So, here's my dream

jbsiii

Member
Hello all,
I'm a current very happy North Trail owner, and can hardly wait for our 4th season with the trailer to start in 3 months. We've had the rig out on the road for up to 3 weeks at a time in complete comfort, but not always with complete convenience.

Here's what the DW and I are hoping to do. In 5 years, I'll be 62, not ready to retire, but definitely ready for more of a vagabond lifestyle. I think I can swing it with my employer to continue to work full time, but "remotely" (I'm a software guy). We'll also be ready to downsize from our current house at the time, and have a lot of the country we want to explore at a more leisurely pace.

The idea is we'll sell the house, plus the furnishings we know we won't want to keep, put the rest into storage, and spend a year on the road, trying to figure out where we want to settle down after that. We're in Littleton, Co right now, having been here for the past 24 years. After a year, buy a smaller place to ultimately retire to, but still spend up to a month or so on the road.

I've started a truck fund, looking at a Ford F250 super duty for the TV. We've been looking at Bighorns at the RV shows, and really like what we see.

So my questions for the group are:
For the two of us, plus the occasional grandkid (assuming our own kids ever settle down and give us grandkids), which Bighorn (or other Heartland) model/floorplan work well for full time living and working with a company-issued laptop and blackberry? What do you like/dislike about the various floorplans, etc.

For the TV, is single axle OK, or should I plan on dual axle?

Any other insights/wisdom are also appreciated. As I mentioned earlier, I have at least 5 years to prepare and plan, (which is part of the fun) so I'm very interested in as many opinions as possible.

Thanks, everyone!
John
 

boatdoc

Well-known member
Scratch the 3/4 ton and go one ton and after years of towing SWR, we won't go back to it now that we have towed with the DRW. All the BH's are nice but we really love our "old Style" 3670 and are very comfy in it for extended periods.
 

ihsolutions

Well-known member
Agree with everything Boatdoc said, get the 1 ton SRW. Given that you will be spending a whole year traveling the country I would absolutely spend the extra $$ for this.

You can't go wrong with the 3670RL, at least not the old one. Not sure I like the new one though. Personal preference...
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
We (just the two of us + 2 cats) use our 3670 for extended stays (2 - 3 weeks at a stretch) at a summer seasonal site. Plenty of room and storage. The computer desk is decent size for working with a laptop and having a printer next to it. Some days, I'll be on the laptop and the wife has her Cricut (scrapbooking device) and accessories spread all over the kitchen counters and dining table. Some folks pull large BH's and LM's with 3/4 ton 2WD SRW's. More power to 'em, but I like my stock 1 ton dually 4x4.

So my 2-cents is go big and don't look back.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I've started a truck fund, looking at a Ford F250 super duty for the TV. We've been looking at Bighorns at the RV shows, and really like what we see.

When I was getting ready to buy a trailer and TV, I went out and bought a Ford F250 Diesel. Then I went looking for a trailer. I bought a FR Wildcat which the F250 would pull with ease. Now that I am going fulltime, when we went to find a trailer I had to look for a trailer that fit within the abilities of the F250, so I was really limited to what trailer I could buy. The F250 has a GVRW of 15,500 for a 5th wheel. I bought a BH 3400RE which has a GVRW of 14,800. I like my 3400 but I am at the limit of my TV.

If you buy a TV first, get a big one so you are not limited, like a 450 or 550 or HDT. It would be better if you found a trailer you liked, then find a TV capable of towing the trailer you plan to buy. You can even have a company tow the new trailer to a campground and then find a TV that you really need.

Don't get in a hurry. Take the time to make a good investment.

BC
 

SmokeyBare

Well-known member
We have been full time in our 3400 RL BigHorn since late Oct. 2006 (its a 2007 Model). We have had our daughter and her three kids (1 year old, 3 year old & 5 year old) with us for weekends at a time. Our BigHorn has been Kid Tested. I mean to say, every knob, handle, hinge, drawer slide, light switch, screen door latch, toilet foot valve... has been well exercised by the kids. The RV has held up remarkable well. Plenty of room for the adults to enjoy the comfortable seating while the kids play on the floor or watch a DVD in the bedroom TV.

