2023 Forest River xlr micro boost 19xlre toy hauler opinion

[quadrider]

I just sold my 89 bounder and I’m looking at purchasing a toy haulier. When I Google most reliable manufacturers Forest River seems to pop up in the top three but when I look at customer reviews, there is a lot of people talking about quality issues and poor warranty. Hopefully there’s some people on here who own toy hauliers by Forest River and maybe can share their thoughts on it. Currently I’m driving a ram 1500 with airbags 5.7 hemi with a payload of 1500 pounds and a max towing capacity of 10,300 pounds. I’m looking at toy hauliers that are around 5500 pounds empty and a max trailer weight of around 8500 pounds. I’m looking to travel for 2 to 3 months at a time for the next 2 to 3 years and then hopefully move into full time rving. I know I’m gonna be super close to the max payload for my truck, but I’m hoping to upgrade truck before I start full timing. I usually stay in places that don’t have hook ups and I really like the toy haulier to have the patio deck. If people have any recommendations on reliable toy hauliers that will suit my current truck. I’m interested in hearing about that too. thank you for all your help.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I've not ever associated Forest River with either high quality or customer service & support, but maybe they are better with toyhauler trailers than the rest?

An 8500 lb GVWR seems light for a toyhauler, and "light" in an RV is synonymous with cutting corners to save weight. Just saying...

 

[gwinger]

I've not ever associated Forest River with either high quality or customer service & support, but maybe they are better with toyhauler trailers than the rest?

An 8500 lb GVWR seems light for a toyhauler, and "light" in an RV is synonymous with cutting corners to save weight. Just saying...

I had a 2016 22RR toy hauler. Numerous problems. Took it back to the dealer 3 times for a crooked shower door, rubbing on the bottom. I was told FR would only authorize a new bottom sweep. That did not fix the problem. Dealer then said FR would not replace the entire door assembly.
All the cabinet handles were crooked. Again FR and the dealer would do nothing.
Then the ramp cracked while loading my bike. Dealer and FR both said I overloaded the ramp and would not replace it. Bike weighed 800lbs and the ramp was rated at 1500lbs.
I called the ramp manufacturer and after sending pictures, they said they would send a new ramp to the dealer. The dealer said FR would not pay for installation and they wanted $500 for the work. BTW, the new ramp came with all the hardware.
I visited a local RV repair shop and they told me $200 for the job. Had the ramp sent there.
6 months later traded the trailer at another dealer.
Never again a Forest River product!!

 

[oldryder1]

"the vast majority of the RV buyers are not willing to pay what it costs to have active quality control in the manufacturing process"

This statement reflects the common misperception that quality control adds cost. Properly done quality control reduces costs because it's cheaper to do something right the 1st time than it is to do it over. Proactive quality control investigates when something is done incorrectly or half assed and changes the process or the employee that was the source of the problem. This isn't rocket science, many companies know how to do this. Eventually some RV mfgr will figure it out.

Note a QC program in the factory doesn't solve problems due to poor engineering, botched purchased parts, or crap materials. It can, if the factory can feed back to the engineers and purchasing what the problems are and demand changes. Musk did this with Tesla, the engineers desks were actually out on the floor right next to the assembly line.

 

[quadrider]

Thanks for everyone reply i decided to stay away from forest river. Im going to look at buying a grand design momentum 21g. I have an appointment to look at one next week. They seem to be better quality not sure if that’s true, but I wasn’t able to find too many problems with them on the Internet most of the problems I found either related to poor caulking from the factory or with the extremely large units problems with the frame. It markets as half ton towable but like the other trailer payload is gonna be an issue for the truck. I will just have to see how my truck does with the upgrades and if it doesn’t work trade my truck in for an older truck in the three-quarter ton or one ton.

 

[rvlifer]

If you avoided rvs based on the reviews and problems no one would ever buy one. Every brand has detractors and problems. The best way to reduce the risk of buying an rv with a lot of problems is to pay to have it inspected before you buy it.

Good luck with whichever you decide on.

 

[Chef Duane]

If you avoided rvs based on the reviews and problems no one would ever buy one.

Yup. The best way to improve the build quality of RV's would be for people to stop buying crappy RV's. But as long as there is a market for poorly built and poorly serviced RV's the Camping Worlds of the RV industry will exist.

 

[rvlifer]

Yup. The best way to improve the build quality of RV's would be for people to stop buying crappy RV's. But as long as there is a market for poorly built and poorly serviced RV's the Camping Worlds of the RV industry will exist.

But they are so pretty and if i buy one my children will become perfect while we roast marshmallows over the campfire

 

[quadrider]

Yeah, I understand that you’re always gonna get complaints or bad reviews about every type of RV out there but when you come across reviews saying the same thing over and over, it’s pretty much a red flag to stay away. Most of the reviews and complaints were from brand new trailers that had stuff falling off the walls and ceilings and floor after the first or second road trip. It was mostly about poor craftsmanship. I asked for reviews from people who own Forest River and only one person responded saying never again. It seems like the XLR lineup is just a lower quality build with too many problems. I’m sure there’s are Forest River line ups out there that are more money and a much higher quality build. Money is definitely an issue for me and if I’m gonna spend the next 10 or 15 years paying off one, I wanna make sure that the problems it has are manageable and not a complete lemon.

