New Competition

[Dave&Ginny]

mmmmm.....They're going to be competition

[Rosey]

Originally Posted by Ford truck guy

I may be wrong ,( ask my DW ) but it looks like the new Riverstone only has 3 available options . . .

#1- 3rd AC
#2 - Trail Air Ride Pin Box
#3 - 2nd 12' Power Awning

Everything else in standard..! That's the way to offer quality ! And like already stated , I wonder what tires they are running??


I can just say that I was turned off by my phone conversation with the folks at Forest River when we were looking real hard at the Cedar Creeks and Cardinals... They even went as far as to tell me that they only give the China bombs with no Good Year options because Good Year Derated their G614's down to the same levels...?? ...

Went to Utube & watched a sales video.......... tires are H rated GOODYEAR'S

[KingCasa]

If you full time in your RV be sure to read the Forest River warranty. In 2014 it clearly stated the warrant is void if you live full time in the trailer which canceled out all of their product for me and thankfully turned me to Redwoods.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by KingCasa

If you full time in your RV be sure to read the Forest River warranty. In 2014 it clearly stated the warrant is void if you live full time in the trailer which canceled out all of their product for me and thankfully turned me to Redwoods.

That's a good point! I would think since they're obviously going after the full timer market with this unit that they would also warranty it as such too. But I've seen weirder things happen

[Rick and Mindy]

One thing I did realize when I went to the FR website is that the models they are offering have a GVWR of 18,800 pounds. I would not be interested in the 2 models offered because of size and weight. They need to realize that not all full timers want a 40-42 ft fifth wheel. I would want something in the 36ft range. I know most want the larger units but not all of us.

[KingCasa]

I was curious about the warranty and found a copy online. It still states the warranty is void if you full time. Here's the link and a copy of the text.

Forest River Manuals

EVENTS DISCHARGING WARRANTOR FROM OBLIGATION UNDER THIS WARRANTY: Misuse or neglect, including failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance, unauthorized alteration, accident, and improper loading,use as a permanent residence, commercial use or leasing of the recreational vehicle, shall discharge Warrantor from any obligation under this Warranty.

[danrn]

Originally Posted by KingCasa

I was curious about the warranty and found a copy online. It still states the warranty is void if you full time. Here's the link and a copy of the text.

Forest River Manuals

EVENTS DISCHARGING WARRANTOR FROM OBLIGATION UNDER THIS WARRANTY: Misuse or neglect, including failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance, unauthorized alteration, accident, and improper loading,use as a permanent residence, commercial use or leasing of the recreational vehicle, shall discharge Warrantor from any obligation under this Warranty.

That's interesting. In just my option, voiding the warranty for full timing tells me their product may not be that well build.

[Dave&Ginny]

That's a shame.....

The RV manufactures that wan to market to full time people need to warrant them correctly. I was just reading a review on American Coach and they only offer a 12 month 15000 mile warranty. I guess some manufactures don't have faith in their own product

[rob_fla]

We are certainly happy that Redwood provides a true 2 year Fulltimer Warranty and Crossroads / Redwood has lived up to their promise and taken care of us.
Now that we are at about 1 1/2 years into living and traveling in our Redwood, I hope all of our Manufacture and Vendor / Supplier issues are resolved.

[Dave&Ginny]

If RVs were built better a warranty wouldn't be as big of a deal. I've bought several cars in the past that never had warranty claims. RVs on the other hand are quite different.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

That's a shame.....

The RV manufactures that wan to market to full time people need to warrant them correctly. I was just reading a review on American Coach and they only offer a 12 month 15000 mile warranty. I guess some manufactures don't have faith in their own product

Oh now Dave, I think it was made very clear at the last rally that anyone that believes a manufacturer's confidence in their product is tied to the length of the warranty just swallowed the very marketing propaganda that they were targeted with. I watched the video, and it was pretty clear that the 5 year warranty was marketing leverage and had so many loopholes built in that it would never have to pay out if they didn't want to. Unfortunately I was one of those that saw the 2+5 as a sign of quality and confidence, shame on me and never again.

I look at warranty as this - at the very best you will get your coach fixed back to what it was when it broke, assuming you get it back to the service center. Getting it fixed at the Dealer is a total wildcard.

I've had very little use for warranty, as it typically runs out long before I get full use of the unit (as a vacationer), and I can typically repair far better than the original design. As an example, I'm on my 3rd set of shower fixtures because of peeling. The best I will ever get out of warranty is the same junk Durafaucet plastic spray painted faucets. When I run out of stock of Durafaucet parts, it will get a Moen conversion and then I simply won't have to worry about it anymore.

