Looking for opinions, good or bad, on Forest River Wildcats

[MGood777]

My wife and I are getting very close to buying a gently used 2013 Forest River Wildcat Maxx 313RE. I think back east they are called Wildcat and out west here they are called Wildcat Maxx, but I think that basically the line is the same. Would love to hear about anybody's experiences, good or bad, with the quality of the trailer, fit & finish, recurring problems, anything at all. Thanks in advance for any input! --Mike in Sacramento, CA

[Caljon]

Hi Mike, my wife &  I own a 2019 wildcat maxx 261rsx and absolutely love it. It tows well and it is very well insulated. We have had several trailers and 5th wheels and this is our 2nd forrest river and really like the quality. Hope this help, Jon in Modesto

[way2roll]

While I am sure the OP would appreciate the response, this is a 9-year-old thread and Mike hasn't been on here in 5 years. 

[Njmurvin]

EgorKC wrote:
Online research revealed a common problem with some hydraulic motors pulling too many amps. Lippert had a "service bulletin" recommending an upgrade from 50 amp auto reset breaker to 80 amp. 3 RV dealers/parts places looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for one.

I believe those motors run on DC. I'm no electrician, but I would never "upgrade" a breaker without first making sure the wiring will handle an increased load. According to a chart I found online, you need 4AWG wire to carry 80 amps. Anything smaller and you could be at risk for fire. The article relates to boats but I think it applies similarly to RVs.

[majorgator]

keithhelms wrote:
I have an '07 Wildcat 29RLBS that has gotten a lot of use over the years. It has required a fair amount of maintenance over time, but I do spend 60+ nights a year in it.

Problems I've had are:

Upon delivery:

* Dual gas/electric water heater didn't work on electric. Had to get the wiring fixed.
* Insulation blanket under the holding tanks was not aligned properly and there was a visible gap. Repair shop had to drop the blanket and reinstall it.
* Unit came with a cannister attached to the fresh water line that was intended to contain a charcoal filter. I could not get the cannister to unscrew and was afraid I would damage the lines by applying too much force. The first winter, the cannister broke due to water freezing inside it. I took the lines on either side of it and connected them and have gone without a filter ever since.

Over the years:

* Had the oven replaced due to the thermocouple going out and the replacement part containing mercury was no longer available.
* Had the electric element in the dual electric/gas water heater replaced.
* Got a leak fixed around a skylight in the living room slideout.
* Had all the shackles replaced (I learned the hard way to keep a close watch on those after one broke on two separate trips).
* Had the skylight over the shower replaced. That was no fault of the manufacturing - it got hit by a rock.
* Had various plumbing leaks fixed, mostly due to winterizing problems.
* Had the living room slideout adjusted so that the carpet under it didn't get soaked when driving through rain.
* Got the axles aligned because one of the tires had abnormal wear on one side.
* Had the light next to the landing gear button fixed due to a wiring failure.
* Had to get the latch for the front curbside bay replaced after the wind ripped it out.
* Had to get the freshwater inlet replaced when it started making a loud moaning sound when using water.

I don't know if all these issues together would just be considered normal wear and tear. So far (fingers crossed), I've had no problems with the landing gear, the heater, the air conditioner, the refrigerator, the microwave, the converter, the interior lighting, the ceiling fans, or the 120v outlets.

I would personally tend to believe that the problems you described are fairly typical in the RV world. I don't hang out with high-end RV'ers, so I don't know if they would agree with that statement, but for the people I know with RV's, this all sounds very typical.

To put things into perspective, over the course of 5-10 years of home ownership, would you not expect to fix a few plumbing deficiencies, repair a couple of leaks, replace an appliance (or 2), etc.? I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "normal wear and tear."

Overall, from reading numerous posts on this website from RV owners, there seems to a perspective held by many that their specific RV should not experience any problems and if it does, shame on the manufacturer/dealer. Reminder to all, even a brand new house has to have a walk-through inspection with the Contractor and homeowner to address punch-list issues. As a Contractor myself, I can say with certainty that EVERY project has some level of deficiencies, cut corners, or some other simple problem. Everything is still built with human hands, and regardless of how much I tell my employees to put safety and quality first, they're always going to mess up on something.

