FT rig ideas needed

For those of you who are full-timers, what would you consider the idea Heartland rig? Yes, I know that the actual choice will be up to DW and me, but at this point we're looking for ideas to consider. We know that Heartland rates only the Landmark, Bighorn and Big Country as full time rigs, and that a Landmark is more expensive than a Big Country. We also know that a Landmark is heavier than a Big Country of similar floorplan.

We don't know for sure exactly what our travels will be like, but most likely we'll be doing some workamping and some general traveling. When we're traveling the plan is to park somewhere for a week or two and see everything that interests us within a couple of hours drive, then move on a couple of hundred miles down the road and repeat.

I do not like to travel near gross weight, although I understand that the trailer probably will be pretty close. We'll buy a truck that GCWR of several thousand pounds more than what we actually will travel at. (A 15,000 pound trailer and a 10,000 pound truck would mean that I'd want a truck with at least 30,000 pounds GCWR.)

For us, it was storage space and BC and up has it. Washer/Dryer ease of use because we have one that gets used often. Bedroom/washroom comfort. Ease of towing for me. The 7K axles were a must due to axle/tire problems witht the previous trailer. We do travel extensively and the BC fit our budget, and was the lightest of the larger FT models at Hartland. We get it all with our unit.

We looked at a lot of them, we had a 34ft SOB and it was 11 years old, looked at BH, & Landmarks they had a 2011 Landmark Augusta on the lot so that is what we got we love it, it has all we need in it (I would have liked the leveling system but so be it). We also went to the factory to see them built and some of the BH are as nice as out Landmark.\\Good luck in your indeveres(msp)

Hey Caissiel, Where did you get your sissor jacks? Photos? We will be in place till November in the trailer now that we have sold our house. I don't retire till November then it will be off for our first snow bird trip. I don't have Bal-Chocks or JT stabilizers yet and was thinking of jacks just aft of the rear axel.

We've been full-timing in our Bighorn 3370RL for about two and a half years now and love it!

Get the biggest and nicest you can afford with a dually diesel pickup. We had a Cyclone 3950 Toy Hauler and it is made more for fair weather use and for a family of lots of kids and toys. We have now switchecd to a regular 5er and pull a small trl behind for toys. Our new one has a "full wall slide" which really make a difference in the interior.

The Heartlands have crappy electric frt end lifts. Go to a hydraulic system that self levels. I am not sure what they put on theirs now but our new trl has full hydraulic leveling and boy is it nice.

We have a splendide combo washer dryer. Small loads but oh so handy.

We oppted for a double door larger refrigerator over the old and too small regular refrigerator. We had purchased a nice sized portable freezer that we kept in the garage being the old freezer was way to small. The new double door freezer is pretty much all we need now but we are keeping the extra freezer and putting it up under the front where the generator goes.

We had a extra refer/cooler (kind of a pop/beer/wine cooler that works for milk andstuff also) in our Cyclone and the new one has a space for it so we kept it.

Heavy duty axles.

pm me if you have any questions.

Pug



Lots of storage. Compare all units looked at.

If you are going to do dry camping, put a generator in. We had our Cyclone three years and maybe used it twice. *Pretty expensive and monthly maintenance needed. The Onan 5500 is really nice but dang expensive. Our new once does not have one but If *I put one in, it will be a less expensive one like the Champion 4,000/3500 watt unit that Camping world and others sell.

The fancy paint is pretty but costs quite a bit. The darker colors make it quite a bit harder to cool. The std white is much easier to keep clean.

I have added TST tire sensors and they really take a lot of worry out of traveling.

Dual air conditioners a must.

Double glazed windows make a big difference heating and cooling.

I personally don't like a U shaped kitchen. Our 3950 had one and someone was usually trapped in it. Our new trl has an island which is much handier to get around in.

Central Vac. Both of ours have had it and yip it is nice.

No mfgr makes the perfect rig. If I were to change something on my trailer it would be the bathroom. Our shower is in the bed room and if I want to go somewhere early in the morning I have to take a shower in the dark or wake the DW. I like the BR in the 3670, almost bought one. We got rid of the table and chairs and put in a cabinet that covered a Sears 5cu ft freezer, stores a portable ice maker and have extra drawers.

I like the Mor/Ryde Independent Suspension & Disk brakes as well as the Bigfoot auto leveling system. We changed out the chairs to Lazy Boys.

Most everything else is workable.

BC