Flagstaff/Rockwood Trailers - Any Good??
Bill A'Hearn
with the Flagstaff/Rockwood line of trailers. .I know that both are made by
Forest River. My questions are:
What do folks think about Rockwood/Flagstaff trailers?
Are there any problem areas we should be aware of?
All comment are appreciated!
Bill
Matt Jacobs
wood)...
Matt
Steve H.
as much as the Niagara and the biggest reason was the local dealer didn't
impress me at all. I've read a lot of good things about the Rockwood's on
the various discussion boards and owner reviews.
Steve
John-n-Julie
great deal on it. We really like the floorplan and the dealer was the
nicest out of all we went to. Debbie Cooper (Cooper's RV - Clearwater FL)
really went out of her way to help us decide on each of the *three* visits
to her dealership.
And the popup itself - other than a few modifications - is great!
--
John & Julie
Lakeland, FL
'96 Explorer
'00 Rockwood 2280
"I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe."
"Bill A'Hearn" <wah...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:chxy7.1663$cy.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Pam
>What do folks think about Rockwood/Flagstaff trailers?
we have the tiniest of rockwoods - never can remember the number, but just an
8' box - no frills but a/c & brakes.
camped in it minimum 3 weekends per/month this summer from april - september,
really enjoy it. no problems w/the unit & have a great dealer.
shopped around alot before we bought, feel it is an excellent value for the
money.
pam
mom to threebeachboys
Jerry & Sandi Donovan
1999 Flagstaff 625D). It has the slide dinette. We think it
is a really good fairly well built trailer, and are still glad we
got it.
Among the things that impresses us at the time (and still
do) are the inner spring mattresses, the tongue weight, lots
of room, and lower price.
The mattresses are comfortable enough that we do not need
extra foam on it (we have extra foam on our bed at home).
In checking out other trailers mattresses, the foam ones and
the quilted ones just didn't seem as comfortable.
The tongue weight on the Flagstaff was heavier than most
others, around 300#. This is within the range of ideal tongue
weight for this heavy of a trailer, and we have not ever had
any hint of sway while traveling. (This might also be due to
our tow vehicles.) Trailers that have tongue weights less
than 10% of the trailer weight should be avoided, and will
most likely need additional sway control devices.
The price of our trailer was about $3000 less than a comparable
trailer from the top three manufacturers. This saved money is
significant in our opinion.
The sink cabinet (on ours) rises vertical, which allows any water
that might be in the sink to not spill on the floor (similar to other
manufacturers, so it isn't a differentiating spec.) The sink drains
fine, probably due to the shorter drain hose length, when compared
to ones that flip down for traveling.
The roof is not ABS, so it won't sag..... :-) It is one piece front
to back, plus a panel on each side, so the seams should not be
a problem.
On the downside, I would say that the main negative things on
our trailer is what I call the fit and trim. Looking at the inside
of the cabinet door openings shows rough cuts. The hinges
on the dinette seats are plastic. It is a bunch of little things that
are likely to become annoying over times. (I think plastic hinges
break easy, although these haven't yet.) Still for the $3000 saved,
I can deal with a few minor annoyances.
The other downside for some people might be the frame. It is
made of C-channel type construction. Some manufacturers use
complete tubular frame members which are stronger. The
C-channel ones are not as strong, and our warranty mentions
that we should not use a weight distribution type hitch. (So you
might need a heavier tow vehicle, we have a Ford Expedition).
Most of the other things are component type objects, like the furnace,
water heater, stove, refrig, etc are commonly purchased from similar
sources by most trailer makers, so they aren't much different.
Of course, all this is based on the 1999 models, and may or may not
be the case on the newer ones. (pluses and minuses)
Jerry Donovan
"Bill A'Hearn" <wah...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
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Dave Olsen
I just bought a 2002 Flagstaff 208 about two months ago. We love it,
it came with everything we wanted and the price was about $2500 less
than other like units.
We had some problems with the brakes and the water tank. The water
tank leaked and the brake where out of round. Our dealer took over
three weeks to fix everything and they were blaming it on Forest River
for not sending out the replacement parts. So at the two week mark I
called Forest River my self to complain and they told me that the part
where shipped three days after I brought the camper into the dealer.
To make a long story short, Forest River had to get on the horn with
the dealer to get there act together.
Forest River seems to be a decent operation except for some defects my
unit had, but my dealer turns out to be joke.
Good luck shopping.
Dave
2002 Flagstaff 208
2000 Grand Caravan
fpearman
and liked the construction and quality as compared to some other popup
trailers. I also am looking at getting a newer popup. Therefore, I
have a question for you, or anyone else that knows the answer (if
there is one). Regarding Flagstaff and Rockwood. Since both are
made by Forest River, which is considered the upper line trailer?
Regarding the RV show, was either of the Forest River products above
presented as being a "tad bit" fancier than the other?
As an example:
Ford obviously makes Fords, but they also make the Mercury. The
Mercury being somewhat fancier with more chrome and trim. Debatable
answer, but that is what I've always grown up hearing from others.
Bill A'Hearn
neither attempted to present themselves as "a 'tad bit' fancier" than the
other.
It seems that the only difference is in the cosmetics, i.e. trim color,
fabric pattern, etc. According to the factory rep there, both are built the
same. Rockwood does call their two lines of floorplans "Premier" and
"Freedom & LTD Wide Body" Camping Trailers, whereas Flagstaff calls their
two plans "Classic" and MAC Wide Body & LTD" Camping Trailers. Rockwood has
fancier names I guess...
Going thru their brochures, both Flagstaff and Rockwood offer the same floor
plans just numbered differently. We bought the 825D from Flagstaff, and
Rockwood sells it as the 2518G. Rockwood had more models available for
viewing than Flagstaff. But they didn't overlap the floorplans, so you
couldn't see the same "model" at each dealer.
The reason we went with the Flagstaff was cost (it seems that they were
selling identical trailers for $300 to $1000 less-based on phone calls and
talking to vendors), we like the floorplan shown at the show, and the
proximity of the dealer-18 miles vs. approx 70.
Here's a link to Forest River's site. They have info on both lines.
http://www.forestriverinc.com/tentcamper.htm
Hope this helps,
Bill
"fpearman" <fpea...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3bd4d604...@news.earthlink.net...
EJH
craftsmanship--there is no difference at all. I'm picking up my new Rockwood
next Tuesday; what a bargain we got! Only campin' we'll get this year
however is in the back yard :0(
--
Ed H
1984 Coleman Newport (2001 Rockwood 1950)
1994 Ford Explorer XLT
Cliff
two weeks ago, and he pretty much confirmed that too.
--
*C*
Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
1978 Starcraft Starmaster8
1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Chesapeake Va.
EJH <wha...@NOSPAMmediaone.net> wrote in message
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Albert Sonntag
and loved it. Albert Sonntag
"Cliff" <cl...@NOSPAMmaurand.com> wrote in message
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Bill A'Hearn
Veteran's Day Weekend. Our camping season is almost year round here in
Southern California :)
Bill
34-06-41 N
118-06-03 W
1999 Ford F150 Lariat SC 5.4L
2002 Flagstaff 825
"EJH" <wha...@NOSPAMmediaone.net> wrote in message
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EJH
Michael Pitts
way and identify any bugs it might have in it. I did that with mine
when I bought it, and it was a good experience.
Michael Pitts
only problem has been with the water pump on the thetford toilet. Cost
to fix was about $25., but having the toilet has been great. I had a
Coleman previously and it was a good unit too, but the dealer I bought
from sells both and says he has seen fewer problems with the Rockwood,
and the price was a lot less for what I got.