Happy Campers

Greetings to all.

I hope this is the right area to post this, if not then I'm sure one of our moderators will straighten things out.

We just returned from a three week, 3000 mile shake down trip through six states with our new Big Horn Ti32, and we cannot believe how well this unit works for us.
We took delivery on the unit and spent one week loading our "stuff" in it and adding a few little things like towel racks and nic/nacs to make it more homey to us, and then headed down the road. After three weeks we ended up with only three complaints.

1. Most of the time we stayed at camp grounds that were full hook ups, but a few times we stayed at state parks or Corps parks with only electricity and we had to use the water pump. Well, that was the worst noise I've ever heard in a rv. The pipes would rattle and vibrate and there was minimal flow. I removed the access panel to the pump and found the pump was not secured to the floor and the suction line was kinked almost shut. The funny (?) thing about this is all four screws and all four rubber isolater mounts were laying on the floor right next to the pump. 45 minutes later all was great.

2. On the third day of the trip the keyless entry system quit working. I questioned this $618.00 "forced option" when we ordered the trailer. Didn't think I wanted it. Didn't think I would use it. And now I have this $618.00 albatross I didn't want giving me fits the first trip out. I haven't taken the time to troubleshoot this yet. Maybe I'll just leave it.

3. The mattress. This is our fourth 5er and our second Heartland product, and they all, in our opinion, use the worst possible mattresses they can find. After only three weeks there are two permanent indentations where each of us lays. We are not overweight people by any means, and even if we were a mattress should last more than three weeks, especially since there are no box springs under it..

Please, don't get me wrong. I didn't want this to turn into a gripe session. We love the trailer, we love the floor plan, there is more storage than we will ever fill up, and it tows great. We are very pleased that we didn't have or find any major issues.

There is one thing we wish Heartland would consider adding to this trailer in the future. All of the overhead cabinet doors need a support to hold them in the open position. It is very difficult to access the cabinets if you have one hand always holding the door open.

Good to hear that you are enjoying your new Ti32. There will always be something that need attention on new rigs.
We love our keyless entry. I did have a problem with it in the beginning but Southco took care of me and it has been flawless for the past 13 months.
I would either get together with your dealer, Heartland Customer Service (877-262-8032) or give Southco a call (303-561-4900).

Peace
Dave

The Keyless Entry issue is probably a dead battery. I've replaced mine twice in one year. It's working fine right now, but I anticipate it going out again in a few months. For some reason the batteries just don't last long in mine. I very carefully removed the remote unit from the side of the RV and cleaned all the adhesive off the back of the remote and the RV. Then I used velcro on the RV and the remote. Now the remote is easy to remove when the battery needs replacing. You will need a jewelers size cross-tip screwdriver to take the back off the remote and get to the battery. The battery is a standard CR0023 (I think that's the number). You can get them at almost any drug store, Wal-Mart, etc.

Our keypad battery lasted just over a year. We've used the trailer an awful lot in that time. We've had a few problems with it, but overall, we really like it. Problems included poor battery contact within the keypad, dirty power contacts on the door, and water getting into the keypad during heavy rain. The latter problem was fixed by covering the top edge and joint with some outdoor tape.

The battery seems to be somewhat of a weak point for the wireless keypad. Either that, or the pad suffers from excessive moisture entering the unit. Seems as though the pad should have been constructed with more attention to water and moisture resistance. We bought our 3455RL in October this year; pulled it 5,500 miles down out of Michigan, through the midwest, into the southwest, and then back up to the northwest. After getting home, the RV sat for several weeks when we pulled over to the Washington coast for Thanksgiving. At that point (roughly 1 month after we bought the coach) the keyless pad battery went dead. I peeled the keypad off and removed the adhesive from the pad back and the coach wall. It peeled off easily I imagine because it was put on by the factory within the past 60 days when it was built. It removed easily; sort of wish I knew what brand of material the adhesive was. I think boatto5er may have the right idea though using velcro to afix the pad. Makes me a little nervous that someone else may want the pad more than I, and peel it off. I think the velcro remains the smarter option given the pad was not intended to be permanently mounted apparently. After pulling a total of roughly 6,000 miles, we haven't had too many challanges. Seems we have some water entering in around the kitchen slide while we pull down the road in the rain. Checking this past week after the coach has been in outside storage (setting in the rain), I see no water entering while the coach sets idle. We do have two 12-volt lights that have quit working. I've checked the bulbs and the fuses to no avail. All that's left is to start searching the taped up wiring connectiong with a VOM. I'm sure it will result in being something simple. We really enjoy the BigHorn coach, even though there are small problem here and there. We're tickled with our decision to buy the BigHorn and plan on pulling down to southern Washington over new-years for a few days.

gebills said:

We're tickled with our decision to buy the BigHorn and plan on pulling down to southern Washington over new-years for a few days.

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Congratulations on your new rig! Hopefully you have all the initial bugs worked out and you will have many great years of service from your Bighorn. I sent you a PM regarding the WA 2012 Rally.

Best Wishes!