Airstream leads, others will follow

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by BatDude

Earlier this year at the Escapees annual education event in Tucson is where I learned too much storage space = dangerously overweight travel trailers and RVs.

So may not be on the plus side for safe and enjoyable RVing.

If you're irresponsible enough to overload your RV and exceed the GVWR, you can't blame that on having "too much storage". You can blame it on not understanding how towing and RVs work.

[Oliver_Elite2]

Originally Posted by Cathi

I knew that Thor owned Airstream but I did not realize that they had owned it for that long. There is filiform corrosion not covered by warranty, I understand, that has been a problem on some of their newer units. Don't know if they ever addressed that.

WOW that explains why the Airstream quality has steadily gone downhill. Leave it to Warren Buffet the monopolizer of Thor. Home of the staple and glue inventories.

Hope none of the other fiberglass companies here sell off to him. Look for voided warrantees and crummy replacement policies and parts.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by BatDude

...too much storage space = dangerously overweight travel trailers and RVs...

Originally Posted by Civilguy

...Managing weights and capacities is just another responsibility. As with so many things in life, some folks act responsibly, some less so...

Originally Posted by rbryan

If you're irresponsible enough to overload your RV and exceed the GVWR, you can't blame that on having "too much storage". You can blame it on not understanding how towing and RVs work.

All true, but lots of storage combined with limited payload capacity is an irresponsible design decision by the manufacturer (who ought to know the most). I am not saying anything about any particular manufacturer or trailer, but I have seen a few with as little as a few hundred pounds difference between curb weight and GVWR. I have also seen a few with storage located in a way that invites unbalanced loading.

All in all, it's a significant problem, as Batdude's earlier post reveals, and I think there is irresponsibility all around. In fairness to the original subject of this thread, Airstream has a reputation of being one of the better balanced trailers, and payload capacities seem reasonable and proportionate to the size of the trailer.

[Oliver_Elite2]

Originally Posted by skyking

I will never buy another new RV with all the quality issues at every price point and that includes Airstream and Oliver.

We like our Oliver.

Yes, it had some fit and finish problems. Fortunately they have a very good warrantee and because we are in the same state we got our small problems worked out by visiting the factory.

I can't say enough about the cooperation and care the Oliver people have towards people who purchase their high end fiberglass models.

YES they are pricey! We had to swallow hard before purchasing but we will never regret waiting and buying Oliver.

The only outstanding fleet-wide problem at the moment is the fresh water tank's input hose is too short and does not allow for the complete vacuuming of the tank. This is being worked on and soon a solution will be available. This is not really a problem for us currently we don't boondock.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by Oliver_Elite2

WOW that explains why the Airstream quality has steadily gone downhill. Leave it to Warren Buffet the monopolizer of Thor. Home of the staple and glue inventories.

Hope none of the other fiberglass companies here sell off to him. Look for voided warrantees and crummy replacement policies and parts.

Huh?

Berkshire owns Forest River not THOR.

[Oliver_Elite2]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

Huh?

Berkshire owns Forest River not THOR.

YEAH and who owns Berkshire? Warren Buffet. He owns almost ALL the Indiana (lack of ) class stick, staple, and glues. Under the umbrella of THOR.

Hint... Berkshire (sound familiar as is in the parent Berkshire Hathaway) ala Buffet. Horrible little man. Employs non-US citizens to boot. Check out YouTube and watch them assemble the things as fast as they can.

[Oliver_Elite2]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Warren Buffet => Berkshire Hathaway => Forest River.

Forest river is a competitor to Thor.

Personally, I like to focus on things that are not horrible.

As an example, we are having really great weather here today.

How's your day going?

> I disagree but very agreeably. Not to ruin your day however.... <

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett’s RV maker fined $5 million over safety issues

"... Warren Buffett's RV maker, Forest River, has been fined at least $5 million due to safety issues.
The Associated Press reported that the Indiana-based company is on probation and could see regulators fine it an additional $30 million during the next three years, if any other safety concerns crop up..."

Regulators Fined Warren Buffett's Forest River Over Safety Concerns | Fortune.com
http://fortune.com/2015/07/10/warren-buffett-rv-maker/

> I don't normally focus on the toady but someone brought up the despicable Thor. Sigh... <

> Great weather here too and thanks for asking about my day. <

* Cheers and have a good one... just don't look at his face.
Signing off now... *

[Tom 72]

Apparently the built-in toilets in either the Basecamp and/or the Nest, may just be built-in (?) Porta Pottis. I concluded that they were flush toilets based on the floorplans. Frankly, I can't be certain either is built in. But for around $40,000...

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by Oliver_Elite2

YEAH and who owns Berkshire? Warren Buffet. He owns almost ALL the Indiana (lack of ) class stick, staple, and glues. Under the umbrella of THOR.

Hint... Berkshire (sound familiar as is in the parent Berkshire Hathaway) ala Buffet. Horrible little man. Employs non-US citizens to boot. Check out YouTube and watch them assemble the things as fast as they can.

You seem so eager to show that you know something and are right that the simple facts somehow elude you entirely?

Berkshire/Buffet have no stake in THOR,you seem determined to lump them together but they are not together.

