Heartland Bighorn Quality

[SLO]

I thought I’d post my thoughts on Heartland quality. We’ve had camping trailers for about 30 years. My attitude has always been, it’s better if you have some skills to fix things because it’s going to break. With new trailers it’s no different.

We had a 2012 Bighorn and now have a 2016 Bighorn. I looked at every manufacture before we bought the 2012 and looked at every manufacture again before we bought the 2016. I thought the best quality, for my money, was in the Bighorn both times.

Some have had a lot of mechanical problems and customer service problems with their new trailers and I understand their frustration. I have had more mechanical problems than some and a lot less than others. I’ve had nothing but great customer service from Heartland though.

I figured from the start I’d fix it myself and not take it back to the dealer and I’ve fixed a ton of stuff. Not getting upset with the manufacturer keeps my BP down. I’ve been lucky, no cracked frames or delimitations. I’ve had plumbing leaks, electrical problems, appliance problems and removed a ton of sawdust. All this was expected. I don’t think quality control is any good at any of the main stream manufactures.

All that to say I love our Heartland. In my opinion quality is better than a lot of other manufactures. And I look at quality different than quality control. Just wanted to give my positive opinion of Heartland.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jbeletti]

Rick,

Thank you for taking the time to write a positive note. I've had 8 Heartlands and none of them have been perfect. Some better than others. Like you, I am a hands-on owner. I repair as much myself as I can. I learn more about my coach this way and this experience helps me help others.

 

[alsams]

Rick and Jim,
I would like to echo your thoughts. I am new to the Heartland world as of February this year when we bought our 2018 Cyclone 4270. We looked for several months and this was the floor plan we wanted and I watched this site for several weeks before buying the 4270. I have found a lot of little things that I fixed myself but so far no plumbing leaks (woo hoo!), minor electrical stuff and a few cosmetic things. Given how complicated RVs are and how many parts go into one, I can accept the level of quality control that Heartland provides although I do feel bad for all the folks that have had serious problems with suspension, frame and major water leaks. Then it got hit by hail in June and damaged the roof pretty bad along with a few other things. That was way beyond what I am capable or want to do so it has been in the shop for about 3 weeks now. Can't wait to get it back as we have missed most of our first summer with it but that is what Mother Nature throws at you now and again. Already working on plans for a cover for it for next year.

Al

 

[jbeletti]

Al - hope you get it back in time to join us at the CO rally.

 

[alsams]

Al - hope you get it back in time to join us at the CO rally.

It looks promising for the Montrose rally!

 

[DickO]

We have a 2017 Bighorn. Our 2010 Bighorn was excellent. Fit and finish was great. the only problem we had was a front jack problem after 6 years. With the 2017 the problems that showed up are unacceptable for a supposedly high line unit. Our unit was full of sawdust. One air return was almost completely plugged. There is NO excuse for this. One safety problem was 3 bolts holding the hitch were loose, one being 1/8 inch backed off. We have had so many problems with assembly and components. Our shower had hairline cracks. After 1 1/2 years, taking the unit to the factory so they could see the problem, and writing to the CEO of Thor they finally fixed the shower today.

 

[Dumboldles]

I’m hoping that this will not put a cures on my rig. I have 2016 BH that my DW and I enjoy mucho. The 1st year under warranty had problems including notorious refrigerator slide rollers problem that did take awhile to fix but did get fixed by the dealer. Had other minor problems that you have with these suckers but have been able to get them cured either by myself or the dealer.

DW and I have some mods planned including replacing the recliners and carpet. But on the whole satisfied with the fit and quality of the BH.

 

[donr827]

There has been such rise in sales over the four or so years the manufacturers have had to hire a lot of new factory workers. THe workers have been pushed to get the orders out and have skipped some of the pride of workmanship. The manufacturers have been ordering cheaper and lower quality parts . JMO
Don

 

[Bobby A]

We have been full time 24/7 in our Big Horn since new in 2010, the first year I had issues and Heartland stepped up to the plate EVERY TIME !! Even fixed some things after the warranty expired. The company is only as good as the workers assembling these condos on wheels. I would hope that the new generation of workers at Heartland take pride in there work. Heartland is a good company, not perfect by no means, but better than most. If and when I look for another 5th wheel, Heartland will be my 1st choice. JMHO Bobby A

 

[Kathi-27]

the working generation now a days don't have the work eithic that the last generation. Now a days its all about the money and how not to work

 

[37driver]

