Thor ACE vs Forest River FR3

[skipro]

I've been pulling trailers for 25 years and am now considering moving to a MH. I'm looking for opinions on two entry-level units, the Thor ACE and the Forest River FR3. Both units have things we really like, so we want to get the most bang for our buck. I also want to have something that will not spend most of it's time in the shop. All thoughts and opinions welcome. Thanks.

[jharrell]

We looked at both, but ended up with a Winnebago Vista with the exact same floorplan as the ACE but much better storage.

[Effy]

JimM68 wrote:

Effy wrote:
We are on our second ACE and I have nothing but good things to say. We've had very little issues, it rides very nice for an entry level class A, no major failures, and Thor has been one of the best companies I have ever dealt with.

Frankly I scratch my head at a lot of the brand bashing that goes on around here. I think you usually hear bad things about Thor from folks who have never owned one. The full wall Schwintek slides were a black eye, but they aren't thor specific. Every brand that used them had issues.

As far as comparison, I can't say much about the FR3 as I've never owned one. I think at this price point you are likely splitting hairs on differences.

Didn't your Ace #1 go back because no one could get the slideout to work?

It's been a few years, my memory could be failing. 🙂

No idea what you are talking about. We sold it privately and everything worked fine. You may be confusing me with 93mastercraft who had issues with a full wall Palazzo. Entirely different animal.

The only reason we sold ours was a change in floorplan we liked better. Other than that we loved it.

[Cranemec]

Thor has stepped up its game in opinion. With the acquisition of Jayco/Entegra, those owners have demanded it.
FR is still FR.

[vjstangelo]

Get the one that comes with 2 AC units in case one breaks on a trip, and to provide xtra capacity. I think the 30 ft FR3 now has a second unit as an option.

[JimM68]

Effy wrote:
We are on our second ACE and I have nothing but good things to say. We've had very little issues, it rides very nice for an entry level class A, no major failures, and Thor has been one of the best companies I have ever dealt with.

Frankly I scratch my head at a lot of the brand bashing that goes on around here. I think you usually hear bad things about Thor from folks who have never owned one. The full wall Schwintek slides were a black eye, but they aren't thor specific. Every brand that used them had issues.

As far as comparison, I can't say much about the FR3 as I've never owned one. I think at this price point you are likely splitting hairs on differences.

Didn't your Ace #1 go back because no one could get the slideout to work?

It's been a few years, my memory could be failing. 🙂

[janstey58]

My MIL has a 2015 FR3 30DS and just loves it. Flooring is very pet friendly and everything worked from the get go. I think she had a few squeaks and small issues back to the dealer for warranty work. My only comment is that it only has one A/C unit and for a 30 footer it could be a bigger unit to cool better.

[Effy]

We are on our second ACE and I have nothing but good things to say. We've had very little issues, it rides very nice for an entry level class A, no major failures, and Thor has been one of the best companies I have ever dealt with.

Frankly I scratch my head at a lot of the brand bashing that goes on around here. I think you usually hear bad things about Thor from folks who have never owned one. The full wall Schwintek slides were a black eye, but they aren't thor specific. Every brand that used them had issues.

As far as comparison, I can't say much about the FR3 as I've never owned one. I think at this price point you are likely splitting hairs on differences.

[Winnebago_Bob]

If those are the only two options, I'd go with Forest River.