RVBusiness, September/October 2019

FOREST RIVER INC Open House Highlights Some of Forest River Group General Manager Doug Gaedderts management team With nearly 30 towable brands forest River Group General Manager Doug Gaeddert oversees arguably the largest manufacturing group in the RV industry responsible for an estimated 80000 annual sales As such theres always a lot going on especially when headed into the Elkhart RV open House Perhaps the biggest news from the group this year is the new rebranding of the XLR toy hauler brand People who own toy haulers are different from regular campers Theyre more adventurous more self sufficient more willing to live off the grid They just dont go off road they go deeper off road than anyone else noted XLR General Manager Brent Stevens So were capitalizing on that with our new Action Camping focus and our XTRA Built theme to redefine the category And insofar as our new products were going to display new farmhouse custom interiors and making a major statement with front windshields which no other builder is doing Our new products are going to grab attention and bring in new buyers that might not have considered a toy hauler Its a tradition for XLRs to be XTRA Built added Kelly Green sales and product manager for Boost and Micro Boost and our units have the following unique features high strength low alloy steel frames with premium E coated and powder coated finishes 5000 pound D rings 5 8 inch plywood tongue and groove flooring Body Armor enclosed insulated underbelly and upgraded main entry SureSteps All models from the 18LRLE to 36TSX16 also feature upgraded appointments like stainless steel sinks residential stainless faucets 10 cubic foot refrigerators 17 inch ovens with glass cooktops fireplaces and new exteriors and interiors all while providing generous garage space for the toys According to Rob McCartney product manager for XLR Hyperlite Nitro and Thunderbolt every single laminated XLR coming off the production line will be 100 carpet free even in the bedrooms Our three new 96 inch wide half ton towable Hyperlite models are designed to fit 90 of the side by sides on the market today Mc Cartney said Weve lowered our ramp angles and raised the bar with custom interior designs From the outside the Hyperlite HD models and Nitro fifth wheels now feature a front cap with an automotive windshield and LED headlight design And our Thunderbolt lineup will feature a much more contemporary interior facelift and a hot new full body paint design that ties in with our New XLR Logo Thats not to say there arent a lot of interesting things going on in Gaedderts other divisions however For example John Quakes group will introduce a Rogue lineup this year with larger floorplans and have added touches like an automatic leveling system and solid surface countertops Now in its own 65000 squarefoot facility the laminated line will be narrowed to the four best selling floorplans in the industry said Sales Manager Bradley Short Meanwhile a lightweight series has been added to the Sabre lineup We added three floorplans starting at 7600 pounds said Sales Manager Steve Troyer including an industry a full profile front living room floorplan that has a bath and a half with an outdoor kitchen The 37 FLH is 43 feet long retail pricing hasnt yet been finalized Three new floorplans also are being rolled out in the Wolf Pack lineup Were also adding some previously optional features as standard said Sales Manager Chris Grathen such as patios on our fifth wheels and second air conditioners The move this year by many manufacturers seems to be lighter interiors and that holds true for Arctic Wolf and Alpha Wolf products Were working on creating a lighter environment said Sales Manager Jeff Cripe Were also introducing a bed slideout into the Arctic Wolf fifth wheel The units which would be three to fiveslideout floorplans run from 38 to 42 feet and retail in the 60000 range As Quake also noted This year we are going to introduce the Black Label across the board Wolf Pup Grey Wolf and Cherokee Black Label he added is a package of upgrades that includes solid surface countertops gel coat sidewalls gel coat baggage doors and entry doors big sinks and big stainless steel sinks Weve also made all of our outside kitchens standard Quake added Another highlight is the expansion physically of the larger r Pod lineup Our r Pod has for the past 10 years been focused on a six and a half foot wide box with an eight foot overall width said national sales manager Cody Schade For 2020 weve made the R Pod seven feet wide and by doing that its allowed us to open up a lot more design innovation with a walk around queen bed and more space configurations on the inside This is something our customers have been asking about for a long time Another change for the modified teardrop is the addition of a panoramic front window The shape of the r XLR Rebranding New Floorplans Across the Board Hallmarks of Doug Gaedderts Forest River Group 148 RVBusiness S E P 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