# New Grey Wolf.....Maybe



## bttravel

Just visited the St. Louis RV Show last weekend looking to move to a slightly bigger unit (grandkids) and find a really good deal. Sold my 04 Keystone today so I guess I'm sort of committed. After looking at several in the 20 to 24 ft range and "show priced" at $16k to $20k we came across the Forest River Grey Wolf, 22ft, 17BH series. One very nice looking unit. Lots of nice add-ons; power tongue jack, power leveling system, (not fully auto, but nice), flat screen tv, outside speakers and tv hookup, power awning, keyless entry, rear fold up cargo carrier, really nice cabinets, seating, etc. Compared to the other units this one really stood out. And was "show priced" at $11,999 with one year full roadside service free. That was about $3000 less than the nearest unit. I checked some blogs, etc. and found comments and experience goes both ways, regardless of brand. So, I'm wondering if anyone has past or current experience with the Forest River brand and particularly the Grey Wolf series. Would love some input before I head to the dealer Friday and place the order. Also, anyone in the Missouri area ever dealt with 47 West Trailer Sales in Troy, Mo.? Family owned and seem like a nice bunch of folks. Thanks for reading. Safe travels. :thumbup1:


----------



## bttravel

*Forget the maybe!*

Not a maybe anymore. Ordered and hopefully here in a few weeks. :thumbup1:


----------



## dogbone

I don't have any experiences with the Grey Wolf, but I own a Cedar Creek. It's made by Forest River. I bought it new at the show in Edison, NJ back in 03. A side from some minor problems it has been a very good trailer. The assistance I get from the factory has also been outstanding. I would have no problems getting another Forest River product. Another Cedar Creek anyway. 
I also had a 98 27' Wildwood also. It also was a very well made and designed trailer. We sold that to go bigger. It had no slides and we saw the 30' Creek. Done deal.
Good luck with your new trailer. I hope you have as much luck as we have had. Forest River seems to build and stand behind their products. That's been our experience anyway. Have fun out there with your grand kids.


----------



## bigjr

Ive heard good things about Forest Rivers so you should enjoy it congrads on the new unit youll love the power awning


----------



## bttravel

*The new Grey Wolf is here.*

The unit is here and in my possession. Been through all the electrical and water systems and other than one small kitchen leak, easily fixed, all is working as it should. :thumbup1: Water system prepped and flushed, all the "personal" goodies stored away and ready for the trial weekend in a couple of weeks. Actually pulls easier than my previous single axle rig (which was 600 lbs lighter) and is still easy to back and maneuver. Now hoping for more good weather. Safe travels all.


----------



## bigjr

Yeah two axle units usually are much better then single to maneuver and pull good luck and congratulations on the new unit :thumbup1:


----------



## dogbone

Congratulations and best of luck with her. The water leak was probably coming from one of those hand tightened fitting that wasn't hand tightened enough.
We've been having some great weather here in Jersey. We went up and had a pre cleaning party at our campground, about 3 weeks ago. It was warm with about 3" of snow. This coming weekend going to be around 65 to 70. Not bad for March. Going to spend the weekend up there. Get some more stuff done.
Enough about us. Hey enjoy your new trailer and the grandkids. 

Bob


----------



## bttravel

Just an update. Did a few odd job additions to the trailer and spent Easter weekend camped on Current River in Doniphan. (my home area) had to replace the cheapo Touch Audio radio/CD/DVD, etc system. Was set for other world DVD's. Easy job. To get the floorplan I wanted had to go with corner bed and ovhd bunk. Corner bed a little smaller, may have to make the DW a room in the basement :rotflmao1:but it'll work out okay. So far, all seems to be working okay. Had to use the furnace the first night and did a good job. Installed TP holder, towel racks, PT holder, magazine rack (handy), new shower head, the factory one sucked, reading light over bed and nice mudflaps. Photo attached. So far so good. Next run first weekend in May to Johnson Shut-Ins with friends. :icon_smile_bbq:


----------



## dogbone

The trailer looks great. Glad you got out and had some fun. 
We are supposed to get some rain this weekend, but we're going up to camp anyway. Got a bunch of work to do to get ready for the season.
Enjoy and have a great time. Bob