[keithhelms]

I have an '07 Wildcat 29RLBS that has gotten a lot of use over the years. It has required a fair amount of maintenance over time, but I do spend 60+ nights a year in it.

Problems I've had are:

Upon delivery:

* Dual gas/electric water heater didn't work on electric. Had to get the wiring fixed.
* Insulation blanket under the holding tanks was not aligned properly and there was a visible gap. Repair shop had to drop the blanket and reinstall it.
* Unit came with a cannister attached to the fresh water line that was intended to contain a charcoal filter. I could not get the cannister to unscrew and was afraid I would damage the lines by applying too much force. The first winter, the cannister broke due to water freezing inside it. I took the lines on either side of it and connected them and have gone without a filter ever since.

Over the years:

* Had the oven replaced due to the thermocouple going out and the replacement part containing mercury was no longer available.
* Had the electric element in the dual electric/gas water heater replaced.
* Got a leak fixed around a skylight in the living room slideout.
* Had all the shackles replaced (I learned the hard way to keep a close watch on those after one broke on two separate trips).
* Had the skylight over the shower replaced. That was no fault of the manufacturing - it got hit by a rock.
* Had various plumbing leaks fixed, mostly due to winterizing problems.
* Had the living room slideout adjusted so that the carpet under it didn't get soaked when driving through rain.
* Got the axles aligned because one of the tires had abnormal wear on one side.
* Had the light next to the landing gear button fixed due to a wiring failure.
* Had to get the latch for the front curbside bay replaced after the wind ripped it out.
* Had to get the freshwater inlet replaced when it started making a loud moaning sound when using water.

I don't know if all these issues together would just be considered normal wear and tear. So far (fingers crossed), I've had no problems with the landing gear, the heater, the air conditioner, the refrigerator, the microwave, the converter, the interior lighting, the ceiling fans, or the 120v outlets.

[majorgator]

We just completed our first trip with our new-to-us 2005 Wildcat 29BHBP (bunkhouse with rear storage trunk compartment). It's a nice clean unit that we bought from CW. There were a few minor issues that aren't worth mentioning because they're common to most all RV's IMO. Someone, either the previous owner or CW, had done some repair/replacement on multiple items prior to our purchase. We were a little miffed that the only electrical outlet in the kithcen is one that's mounted on the underside of a cabinet next to the main door.

There are several comments on here about leaking, and ours certainly has some signs of previous water damage on the interior. There are exactly 2 locations (1 near the rear of the slide and 1 on the front left corner at top of cap) that has water stains. Neither are soft and bulged. No matter what brand RV you buy, leaks are an inevitable part of life. By their very nature, they're going to work themselves into a leaking condition the more and more it gets pulled down the road, over the bumps, etc. The only difference is how long it goes before the leaks are addressed, and how much damage occurs in the meantime.

Our particular unit has 2 known problems regarding leaks and damage (as confirmed through research on the Wildcat forums). The rear wall on the storage trunk area is poorly designed. The latch is upside down and catches water in the handle (same as a door handle), which funnels it down into the wood backing. On ours, most of the rear wall needs to be replaced and is on the to-do list. Also, the wood above the pin box has a lot of water damage, as it is open and exposed on the edges. This may be a common issue on many 5er's, but certainly on this model. It's also on the to-do list, but it does not appear to be a difficult job.

Other folks have comments on the weak structural members of the frame around the pin box. I intend on investigating the condition of this when I have it apart, but the solution for this is also not cumbersome. Overall, the problems you should expect to find on these units would not deter a person like me if the price is right and the unit is in generally good shape.

One thing to always remember about a thread like this is that it's going to bring out more of the nasty than the good. It's just how the Internet is. Happy people don't always have much to say, but unhappy people are eager to talk about their problems. Not that their problems don't exist, but you'll just get more of e negative than the positive any day. Truth is that any RV requires maintenance. On larger units, more is required. You have to be diligent about the conditions of the roof and making sure that all seams on the body have good sealant.

