Frame on new 2011 bighorn rusted.

The frame on my new 2011 bighorn 3670RL is all rusted. The rubbers on the axle bushings are all weather checked. I looks as if the frame was setting in a stockpile somewhere and was exposed to the elements. Please help

I have the same problem on my new Bighorn 3070RL. My unit was delivered to the RV dealer in February - Michigan. The dealer or Heartland did not wash the salt/road grime off of the fifth wheel. I am still trying to get this issue resolved by Heartland. I have been in contact with Gary Randolth at Heartland. These are just a couple of pictures of the "rust bucket" from the RV dealer. So far I keep getting no where with the RV dealer or Heartland. Per page 68 and 69 of the Heartland RV owner's manual, it says that rust is not covered under warranty. As owner's we can accept it once we take possession of a "clean" new unit, but the RV dealer and/or the manufacturer should ensure that all frames/bodies are rust free upon delivery to the customer. I think it is something that as a new owner you just have to deal with yourself. From other posts on this website it appears that this type of rust is "normal" from RV manufacturers and dealers. Why is this not addressed by RVIA for better quality control in frame/trailer manufacturing for delivery to the customer. It would be nice to see Heartland become the first ISO 9001 manufacturer. I think the RV industry doesn't want address poor frame manufacturing and quality control.

CAN-DO, from the looks of your pictures and as you said, delivery was in February in Michigan, there was definitely salt exposure. I can't imagine any way to get a rig from Indiana to any northern dealer in the winter without exposing it to salty roads unless the rig is transported on or in a trailer. Some RV transport drivers do carry smaller rigs on flatbeds but not in our situation. I feel it should have been your dealers responsibility to at least power wash your rig prior to delivery but then you would have to pull it home on dry roads.
As you said, once you've accepted the rig from the dealer, the problem then falls on you.

You mentioned ISO 9001. Can you imagine the increased in operating costs that would be passed on to the customer? I was part of an ISO team at my last place of employment. My wife was actually known as the "ISO Queen". She was the one writing all of the procedures and documentation for the program. Thank God for retirement.

I believe the problem is dealer responsibility. We ordered ours in Nov. and it was delivered in December. To get it from Indiana to Northwest IA in December is impossible without ALOT of salt. When the unit arrived the dealer had 2 guys with powerwashers going all over and under it. If this was not done, it would look like your pictures.There is very little rust on ours almost 18 months after taking delivery. I do plan on using a rust converting paint to touch up those spots when our season comes to an end this year.

I believe it is the 'nature of the beast" Rust is a very unfortunate commonality with these frames. Ours came rusted. I cleaned it, used a good primer, and repainted it. Looks like new. I also discovered for some areas of the frame this appears to be an annual ritual!

Best Wishes!

Supposedly, the dealer is supposed to wash the frame and undercarriage. In my experience, they didn't. When I get back to the station I'll post a link to a thread I started about our running gear getting rusted out!Brett

rustyshakelford said:

Supposedly, the dealer is supposed to wash the frame and undercarriage. In my experience, they didn't. When I get back to the station I'll post a link to a thread I started about our running gear getting rusted out!Brett

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Gee it seems I am having all of the same problems everyone on here is having. I thought my rig looked awfully rusty for not having been on salty road since my purchase Jan. 2011, unless it was because it was purchased in Texas, but pulled back to Mo in Feb, no bad roads??
If this all continues much longer I probably will not get to go to Texas for the winter as planned.

I was looking at a brand new Big Horn on the lot last week and the frame was already rusted.
My Landmark is an 09 and it has no rust on the frame or axles because I spray the entire
undercarriage with Fluid Film.The Fluid Film ingredient is lanolin and you only have to spray
it once as it will never evaporate like WD40 or other petroleum products.Even if your frame
already has rust it will turn it to an unnoticable black.I guess the product is commonly used
on the oil rigs in northern Canada.I spray all my vehicles with this products but it may be
difficult to purchase off the shelf in the US.In Canada its available at CTC and many other
retailers

Fluid Film does indeed appear to be for sale in the USA. I can purchase it at several large equipment dealers in the area.

I'm a little lost as to why so many people are SO upset about surface rust...have none of you ever looked under your cars??? Especially those who live in salt prone areas, like the north, northeast or around beach areas. This is a common occurance in those areas, and all your vehicles will have surface rust in no time flat.

We were well aware of this, as we lived in the east coast where salt was used in the winter...this is the ONE reason we ordered our coach in June, and took delivery in July. Since we fulltime, we make certain to NOT be anywhere near salted roads in the winter months, and we only visit the beach for very short periods. So far, there is virtually no rust on our 4 year old Bighorn.

