Community Forums

JayC · 04-17-2014, 03:18 PM

I read in the RV Daily News that Thor has acquired KZ, maker of travel trailers, fifth wheels and toy haulers. The owner and founder of KZ, Darryl Zook, was quoted as saying “Becoming a part of Thor allows us to continue to operate K-Z with the core values and relationships that have made us successful since our founding”.

newtrx · 04-17-2014, 06:04 PM

I think Thor bought Heartland in 2010 too-and I see you have a Heartland that was made after the acquisition.. How do you like it?

JayC · 04-17-2014, 07:17 PM

I love my Heartland and have had little trouble with it. The company has an outstanding record of standing behind their products. Ownership by Thor has made no difference as far as I can tell.

ROMANICHEL · 04-17-2014, 07:19 PM

I think that Thor have much better reputation with 5th wheel and TT then they have with MH, so maybe a good move for both industries,
My opinion
Mike

TXiceman · 04-17-2014, 09:50 PM

In the past, Thor has been know to leave the brand alone for 2 or 3 years then they start cost cutting and profit increasing measures which results in a reduce quality product. I would not look for anything positive from this purchase.

Ken

dbear · 04-18-2014, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

In the past, Thor has been know to leave the brand alone for 2 or 3 years then they start cost cutting and profit increasing measures which results in a reduce quality product. I would not look for anything positive from this purchase.

Ken

Would you be so kind as to provide corroboration for your claim? I searched for:

"Dutchmen RV Customer Complaints by Year"
"Heartland RV Customer Complaints by Year"
"Keystone RV Customer Complaints by Year"

and only found individual "horror" stories usually on some internet forum, and not anything that showed a marked decline in quality post-acquisition. Thanks.

ROMANICHEL · 04-18-2014, 08:47 AM

There's a list of Thor product, many very good product in that list, anyway I love my CrossRoad Cruiser, very good quality for a light weight weight 5th Wheel, And a friend of mine who works in a dealeship live fulltime in a Hartland, and he loves it.
http://www.thorindustries.com/corp/r...ional-vehicles
Mike

JayC · 04-18-2014, 12:56 PM

We've been living in our current Landmark for about 2 1/2 years. It was bought after the Thor buyout and has been more trouble-free than our last Bighorn, which was bought before the company was owned by Thor.

FiverBob · 04-19-2014, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

In the past, Thor has been know to leave the brand alone for 2 or 3 years then they start cost cutting and profit increasing measures which results in a reduce quality product. I would not look for anything positive from this purchase. Ken

I must agree with Ken on this issue. Looked at Thor products 12 years ago when first considering moving from 25 years of motorhoming to a fiver. I was a newbie to fivers. I was quite sold on several Thor problems until a friend warned me. This forum is loaded with Thor problems - - here is an example but this is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't think Ken needs to support his statement - - the information is all here.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f121/2014...es-198962.html

Several companies under the Thor banner still produce some nice products for the money, but overall they have problems and don't seem to much care. Just my opinion (that seems to be held also by many other people). If you got a good one, I am very happy for you.

Bob