[wohtex]

I have the 2011 313RE and have been happy with it. Had the on demand hot water heater replaced with gas because I never could get it to work satisfactorily. Had to have the two front jacks replaced due to leakage and the bed room slide had a leak that turned out to be a twisted sea, all under warranty. Have taken it from TX to CO, CO to NC, NC to TX and TX back to CO then it sat for almost two years due to illness. Pulled it out of storage last September and cleaned it up then took it to AZ for the winter then back to CO. We are quite happy with ours.

Bill

[swampsquatch]

We have an 08 wildcat with rear kitchen. We absolutely love it. No issues but the t-stat went out. Easy replacement with a digital one. Did have a blow out but forestriver didn't make the tires. My friends have 12 with rear living and loves there too. They had the same t- stat issue. I would buy another.

[EgorKC]

We have a 2012 313RE-OK (outdoor kitchen) that we ordered from the factory through a dealer. 2nd trip out water fitting on the bathroom sink started leaking. Called mobile RV tech to come and fix. Factory ok'd and reimbursed us for repair. Glad this happened as I learned about the "Watts" push on PEX fittings available at the hardware store. Bought extra PEX line and fittings as insurance. 2nd year another fitting leak in shower. Bought new valve (wife did not like the factory one) and I installed with 2 watts fittings. 3rd and subsequent trips auto reset breaker tripped when putting slide rooms in or out. Online research revealed a common problem with some hydraulic motors pulling too many amps. Lippert had a "service bulletin" recommending an upgrade from 50 amp auto reset breaker to 80 amp. 3 RV dealers/parts places looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for one. Amazon had 3 brand choices. Ordered and installed. Slides work perfect now.
All of the above would and has happened with all brands. We bought this particular model because it had "every" must have that the two of us had on our lists. 70 + nights in it and we are still happy with it. Good luck with your search.
Greg

[ramyankee]

csamayfield55 wrote:
My wife and I went into a dealer a few weeks ago when camping. We fell in love with the 295RSX. We sold our travel trailer and were on the hunt to find one closer. We ended up at an Open Range dealer and walked into a 311FLR that made the Maxx look cheap!! We went back and looked at many other units just to be sure and ended up in the FLR. Out of the 4 trailers we have had so far this is the first I have never said "I wish we had???"

Chris

We love the looks of the FLR.....

[GypsiesAtHeart2]

Picked up our 2014 293REX in April. So far, so good. We love it.

Don't forget, some items like HW Heater, fridge, etc are made by other vendors, not Forest River. So some problems may not necessarily be their fault though they handle the warranty. That's the same for all mfg's.

We feel it is a real good rig in it's price category.

[elkhorn98]

Wow those sound horrible.

[Jim_Sharon]

Wow, Didn't realize I bought such a lemon .

Mine was bought new in 2006. It has been a good value for it's relatively low price.

Lets see if I can remember what has gone wrong since I bought it....

I have replaced three water heater elements ( a couple could have beeen my fault).
The furnace would not light one year (repaired by shop).
The air conditioner started acting up on a trip across the south (replaced by shop near Houston).
I replaced the, kind of dim, stop lights that came with it new, with very bright L.E.D. tail/stop lights. (The old ones worked, but the new ones get noticed at stop lights better)
The connector on the umbilical cord between trailer & truck was becoming corroded, so I replaced the cord. (miss wireing corrected by shop)

OK, now I am up to 2015.
Two of the yellow clearance lights stopped working.
The magic smoke escaped from the microwave oven, after years of abuse.
I was looking for a relacement oven when I saw your post.

But now the bad stuff. The kind of things I can't make light of.

Over this past winter, the RV developed a leak in the right rear corner.
The trim in this area does not overlap the plastic sides, so the only thing keeping water out is a bead of sealent filling the gap between the plastic side, and the rear trim. (the repair shop assures me that the leak is fixed)

Sometimes when I drive in the rain, the floor gets wet in front of the slide. I have replaced the gasket that seals the closed slide to frame fit, and readjusted the rod that pulls the slide in. I hope that fixes it.

So that has been my experience with a Wildcat camper over the past nine years, with three trips traveling coast to coast (Atlantc to Pacific), and many weekend trips.

I think I bought the right camper, others may not.
You pay your money, and take your chances...Jim

P.S. I have to buy a microwave, we are going to Maine next month.

[phillyg]

Ours has officially reached POC (piece of crap) status.