We bought a 2017 38900SS in September 2017. All of the HVAC ducts were full of sawdust. The interior had sawdust through out. What really disappointed me was the propane smell when the heater was running. Since my RV was permanently set up on the Outer Banks of NC and couldn't be taken to a dealer, I had to pay a service call of $103.00 for warranty work. The propane smell was due to the nut on the propane feed into the burner was not even finger tight. I attempted to get the service call refunded due to this being a major f*** up on both Heartland and Suburban's part. Both refused. My heavy pantry door with the wooden rack on the inside is scraping when opened and closed due to the hinges sagging. It was supposed to come with a 55" television. There was a 32" cheap *** Best Buy store brand installed on a piece of crap mount that was so crooked I had to replace it when I bought a 55" TV. The opening was designed for a large TV. It looked like **** with a 32" with the travel straps and cables showing from the compartment above it. As I write this my fifth wheel is probably under water on Harkers Island NC as it's being pummeled by Hurricane Florence. Thankfully I have insurance that will replace it with a new unit. I'm having serious doubts that it will be with a Heartland product.

 

[SNOKING]

We bought a 2017 38900SS in September 2017. All of the HVAC ducts were full of sawdust. The interior had sawdust through out. What really disappointed me was the propane smell when the heater was running. Since my RV was permanently set up on the Outer Banks of NC and couldn't be taken to a dealer, I had to pay a service call of $103.00 for warranty work. The propane smell was due to the nut on the propane feed into the burner was not even finger tight. I attempted to get the service call refunded due to this being a major f*** up on both Heartland and Suburban's part. Both refused. My heavy pantry door with the wooden rack on the inside is scraping when opened and closed due to the hinges sagging. It was supposed to come with a 55" television. There was a 32" cheap *** Best Buy store brand installed on a piece of crap mount that was so crooked I had to replace it when I bought a 55" TV. The opening was designed for a large TV. It looked like **** with a 32" with the travel straps and cables showing from the compartment above it. As I write this my fifth wheel is probably under water on Harkers Island NC as it's being pummeled by Hurricane Florence. Thankfully I have insurance that will replace it with a new unit. I'm having serious doubts that it will be with a Heartland product.

At the very least do not go back to that dealer. Someone removed the OEM TV and they stuck a 32" in it's place. Did it have a bedroom, or did they swipe that one for the living room missing one? Why did this not come up during PDI?

We also bought a new early 2017 BH3575el in May of 2016 and brought it to a membership park to live in. I found Heartland very willing to work with me on issues without taking it to a dealer. They send me parts and AC recall info directly. Have had it over 2 years now and it has never been to a dealer for service and has made two round trips from Washington to Arizona and back. I would buy another!

Chris

 

[CoveredWagon]

We bought a 2017 38900SS in September 2017. All of the HVAC ducts were full of sawdust. The interior had sawdust through out. What really disappointed me was the propane smell when the heater was running. Since my RV was permanently set up on the Outer Banks of NC and couldn't be taken to a dealer, I had to pay a service call of $103.00 for warranty work. The propane smell was due to the nut on the propane feed into the burner was not even finger tight. I attempted to get the service call refunded due to this being a major f*** up on both Heartland and Suburban's part. Both refused. My heavy pantry door with the wooden rack on the inside is scraping when opened and closed due to the hinges sagging. It was supposed to come with a 55" television. There was a 32" cheap *** Best Buy store brand installed on a piece of crap mount that was so crooked I had to replace it when I bought a 55" TV. The opening was designed for a large TV. It looked like **** with a 32" with the travel straps and cables showing from the compartment above it. As I write this my fifth wheel is probably under water on Harkers Island NC as it's being pummeled by Hurricane Florence. Thankfully I have insurance that will replace it with a new unit. I'm having serious doubts that it will be with a Heartland product.

And you accepted it that way? Oh well �� Where’s the personal responsibility ?

 

[gslabbert5119]

I purchased a used 2013 Bighorn 3685 RL in 2015 and have been across country and back twice, and am my third trip circumnavigating the USA. I have written about the issues that I have had with my Bighorn, but overall the issues have been minor other than a rotting floor due to I do not know what, even today I cannot find any water leaks.

Just because I like to air my grievances about the sub standard workmanship (by my standards) does not mean that I do not like my Bighorn, though I would much prefer if the workmanship were better, but then as a hands on owner what would I do if I did not have repairs to make.

I guess that I too have had less issues than others and more than some others, but overall at $30k it was a good purchase.

I will say coming from a Class A RV to a 5er has been an adjustment and had it not been for the support of this group I am not sure that I would have made it through the teething issues.

Frankly the worst was the Blowmax tires and the not 1, not 2, but 3 blowouts that I had in 3 days, all in Arizona and New Mexico in the winter (so not hot roads), and I believe that Heartland has dealt with this and replaced the blowmax tires with Sailun's. (I replaced them with Hankook 14 plys, which was all that the dealer had in the little town that I made it to, and I must say that they have been stellar to say the least, (but thats a story for another time))

Will I buy another Bighorn, I have been asked this any number of times, and unless I have $150k to buy a Double D, I will likely buy another Bighorn, or possibly a Landmark.

