RESOLVED: 30C VIN tag inaccurate

taken

Well-known member
Hey guys. Not sure if this applies to other RW models, but on my 2013 Road Warrior the VIN/Weight tag is inaccurate. Until this model year (2014) the 30C had an incorrect GVWR of 14,000. It seemed strange to me as the trailer weighed over 12 dry and put two "toys" in the garage and you are at capacity without any camping gear or tanks. Anyways, I recently noticed on Heartland's site that the 2014 30C now has 16k as it's GVWR. I was pretty sure nothing had changed to bump the rating so I put an email in to my regional sales guy, Mike Alpin. What a great guy by the way. He has quickly answered tons of questions for me both before and after the sale. Anyways, as always, I heard right back from him. Turns out prior year 30C trailers were incorrectly labeled at 14k. Someone made a mistake and only tallied the two 7k axles and used that as the GVWR forgetting that the pin takes 3k+ of the weight. Hence, the 2014 and forward are now rated at a more reasonable 16k. Nothing else was changed to increase the rating. It was just bad math the first time round. So, here is my question. Shouldn't Heartland provide me with a new VIN/Weight tag? If ever I get pulled over in a tough state and get weighed, I'll be overweight even though I'm not due to the bad info on the tag. I called Heartland customer service and talked with a nice guy. He understood what I was saying but was pretty sure that no new tag could be issued. What do you all think? Shouldn't this be fixed for not only my, but all 30c's that were tagged wrong? It will probably never be an issue, but imagine how mad you'd be if you got a big fine and had to pay someone to tow your trailer for you because of an inaccurate tag. Thoughts?
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

My 2 cents; LE is ONLY going to go by what the tag says.
[If in fact] it is an error, I would make every effort to get a new tag. Trace
 

taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

EXACTLY. They won't care that it was corrected in newer models. What's on the tag is what it is. That's why I really want a new tag but I'm thinking Heartland isn't going to help. The guy in customer service said he'd "look into it" but I'm not expecting much. Maybe if a few more owners called in to complain, there might be some ground to be gained. It would be such an easy thing for Heartland to do for the cost of a tag and a stamp. Less than a buck could keep their owners out of hot water...
 

wino2

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I would call your local Department of Motor Vehicles, or search their web site. You can't be the first customer that has called and has this problem. I agree with Trace, it has to be corrected. On the Manufacturers Statement of Orign, it is also called the Certificate of Origin. For trucks it lists the GVWR, shipping weight (curb weight) with no additional adds other than OEM. You might want to see if your dealer can get you the MSO, and see what it says. If it lists all of these weights for trailers, this might help you in getting a new weight label. Good Luck. There are a lot of states that are not understanding, one of them being this great state of California LOL.
 

taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I think even if they reissued the COO it would be identical to the original which says 14k. Does anyone from Heartland actually read on here? I'd be curious what someone higher than Andy in CS has to say about this....
 
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jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I think even if they reissued the COO it would be identical to the original which says 14k. Does anyone from Heartland actually read on here? I'd be curious what someone higher than Andy in CS has to say about this....

Hi there,

The forum is not the place to resolve an issue like this. Since you have Mike A's ear, you can work through him. He may be able to help you get this resolved. Mike's boss is AJ Jones. He can be called at 574-262-5992.

Jim
 

taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Mike already told me there was nothing he could do and suggested I call customer service which I did to no avail. Hence this forum is the only avenue I have left. And to be honest, forums like this are the exact venue to get issues like this solved. I've had more than one issue the Ford could do "nothing about" suddenly resolved after I posted about it on the Ford Trucks Forums. It also helps other owners identify an issue before it becomes a real problem. Thank you for the phone number, I will try AJ next.
 
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taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I just put in a call to AJ and got his voicemail. I also emailed Mike again. Then, out of no where, I get a call from Jamie at Heartland who takes my name and address to mail me a revised tag! So, unless it never shows up, issue solved. Not sure if it was Mike or Jim who pushed it (AJ is on vacation) but it got done. (If I had to guess, this smacks of Mike Alpin's awesome commitment to customer service...:cool:) Thanks for standing behind your product and correcting the error Heartland!
 
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jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I just put in a call to AJ and got his voicemail. I also emailed Mike again. Then, out of no where, I get a call from Jamie at Heartland who takes my name and address to mail me a revised tag! So, unless it never shows up, issue solved. Not sure if it was Mike or Jim who pushed it (AJ is on vacation) but it got done. (If I had to guess, this smacks of Mike Alpin's awesome commitment to customer service...:cool:) Thanks for standing behind your product and correcting the error Heartland!

Happy to hear this is in-process. My sense is that it was follow-up from your initial contact with customer service that got you this far since Mike could not assist further and I did not make a call.

