JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
I went today and crawled around for three hours, concentrating primarily on the larger 5'ers. Did peek at a couple of diesel pushers, though. I looked at a Mobile Suites, very nice, with a price tag twice what I paid for my BH. Not real keen on the floor plan, but the thing that struck me was with all the glitz and bling in it, they had those flesh-eating door latches in the bedroom.
View attachment 10534
But I did like their water distribution manifold easily accessed behind a sliding panel in the basement by their "UDC."
View attachment 10537
The basement layout in the MS would make a great spare bedroom, though.
View attachment 10541
Looked at some other brands, pretty, until you open the drawers and find trash plywood with ragged edges. Poor fastening job, too.
View attachment 10535
There was a LM Rushmore to see. Kinda wonder who decided putting the hydraulic pump up inside the garage storage was a good idea. Still need to be a contortionist to get up there.
View attachment 10536
While we're in the garage, there was another brand that had the crossbar for the electric jack on the ODS almost in your face at the door. Sure lose a lot of storage with that there or if something heavy, like outdoor furniture, etc., were to fall against it, a damaging load on the single motor.
Checked out a Greystone. No comment.
Back to the other HL's, there was a 3670 and a 3585 on display. The 3670 had the shortened bedroom dresser/overhead cabinets so the washer/dryer cabinet opened into the bedroom. Other than having front hydraulic jacks and slam doors, not too much different than mine. The 3585 was nice, but lacks kitchen counter space and the computer "tray" is more like a slide-out TV dinner table.
View attachment 10542
Moving back to an SoB (don't remember which), here's another "Who came up with that" photo. The bedroom TV cabinet has doors which obscure viewing from the bed. I guess you could stand in the BR door and watch.
View attachment 10538View attachment 10539
Another design winner is this computer spot in the bedroom. Or at least I think that's what it might be.
View attachment 10543
I didn't get a photo, but one model had the curved steps to the bedroom, with a cabinet off to one side at the base. That left a nice open place to take a half-gainer if you veered in the wrong direction at the top of the steps. I also don't like models that use a pit inside the rig at the door so they can get away with only 3 folding steps outside. And there are some steps that make ours look like the Rock of Gibralter.
Moving back to the Heartlands, it appears the factory has listened to the forum about the aluminum caps on the bottoms of the slides since they all had them covered. Not as wide as the ones I put on, but I guess they're sufficient. Some other brands had the entire bottom of the slide floor covered with a plastic material that resembled a cheap Harbor Freight black tarp. Maybe that works, I don't know.
View attachment 10540
Overall, after looking at what was offerred, I'm real glad we went with the 3670, with full bedroom dresser and the single door fridge. It's big, roomy, I don't hit my 5'8" head in the bedroom, and we've got storage up the wazoo. We would really miss that pull out pantry, too.
Last comments:
The 3670 on display had the barrel cabinet under the counter. I can see why folks are upset. It only took a slight flick of the finger to pop it open, and it had two of the plastic peg-in-the-hole latches. There was a SoB with a similar cabinet, but they had the same type of latch that HL puts on their standard cabinets. It took a bit of effort to pop it open and it was a single latch. Engineering change, perhaps??
And the cabinets in the HL offerings had hidden Euro-style hinges on the cabinets, not the exposed face frame type.
View attachment 10544
Almost forgot. There was a Fuzion Toy Hauler there, also. First time I'd seen a TH with the rear set up with furniture and not just a rubber floor. Interesting.
View attachment 10534
But I did like their water distribution manifold easily accessed behind a sliding panel in the basement by their "UDC."
View attachment 10537
The basement layout in the MS would make a great spare bedroom, though.
View attachment 10541
Looked at some other brands, pretty, until you open the drawers and find trash plywood with ragged edges. Poor fastening job, too.
View attachment 10535
There was a LM Rushmore to see. Kinda wonder who decided putting the hydraulic pump up inside the garage storage was a good idea. Still need to be a contortionist to get up there.
View attachment 10536
While we're in the garage, there was another brand that had the crossbar for the electric jack on the ODS almost in your face at the door. Sure lose a lot of storage with that there or if something heavy, like outdoor furniture, etc., were to fall against it, a damaging load on the single motor.
Checked out a Greystone. No comment.
Back to the other HL's, there was a 3670 and a 3585 on display. The 3670 had the shortened bedroom dresser/overhead cabinets so the washer/dryer cabinet opened into the bedroom. Other than having front hydraulic jacks and slam doors, not too much different than mine. The 3585 was nice, but lacks kitchen counter space and the computer "tray" is more like a slide-out TV dinner table.
View attachment 10542
Moving back to an SoB (don't remember which), here's another "Who came up with that" photo. The bedroom TV cabinet has doors which obscure viewing from the bed. I guess you could stand in the BR door and watch.
View attachment 10538View attachment 10539
Another design winner is this computer spot in the bedroom. Or at least I think that's what it might be.
View attachment 10543
I didn't get a photo, but one model had the curved steps to the bedroom, with a cabinet off to one side at the base. That left a nice open place to take a half-gainer if you veered in the wrong direction at the top of the steps. I also don't like models that use a pit inside the rig at the door so they can get away with only 3 folding steps outside. And there are some steps that make ours look like the Rock of Gibralter.
Moving back to the Heartlands, it appears the factory has listened to the forum about the aluminum caps on the bottoms of the slides since they all had them covered. Not as wide as the ones I put on, but I guess they're sufficient. Some other brands had the entire bottom of the slide floor covered with a plastic material that resembled a cheap Harbor Freight black tarp. Maybe that works, I don't know.
View attachment 10540
Overall, after looking at what was offerred, I'm real glad we went with the 3670, with full bedroom dresser and the single door fridge. It's big, roomy, I don't hit my 5'8" head in the bedroom, and we've got storage up the wazoo. We would really miss that pull out pantry, too.
Last comments:
The 3670 on display had the barrel cabinet under the counter. I can see why folks are upset. It only took a slight flick of the finger to pop it open, and it had two of the plastic peg-in-the-hole latches. There was a SoB with a similar cabinet, but they had the same type of latch that HL puts on their standard cabinets. It took a bit of effort to pop it open and it was a single latch. Engineering change, perhaps??
And the cabinets in the HL offerings had hidden Euro-style hinges on the cabinets, not the exposed face frame type.
View attachment 10544
Almost forgot. There was a Fuzion Toy Hauler there, also. First time I'd seen a TH with the rear set up with furniture and not just a rubber floor. Interesting.