If your unit came to you with rust on it, the dealer took delivery most likely in the winter months, and failed to clean the salt off...can't blame Heartland or any other manufacturer for shipping units during the winter...clean the rust off, repaint it and get on with your life...JMHO.

I live north of Houston and under my truck it is spotless! If there is rust, it is strictly surface and I can rub it with my finger to get it off. On our trailer we were able to get the running gear repaired by Dexter. The lp line from the tanks is terrible too! Already pitted and flaking! I need to address that ASAP to keep it from rusting thru eventually!

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Brett

We had the same issue when ours came in Feb. I tried to deal with the dealer, which was the same as I have heard in this forum when dealing with the dealer--a waste of time. I then took a wire brush and got to work. I then painted the surfaces with a rust inhibitor and then black paint. The process took about 3 days and a lot of crawling around, but I am happy it was done correctly.
al

Our 5th wheel was delivered & made in the summer of 07. There was No rust anywhere on it when we purchased. Now after a couple of winters of spending a few months on the gulf...we have rust! The stairs; some of the frame; gas pipes & undercarriage. So what can you do? We never drove it in the winter or on salt roads. Same thing with our late model 06 van we bought in TX. Figured it would be SALT free! Wrong, it was from Corpus Christi, TX & sat near the beach. Oh well............

Roy

Thanks to this forum, I asked the dealer if they would make sure the unit was pressure washed and cleaned before delivery (from TX to WA) because they took delivery in Feb with all the salt & de-icer between the factory and dealership. Not only did they clean it super spotless, they replaced the under belly skin with a new one and didn't charge me for it. Once here I read up in the owners manual that if you are parked for any length of time to use a good silicon spray on all moving parts - found something that is supposedly a "once a year" application and so far its not only held up but repels dust & water.

Unfortunately if you want it 'fixed' it sounds like a DYI project if you haven't made any headway with the dealer, not Heartland.

My thoughts on this matter are as follows. Unless you live for 2-300 years.....you will never see the frame rust thru. I have seen old car frames buried in dirt for 70 years and still not rusted thru. Also if the dealer did not wash the underside of your new coach...shame on them.

There are products you can buy in rattle cans that you spray on rust, after you have cleaned off the loose rust that turns the rust into sandable primer. Then you can paint it. You also can buy 3M "paintable" undercoating in rattle cans for more protection if you want to apply it.

It's sad the HL gets blamed for a dealer not doing THERE job.

My two cents;
I was getting some repairs done at a So Cal dealer for two days, so I had a lot of walking around time on the lot.
I did a little survey. I looked at approx. 20 Heartland Bighorns, Landmarks and Sundances.
There is a direct corellation between the manufacture date on the side of the trailer and the amount of rust/corrosion on the chassis of these rigs.
Jan=moderate.April=slight. May,June=none, pristine underneath.
After a while, I could almost guess the approx. mfg. date by looking underneath at the chassis.
Some of it doesn't look like a one time through the salt type corrosion. It's more like, these chassis were, maybe laying under a pile of snow somewhere for quite a while.
Maybe there could be an effort made to protect these components before the build, both at Lippert and HL.
Also, how about a shrink wrap of the chassis, as much as possible, to insure the rig arrives in as much of a "like new" condition as possible? Like auto mfgrs do.

Bob, I know what you are saying about the structural integrity not being an issue. It's more about the psychology of paying 60k for a rig and then immediatley having to go around doing touch-ups everywhere.
Trace

Trace, I agree with you 100% about a rusty frame on a new unit. Did you look at some SOB's to compare them to HL for rust??

BTW, are you going to be in Ca. on the weekend before halloween? If so, a bunch of us are camping at Lake Skinner for that weekend. There are some spots still open in the same area.

Bob&Patty said:

Trace, I agree with you 100% about a rusty frame on a new unit. Did you look at some SOB's to compare them to HL for rust??

BTW, are you going to be in Ca. on the weekend before halloween? If so, a bunch of us are camping at Lake Skinner for that weekend. There are some spots still open in the same area.

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No, didn't look at SOB's
When is the get together in October at Skinner? We will try to make it.
Ran into ccupton from the forum at Prado park over the weekend. He said something about another event in SoCal this year.

We are going to be at the Vegas rally in Sept. Trace

It would be interesting to schedule a factory tour during the winter. I can't imagine having a rusty frame going through the assembly process.

Depending on the weather, a lot of miles on wet salty roads can be racked up delivering these rigs to dealers in the northern tier of states. Especially out west.