Problem with Forest River Water Tank mount

[TooTall2]

Forest River/ Rockwood has had an issue with weak freshwater tank mounting bracket for several years. Does anyone know if this issue has been fixed. I had to do some reinforcement myself and I know plenty other folks had the same issue.

https://youtu.be/ZFRJttWRups

[bobndot]

SG , your right, and im glad you post your mod from time to time. Its a great mod and a fantastic job.

when people buy, they usually do not research build quality. They see a floorplan (sometimes) , and often , that's is far as it goes. I guess there are enough (RV uneducated) potential buyers to support the business . They build them to get through the warranty period and after that...you're on your own.
You've got to hit them in the pocketbook folks. Stop buying garbage.

[SoundGuy]

bobndot wrote:
Geez, the thought of having water tanks drop out of RV's is one scary deal that we should never ever have to experience !! Mfg.'s have to pay more attention to build better quality in places where quality parts and needed for "safety purposes" while operating these RV's on public highways.

I wouldn't count on it. 😞

One of the first issues I had to solve with our Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS (which is a Forest River company) was an obviously sagging fresh water holding tank. That, along with a draw port located half way up the sidewall of the tank, meant the tank had to be at least 2/3rds full or the pump wouldn't draw properly. :M



Fortunately my dealer agreed immediately that the tank required far better support and added a set of steel support braces, to which I later also added a 4'x 2' sheet of plywood to better spread the weight. I also moved the water pump's intake hose down to the tank drain port and with these modifications can now draw all the water from the tank AND no longer fear tank failure. :B



UNFORTUNATELY I notice new 2017 Freedom Express 192RBS models are NO different than mine and all suffer these same fresh water tank issues. 😞

[bobndot]

There is a lot of info on RV.net TT frame mods regarding this.

Geez, the thought of having water tanks drop out of RV's is one scary deal that we should never ever have to experience !! Mfg.'s have to pay more attention to build better quality in places where quality parts and needed for "safety purposes" while operating these RV's on public highways.

I carry 30 gals in portable jugs supported by the trucks bed,forward of the rear axle. If something breaks there, im in bigger trouble than i need to be.

I do not know of any newer Jayco issues regarding such but i don't want to a statistic either, so i run very light with 5 gals.in the TT tank. While on the road, i replenish from the reserve in the truck, if need be.
I have an underbelly that i haven't peeled away yet to take a peak at what's under there. I have no idea how weak or strong my water tank frame is , but i will check into it more in the spring. I like the way my rig tows without the extra weight of water, so im staying using my method.

When i fill my tank as i enter state parks, i take it easy during the short drive getting to my site hauling 90 gals. If i need more water during my stay, i use a 12v marine pump inside a dedicated water storage cooler to replenish the tank without moving the TT .

[dodge_guy]

I have had our Forest River for 10 years now and have no issues. I don't travel with full tanks. About 6 gallons of fresh water and empty grey and black.

[stallsmi]

Our black tank fell out a few years back. We found the rails that are supposed to secure the tank were purposely bent (by a crescent wrench or similar tool). We assume this was to allow the assemblers to more easily insert the tank. Of course, easier insertion also means easier and unintended extraction. With the enclosed underbelly, we were unable to see the tank had started to slip from its moorings. During travel, etc. the black tank shifted but remained attached to the trailer solely by the PVC fitting that attaches to the toilet. When that fitting finally cracked, due to shifting and additional weight of water and sewage, the capacity of the fitting was exceeded and the tank fell. This problem obviously resulted from Forest River's lack of quality control. Luckily, they covered the repairs under warranty.

[ScottG]

After 12 years of heavy use my FR Wildcat is still in great condition - even the outside still shines. The materials and finishes have held up wonderfully and I couldn't have asked for better performance from a unit in this price point.
FR makes units in many different price ranges and qualities. To lump them all together is short sighted.

[kknowlton]

On the other hand, we had a Forest River (Flagstaff) trailer for 6 years, lots of heavy use, no issue whatsoever with the water tank. So far, so good with our current Rockwood (after 3 full seasons of use).

[Halmfamily]

Ours fell out of our FR Sierra fifth wheel last spring, luckily I was pulling out of driveway and not on the road yet. FR and my dealer stepped up and replaced the framing, tank and underbelly. The old mount was only screwed in on one side and the other side was slid under the frame. The new mount was welded in and reinforced for added strengh. My dealer said they deal with same issue a couple times each month.

[JWRoberts]

I don't know but I had a FR about 10 years ago. Kept it for about a year and got rid of it because it was junk on 4 wheels.