bulk charge. Not going to do me any good to guess since there could be two identical 5th wheels with different converters in them.
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Probably WFCO. They work but are considered low-end.
  • We had a WFCO and I just replaced it with a Sunsaver MPPT charge controller. I feed it with a 30v power supply and 2 100 watt panels for Boondocking and haven't looked back. Have a video about it on my YouTube channel.