So what are the....

major headaches that the early 2006 Bighorn models had? I understand that the QC department wasn't working too well back then and I would like to know what it is that should be looked at and hopefully have the dealer to repair them before taking off in the unit. What can anyone tell me about the major problems out there in those units?

GQ
 

tinkers

Full timers
INSIST that they hook it up, put out all the slides, and turn the a/c on in the afternoon when it's nice and hot in there......lots of a/c problems in the time frame when we bought ours in May 2005, serial #455.....our dealer alone had 3 Big Horns with a/c not working correctly. Also check cabinet attachment points if you there are free standing ones, & if it has the remote control unit for a/c, have them replace it with a wall mounted one; check to see that dump valves are labeled correctly, all units without exception had labels wrong in that time frame, check for fresh water drain; & if it has a fireplace, make sure it is not mounted directly on the carpet.....it won't work properly, has to have little feet under it to get ventilation flow....
Must be other things but those are all the ones we had initial problems with, and since it's an early 2006, these issues were there on quite a few units.

Good luck, you should get a good deal on that unit.

Pat & Logan Doyle
Big Horn 3400RL #455
 

Princess Kathleen

Well-known member
GQ
You need to find th PDI post somewhere on the forum....go though it piece by piece...it takes a few hours, but it worth it...

PK
 
I already have a PDI to use for checking the unit out but thanks for the advice about that. What I was looking for was what Tinkers replies with, the known probkems that the early 2006 Bighorns had so that I can have them attended to even before the PDI, especially about the fireplace and the tires. I already knew that I was going to ask for a new set of tires, the brand I want and pay the difference, before I knew of any of the problems that were known. I mean, after all, it has been sitting with the original tires on it since the dealer received the unit.

Thanks so much for your replies and I am hoping that some others can post some of the known problems that they know about. I know that we can get a great deal on this unit and that is fine but of course we also want a unit that is usable for us to live in. :rolleyes:

GQ
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
GQ,

I am sure others will weigh in with more issues for you but please look through as much of the Bighorn forums here as you can. Especially the Ask The Factory forum.

Jim
 
I have been doing that Jim but thanks for the reminder of that. It just takes me a while and I don't normally stay online for great amounts of time at one sitting.

GQ
 

tinkers

Full timers
GQ, I completely forgot about the most important thing!!! We had to have new axles last month. There was a batch sent from Al-ko that didn't have enough camber in them along about that time. We were suspicious at the time we bought it because the distance between the tires on the left and right side was slightly different. And look at the tires to be sure they are in alignment. It took 6,000 miles for our tires to wear down.

Pat
 

mrcomer

Past Ohio Chapter Leaders (Founding)
GraphicQueen,
I will also weigh in here about something that Heartland will cringe about:eek: . We have an early 2006 3500RL with the island option. We are very very happy with our rig. One thing that has changed though is the night stand and side shelf for the bed. We have the night stand on one side of the bed closest to the shower and a small shelf on the other side of our king size bed. The newer 2006 models do not have any shelf or night stand. This has been discussed in other forums here but I cannot remember which ones off the top of my head. Anyway, we really like the night stand and shelf. I will particularly like the shelf even more next week when I get my CPAP unit to help me breathe while I sleep. The night stand will be the ideal spot to set this unit and plug it in. I wish Heartland would reconsider adding these features back into their current lines. I know that there are others from the Rally that would feel the same way. Most of us have these night stands or shelves and would be very disappointed to not have them. My apologizes for making this a long-winded comment. I do believe that no matter what you decide to do, you will be very pleased with any Heartland product you purchase.

Good Luck,

Mark
 

jcd8822

Joseph
Mark, they told us at the rally they were going to keep the night stand. We have the same unit as you and that was the reason for us buying the Bighorn. I use a CPAP also, and did not consider any rig that did not have a night stand.

Joseph
 

Princess Kathleen

Well-known member
Hi.
My better half uses a CPAP and he places it on the vaniety counter in our Grand Canyon, Landmark. There is enough room, then in the morning he puts it away in the cabinet over the window.

PK
 

randes

Active Member
The Night Stand Dilemma

Ah, a subject close to my heart. When I first looked at the Bighorn, I was excited to see that it had a King size bed and a night stand. But then I came to understand that due to bathroom changes, the night stand would not be in future models with the KS bed. If a night stand is needed, and my wife needs one for her CPAP, we would have to order the Queen size bed instead. I understand that Chopper Bill ordered his 3055 with a Queen size for that very reason. We will probably do the same. Fortunately there is a 110 v outlet near the floor on the bathroom size of the bed but no 12v outlet. I'm hoping that we can order a 12v outlet so we can run the CPAP with an Inverter when when are camping without electricity.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Roy,

In the earlier not-so-busy days, Heartland would do some custom requests like outlets. But even "if" they can't do it now, your dealer cdertainly can add a 12 volt outlet with no problem.

Jim
 

randes

Active Member
Custom Outlets

Thanks for the comment Jim. If it's that easy, I may just add it myself. Sure hope thay keep the night stand/shelf available with the Queen size beds.
 

nhunter

Well-known member
I would think that would be easy as pie to add, as the bed should be above the battery compartment
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
I don't know about the Bighorn but we ordered the Landmark with a queen bed and got a shelf on one side and a little night stand cabinet on the other. You could probably get your dealer to check and see if the same thing is available with the Bighorn.
John
 

Deb

Deb
We have a 3055 and I bought three plastic containers and stacked them on top of each other. They fit perfectly under the linen closet. It's a little awkward to make the bed, but the trade offs are worth it for me. I have three wonderful drawers for stuff, and a shelf for my fan that I use every night. When we travel - I just slide the shelves forward to almost touch the built in drawers. So now we have shelves on both sides of the bed. Works great for us.

Deb
 

fireflipper

EX-Travel Bug
fireflipper

mrcomer
I use a Bipap, and I have the small shelf by the bed, but it is not big enough to hold the unit. I solved this by palcing the Bipap on the raised portion of the floor by the bed, than route the air line and cord up from there. It stays there when we put the slide out in and I don;t have to worry about the wife complaining the it needs to be put away in the morning. It is already hiding.
 
Top