Big Horn 3160 Elite Design Suggestions

mharnden

Member
As we are approaching retirement and much anticipated travels, my wife and I are planning to sell our Komfort travel trailer and purchase a new fifth wheel trailer in the next one to three years. Our search has brought us to the Bighorn 3160 Elite as the best match for our wants and needs in an RV. As with many things in life, compromise has been a part of our search for the “right” fifth wheel trailer. While the Bighorn 3160 Elite appears to be the best fit for our needs, a few improvements would eliminate some of the compromises.


Large water and waste tanks are important to us but this is not one of the high points for the Bighorns. I would suggest an increase in the tank capacities, perhaps marketed as part of a “boondocking” package/option or even as a standard feature. A meaningful increase would take the current fresh water tank capacity of about 60 gallons to a new tank capacity of something around 120 to 150 gallons, or more. However, any increase would be a positive change. Currently the two gray and the black water tanks have a 45 gallon capacity each (135 gallons total). Increasing these to 60 gallons each (180 gallons total), or even 75 gallons each (225 gallons total) would be a great improvement. Adding the capability of pumping from either of the two gray water tanks to the other would further enhance the improved capacity as sometimes one gray tank may be almost full while the other still has plenty of capacity. As with the fresh water tank(s), any increase would be a positive change. While the larger tanks, when filled, will add significant weight to the trailer, there is no practical reason for all of these tanks to be full at the same time. Either the fresh water tank(s) or the waste water tanks might be full but not both.

A “boondocking” package might also include upgraded batteries and a solar/inverter feature.

Another suggestion concerns the height of the two main slide rooms. We are particularly interested in the Bighorn 3160 Elite model but this suggestion holds for all “Elite” models with the “Mega Tall Slide” room. This is a great feature giving an open, light and airy feeling to the trailer with the potential for great views from inside the trailer! I would propose you increase the height of the opposite, “kitchen/entertainment” slide to match the “dining/living area” Mega Tall Slide. This would allow for an increase in storage space (cabinets, drawers, etc.) while improving the aesthetics and making the trailer interior more symmetrical, producing a feeling of balance.


These suggestions would further separate Bighorn, as well as other Heartland trailers, from the competition.


Mike Harnden
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

Thanks for posting your suggestions. A lot of changes have been made to Heartland units because of suggestions from owners and users.

Enjoy the forum and hope to see you in a Heartland someday.

Jim M
 

JanAndBill

Well-known member
Just playing Devil's Advocate here, and I realize I'll probably get slammed for my comment, but if boondocking is really your thing, shouldn't you be looking at a unit, more suited to the wilds. We have a 3260 EL that we love, but lets be realistic, it's over 13' tall ,39' plus long, and close to 15K. I for one have no intention of pulling my rig anywhere there is a potential for damage from limbs, overhangs, etc., into unimproved areas that I may need a tow to get out of, or down narrow rough roads. I bought this unit because I wanted ALL the comforts of home.
 

mharnden

Member
Thanks for the welcome Jim. I have already gleaned some good information and look forward to more. And especially making that Big Horn purchase.

Mike
 

mharnden

Member
JanAndBill - Yeah, I hear you on getting away from the RV parks and off the beaten path with a large (and very nice) trailer. There are places I have seen that are not too far out and without obstructions, such as low hanging tree branches. The first example that comes to mind is on some BLM land known as Alabama Hills near Death Valley NP in California. I am looking forward to setting up for a week or two in spots such as this and enjoying the scenery and serenity.

Mike
 

Bohemian

Well-known member
Just playing Devil's Advocate here, and I realize I'll probably get slammed for my comment, but if boondocking is really your thing, shouldn't you be looking at a unit, more suited to the wilds. We have a 3260 EL that we love, but lets be realistic, it's over 13' tall ,39' plus long, and close to 15K. I for one have no intention of pulling my rig anywhere there is a potential for damage from limbs, overhangs, etc., into unimproved areas that I may need a tow to get out of, or down narrow rough roads. I bought this unit because I wanted ALL the comforts of home.

Yes, you should get slammed. Each person has their own way to boondock. Their own circumstances. Their own places. Their own reasons. There is no reason at all to suspect that people are doing something dangerous to anyone or damaging to their units

On, that note, people can be stupid with any RV, or truck, or car. No more so here than elsewhere.
 

JanAndBill

Well-known member
Yes, you should get slammed. Each person has their own way to boondock. Their own circumstances. Their own places. Their own reasons. There is no reason at all to suspect that people are doing something dangerous to anyone or damaging to their units

On, that note, people can be stupid with any RV, or truck, or car. No more so here than elsewhere.

I knew someone would call me out, but my comment wasn't meant to offend anyone on their "choice" of camping. It was meant to point out that other units might be more suitable if this is the choice of camping someone prefers. I think "boondocking" means different things to different people. To some it's staying over night in a Wally World parking lot, to others it's in a campground with limited services, and to others it's staying in a truly out of the way place. I've actually done all three, and I can tell you my pet peeve was trying to enjoy the solitude of nature in an out of the way place, and have someone pull in with a big rig complete with generator running 24 hrs, lit up like a neon sign and tv's blaring. To me that defeats the whole purpose of going to a place of solitude.
 

