Are all Forest River products garbage?

[Community Alumni]

I'm in the process of researching small TTs and came across a couple of units made by Forest River that caught my attention. Actually, both models are identical but sold under the Salem Cruise Lite and Wildwood X Lite.

I was very surprised to see so many negative comments made by existing Forest River owners that I'm thinking I may be better off to steer clear from Forest River products altogether.

The following link has over 150 complaints covering practically every single type of RV made by Forest River: Forest River complaints and reviews

I'm also looking at the TTs made by Pacific Coachworks and there's very little info on them since the company has only been in business since 2006. I wasn't able to find any negative comments.

I'd like to hear from fellow RV.net members about their experiences with small TTs made by Forest River and Pacific Coachworks. Please don't be shy, you can tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'm also open to other brands that make decent small TTs.

Thanks in advance.

[PenMan]

We had a Rockwood Roo hybrid before getting the TT in sig and loved it. It really only had two problems and both had to do with the slideout. First problem was a wire came loose from the switch and I soldered all the connections after that and no more switch problems. We did have to replace the slideout motor after the warranty ran out. Other than those two problems we were happy with the unit. When we moved up to our current TT there was a huge increase in cost but it came with a huge increase in size and quality so it is hard to compare to the hybrid. We were happy with the hybrid but I'm getting older and wanted something with less setup time needed, a real bathroom that I can use the shower (I'm a big guy), and a bed where no one has to climb over the other person to get out of bed.

[coolbreeze01]

Since you are considering Pacific Coachworks, why not tour their factory in Riverside?
Our Sandsport checks out fine in the driveway, but haven't used it yet. Hope you find what you want.

[Turbo_Diesel_Du]

Bought a new 2013 FR Flagstaff and it took from the 16th of July to the 20th of October to replace the crooked front cap. Even after several calls to the factory by me as the dealer said his hands were tied, he'd done all he could to no avail. Right!!!!!!!!! Want to buy a bridge? Cap looked as if it had been beaten on the top with a sledgehammer. Too wavy for words. JMHO

[wpredock]

gemsworld wrote:

720Deere wrote:
As a former FR Rockwood owner, I will say that I am not a fan of Forest River products. They use the same components that most other manufacturers use so it is not fair to judge them based on component failure complaints. My complaints about FR in general is poor attention to detail and poor construction techniques. Fit and finish is usually lacking on their trailers and you will find a higher percentage of little annoyance type failures.

All things considered, when you buy a FR trailer, you are not paying the same price that you would for KZ, Mobil Suites or any other top of the line models. The old adage that you get what you pay for rings true with Forest River. They are good for what they are (upper entry level units) and nothing more. Most of the complaints, including mine, come from people that probably expect more than they paid for.

I don't mind less than perfect fit and finish in a low-cost TT but I won't compromise on construction quality. Most of the negative owner comments that I read seem to stem from poor construction problems.

i bought a new 2014 flagstaff over the christmas holidays and have been over it with a fine tooth comb. the construction is high end, and the quality is impeccable. the dealer totally checked everything out and gave me a one hour walk through. i ordered it with most all the bells and whistles. the laminate fiberglass aluminum frame construction is top notch. this ain't my first rodeo. ive had two 5rs, and an ultra lite. this is by far the best consructed yet.

[Caveman_Charlie]

And, I'll bet that because Forest River has gotten to be such a big company that they probably have the same model of trailer being built in several different factory's in several different locations. So, the quality of each unit may be dependent on where it was built too.

[IndyCamp]

We love our Rockwood.

FR also offers a second year warranty for just $150.

[2008Wildcat]

All RV's are crap....


The question is, to what degree are they crap.

As stated several times, you get what you pay for, and even then, there can be issues.

[LynnandCarol]

We had a Forest River Popup top of the line model and were not impressed. When we went to move up to a TT we avoided them. However, we do see many in our travels and have talked to some folks that really like them. So, it appears certain models may be better than others.

[Dtaylor]

I quickly scanned the first six pages in your link and I did see a couple brands that kept coming up. There are a lot of FR brands that I did NOT see. That said, people are quick to complain and slow to praise. Spend some on the Forrest River forum and especially look at the products your are interested in.

[kknowlton]

As current & future FR owners, I had to add my 2 cents. After looking at various different brands & models, we are in general glad we chose Forest River; interior materials seem to be better than we found in other "upper entry level" trailers, and fit & finish no worse than in other companies' products either. We have had our share of problems with our trailer, some of them major, but I don't blame FR entirely for them. Most have been rectified by the dealer where we purchased the unit; others came out of our pocket.

