Forest River RVs

[RoadEyePie]

It's hard to figure out Forest River. They seem more like a conglomerate of separate companies than a single RV manufacturer. Someone said that it's structured that way so that in big economic down turns, if one goes down it doesn't take down the rest. Probably Warren Buffet's idea (wonder if he's Jimmy Buffett's uncle). Whatever! It makes it difficult to assess their product lines.

Of their products that I've seen (which is not much), I was somewhat impressed with the Cedar Creek Hathaway Edition.

Can anyone tell me which of the FR FW's are lower end, middle of the line and the higher end (better) brands?

[gmacecsko]

We just purchased a Cedar Creek Hathaway 38FBD. It is one of their higher end brands. Have not even picked it up yet. They use components from other Buffet companies like Lazy boy and Sealy.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by gmacecsko

We just purchased a Cedar Creek Hathaway 38FBD. It is one of their higher end brands. Have not even picked it up yet. They use components from other Buffet companies like Lazy boy and Sealy.

Thank you for sharing that...I hope you enjoy it. Let us know if in a few months you are happy campers or disappointed with the quality of the build or customer service. Incidentally, what warranty comes with it, and is it industry standard, the warranty on FW's? Might I also ask, what other brands were you considering?

[MisterT]

I think that you'll find many, if not most, of the RV manufacturers own more than one brand... Thor owns many, even Airstream. Forest River owns many, even Coachmen. Where it gets a little confusing is that both also have their 'own' brands under their same name... all in all, though, if you are comparing 'level' differences, a good rule of thumb is comparing the MSRP retail pricing - it's a big clue, if nothing else.

Even REV has many brands - Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, etc. Thor probably has the most.

Stand alone brands find a hard time surviving - they may not have the buying power of multiple-brands and the cross-sharing of many similar/same components, which is why you see many coaches that look so similar, but while different brands, they are owned by the same 'company'.

[gmacecsko]

Their warranty is one year but for $250 you can add a year.
The dealership we used also gives a lifetime warranty.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by MisterT

I think that you'll find many, if not most, of the RV manufacturers own more than one brand... Thor owns many, even Airstream. Forest River owns many, even Coachmen. Where it gets a little confusing is that both also have their 'own' brands under their same name... all in all, though, if you are comparing 'level' differences, a good rule of thumb is comparing the MSRP retail pricing - it's a big clue, if nothing else.

Even REV has many brands - Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, etc. Thor probably has the most.

Stand alone brands find a hard time surviving - they may not have the buying power of multiple-brands and the cross-sharing of many similar/same components, which is why you see many coaches that look so similar, but while different brands, they are owned by the same 'company'.

With most of the companies that I have contacted (they have a corporate office) and I was able to talk to them about their many brands and they were able to tell me about there entry level vs high end. But with Forest River, the Cedar Creek folks couldn't tell me squat about the other brands. Just saying that I have found it much more difficult to get information on FR.

So far, my top 3 are Vilano, Cedar Creek and Solitude. There are a few very good recommended manufactures (New Horizon, ORV, Northwood) that are too far away, don't have dealers anywhere around me so, I've excluded them.

But sticking to the OP, I'm just asking about Forest River really.

[cfowler55]

I looked at the Cardinal Luxury and it was really nice and seemed well built. We also looked at a bunch of other stuff in the 35-38 foot range with MSRP in the $75-100k range. Ultimately decided on a Solitude. Has a better warranty than most we already own a GD product and have had zero issues with it which is probably what pushed that one to the top.

[RoadEyePie]

So if you were to rank Cardinal, Cedar Creek Hathaway, and Riverstone what would it be? Well looks like Riverstone doesn't make anything under 40' so forget. Maybe a better question would be, what would be your top 3 brands/models of Forest River?

[cfowler55]

Keep in mind that listed lengths are usually to center of pin. I found everything to be 1-2' longer actual loa. That took a lot off the table for us. Even the shortest Cardinal we liked ended up around 38'. Listed as 35'7". But we liked it enough that I almost overlooked that. My initial spec was an absolute loa of 37'.

[Spdracr39]

I had a Keystone Bullet TT and traded it for a Coachmen Chaparral Signature 5'er. The construction quality is night and day from the Keystone. I have had zero issues out of either but I think you have to judge individually. I initially stayed away from Forrest River products because of so many negative reviews but now that I have one I am impressed. Don't listen to the internet, judge for yourself.

[rampowerwago]

Originally Posted by manwithnorv

So if you were to rank Cardinal, Cedar Creek Hathaway, and Riverstone what would it be? Well looks like Riverstone doesn't make anything under 40' so forget. Maybe a better question would be, what would be your top 3 brands/models of Forest River?

You may not be interested in RiverStone because of the length, but they are a quality product. The last 2 5th wheels we owned were a Mobile Suites and an Arctic Fox....both of which had some major issues.

Other than a water pump that failed right off the bat, we have had NO issues with our RS. We have lived in it full time since last August. If I was buying a new one today,it would be another RiverStone.

Looking forwards to seeing which one you end up with!

[RoadEyePie]

It literally hurts my head trying to sort out all the different brands from Forest River. It seems insanely ridiculous. Anyway, I took a look at the Forest River Forum (thanks Bob), which is segregated into the different brands, like Cedar Creek, Cardinal, Palomino, Riverstone, etc. etc.

Just based on the number of post, Rockwood was the largest forum, followed by Cedar Creek and Prime Time. Seems this might be an indicator of the most popular brands? Rockwood has just about double the second highest. I've never even taken a look at Rockwood's because the FR website lists them as Ultralites. Is this a lower entry level brand?

[Tdave]

Forest River, like Thor and Winnebago, are currently products of massive M&A. There is a very slim thread you can follow, at your peril, assuming every brand in each portfolio shares a common theme. The recent M&A frenzy means that each brand is in flux, few have found their independent footing again, should the parent even want that to happen again

Search Hebard’s Travels on YouTube to see that there is nothing currently exceptional about Cedar Creek. The only reason they ultimately owned up to their poor QC was due to massive social media pressure.

I personally think Jayco is one of the hidden gems, currently, even though they sold to Thor in 2016, management remained independent, and they have finally emerged intact, with QC back in full force. They had a couple sketchy years after Thor acquisition, but I can attest that quality and aesthetics seem to be leading the pack now. 2 year “bumper to bumper” warranty.

My previous rig was a hybrid Forest River, gave me no issue over 3 years. But their 5th wheel lineup left me uninspired even with my positive brand experience.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by MisterT

I think ....a good rule of thumb is comparing the MSRP retail pricing - it's a big clue, if nothing else.

Most of the time i try look up info on the brand / model, the site has TBA listed by MSRP, so it's kind of hard to find that data.