Problems found on a new trailer

If RV manufacturers were consistent in providing the quality of construction that they brag about (like 'Amish' craftsmanship) which by the way is phooey, no owner would have the issues they do.

All goes back to the 'build 'em cheap, stack 'em deep' philosophy. I know Berkshire Hathaway makes money on Forrest River. If they didn't, they would dump them. Buffet isn't stupid by a long shot.

For what they cost, there should be very few issues.

Some interior trim was loose on mine. Dealer fixed it.

Toilet seal was defective. Dometic sent me a new revised seal free for self install. Swap was easier than driving to the dealer.

Took it in to complain about the tires and alignment. Dealer did nothing. Junk tires and weak springs arose later on so I paid.

Had an intermittent water leak. Dealer could not find it. Turns out when water heater goes full cold to full hot the expanding water and increased pressure would temporarily cause a pump fitting to leak. New hoses and a small SureFlow expansion tank cured the problem and the symptom.

Been pretty good over all.

FWs *can* have many of the same issues but also have their own unique problems once in a while liked cracked frames in the pin box area. Were just in a couple of CGs and two different FW owners backed into their campers with the tailgates still down. Oops. One was a brand new truck & FW. The other guy spent the next 2 days hammering away on his tailgate before heading out. Think I'll just stick with a TT...

Had our TT into the dealer once to get a number of things on a list attended to under warranty. They balked at some of them and the service manager said "it's just a travel trailer". I was not amused. :M

Some often say they build TTs with poor quality because buyers do want to pay more for better quality. I don't agree. Sure, some want a low cost unit but it's pretty much impossible to learn what might be built better in the market. If anyone has owned a house or two or more and a few vehicles, there's some level of expectation that an RV will be similar. But alas, there is a lack of industry regulations and inspections and the manufacturers get away with pumping out poor quality. When we bought our first TT, we had no idea what we were getting into and wasn't until I started to read RV forums that I learned what it was really like out there. A higher priced TT doesn't equate to higher quality.

After owning 3 different TTs, I could write a book on all the problems we've had. Even had one complete TT replaced under warranty due to cr*ppy design/construction.

We purchased a Lance 1995 in March. Have had it out on a number of trips. No problem with the build, but just had it into an axle shop, as it pulled squirrely. Turns out the wheel hubs were not tight on one side (both axles). So, that was a Dexter problem, not a Lance problem. Have not heard back from Dexter for my claim under warranty. Maybe Dexter doesn't care, once it is out of their factory.

But, we love the Lance. Most people on the Lance forum seem to have had good luck with their new trailers. Yes, some have problems, but none to the extent listed above. Can't say all Lance trailers are built great, but mine was, especially when compared to those listed above.

We have a 2013 Northwood MFG Fox Mountain 5th wheel. We've had very few issues in the 5 seasons of camping. We would like to get another trailer, 5th wheel or TT, but we're not sure if we want to risk getting a POS. At this point in time it looks like it would be another NW or maybe Outdoor RV unit. They just seem to have way fewer big issues. They still have the small issue stuff like the rest.
Problem is they don't have a floor plan we want. We would prefer something along the lines of a Grand Design 303RLS. After looking at Grand Design and spending the better part of 3 years reading their owners forum, I've come to the conclusion that they are really just another Elkhart ID RV. Great customer service, but I got that at NW. What I want is an RV that I don't need great customer service. Right now we're just staying put as we've had no issues other than routine maintenance in the last 4.5 years of use.
Many other owners have had the same good fortune as we've had with other brands. But many have had worse problems. It's really a **** shoot in the end.

dodge guy wrote:
My first Forest River Cherokee lite an 05, I had no problems with. then we bought our current 07 Cherokee and had to have the radio replaced under warranty. that`s it!

That's great. Now go out and buy a 2017 or 2018 Cherokee and see if you get the same results. You may but my money would be on you wont.

There is a huge difference between 05 and 07 as opposed to now. Heck, IMO opinion there is a huge difference between 2010/2012 and now based on my experiences with the trailers in my sig.

Crimp clamps are fine if and I say if, applied properly, but a Witek stainless steel worm clamp and a barbed connector is better because you can retighten it for one and it's removable if you need to repair / replace something. However, at the factory a worm clamp takes too much time to use and skill to set properly, so they aren't used.

Poor, hurry up production techniques equal end user issues.

I just fixed our first problem with our 15 month old '17 Jayco 28RLS. Could have lead to a big problem. The hose connections on the shower faucet were weeping very slightly but enough to make a puddle on the floor in the hallway. I removed the crimp clamps, put some 3M marine sealant on the connectors and a couple of screw type stainless hose clamps.

FR has been touting their 'shine bay' where supposedly every unit gets a through pre-ship inspection and build issues are corrected before the unit leaves the factory.

Sounds like phooey to me.

The 'shine bay' is probably the employees lunchroom.

QC isn't about end build inspection anyway. It's about doing the build correctly as it's being built and paying attention to proper build procedures, not a 'band aid' fix at the end of the production line.

Like I said in a previous post, builders CAN assemble a unit correctly if they want to and take their time to do it correctly, but when pushed by production quota's, personnel get sloppy and it shows in the end result with issues for the buyer.

If RV builders really cared about their products, you'd think (obviiously not correct) that all builders would have a multi-year warranty against all defects, not a year, which is basically no warranty at all.

1320Fastback wrote:
Water leaks around window and exterior light, soft shower floor due to no support, electrical outlets mounted to vaneer only and not studs.

Be careful about the soft 'unsupported' shower pan floor. Reason being, the flex in the pan floor will eventually crack the moulded in flange around the shower drain and it will leak and ruin the floor below the pan. 2 fixes. One, add support from the bottom (a job to get in there and correct it or Two, add a teak shower mat like I did. The teak mat spreads your weight over the entire area and lessens the 'flex' and prolongs the life of the pan flange and provides a dry, non slip surface too.

Pretty common issue in RV's today.