Agree with the poster who expressed some concern over problems with Lance products, considering the price; we looked at a Lance last week and, though it was quite nice, for the cost of it relative to other comparable trailers, it sure had more problems than I would have expected. Actually, we found a long time ago that there is no such thing as "the perfect" RV.

jmtandem wrote:
If you have the coin, your search is over-- Airstream. Just get it and the quality is there as is longevity. Over 60 percent are still in use and they have been made since the mid 1930's. Buy one, keep it forever. The entry fee is steep; the life cycle costs are probably less than four or five box trailers one Airstream will outlast.

Having taken a tour of the Airstream factory in Ohio, I would basically agree - and echo the statement that even Airstreams have problems. We were impressed by how the trailers were put together in a Forest River factory - until we visited Airstream. There is a definite difference.

[Francesca_Knowl]

I'd be more inclined to be concerned about Lance trailers being "garbage" than Forest Rivers- too many negatives posted about those here and elsewhere.

Or is Lance a division of Forest River now, perhaps explaining the threadtitle's assumption that "All Forest River Trailers are Garbage'?

[aclay]

My wife's uncle has a Wildcat 5th wheel and has had a lot of issues with it. It's a very nice looking unit, but many small failures. Finally, they told him he had to take it to for factory service in Oregon (we live in WA).

I have a keystone product, it's ok. Nothing major, a few small issues, but it's not the most solid. We still like it, and hope to get many more seasons from it.

We had a Jayco before the Sprinter and we thought the quality of that unit was very good, we traded it because it was too small for our needs, and we couldn't get the deal we wanted a larger Jayco.

I think every brand has some issues, as you'll see on these forums.

[Glendale_290]

We are on our fourth travel trailer since 1978. The first two were Canadian made units, a Glendale and a General Coach. Had very small issues with both trailers that were dealt with quickly by the selling dealers. Our third unit was a 2008 "FR" built Shamrock branded hybrid trailer that had defective bunk door seals that allowed water to leak in when towing..... dealer was useless, but FR was great to deal with to rectify the issue and make it right 110%. Our new trailer is a Solaire by Palomino which is also a Forest River Company. We had some small PDI issues that were dealt with by our selling dealer immediately. We are very happy with our new unit and the overall quality of it. What we have found with the four different trailers is that it is the selling dealer that really makes the difference. There are no perfectly built rv's, even $80,000 Airstreams have PDI issues. Where one buys is just as important as what one buys.

Lou

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

I'm with my second FR product now.

My first was an entry level, low end model. It was certainly not finished or as nice as a top line model. It was cheap. It was cheap enough that the wife and I could afford to get rid of it in a couple years if the RV lifestyle didn't work out for us.

Instead, after a little over two years, we moved up to a better model, with near double the space and much better quality. It still isn't up to the level of a high end 5er, but it's is well done. Of course there are 'cost savings'.

I could easily have spent twice the money for another brand near identical TT - and would the quality be twice as good ?

I can have the axles replaced with higher quality, I can have the stabilizers replaced with an automatic leveling system, I can have the ACs replaced with top end units with heat pumps - etc. Or I could have bought a model with those features.

It's all a matter of how many cubic dollars I want to spend.

Though of course I can by a lot of TV fuel and campground fees for that price difference.

Forest River is a Chevy, not a Buick or a Cadillac, certainly not a Lexus.

But it's also not a Yugo.

[Emptypockets]

gemsworld wrote:
I'm in the process of researching small TTs and came across a couple of units made by Forest River that caught my attention. Actually, both models are identical but sold under the Salem Cruise Lite and Wildwood X Lite.

I was very surprised to see so many negative comments made by existing Forest River owners that I'm thinking I may be better off to steer clear from Forest River products altogether.

The following link has over 150 complaints covering practically every single type of RV made by Forest River: Forest River complaints and reviews

I'm also looking at the TTs made by Pacific Coachworks and there's very little info on them since the company has only been in business since 2006. I wasn't able to find any negative comments.

I'd like to hear from fellow RV.net members about their experiences with small TTs made by Forest River and Pacific Coachworks. Please don't be shy, you can tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'm also open to other brands that make decent small TTs.

Thanks in advance.

My Rockwood MiniLite 1809S is a great small camper. Many fewer issues with it than I did with my 2000 Terry by Fleetwood.