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Your thoughts on Jayco vs Forest River vs Heartland North Trail


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We currently have a Jayco X23B hybrid. Well I upgraded our TV & its time to move up in size. Anyone here have thoughts on these three mmanufacturers/models? Jayco 23MBH, Forest River 2504s (wifes fav), & Heartland North Trail 24BHS (my fav). Our Jayco has been awesome so I'm afraid to swith mfg. We had a 2009 Forest River Roo 19 that was a nightmare. But that was 6 years ago. Heartland I have no experience with. What do my fellow fiends think?

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I'm very prejudiced towards JAYCO since their products have and still serve us well. We have never had any major issues and the minor ones were with Carefree and Norcold which were fixed expeditously. Most service problems with any brand depend on the dealer as much or more than the manufacturer. JAYCO just recently bought OPEN RANGE and has owned STARCRAFT since 1992 they also bought TRAVEL SUPREME about 6 years ago which is now the ENTEGRA class A.

For what it's worth JAYCO is still family owned and HEARTLAND is owned by THOR and FOREST RIVER is part of Warren Buffets empire.

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We currently have a Jayco X23B hybrid. Well I upgraded our TV & its time to move up in size. Anyone here have thoughts on these three mmanufacturers/models? Jayco 23MBH, Forest River 2504s (wifes fav), & Heartland North Trail 24BHS (my fav). Our Jayco has been awesome so I'm afraid to swith mfg. We had a 2009 Forest River Roo 19 that was a nightmare. But that was 6 years ago. Heartland I have no experience with. What do my fellow fiends think?

 

HA! I read it quick and thought you were buying a new camper because you bought a larger television. Comprehension FAIL.

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Quality matters.  Thor units are well known for their entry level price.  Not sure what Warren Buffet is known for except making himself rich.  Not that thats a bad thing.  Even if the floor plans don't work for you, go look at Winnebago, Tiffin, Newmar and even Fleetwood to see how seams and caulking is supposed to look.  Then open and close cabinet doors to see how they feel closing and opening and what the inside looks like.  Look on the floor to see if any screws and construction debris is still there. Is there anything on the unit that the dealer hasn't fixed yet.  There shouldn't be.  Its new.  Inspect the exterior for rust forming.  There shouldn't be.  Its new.  

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Jayco has a 2 year warranty.  Forest River a 1 year.   Our family has a total of 3 Forest River products ranging from pop ups to 38 foot trailer.  All 2013 or newer.  Our experience is that they are made with very cheap materials and workmanship.  Things just do not last. We have been disappointed in all 3 of them.  I won't even go into the repairs that have been needed just after the one year warranty expired.  They look very nice but it is a facade.  The Jayco products we have owned have been pretty good and we have been happy with them.  No experience with the Heartland so I couldn't say.  You can get a great discount on a Forest River product but the old adage of you get what you pay for comes into play.  From our experiences, go with Jayco unless the Heartland owners are happier with theirs.  Good luck!

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We have a Heartland 5th wheel.  This will be our 5th season with our Sundance, their - or what used to be - "mid-profile" fifth wheel.  We have had few problems with ours.  Only 1 major under warranty, in that the gas line when the kitchen slide was in, was getting pinched and the stove and fridge would not light.  Replaced after the first season.  Had the bedroom slide roller bolts break off last year, which we were able to fix.  This is our first rig, so not a lot to compare with. You can gain some insight into the North Trail experiences of others from the owner's forum - www.heartlandowners.org.  We've had some minor issues, and would purchase a Heartland again.  We've found them to be pretty good to deal with.  They run a nice yearly rally - odd years in Goshen and even years around the country. 

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