Winnebago 1780 - copying the original

Originally posted by Florida Furball,,nope not a dealer. We've owned two Rpods in the past and now own a 2nd home. The last time we checked we live in the USA and can express our opinions freely. You never answered why forest river copied the Aliner Aframe as that is the same scenario as an rpod and a Winnebago drop. Competition is good. Prices fall and makes manufacturers work harder to keep their customers. That is America For peters sake. I don't think we live in North Korea after all.

Florida..

I am sorry. If you are going to continue to be rude and can't even get my name right.. not much we can talk about. (But I am pretty sure that wasn't an accident.. now was it?)

I DIDN'T say you were a dealer. I said the guy from STE WORKS at an RV sales place. I know, I have met him. Heck, I've camped with him. His site, focus and openness all changed when he went to work "in the industry".

Didn't for minute say you couldn't or shouldn't express your opinion. But since you apparently don't own a pod now, I will have to just guess at why you continue to remain in the community, just to talk bad about the pod...

I have been inside the a-liner, and the FR version, they are not screw for screw, nor letter for letter the same. In fact I have been inside several different A-Frame style campers. We thought hard about buying one.

And, since it's America, the fact that A-Liner didn't choose to sue, has no bearing on what OTHER manufacturers may choose to do, or not do.

When I was in school, we defined "competition" as "building a better mousetrap".. not running down to the hardware store, getting a box of Victor's finest, and then just making copies, and calling them "Torvic".

A ten spot still says that very soon, we will learn of the end of the Drop. They will languish on lots just like the MPG.. still some "new" 2011 MPG's out there.. saw one on RVT just last week while researching our next TT.

Have a nice day.

LOL.. I LOVE it when people quote or link to STE, regardless of the reason.. you know he is an industry shill and works at a dealership, right? A dealership that of course, doesn't sell pods but does sell.. that's right, drops.

He also is no longer a small trailer enthusiast, having sold his Scotty and bought some behemoth.

And frivolous this lawsuit isn't, the trailers are EXACT copies.. hell, they even used the same letters in the name.

A Camaro is a lot like a Mustang, but you can't just unscrew and replace parts between them. I have been in a 178, and 1780. Exact copy. And please don't let that bit of prior case law get in the way of guessing who will win.. just run down to your local dealer and pick up a new Heartland MPG.. Oh wait..

The name of the FR General Manager caught my attention, almost identical to my full name.

My vote goes to FR as well.  For those who would purchase the Winnie Drop, they would be getting a one of a kind since there wouldn't be that many produced.  And if something did go wrong with the unit, they could go to the Forest River dealer and replace their defective parts with one that fits on the R-Pod since they are nearly identical anyway.

   I looked at the Winnie Drops at a local dealer and they are well built, I am thinking Winnebago is going to lose the law suit against them and there will be some good prices for discontinued Winnie Drops. Perhaps a good time to buy a camper.