Bohemian

Well-known member
I knew someone would call me out, but my comment wasn't meant to offend anyone on their "choice" of camping. It was meant to point out that other units might be more suitable if this is the choice of camping someone prefers. I think "boondocking" means different things to different people. To some it's staying over night in a Wally World parking lot, to others it's in a campground with limited services, and to others it's staying in a truly out of the way place. I've actually done all three, and I can tell you my pet peeve was trying to enjoy the solitude of nature in an out of the way place, and have someone pull in with a big rig complete with generator running 24 hrs, lit up like a neon sign and tv's blaring. To me that defeats the whole purpose of going to a place of solitude.

It's your presumptions and attitude. You don't know others usage. What you would do is not a factor.
 

JanAndBill

Well-known member
Mike, my earlier comments were not meant to drive you away from the 3160 EL. My wife and I have a 3260 EL which is the same trailer with the floor plan reversed. Having put close to 12,000 miles on ours, I think I can safely make some comments as to intended use.

1. The only layout we might love more than the 3260 is the 3160. My wife would like more windows on the passenger side in our unit, but other than that we can't find anything we would like better. The open feeling and the island adds so much, and there are none of the bottlenecks with traffic flow that we've seen in other layouts.
2. As I said in a previous comment it is a large and tall trailer, that when hooked to the TV takes up right at 65' in length. We live a 1/2 mile off a paved road, most of which is steep with some sharp turns. Because of the the increased maneuverability of the 5th wheel we can and do navigate some pretty sharp curves, but we also spend a lot of time throughout the year trimming limbs back along the drive. There have been more than a few times that we sweated the clearance, especially the height, while on the road. You would be amazed at the number of public roads that fall below 13' clearance. At a rally this spring we were next to a fellow Heartlander that relayed how he had removed the A/C on his new trailer thanks to a live oak limb, while driving down the same city street he had previously driven with his old trailer.
4. We have two A/C's on ours, and unless you plan on spending all your time in cool climates, I would highly recommend two. The refrigerator on ours is a tri-mode, but I think they offer residential models on the new ones, which use an inverter when off grid. Micro wave, TV's, Electric/gas water heater, in general all the comforts of home, but not necessarily the most energy efficient if your sole purpose is to stay for extended periods off grid.
5. If I read your OP right your talking about adding up to 180 gallons of liquid storage. The added weight of the liquid plus tank, and supports, would add over 1500# in additional weight. That's assuming there is sufficient clearance under the trailer for the added capacity. Having been into the bottom of ours for service work, I'm doubtful that there would be. Also, while you "might not" have a practical reason to travel with the increased volume, manufacturer's are required to design the trailers to handle it regardless. There have been previous discussions on this forum about the design of the suspension, axles, etc. and frames being sufficient for the load, most would agree that any significant weight increase would most likely require changes to the suspension, axles, etc., and possibly even the frame. My experience has always been if you have to modify a product to much to meet your specific need, then it's more cost effective to purchase a product that is designed from the ground up to meet your needs.
6. I like the battery upgrade and the solar package option. I thought Heartland offered this as an option, but I might be wrong. I know there are several after market options available. While you could limit your electric use on most things, I'm not sure about the power requirements of the residential style refrigerator option.
7. As to the height on the kitchen slide, until you mentioned it I truthfully had never noticed. In fact I had to go out and look to be sure it was shorter. So, I guess it hasn't detracted from our feeling of balance in the least, or else we're unbalanced to begin with. LOL Not sure what if anything could be done here.

In short, I don't think you would be unhappy with either the 3160 or 3260 as to layout, and depending on how you intend using it, I'm sure you would enjoy it as much as we do ours. However, if you plan on going off grid in the wilds for an extended time though, as I stated earlier, there are other models out there more in sync with that type of camping. Whatever you choose, Happy Trails!
 

mharnden

Member
Jan & Bill - Thank you for your comments. You have not driven us away from the 3160 EL model. While we currently enjoy boondocking and expect to even more with the new 3160 EL. However, our time would likely be limited to shorter one and two week trips and certainly will not be the only way we hope to enjoy the trailer. Also, realizing there would be some engineering work to be done to increase the tank sizes any amount, we are hoping for even a modest increase.

Funny how something might catch one guy's eye, but not another's, such as the opposing slide rooms. We just wanted to put a few design ideas out hoping the Heartland folks notice and perhaps incorporate these on next year's model. Regardless, we agree, the 3160 EL is a great trailer.

Comments Appreciated,
Mike
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
To move gray water from one gray tank to another ... close the opening to the drain by either leaving on the cap or by installing a valve you can close with the cap off, then open both gray tank valves. They should equalize so they both are equally full (empty). I have tried it and it works.
 
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