The desk area works well when Karen works on her Computer. We did not select having a fireplace, deciding instead to have those cabinets for additional storage. Just recently we swapped the couch and the 2 lazy boy chair places. Having the 2 Lazy boys across from the TV works far better and the slide rooms close with the couch in the rear of the coach (on our 2007) but I'm not sure if there has been upgrades or changes to the size of the slide rooms. If so, this layout might not work for later models of the 3400 RL BigHorn. We also decided not to have a washer/dryer, using that space for a small freezer instead.

We towed the 3400 RL with a 2002 Chevy 2500 HD at first... then I replaced that with a 3500 HD Crew Cab long box dually. I'm really pleased I made that decision. If there's any issue I have with the dully, it's watching that darn rear right corner as I back up.... %*&%$... enough said.

For our choice if it wasn't this floor plan it would be the 3670 with a larger desk area. In the Kitchen of the 3670 there is a additional counter and cabinets that would also be a bonus for us. Also the basement in the later models are deeper allowing for far more room for bulky items to be stored down there. The drawers under the steps inside are a great idea too.

Hope this helps.
 

hogan

Past Mississippi Chapter Leader (Founding)
We like our 3670 and spend a lot of time in it. I also recommend going with the 1 ton dual for TV.
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
I have a SRW 1 ton, that has worked fine for me. I live in the southwest. That said, I have owned duallys in the past and in some cases they are more sure footed when it comes to side to side stability. However check the gvwr and gcvwr and if I'm not mistaken duallys fall about 400lbs less in both categories because they are already heavier on the same chassis, axles etc.
So it's a double edged sword.
 

KL7j

Active Member
I have a SRW 1 ton, that has worked fine for me. I live in the southwest. That said, I have owned duallys in the past and in some cases they are more sure footed when it comes to side to side stability. However check the gvwr and gcvwr and if I'm not mistaken duallys fall about 400lbs less in both categories because they are already heavier on the same chassis, axles etc.
So it's a double edged sword.

No sure if the proposed truck would be diesel, 2X4 or 4X4 on the SRW and GVWR. With the trailer pin and truck cargo added even with a lighter gas engine, your likely real close on a 3/4 ton max GVWR. The loading of RV and if outfitted with gen set, W/D sure adds to the pin too.

It's true a dually may weigh a bit more from two extra wheels/tires, but the increased GVWR rating of a dually with four tires now under the bed greatly exceeds the additional weight of the two tires and fenders. Subtract the weight of two wheels/tires from the DRW GVWR (loaded truck weight) rating likely near 13000 lbs versus say a SRW one ton like new Ford/GM higher SRW 10800 lbs and the cargo difference is evident.

I had a 2011 F350 4X4 CC SRW and with a BH3055, the truck was near max GVWR when towing and we are not full timers but there is a gen set in the RV. These new diesel trucks with passengers, hitch and just fuel are plain heavy before loading! If one is using SRW 4X4 's, they are very high bed rail height and heavier yet, that also can become an issue for anybody that needs/use 4X4 tow vehicles.

GCWR (combined towing weight of trailer and truck) may not be an issue but GVWR (total truck weight including bed cargo) could easily be one with a SRW.

I went back to a dually again. No worries about pin weight with cargo anymore, stability is enhanced in rough tossing road conditons and also wind, albeit a dually is a PIA in parking width in a small lot.

I guess we can't have it all unless we can find that option for retractable fenders and axle narrowing :)
 

Buford445

Well-known member
When I bought my truck I pondered about 2x4, 4x4 and I decided on 4x4 and never looked back. There have been too many times that I needed 4x4 to at least make it easier to get it in or out of a spot. Just something else to think about
 
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