For me working on the rig, getting it to a point where few repairs need to be done, far outweighs buying a new unit, and having to go through all of the teething issues of a new unit and retooling it to meet my living conditions.

This trip will be the ultimate test as we are going to be living in the 5er for at least a year as we circumnavigate the USA, hence the solar system, and a year of towing and hard living with 2 dogs and a cat this will put its toll on the unit.

The big question becomes when does one stop plowing money into an older unit and buy a new one ?

Just my opinion and that plus a few bucks may get you a cup of coffee ... lol

Gavin

 

[jbeletti]

Good morning Gavin. Thanks for your fair review Wishing you all the best on your upcoming big trip. Maybe even meet you at a rally?

 

[NYSUPstater]

Gavin---Sounds like a great trip indeed....HAVE FUN and ENJOY!. Meanwhile, just thought you'd like to know we saw a Double D at Hershey last weekend for just a mere $191,000.00.

 

[gslabbert5119]

LOL ... They are nice, but they sure can break the bank

I looked through a custom built unit (more custom than normal) at the Military Family Camp in Panama City a few days ago, and OMG it's beautiful.
I asked how much and the owner simply said "A lot" lol ...

Gavin

 

[DRGalligher]

We purchased our 2011 3055RL Bighorn new in August of 2010. The only issue that we've had is the front under pin box delaminated. When we first purchased it, I noticed there was delamination on the front under the storage door, but having never owned a unit like this, I had no idea what it was called or if it was a defect. Well, we had a local RV tech remove it and replace it with diamond plate and it looks great! Upon inspection, there was no water leak or damage of any kind, only that the glue in the laminate deteriorated and separated. We recently spent $7k in maintenance which included re-caulking the entire unit, the new diamond plate, new slide out awning covers, replace a leaking shower skylight, added a WeBoost wifi component, replace the suspension components, replace the front landing gear component, inspect and repack the hubs, new fender wells, and do a thorough inspection of all systems - electrical, gas, and water. When we added the diamond plate, insulation was added to the front basement area. This alone has kept our bedroom warmer or cooler depending on the weather. This is our fifth RV, first fifth wheel, and last unit. The build and quality has been superior and anything from this point forward is maintenance, as we've done already. We frequently take cross country trips and are very happy with the floorplan and the amenities this model provides us. I'm not sure I could be as confident in newer models and quality, so we are sticking with ours.

 

[crusin90]

In February, in Tampa, my wife and I traded our 2012 Bighorn in for a 2018 Bighorn 3970 RD. We loved it at 1st sight. My wife and I are retired and are full timers. Our home is where we park it. We also have 3 pugs. We greatly like the upgrades and style in this new Bighorn. The other side of the coin is, we have some quality issues worth mentioning here which are disheartening. Im taken aback that a Heartland "QA" inspector actually put his/her assigned ID number on a decal in the window. Under the sink, the bathroom, water heater tank and water closet where the water enters the RV, all the water fasteners were not hand tight. The water heater tank was leaking down on to the power converter. It seems as if 1 person was assigned to attach fasteners and someone else comes behind and tighten. It didn't happen. Saw dust in the floor vents, black dirt on the inside of the fire place glass. Two USB plug-ins on one side of the bed have never worked. One of the LED lights in the bathroom have never worked. My guess is that neither are wired in. The 2 recliners were secured to the deck with 8 one inch and a quarter wood screws at each corner of the recliners. The 2 recliners broke loose and the wood screws damaged the linoleum floor covering. Poor engineering. Left spine on one of the recliners has broken. The seat heaters on both recliners have stopped working. The 55" Insignia flat screen TV on the main deck has stopped working. The smaller Insignia brand TV in the bedroom has a "Best Buy" refurbished decal on the rear, so I'm guessing the 55" is refurbished also. The counter tops throughout have spots where whoever missed polishing. No up-to-date owners manual for this RV. The manual is generic on a CD. It doesn't cover the features on this model of RV. The A/C in the bedroom doesn't have a heat strip in it. Or does it? If so, it doesn't work. My 2012 model had a heat strip in it. We have been to Camping World for repairs. Three days of hotel with the dogs and all Camping World could do was repair water leaks and clean the fire place window. No major work could be done without approval from Heartland. Heartland doesn't respond. High dollar RV, Heartland produces so many in a week, they slack on QA, care more about the profit than their customers. Buyers beware. I'm done with heartland.

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Crusin90,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

Be sure and join our Heartland Owners Club. Then join us at a rally when you can meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.

Enjoy the forum.
Jim M