Keystone vs Jayco vs Forest River vs Grand Design

JPG77373 wrote:
Hello everyone, I am new on the forum, but in no way new to RV life.

We have had mixed results with our latest TT so far, it is a Coachmen (Forest River), bought new 2/2016.

Some of the things have been awesome, for example:
We have camped in 105F days in West Texas with no shade, and still held 69F inside. (this is a major upgrade over our older RVision MaxLite)
It seems insulated well, three slides and no obvious drafts. The AC actually cycles in anything other than mid afternoon without shade.

It pulls very well mannered, the axles are spaced apart substantually more than our previous unit, I haven't dealt with sway much with this unit, only time will tell how this spacing will affect the tires, but I can feel the turning resistance when making sharper turns, more tire marks on clean concrete also.

There are a lot of "niceitys" that are new to us, but are common on most new rigs. The pull out sink faucets, large ergonomic bathroom, storage everywhere, all LED lighting (including most compartments), electric fireplace, power jacks, just to name a few.

Some other things have been somewhat problematic:
Our outdoor kitchen, the luggage door leaked, the wood inside was MDF, this was a bad combination as all of the wood swole and warped. The warranty fixed the leak but did not replace the wood without leaving my unit at the dealer for several more weeks for a company representitive to inspect it (in the middle of summer, I think not). Usually, I would be flat out furious, but my brother is a carpenter, so we re-built the entire drink station out of solid oak, problem solved (upgraded actually).

Our bedroom slide ceased to function while packing up to go home one trip. After troubleshooting the fuses and breaker on the slide motor, I noticed that the signal wire to the wall switch had pulled out from the slide control box (2 prong plug). I plugged it it and everything worked. I only bring this up because I could see where less troubleshooting savy people may have needed a service call ($$$). I will also point out that it was all due to the wires being bundled too tight (poor craftsmenship). I loosened the bundle and gave it more slack, it hasn't happened again.

I would not buy a unit with a regrigerator on a slide ever again. The whole power venting out the side, really, really annoys me. Not only is it noisy, but it is a battery drain as well. I ended up installing 2 batteries and a perko switch just because of this. Where I hunt, we boondock it, and generally only run a generator when needed (A/C or TV).

There have been quite a few things I had to go around and fix. The splash guards on the shower door kept falling off, I cleaned and reinstalled with clear silicone (problem solved). I also had to apply silicone to the tail lights and the power jack switch, as they were both leaking. There have been several screws that either needed tightening or replaced with longer screws (sliding door floor guides and various outlets). My point is, lots of little things, here and there.

I do feel though, that I have most of the issues ironed out now (without manufacturers help). I am not saying that Coachmen or Forest River are total junk, but just that there is some craftsmenship shortsightedness. I think their floorplans and design are wonderful. If I could do it all again, I would prefer another Jayco, but we never found a floorplan that we loved on the new units.

I rest my case.

Joe

Now you have me nervous. We just purchased a new 2017 Coachmen Apex 269RBKS. Rear bathroom with a kitchen slide and island sink. Hoping we don't have any major problems with it. We did buy local and the dealer does have a good reputation so I feel good about that.

We love our Grand Design. After looking at many brands and models, we felt it was built the best. She's heavy, but we'll built.

Thanks so much to everyone who has replied to my question. Your feedback has definitely been very helpful!

We currently own a Jayco Eagle and are in the process of purchasing a new Jayco Jay Flight. The new camper has been on order for a few months with no ship date in the near future so I emailed Jayco customer service inquiring as to when this model would be scheduled. I received a reply from the regional sales manager who thanked us for purchasing a Jayco, apologized for the delay and provided a production date along with his contact information should we have further questions. I'm very impressed with Jayco we have owned a Keystone Springdale, Forest River Shasta, Coachmen Catalina and choose Jayco because we feel as if their quality and service is better.

Of the three you mention Grand Design would be my choice.

We have a 2017 Forest River Surveyor and so far we are quite happy with it. That being said, we haven't owned it long enough to really put it through it's paces.
As already mentioned, Outdoors RV or Northwood products are worth a look.

