Hello, new member here, Dave Couch but I have been lurking for a few years...
My pod is a 2021 RP-192 Hood River edition, love the trailer! My tow vehicle is a 2022 F150, v8 with the HD tow package.
However that being said I learned a big lesson about buying anything built during the pandemic...
I searched for a 192 for about 6 months when I decided to finally pull the trigger and buy one. The six months was agony since before that time they appeared fairly common, then when I went to buy it they all vanished. I finally gave up and then the day after I gave up I found one that had just arrived to a dealer in Rock Springs WY, I am in Denver. I called the dealer up and arranged to drive out the next day to pick it up.
That is where the fun began.
When I got the trailer home I found the pocket door for the bathroom had fallen off the sliding mechanism. No big deal, just remove the sliders from the track, actually use the correct size screw and what do you know, no more broken door.
After that it has become a game of cat and mouse to figure out what is going to surprise me next.
Things like both the bathroom sink and the shower with the hot & cold water pipes reversed.
The water pump also fell off on the first trip home, not like I-80 is a terrible road, just poor workmanship. I ended up putting in a piece of wood to mount the pump.
The belly-pad flying off the trailer out in the middle of New Mexico. Looks like they used about 1/4 of the sheet metal screws/fender washers they should have. That was a PITA to replace by myself.
Mics. cabinet issues, I spent the last week sorting those out.
Every time I open up a cabinet or peek behind something I find tons of sawdust, handfuls of screws and chunks of pipe and trash that have been "hidden". Luckily for me the handfuls of screws that I have found were handy, see next item.
We drove to Maryland a few weeks ago and hit some rough roads outside of Pittsburgh PA. When we got to the campsite outside of Frederick MD I opened up the trailer and found the microwave had slid back into it's cabinet. In looking at the Microwave I discovered that they never screwed the microwave into the valence which holds it to the cabinet. I got out my bag of "spare" screws and got it attached to the valence. Once home I put in some #14 sheet metal screws and it's not going to come out on it's own again.
Anyway it's been a struggle, no one big deal but tons of "little" deals.
The thing with me is that the trailer is a perfect size for me and my wife and the truck pulls the trailer like it is not even there. I will hang onto it but it's very frustrating to pay full list on an item and have it disintegrate around you. Hopefully I have the kinks worked out now, as I have said I love the trailer.
But the lack of quality in manufacturing and a final quality inspection had dampened my enthusiasm for the little guy. It reminds me of the late 60's with cars and the horror stores of bad workmanship, beer cans hidden behind door panels etc.
Sorry about the rant, I would forward this to Forest River but from my conversations with their service departments I know it would be a waste of time.
dc
------------- Dave Couch
Lone Tree, Colorado
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