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Up North · 08-07-2015, 02:16 PM

Going to purchase new for next season. Have it pinned down between a Jayco Greyhawk and a Forest River Forester. Both class C's of course.
The Forest River dealer kept running down the Jayco product while at the same time trying to convince me he wasn't doing just that.
One of the big knocks he had against Jayco was that they used a rubber roof which I believe they have now gone to one piece fiberglass. True?

The Jayco prices out a bit higher and the Forester has some features which I like. They have heated tanks using 12v pads but the entire tank area is also heated by the furnnace when it runs. So your heating the valves and piping as well.

You can get the same bells and whistles on either one it seems with few differences.
So I'd like to hear from owners of both these manufacturers and what the opinions are.

s1njin · 08-07-2015, 03:50 PM

Good question, and I just went through the exact same thing so I feel pretty qualified to at least offer my opinion.

The dealer is right to pitch the fiberglass roof. Ideally its the best way to go (generally - there are some issues where the fiberglass cracks due to installation issues). HOWEVER - and this is big to me - the roof should be arched. I'll take a rubber or TPO roof membrane on a arched roof 6 days a week and 2 times on Sunday over a flat fiberglass roof (I'm looking straight at you Minnie Winnie). Water rolling off the roof is preferred to it sitting and pooling on it. Some folks might howl about that statement - go ahead. Pooling water is no good.

Now, I was considering my Greyhawk 29MV to a Forester 3011DS. Inside to me is a toss up; the Jayco felt much 'warmer' to me and homelike. The Forester was a little more 'business'. I like the Adzel fiberglass walls on the Forester (quieter), but the Jayco has those frameless windows which I just love. I feel the cabinetry on the Jayco is superior, though the Forester was not bad by any stretch.

The Jayco has it all over the Forester in ride enhancements though. Do some reading on Jayco's JRide. Balanced drive shaft, better isolation mounts, Bilstein shocks, extra sway bar, and Hellwig helper springs. It makes a HUGE difference in riding comfort. Once aligned, I can take my coach up to 65mph on a straight run and let my hands off the wheel. She tracks true so long as I don't have a good crosswind pushing me. The Jayco has it all over most any other manufacturer for suspension and handling improvements, installed at the chassis extender (MoRyde), than anybody. No aftermarket stuff here.

Okay, so that's out of the way. As luck would have it my Greyhawk is now parked right next to a brand new 3011ds in my storage lot (I have a nice covered storage spot that I park under; no direct sun = happy camper. Literally, I believe my camper is happy. As am I, but that's another story. I was up on the roof of my rig putting a Winegard Wingman on my antenna. Walking on my TPO covered crowned roof. So I got to see first hand the roofing of the 3011ds. I think its crowned SLIGHTLY. If that. VERY small. Plus along the sides there are screws that are sealed running the full length of the RV. Long story short, its a fiberglass roof all right, but that water is gonna puddle up there anyway because whatever might sloff off to the side is going to pool up along the long line of screws.

I hate pooling water on a RV.

So - I'll take my TPO roofed Greyhawk. Which I did about 3 weeks ago. And I'm 100% content with my choice. 2016s have the fiberglass roof; if you can't get a good deal on a leftover 2015 you'll be set with a 2016.

Jayco all the way. Not looking back !!!!

AbdRahim · 08-07-2015, 08:43 PM

Forester 2801QS. Love it. The usual fix this fix that for the first few months , but hopefully that is over with. Rides nice, plenty of power, and looks awesome. Both big names. For me being comfortable with the dealership and their reputation for post-sale care is as important as which coach I purchase.

Up North · 08-08-2015, 07:58 AM

Thanks gents! I'm much more comfortable with the Jayco dealer. No pressure and he offers no opinion on the forester.
The Forester dealer says if I buy now I will save a lot of money versus waiting until winter to order for delivery next spring.
The Jayco guy says I'd be smart to wait and his price most likely won't change.
However the Forester has some attractive features. Swivel front captains chairs are nice. Not available on the Jayco.
The entry steps on the Forester are integrated so no need for power steps which always seems to be a weak spot.
The tank dump valves are in a compartment and not exposed to the road muck on the Forester. Something my Coachmen has and I've grown to appreciate.
I'm not going to let the Forester guy pressure me as it seems he's want to do. But he can push me to the Jayco by doing so.
I will continue weighing the options and decide in my own time.

mtnbikes · 08-08-2015, 08:49 AM

My wife and I are in the same boat. We have it narrowed down to the Jayco Greyhawk 29MV and FR Forester 2861DS. I've owned both manufactures in the past in the form of TTs. From a quality standpoint Jayco does a much better job and is getting better all the time. For the price Jayco delivers better value and craftsmanship. After looking at the FR product I was not impressed with the construction, especially their so called FG roof. FR has a flat roof with the seams down the sides on top with all the screws exposed...no dicor. For this reason I will not be buying the Forester. The FR dealer said he could give me a "good deal", but whatever the cost it's not worth the hassle if there is a water problem. I will be looking at the 2016 Greyhawk 29MV next week so I can get a closer look at the roof. According to Jayco the new FG roof is domed and the seams are along the side of the coach. I did have a Jayco whitehawk TT with a domed roof...water never pooled and never had an issue with leaks. Keep up updated and I will update when I find out more information.

s1njin · 08-08-2015, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtnbikes

According to Jayco the new FG roof is domed and the seams are along the side of the coach. I did have a Jayco whitehawk TT with a domed roof...water never pooled and never had an issue with leaks. Keep up updated and I will update when I find out more information.

