New 179 - Event Date: 15 May 2015 - 15 Nov 2015

We purchased a new 2015 r-pod 179 a couple of months ago from a local dealer and have used it on two camping trips. We are quite pleased with the way the trailer tows and functions. It is comfortable and suits us well. There have been a few issues with the trailer, however, a couple of them due to the design and others due to a lack of attention in the final assembly or in the preparation by the dealer. I sent a version of what follows to both our local dealer and directly to Forest River, but have not received a response from either of them. I’m posting this message in the hopes that someone from Forest River sees it or in case it could help other new owners.

 

When I picked up the trailer, the dealer’s representative gave me a quick introduction to the features. I then towed the trailer about three miles to my home and backed it into an enclosed RV shed where I store it. I plugged the power cord into a 110-v receptacle and found out that the battery was not charging and most of the electrical equipment was not functioning. I discovered that two 40 amp fuses were blown, and once I replaced them, everything functioned properly. I have no way of knowing whether or not the trailer came to the dealer that way, but the dealer’s preparation did not catch the problem. That was my first indication that there might be some issues with the trailer.

 

The next thing that I noticed was that the door into the trailer opens against the running light on the fender. The door on the 179 is behind the fender and if we are not careful or if a gust of wind catches the door, it will smash against the running light and break it. That is a design mistake and Forest River should fix it.

 

I appreciated receiving a list of the model and serial numbers of the equipment in the trailer to make registering the warrantees easier. The first item on my list was a Dometic air conditioner and when I went to the Dometic website and attempted to register the item, the model number on the list that I was given didn’t exist. I had to climb up on the top of the trailer and open the cover on the air conditioner to find the actual model number and serial number. That got me wondering about the accuracy of the other model and serial numbers on the list, and in fact one other model number was incorrect and two other serial numbers were incorrect. The idea of giving the purchaser a list of the numbers is a good one, but the numbers must be correct to be useful.

 

When we made up the bed in the trailer for the first time, I discovered that one of the two sheets of particle board that make up the base for the mattress was warped up about two inches across one end. The installer attempted to pull the board down with a screw on one corner and instead pulled the screw completely through the board and then just left it there. The installer started another screw at the other corner of the warped end and left it sticking up about an inch. The installer also left another screw sticking up about an inch on one corner of the non-warped end of the board. The preparation person at the dealer’s did not do anything about the warp or the improperly installed screws. I’m surprised that the screws did not rip the mattress. It wasn’t hard to flip the warped board over and install four screws properly at the corners, but aggravating that I had to do it.

 

The trailer came with a Jensen JE1915 television mounted on a swing arm and mated with a Jensen AWM968 Mobile Audio System. That model television has a very limited viewing angle and must be viewed almost straight on to be watchable. The center of the television is mounted 64 inches above the floor and is fixed on the swing arm—it can’t be tilted up or down. Because of the limited viewing angle, the television can’t be watched very well while sitting or lying on the bed. It can barely be watched from the sitting area in the slide out. We almost need to be standing to be able to see a clear picture. Either the swing arm should be mounted much lower—at the height of someone reclining in bed or sitting on the bench—or the television should be on a swivel so it can be tilted down.

 

The Jensen AWM968 Mobile Audio System will send a DVD video signal to the television and play the DVD audio through its own speakers for a reasonable watching and listening experience. I had to experiment with the two extra cables that came with the units to find a way to play through the AWM968 the audio portion of a program that is coming into the television from the rooftop antenna or the cable hookup. The audio speakers in the television itself are of quite poor quality. Some instructions from Forest River or Jensen would have helped.

 

When we made up the slide-out bench into a bed for the first time, we discovered that the table in its lowest position was about an inch higher than the bottom of the bench, and thus the bed with all the cushions on it was very uneven. I had to take the four short legs off the bottom of the table frame in order to get the two heights to match more closely. That seems like a poor design.

 

While I was checking out the trailer closely for the first time, I discovered that the pressure manifold on the propane tank setup was loose. It was held onto the frame with two small bolts and nuts and one set was loose. The installer stripped out one of the two small bolts and just left it there. It was easy to replace, but again aggravating to have to do it.

 

On our first trip out to test the trailer, I stopped for fuel after about an hour and then walked around the trailer to look for any issues. I discovered that the spare tire frame was loose in the mount on the trailer and the spare tire was flopping a bit. The main pin holding the frame into the mount was somewhat loose and was only held in place by a clip at the end. A 1-inch by 3/8-inch bolt screwed into a nut that is spot welded onto the mount is meant to lock the frame into the mount. That bolt had worked loose and thus the spare tire was moving around. When I attempted to tighten the bold with a six-inch ratchet, the bolt twisted off easily as it was made of very soft metal. I had to drill out the broken portion of the bolt that was still in the nut and install a new, hardened bolt. Forest River should consider using the design that Yakima and Thule use for their bike racks. The main pin is threaded and screws into the frame for a very solid coupling, the bolt is secondary and only needs to help stabilize the frame.

 

The faucet in the bathroom is mounted well above the sink and to the right of center. The faucet has a pull to switch the shower on and off, and doesn’t send out a contained stream when the shower is off. It isn’t possible to run water out of the faucet at any pressure without splashing your shoes and the floor. Mounting the faucet lower and more to the left would help, but a different design would be best.

 

I’ve used standard milk crates to carry camping supplies for years. Those crates are 11 inches high, but the storage opening under the 179 is 10 3/8 inches high and 34 1/4 inches long, an unusual size. My milk crates won’t fit. The storage area is the width of the trailer—about six feet. With only one small opening into the area, you have to crawl up into the space to get items out of the far size. Not a very user friendly design that could easily be improved with a larger opening.

A couple thoughts on this.....

Concerning the door, it should be "stiff" enough that it would take a nearly gale-force wind to budge it.  Mine is tight, no worries about it slamming into the fender.  Possibly a minor adjustment needed?

The TV Mounting bracket is an issue.  That's the problem with LED TV's, unless you're directly in front of them, forget it.   I had the idea to loosen the the screws that hold the TV to the bracket, and inserting shims or something to make it tilt downward.  I think an easier solution would be to replace the bracket, but why didn't FR simply use the right kind in the first place?  Here's one on Amazon with similar dimensions that tilts down that would probably work:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ID7QNI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=35EAROCS89OQL&coliid=I3OHUC9OACTNH1

The table/bed situation has been discussed on here before, it's too bad that FR hasn't taken note of the problem and fixed it on newer models.

Same deal here with the spare tire, mine was loose.  I asked the guy doing my "walk-through" if it wasn't supposed to be tighter, and he replied, "Nope, that's how it is"   To which I said, "Well how about just tightening up that bolt there?"  "Nope, that's how it is"  So...right in front of him I got a wrench out of my tool box, and tightened it up, no loose spare tire.  Luckily I have a really good RV service place near me that's not affiliated with any dealership, that I can count on for repairs/service.

oopps something happened to my post in progress, I have a 2011 RP-172 that has never been back for any type of warranty repair. I did find one or two loose screws under the sink during the first winterization. The door stop had to be tightened and some of the Olympic Rings have started to fade, but that's it, no leaks, squeeks, rattles, loose anything. Mine was built in Northern Indiana.