 

[Kirk]

It has been my observation that there are no RV manufacturers that are so good that they have no unhappy customers and none so bad that they have no supporters. Reviews are far more likely to be posted by the unhappy customers than by happy ones.

 

[rvlifer]

Yeah, I understand that you’re always gonna get complaints or bad reviews about every type of RV out there but when you come across reviews saying the same thing over and over, it’s pretty much a red flag to stay away. Most of the reviews and complaints were from brand new trailers that had stuff falling off the walls and ceilings and floor after the first or second road trip. It was mostly about poor craftsmanship. I asked for reviews from people who own Forest River and only one person responded saying never again. It seems like the XLR lineup is just a lower quality build with too many problems. I’m sure there’s are Forest River line ups out there that are more money and a much higher quality build. Money is definitely an issue for me and if I’m gonna spend the next 10 or 15 years paying off one, I wanna make sure that the problems it has are manageable and not a complete lemon.

just about every manufacturer has those kinds of issues. When i was shopping for my current rv i was considering newmar, who is considered to be one of the best rvs out there. One of the first websites that showed up when reasearching them was called my newmar nightmare. But i eventually came across and personlly met owners that had great experiences with them.

Rvs are not built like houses or cars. You can expect problems but it is possible to manage them and for rvs to still be well worth it. Plus there are lots of people who have very few issues, so the downside is hit or miss.

if you invest in an nvria certified inspection on any rv you choose to buy that should identify any serious issues and lower the cost of any problems after you own it. Then learning how to properly maintain and troubleshoot the rv goes a long way.

If you really want to be sure your rv is high quality, you could purchase an older one, say built prior to 1980, and do a frame up restoration on it yourself. That would give you the opportunity to eliminate any defects and use higher quality components.

I have owned forest river rvs and currently own a fr trailer. They were all on the lower end of the quality scale but one fr rv was the best value i ever got out of an rv. It only lasted 8 years and had some issues but i spent less money purchasing it than i did on maintaining my current luxury rv in thw last year we fulltimed in it.

Not trying to convince you to buying an xlr. I am not very familiar with them and whether they were the best or worst rv out there i wouldnt know.

Rving is a wonderful lifestyle but not quite the idyllic life that the industry paints. But if living that way appeals to you it can still be worth taking the chance on an rv that doesnt live up to expectations.

I think you are right in being cautious. I wish you luck in whatever you end up with.

 

[quadrider]

Thank you for your reply. I love RVing and I’m looking forward to doing it full-time in the next couple of years.
I have a 89 bounder class a for the last 23 years and it has been very good to me with very little issues. The RV is at a point where it’s good to live in and she looks really nice on the inside, but she’s a little worn out for the road. I did a complete renovation and overhaul on that unit when i got it but I don’t think I have that in me anymore. I do all my own repairs and maintenance and I don’t have an issue with that. I’m also a licensed mechanic. I live check to check so I will be financing my next rig. For me it’s something I’ll probably be paying the next 10 to 20 years on whether it’s a 40 K or an 80 K trailer. I just wanna make sure I do my homework and not end up with a lemon. I know all rv are going to have issues or need repairs. I just wanna make sure I end up with an RV I spend more time enjoying it than fixing it.

 

[rvlifer]

On long loans with rvs you just have to be resolved to the fact that you will probably be under water on the loan for a long time and the loan payments might last a lot longer than the rv.

I have a 20yr mortgage on the rv we currently own. No issues except the mental hurdle of still having to make the payment if it ends up the rv doesnt provide the same value as it did when you bought it.

Negotiate hard on the price. The less you spend the easier a long loan works.

 

[quadrider]

Yeah rv are expensive in canada. The same rig listed at 60,000 here is selling for 30000 in the usa. Current rv I'm looking at is 60k plus tax and fees and with the loan for 13 years ill end up paying 90 k. My brother is full time rving and loves it. I have been debating in my head if i should buy the rv I love or should i settle for somthing less and more reasonable.

 

[Kirk]

I have been debating in my head if i should buy the rv I love or should i settle for somthing less and more reasonable.

That is probably the most common dilemma and also the most important decision. If you buy something that you are not satisfied with you will probably want to trade again and trading RVs is always a losing proposition. But it is also difficult to enjoy using an RV that you struggle to pay for. You may be better off to shop used again, just as you did the last time. The catch is that most lenders that I'm familiar with are hesitant to carry an RV that is more than 10 years old for much more than 10 years. What would it cost you to buy in the states and take it back home with you? That might be at least a partial answer.

 

[quadrider]

Currently the RV I’m looking at for 60 K are between 2021 2023 for years. The payments aren’t bad $500 a month. Its the interest for the long-term loan. The same RV in the usa was to sell for 30,000 all in it would be 42,000 Canadian.
Then you would have the taxes and duties and whatever other fees to bring it back across the border. I would assume I’d save around $10,000 but I probably would not get the loan. Financing one here they have the unit as collateral.