Please touch base with your customer service team if you do not receive the tag in the amount of time you feel it should arrive.
 

taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Actually, Mike emailed me again and told me he made a few calls to some of his contacts with pull. Whether or not that did it, I can't say for sure. It sure seems that way as I emailed him again this morning asking him to revisit the situation (on your recommendation Jim) to which he replied instantly. Always does. Then an hour later I get a call to get my mailing address for a new tag. If it wasn't his doing I'm giving him credit anyway for being such a stand up guy! ;) Really though, I buy a LOT of new toys and I have never had a company rep be so polite and expedient in getting back to me on solving problems or answering questions. I've told him and I'll say it here too. That guy is a true asset to the company. I'm a Heartland customer for life based on my experiences with him. (The RV rocks too....:D)
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I've always liked Mike Aplin. He's always been on fire for his product and been very customer sensitive/focused.

There are a lot of Heartland Regional Sales Managers and Brand Managers with similar dispositions. Heartland seems to do a pretty good job hiring these kind of people.
 

taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Well, we're not out of the woods yet. Heartland dropped the ball a second time and printed the tag exactly as it was the first time with the inaccurate 14k GVWR. I've called Jamie Justice back who was the CS rep who was handling the re-issue and left a voicemail. I also emailed Mike Alpin to see if he could make a call or send an email on my behalf. Is there anyone you could talk to Jim to get this done right??
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Is there anyone you could talk to Jim to get this done right??

Sorry but I don't know who handles this sort of thing at Heartland. I did flag this up today. I'd expect you'd get a call-back very soon.
 

scottyb

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Taken, I hope you get it solved soon. Sounds like you are on the right track. Just to piggyback on your topic a little, you stated that your combined AWR is 14K and the RV's GVWR is 16K. I understand the reasoning, because of the load distribution of a 5th wheel. Just wondering why the same logic does not apply to all units, such as the 3 x 6K 5th wheels. Not that I really want to carry 21K in my Cyclone, but I would like a little cushion on the books in the event I was rolling heavy with water or cases of beer or whatever.
 

taken

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Just got a call from Justin who says tag #3 is on it's way with a promise of proofreading this time.
 

Theresau

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I know this has been brought up before on the forum but it still isn't clear to me. How is the GVWR determined by the factory? Per this thread it is based on axles plus pin weight? And I know that the factory determines final dry weight at build (seen the units on the scales) - but to my knowledge, final pin weight is not.

Theresa
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I know this has been brought up before on the forum but it still isn't clear to me. How is the GVWR determined by the factory? Per this thread it is based on axles plus pin weight? And I know that the factory determines final dry weight at build (seen the units on the scales) - but to my knowledge, final pin weight is not.

Theresa
Here's my theory on RV weights. Most everything manufactured in the country today has what is called a Bill of materials (BOM}. All of the components and parts of an RV have a known given weight. These are all calculated into the overall product and any options ordered are part of that BOM. The initial design of the floor plan all comes together into a package including the frame and axles and suspension needed to carry the RV. In other words, it's all pretty much done by computer along with the placement of the axles for the correct pin weight on the designed RV.
The information on the VIN label is keyed in by a human and there were probably a few that unknowingly got out the door before the error was caught.
 

ParkIt

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

Ray, that was true in the industry during the 90's and up though a few manufacturers started doing actual weights after being plagued with failures due to incorrect calculations. The better companies started to realize they needed to perform actual weight which is where some materials improved to lighten the total GVWR but even then, they would only weigh one unit and put it on all others not taking into account specific factory orders which could be lighter or heavier. It could be the same today to some extent though the DOT across the country set new standards for all companies - comparison would be the new weight on the BC compared to ours, there is a 2K weight difference and it baffles me a bit.
It would be an arduous process to weigh each one as it rolled out the door, it could be what happened in this case to Taken and his unit.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Re: 30C VIN tag inaccurate.

I know this has been brought up before on the forum but it still isn't clear to me. How is the GVWR determined by the factory? Per this thread it is based on axles plus pin weight? And I know that the factory determines final dry weight at build (seen the units on the scales) - but to my knowledge, final pin weight is not.

Theresa
Theresa,

I don't think any of us know the exact process, but I think as Ray suggested, the design engineers put together a new floorplan (on the computer) and compute the estimated actual empty weight. They allow for addition of options, owner stuff, and some water in the tanks (usually a couple of thousand pounds), and round it up to a projected Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (for design purposes). Part of that process would analyze the distribution of weight between axles and pinbox to get the pinbox weight estimate. Subtracting the pinbox weight from the proposed GVRW gets to the weight that has to be carried by axles, wheels and tires, which leads to the selection of those components.

The process is probably iterative to reduce weight and cost. For example, if they were designing a replacement for the Bighorn 3010RE, which has a dry weight of 11,440 and a GVWR of 14,000, and the new dry weight was projected to be 12,000, if they left the GVWR the same as it currently is (14,000), that would be a reduction of nearly 500 pounds of carrying capacity. But if they wanted to increase the GVWR to 14,500 so the cargo capacity would be about the same, the 6,000 pound axles would no longer be sufficient. So they'd either revisit how to keep the empty weight around 11,500, or they'd increase the GVWR and move to heavier axles.

When the first prototype is built, they no doubt weigh it to see how close the actual weight comes to the estimate. Published specs probably come from the final prototye.

Anyway, that would be my guess on how it works.
 
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