THOR is the #1 RV maker in the U.S.

Forest River the #2 RV Maker in the U.S. is a Berkshire Company.M'kay?

[Oliver_Elite2]

Greetings to a fellow TNean!

Agreed. We are very pleased with our Oliver and it's built for the long haul. Probably will outlive us both

Couldn't ask for better customer support and willingness to help owners. We both are fortunate we live in TN so going for warrantee work is no fuss at all.
Heather, Jason, Justin, and Dustin get special thanks and kudos from us.

Our Oliver is a real head turner in every campground we visit. People stop and want tours. "I've never seen one of these before."
He speaks for himself.

[cpaharley2008]

You all should have bought an Escape, not Thor owned, right now about 25% on sale due to the exchange rate and, here is the biggie, the owner just made a cross country trip to repair maybe 2 dozen units that may have an issue, there were only instances of issues with a different water hose, but being proactive, Reace, the owner of Escape arranged to meet all of the other owners impacted, at their home or on the road, and did the repair right there.
Talk about customer service....reminds me of the Rolls Royce where they would helicopter the mechanic anywhere in the world for a repair.

[Oliver_Elite2]

Warren Buffett owns a large share of Thor.

He is not listed as the CEO etc. but is indeed in a catbird's seat in sheer number of shares he controls with intermediaries. Trace his associates' purchases and roads lead back to him.

Buffett's modus operandi is to dominate an industry be it upfront or hidden.

https://www.investorsalley.com/3-sto...-he-could-buy/

Personally I wouldn't own a Thor or Forrest River RV on a bet no matter who controls them. They are staple and glue inferiors to a fiberglass period.

Thor recalls some 2018 motorhomes
http://rvtravel.com/thor-recalls-some-2018-motorhomes/
Comprehensive list of RV-related recalls for June
http://rvtravel.com/rv-and-rv-relate...for-june-2017/

Agree or disagree it matters not to me.
I have no need to be "right" with impunity.
Does this really matter? NOT.

That is all I have to say about this. Shall we all return to the original thread's intent without nit picking and parsing words?

Life is short and this is just a forum.

[thrifty bill]

No one has followed Airstreams lead on traditional trailers so I doubt they will be lining up to follow them in this regard.

Now I do believe with family ownership of some brands that at some point, heirs will want to cash out so traditional trailer brands might pick them up. Forest River with deep Berkshire Hathaway pockets is an obvious buyer.

[thrifty bill]

Article above does not say Buffet owns a large share of Thor. Berkshire does own Forest River and is more than happy to pick up additional brands. Berkshire prefers to own the entire company rather than shares. And the purchase of Thor could run into anti-trade rules given the already ownership of Forest River, but smaller pickups, say the purchase of Scamp or Casita or Escape would not have those challenges.

Just the opinion of one long term BRK investor.

[Jon in AZ]

Why does the thought of Scamp in the hands of a large RV conglomerate make me sad?

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Why does the thought of Scamp in the hands of a large RV conglomerate make me sad?

We like to root for an underdog. And larger production volume of FG eggs would reduce the values of preowned units. But I don't think quality would necessarily decline in such a circumstance.

[Jon in AZ]

For me it's not so much about being an "underdog," or even about build quality or resale value, but about the decline of small business in general. Makes me sad.

I realize that a Forest River-owned Scamp might retain some autonomy of operation, but past history shows that the big conglomerates will not hesitate to shut down a nameplate if sales don't satisfy investors during an industry downturn, while a small, independent Scamp will tighten its belt and ride it out.

Nothing lasts forever, and it often happens with small businesses that heirs gradually lose the vision of the founders- I get that- but I hope I don't live to see the day.

[Oliver_Elite2]

Unfortunately your son is not alone with the Airstream quality problems of recent years.

I agree with a poster who said it is very sad that the smaller companies are selling out to the big conglomerates.

Big companies are all about the bottomline and satisfying shareholders. Buy stocks either as a minority, proxy (straw "investor" - real bucks investor hidden), or majority partner it occurs quality suffers and complaints escalate.

airstream quality issues
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=airstream+...es&t=h_&ia=web

As long as our Fiberglass campers stay out of the large stream quality should be maintained.

Oliver is family owned for instance and maintains an excellent record of quality and service after the sale.

[Bruce Thomas]

Lotta chat about a trailer few will pay that much for. What's so new about it anyway? Looks narrow too.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

For me it's not so much about being an "underdog," or even about build quality or resale value, but about the decline of small business in general. Makes me sad.

I realize that a Forest River-owned Scamp might retain some autonomy of operation, but past history shows that the big conglomerates will not hesitate to shut down a nameplate if sales don't satisfy investors during an industry downturn, while a small, independent Scamp will tighten its belt and ride it out.

Nothing lasts forever, and it often happens with small businesses that heirs gradually lose the vision of the founders- I get that- but I hope I don't live to see the day.

Many small business owners can't wait for the time they cash out, sell to the big guy, and repeat the process again. It's one of the signs of success. You built a business good enough and profitable enough that someone else wants it, watch Shark Tank. It's all about small business people getting investments from the big guys.