Check Your Windows!

Marwayne, Do you have pictures of what you did? It would be interesting to see your cabinets.

Don’t mean to hijack this leaky window thread, but this is sort of relevant. I just purchased a new 2016 172, haven’t picked it up yet, but I did go through it thoroughly a couple days ago, and a couple observations…

1. First, the obvious… it’s made of inexpensive materials, and some fixtures are on the ridiculously cheap side.

2. Craftsmanship is not the greatest…

3. Horrible sloppy caulk jobs

4. Screws in panels that don’t actually penetrate the support on the other side (panels lose)

5. Broken light fixture (installed that way)

6. Debris left around (leftover wiring, etc.)

7. Pipe weld cement a mess

8. Unsecured wiring and hoses. Wiring and hoses underneath the pod, which could be caught by road debris… as well as wiring and hoses internally, where I could see behind panels. These will move while underway, possibly chafe through, etc. I’ll definitely be going over all of it, especially propane lines, to make sure they are secured and not rubbing on anything sharp.

9. Rust on parts of the frame. A small amount and mostly on the tongue, but this was unexpected as I thought it was all powder coated.

10. And last, but not least, very poor cabinet design. We like the basic layout, but amazing amounts of wasted space. Cubic feet worth of space lost from cabinets in order to install one or two switches. Latest stereo (2016 model?) also eats up what was once several cubic feet of upper cabinet storage… and I’m sure it’s empty space behind the stereo. Could go on here, total lack of thought on design details.

This is just the immediately obvious stuff, I’m sure I’ll find more as I take possesion of the trailer.

I want to point out that this is everything I’ve observed before I put my money down. So why did I buy it? We’ll, because I think it’s pretty good value for the money… and though it has issues, they’re for the most part minor and easy to rectify. I believe their quality control (or construction manager) could use a talking too, and their interior designer should be fired. I think they could do better, even at this price point… but for the price, it’s not too bad… and from what I’ve seen, nobody else is doing any better, unless you want to spend a lot more money. 

So this isn’t a dis. on Forest River, I think they’ve done pretty well in providing an affordable light trailer. But if you are considering any small inexpensive trailer, you should make sure your expectations are set correctly :) This has been said before on other threads.

And if your worried about the trailer eventually leaking… no need to worry, if you own it long enough, it will eventually leak. Luckily it’s not a big deal, unless you leave it un-repaired. If you’re not the fix it type, this is an opportunity to learn some basics. Fixing and modding a trailer is part of the fun :)

I should point out that my 172 has been sitting out on the lot in a number of recent big downpours, and it was dry as a bone! Yeah!

We have a 2009Rpod173 and have used it extensively for long cross country trips. We have never had any leaks or major problems with our pod. We love It!

I would be willing to bet the owners who HAVEN'T had any leaking is probably in the 90% range. That being said, maintain your pod, check for leaks regularly if it's being stored, and try not to let the "what ifs" worry you.

Welcome. We have owned our 2013 171 since purchasing it new in 2013. We have traveled at least 20,000 miles in the last few years. Other than a few initial minor problems, it has performed beautifully. Proper maintenance is required for flawless performance. We are presently planning our new camping year and still enjoying it. All RV's have some initial "teething problems" and once they are addressed, and with proper maintenance, you should enjoy many happy years of camping. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we have ours. Again, welcome. Safe Travels.