I've seen the fiberglass roof. I had paperwork in to purchase a 2016 29MV but there was a vibration at 60+mph that Ford seems to think has something to do w/ the 2016 E450 chassis moving to the 6 speed transmission. That and extending the frame. So I ended up w/ the 2015.

The roof is arched just like my 2015, but its fiberglass w/ a popcorn finish. The fiberglass extends over the sides and down a couple inches. Its very pretty, as far as roofs are concerned.

Up North · 08-12-2015, 10:17 AM

Well all the prices are in and between cash out price and trade in allowance Jayco dealer beat Forester by about $13,000!

That is a difference significant enough that it can't be ignored. And I was actually leaning towards the Forester because of some of the options it had that were not available from Jayco.
The floor plans are identical so thats not even on the table. Some of the things included standard on the Forester which had me leaning towards them was slide out awnings, swivel bucket seats in the cab, (thats actually a $850 option) heated compartmentalized dump tanks and valves. I really liked this feature. It could basically extend our camping season a month.
The integrated steps rather than electric steps which never seem to work after a couple of years. Outside of that I'd say they are on equal footing.
I can put slide out awnings on the Jayco and it does come with heat pads in the dump tanks but the valves are on the outside.

In order for the Forester to get close he would have to drop all the options including full body paint which is one I'm not willing to concede at this point.
I think my decision just became easier!

s1njin · 08-12-2015, 10:47 AM

I really like the electric steps. You have to keep them lubed though - I'd be willing to bet most don't bother or hit it w/ WD40 and call it a day. Lithium grease and a few minutes and you're done.

Also, having the steps integrated into the box of the coach, while simpler, does eat up floor space IN the coach. Also, if you're way out of level front to back you'll be happier w/ the steps that drop down; less of a pain getting in and out. if you don't have these, you'll definitely want to invest in a good step w/ adjustable legs. You'll need it eventually. I needed mine almost every time when I had my Winnie.

Up North · 08-12-2015, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s1njin

I really like the electric steps. You have to keep them lubed though - I'd be willing to bet most don't bother or hit it w/ WD40 and call it a day. Lithium grease and a few minutes and you're done.

Also, having the steps integrated into the box of the coach, while simpler, does eat up floor space IN the coach. Also, if you're way out of level front to back you'll be happier w/ the steps that drop down; less of a pain getting in and out. if you don't have these, you'll definitely want to invest in a good step w/ adjustable legs. You'll need it eventually. I needed mine almost every time when I had my Winnie.

Good points I didn't think of I guess. The idea of having one less thing to malfunction sounded good that I didn't think of the drawbacks of the integrated steps.
I liked the idea of swivel seats but I'm not sure how much I'd actually use them.
But the compartmentalized heated tanks and valves was really a lure for me as was slide out awnings. Not worth 13 grand though.

WanderingToo · 08-12-2015, 05:43 PM

I'm sure either camper will be great! I like your comparisons, did many of the same before buying our Forester last year. Really like our unit, FG roof was a big seller for me and I got a great price.

Kinda funny, dealer wouldn't come down to my price in April so I walked, waited and watched the unit online. They eventually dropped the selling price $4500 below my offer in July. Of course I tried to get a further reduction but no luck! I politely waited until all the papers we signed to mention my higher offer!

Up North · 08-12-2015, 06:14 PM

I have learned there is as much difference in dealers as there are motor homes. The Forester dealer was hard selling like if he didn't sell this unit he was unable to make next months mortgage while the Jayco guy was much more low key but yet very helpful.

That being said if the Forester would have been within 1 or 2 thousand dollars it would have been a tough decision. Another thing I didn't mention was the Jayco Mahogony Mist full body paint was far better looking than either of the Forester fbp options in my opinion.

The Forester guy is on vacation this week so I'm sure I will hear back from him next week. Should be interesting to hear his response when he finds out the huge price gap between him and Jayco.

s1njin · 08-13-2015, 09:34 AM

I didn't like the swivel seats actually. I felt I was far too low when compared to anybody else. Maybe my kids would use them if I had them. Until they got older.

Up North · 08-13-2015, 02:28 PM

Thanks for the input on the swivel seats. It actually came up last weekend when we had a early morning rain shower and we had about 6 people in the rig drinking coffee someone asked if the cab seats swiveled around. Of course mine don't but at that time it would have been kind of handy.
But that's the first time it ever came up so I guess I don't need them that bad.
Now that you mention it I can see how they would have to be low to the floor in comparison to the rest of the furniture.