I think it's all hit or miss honestly. I had a little 26ft Jayco WhiteHawk that I never had one issue with, and I traded it in on a 50k dollar Keystone Avalanche that I have a laundry list of issues with...

Hello everyone, I am new on the forum, but in no way new to RV life.

We have had mixed results with our latest TT so far, it is a Coachmen (Forest River), bought new 2/2016.

Some of the things have been awesome, for example:
We have camped in 105F days in West Texas with no shade, and still held 69F inside. (this is a major upgrade over our older RVision MaxLite)
It seems insulated well, three slides and no obvious drafts. The AC actually cycles in anything other than mid afternoon without shade.

It pulls very well mannered, the axles are spaced apart substantually more than our previous unit, I haven't dealt with sway much with this unit, only time will tell how this spacing will affect the tires, but I can feel the turning resistance when making sharper turns, more tire marks on clean concrete also.

There are a lot of "niceitys" that are new to us, but are common on most new rigs. The pull out sink faucets, large ergonomic bathroom, storage everywhere, all LED lighting (including most compartments), electric fireplace, power jacks, just to name a few.

Some other things have been somewhat problematic:
Our outdoor kitchen, the luggage door leaked, the wood inside was MDF, this was a bad combination as all of the wood swole and warped. The warranty fixed the leak but did not replace the wood without leaving my unit at the dealer for several more weeks for a company representitive to inspect it (in the middle of summer, I think not). Usually, I would be flat out furious, but my brother is a carpenter, so we re-built the entire drink station out of solid oak, problem solved (upgraded actually).

Our bedroom slide ceased to function while packing up to go home one trip. After troubleshooting the fuses and breaker on the slide motor, I noticed that the signal wire to the wall switch had pulled out from the slide control box (2 prong plug). I plugged it it and everything worked. I only bring this up because I could see where less troubleshooting savy people may have needed a service call ($$$). I will also point out that it was all due to the wires being bundled too tight (poor craftsmenship). I loosened the bundle and gave it more slack, it hasn't happened again.

I would not buy a unit with a regrigerator on a slide ever again. The whole power venting out the side, really, really annoys me. Not only is it noisy, but it is a battery drain as well. I ended up installing 2 batteries and a perko switch just because of this. Where I hunt, we boondock it, and generally only run a generator when needed (A/C or TV).

There have been quite a few things I had to go around and fix. The splash guards on the shower door kept falling off, I cleaned and reinstalled with clear silicone (problem solved). I also had to apply silicone to the tail lights and the power jack switch, as they were both leaking. There have been several screws that either needed tightening or replaced with longer screws (sliding door floor guides and various outlets). My point is, lots of little things, here and there.

I do feel though, that I have most of the issues ironed out now (without manufacturers help). I am not saying that Coachmen or Forest River are total junk, but just that there is some craftsmenship shortsightedness. I think their floorplans and design are wonderful. If I could do it all again, I would prefer another Jayco, but we never found a floorplan that we loved on the new units.

I rest my case.

Joe

I agree the dealer is important and must be willing to communicate with the mfg., to resolve an issue if needed. sometimes certain mfg.'s try to wiggle out of a repair.
This is important if we are talking about an expensive repair . Many times, dealers have to dip into their own pocket to resolve an issue for their good customers.
Remember to be diplomatic when talking to your dealer, it might pay off for you if the mfg. offers resistance.

Double check the specs on the White Hawk series if you choose Jayco.
Many people prefer the Jay Flight series due to axle and tire ratings.
Go to the Jayco Owners Forum for best results between the WH and JF.

So far, im very happy with my Jay Flight. My dealer and Jayco have taken care of a few minor things 100%.

If you go to all the brand forums and read on them for awhile you'll see that they're all the same. Those that you listed are the typical Elkhart type trailers. They are basically all made tha same way by the same people with the same parts.
If you want something different then you need to buy from a different type MFG.
Lance, Airstream, Northwoods and Outdoors RV are the only ones that are stepping outside the box. They still use many of the same components but they assemble than differently. If you want better quality then you need to pay a little more for it.