----------



## bttravel

*Weekend at Johnson's Shut-ins SP*

Just finished the 2nd weekend run with the new rig, actually yesterday, camping with friends (14 of us total) at Johnson's Shut-ins SP in Missouri. New campground that is really nice. Several of the group rode Gold Wing Trikes pulling small pop-up campers. They are really neat. If you're looking for a good spot to visit for a stay or passing through Missouri, this is a perfect spot. One minor problem with the TT. Hadn't filled the fresh water tank all the way yet so stopped at the fill station in the park and when the tank got full had water pouring out from under the camper:scratchhead: so a look under revealed the factory didn't install the vent hose. :shrug: The elbow was there, just no hose, so the water came pouring out of the elbow. Makes you wonder how something that almost all RV's get is not installed. They sure wouldn't want me in charge of QC.:whipyobut: Anyway, still had water ( we were in the electric only loop with the cycle camper folks next to the bath house) and had a great weekend with 90 degree temps, in early May no less. Other than the hose missing everything worked great, so far. The park has plenty of trails and other sites close by to see and visit. Check it out sometime. :icon_smile_bbq:


----------



## dogbone

That looks like a nice park. Glad you had a good time. 
As far as the hose. They probably just missed it or forgot the clamp and it fell off. Mine was supposed to be vented by the filler area. I guess they got lazy and just added another tube by the drain, instead of the filler. When the tank is full, water comes out there. The problem is, it creates a siphon and will drain half the water out. I get under and put a kink in it to stop the water. It's not a real fix, but it works.
Enjoy the spring and summer. Stay safe and keep well. Bob


----------



## artmart

WOW! New rig, new camping and lots of fun. welcome to the forum and may you gain some new RVing memories.

Some advice about towing and parking and I only bring this up because your trailers will be getting larger and heavier and I don't know if you're aware. I've been Rving for some time and many of us have experienced one of the biggest problems with trailers: ST tire problems (mostly blow outs).

When parking your rig into the camping space, try to prevent leaving the trailer "on a turn". After you find where you want to park it, try and move forward or back in a straight manner for some distance, then drive backward or forward into place to ensure the tires on the axles will be standing straight up. Trailer tires get extremely stressed on turns and should not be left in that manner. Trailer axles do NOT have a differential and therefore the tires are dragged or forced into turns and not intended to remain in that position.

Speed! Most trailer tires are speed rated to 65mph. Larger trailer owners are finding that their tires are failing early and we think some of that might be cause by excessive speeds especially if some inconsiderate trailer tow service towed the trailer to the dealer too fast over long distances in an effort to hurry delivery. In your case with a smaller rig and hopefully it was transported on a flat bed and if you watch your speed especially on downhills, the tires will be okay.

Unlike vehicle tires, trailer tires do a lot more sitting in place. This increases the chances that the weather will cause tire rot quicker than tires used more often. Tire covers and a means to ensure tires remain at their recommended psi even if stored elsewhere are highly recommended. Because most of the tire rot is inside the tire where you can't see it, it is recommended they be replaced even if the tread looks great about every 5-6 years.

Avoid jumping curbs on turns. This can weaken sidewalls. Allow plenty of room on turns to avoid curbs or rubbing the sidewalls.

Check the torque on them lugs at the proper intervals and any time a tire is removed and replaced. Make sure you have a correctly rated torque wrench (for both the TV and Trailer). Especially check the rig's torque prior to a trip - do the TV while you are at it.

I am not trying to scare you, but make you aware of this common problem in case you didn't know. Some people have tried to convert to LT tires but then concerns about proper weight ratings and correct size might surface. Learn all you can and hopefully the tire change tool kit (except the torque wrench) you should be carrying for the TV and Rig stay are never used. Don't be afraid to use the torque wrench often.


----------



## bttravel

Pretty much up on all the good things. We've had a TT of some sort since 85. Have a 5er parked at the farm (deer hunting camp on wheels) and I lwet my brother tow it since he has the hitch installed in his truck. Don't know how I got lucky on that one. :thumbup1: On one of the other forums, basically FR, several owners chimed in that they also got a surprise the first time they "filled" the fresh tank. Water pouring out from underneath. A call to the dealer and the factory gets "We don't install them anymore, just the elbow vent". :scratchhead: Sorry, that dog don't hunt for this guy. Stupid idea as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, had Thursday off, DW in Maine visiting family so I decided to fix the vent hose problem. And...........There, I fixed it. They had actually filled the vent connection on the fill panel with silicone. Had to dig that out too. Took a little planning to get it routed, (after the unit is built) but got er done. Today I installed an accumulator on the water system to reduce the pump cycling on low flow. It really made a big difference on when and how the pump cycles. I would recommend this to everyone if you don't already have one. Push bar on the screen door, LED lights in the storage compartments, raised the hanging bar in the closet, ( they must have really short people in Indiana, the bar was about 24 inches off the bottom of the closet) and a few other little things here and there. Getting ready for the next outing in a few days and then a long Memorial Day weekend. Safe travels everyone. :icon_smile_bbq:


----------