Typically a warranty only gets you back to where you were. I hand it to Andy, he stepped up on the brass bushing issue and offered warranty that actually improved on the design, and eliminated the original cause of the problem.

[Dave&Ginny]

Brad you're right about the brass bushings, good for them for stepping up to the plate.

As for the old 5 year structural warranty..........if anybody believes that a company is going to shorten or eliminate part of a warranty for the benefit of the RV owner......REALLY???? That "cool aid" packed more of a punch than even I could handle (and I've been known to tip a glass or 2 in my youth). It took some real _alls to come up with that one, with a straight face.

[mhs4771]

Granted they seem to be offering some things standard that are optional on RWs, but working with their MB type floor plan, by the time we added the additional options we have on ours to their model the MSRP was very close to ours. And when looking at their floor plan, it doesn't appear to have anywhere near the bedroom/bath storage as our MB. But hope they have one at the upcoming Tampa show, would like to see one in person.

[travlingman]

Got to see the Riverstone while we were in Myrtle Beach last week. All I can say is if they come with a floor plan we like, I will probably get it. Forest River has a winner with this one, and the warranty is not void for full time use as has been posted.

Some highlights: 8K axles, disc brakes, 17.5 tires, wide body with 3" walls, full batten insulation, all water on manifold system, Lazy Boy furniture, power management system, built in surge protector, built in electric wall heater in bedroom(for the morning chill), soft close doors/drawers, full steel bedroom decking, no coroplast bottom, full body paint and I could go on.

A few negatives was the cabinet door panels felt "light." It might be the wood they are using, will be looking into. Also, no built in outside entertainment center available. Has hookups in underneath storage, but I like the built in. Has the instant water heater which I am not sold on. I like to use electric since I am paying for it and not my propane.

We are still considering Redwood and others, but after looking at the Riverstone and its price point, it will be hard to beat. Like posted earlier, there are only a couple of options which I think is good as the basic unit is loaded up. The one we saw had the 3rd AC, pin box, 2nd awning and power theater seating. I think that is all options available.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by travlingman

Got to see the Riverstone while we were in Myrtle Beach last week. All I can say is if they come with a floor plan we like, I will probably get it. Forest River has a winner with this one, and the warranty is not void for full time use as has been posted.

Some highlights: 8K axles, disc brakes, 17.5 tires, wide body with 3" walls, full batten insulation, all water on manifold system, Lazy Boy furniture, power management system, built in surge protector, built in electric wall heater in bedroom(for the morning chill), soft close doors/drawers, full steel bedroom decking, no coroplast bottom, full body paint and I could go on.

A few negatives was the cabinet door panels felt "light." It might be the wood they are using, will be looking into. Also, no built in outside entertainment center available. Has hookups in underneath storage, but I like the built in. Has the instant water heater which I am not sold on. I like to use electric since I am paying for it and not my propane.

We are still considering Redwood and others, but after looking at the Riverstone and its price point, it will be hard to beat. Like posted earlier, there are only a couple of options which I think is good as the basic unit is loaded up. The one we saw had the 3rd AC, pin box, 2nd awning and power theater seating. I think that is all options available.

Thanks for the report on the Riverstone. As the competition increases the products from all manufactures will too. The 3 inch walls is huge to me but I suppose everyone has their own "hot buttons". As for the outside TV, I wasn't impressed with some of these because the ones I saw afforded more drafts due to the lack of any insulation in the TV cavity. Maybe they've improved that now.

I've only used mine twice so far but I know others love them.

[bergeman]

The Riverstone looked pretty good. But on that site I found something else:

r-pod Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

No more dually's. That RPod looks like it has everything anybody could want plus towable with a Jeep.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by bergeman

The Riverstone looked pretty good. But on that site I found something else:

r-pod Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

No more dually's. That RPod looks like it has everything anybody could want plus towable with a Jeep.

One of my sons wants one of those. They look pretty cool for a young family

[Buddy Wallace]

The best after research is Augusta Luxe and then DRV Elite Suites, both with Morryde IS and the Insulation is great.

[Enroute]

Originally Posted by Buddy Wallace

The best after research is Augusta Luxe and then DRV Elite Suites, both with Morryde IS and the Insulation is great.

I've also been looking at the Luxe and am very interested in their product. Will be interesting to see what Redwood does for 2017 changes...

[bergeman]

The Lux LF-42MD is impressive, has what looks like a home office/2nd bedroom. But at 150K plus and the need for something bigger then 3500 Dually to tow it, it will never happen. At that point I will be in a motorhome.