Newbies with lots of questions!

So we're the brand new owners of a 2016 Charleston. Been reading tons of info on these great forums, trying to learn as much as we can. We are selling our house and going to be full timing it for the foreseeable future. Just trying to get some pointers on what we can expect, what we will need, etc.

Maybe something a little unique for our situation is that our rig will be stationary pretty much the whole time. It will be parked on my father in law's property on 10 acres in Central California. So with that in mind, just wanting some info on what we will need as far as set up, leveling, hook ups, etc. We will be doing a full walk through & PDI at the dealer before delivery of course to ensure everything is working good.

I guess my main questions pertain to living full time in a stationary Heartland and what that entails and what challenges may arise. This is our first time owning a RV of any kind, so this is all new to us. We will be hooked up to a 50 amp panel & a very large septic tank.

Some things I'm thinking about:

1) What will I need to buy or consider that may not be obvious or included with the RV?
2) Essential items needed first 24 - 48 hours?
3) Any considerations for leveling & being stationary? It will be on compacted, sandy loam - not any hard concrete surface
4) Will I need to adjust tire pressure or worry about weight distribution? I assume I will need to block the tires?

We will ask these questions and many more on the PDI walk through for sure. But we also wanted input from all you experts that have experienced firsthand the joys and frustrations of full time RV living

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration to answer our questions. We have been reading these forums for months, devouring all we can to help us learn. We look forward to expanding our knowledge & contributing our own insights and ideas to this wonderful community.

Best,

S&S

Hi sswages,

Congratulations on the new Landmark 365 and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

You might find our owner-written user guides helpful. You can get to them by clicking on TOOLS at top of the page and selec ting HUG - Heartland User Guides, or by clicking this link.

If you're new to RV'ing, let me suggest you review the Water Systems Guide, with particular attention to dumping the tanks. Also, if temps ever get below freezing, you'll want to winterize the Residential Refrigerator beforehand. There are components of the ice maker water feed line that are exposed to outside air, so it's important to evacuate the water from that line when temps drop.

I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions and ideas from other owners shortly.

One thing I would do is park the tires on 2X12 boards and put tire covers over them if they are exposed to the sun at all.
If you really plan to make it permanent I would us the leave-up jacks to raise it up and put good solid blocks under the frame in 6 to 8 points and put all 6 of the level-up jacks all the way up (retracted) to keep the rams in new condition. Just a few things to get you started.
We are also in Manteca

Also look at Dan's links. And don't leave your black tank valve open, as it will get toilet paper pile up and water will just run out, your dump valves will plug up and not seal properly when you need them. I would keep all 3 valves closed myself.

If you're going to be stationary for extended periods you might even consider adding skirting around the base. It will help your heating bill immensely as well as reduce the chances of water lines freezing.
Blocking the frame as jesstalkn suggested to keep it level (and stable) is also a good idea. Does California have a requirement for it to be strapped down in "permanent" settings?
If you can keep it raised enough to keep any load off the tires you'll reduce the strain on the sidewalls but regardless keep them covered to prevent damage from the sun.

Make or buy yourself a porch/small deck with steps to go in and out. It will eliminate the bounce when someone's on the steps and make entry easier.


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sswages said:

So we're the brand new owners of a 2016 Charleston. Been reading tons of info on these great forums, trying to learn as much as we can. We are selling our house and going to be full timing it for the foreseeable future. Just trying to get some pointers on what we can expect, what we will need, etc.

Maybe something a little unique for our situation is that our rig will be stationary pretty much the whole time. It will be parked on my father in law's property on 10 acres in Central California. So with that in mind, just wanting some info on what we will need as far as set up, leveling, hook ups, etc. We will be doing a full walk through & PDI at the dealer before delivery of course to ensure everything is working good.

I guess my main questions pertain to living full time in a stationary Heartland and what that entails and what challenges may arise. This is our first time owning a RV of any kind, so this is all new to us. We will be hooked up to a 50 amp panel & a very large septic tank.

Some things I'm thinking about:

1) What will I need to buy or consider that may not be obvious or included with the RV?
2) Essential items needed first 24 - 48 hours?
3) Any considerations for leveling & being stationary? It will be on compacted, sandy loam - not any hard concrete surface
4) Will I need to adjust tire pressure or worry about weight distribution? I assume I will need to block the tires?

We will ask these questions and many more on the PDI walk through for sure. But we also wanted input from all you experts that have experienced firsthand the joys and frustrations of full time RV living

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration to answer our questions. We have been reading these forums for months, devouring all we can to help us learn. We look forward to expanding our knowledge & contributing our own insights and ideas to this wonderful community.

Best,

S&S

Click to expand...

if your going to be in the cold at all get an insulated heated water hose. They are expensive but wor it.

sswages said:

So we're the brand new owners of a 2016 Charleston. Been reading tons of info on these great forums, trying to learn as much as we can. We are selling our house and going to be full timing it for the foreseeable future. Just trying to get some pointers on what we can expect, what we will need, etc.

Maybe something a little unique for our situation is that our rig will be stationary pretty much the whole time. It will be parked on my father in law's property on 10 acres in Central California. So with that in mind, just wanting some info on what we will need as far as set up, leveling, hook ups, etc. We will be doing a full walk through & PDI at the dealer before delivery of course to ensure everything is working good.

I guess my main questions pertain to living full time in a stationary Heartland and what that entails and what challenges may arise. This is our first time owning a RV of any kind, so this is all new to us. We will be hooked up to a 50 amp panel & a very large septic tank.

Some things I'm thinking about:

1) What will I need to buy or consider that may not be obvious or included with the RV?
2) Essential items needed first 24 - 48 hours?
3) Any considerations for leveling & being stationary? It will be on compacted, sandy loam - not any hard concrete surface
4) Will I need to adjust tire pressure or worry about weight distribution? I assume I will need to block the tires?

We will ask these questions and many more on the PDI walk through for sure. But we also wanted input from all you experts that have experienced firsthand the joys and frustrations of full time RV living

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration to answer our questions. We have been reading these forums for months, devouring all we can to help us learn. We look forward to expanding our knowledge & contributing our own insights and ideas to this wonderful community.

Best,

S&S

Click to expand...

Thank you, Dan for the links you provided and the warm welcome. I will certainly check them out

jesstalkn said:

One thing I would do is park the tires on 2X12 boards and put tire covers over them if they are exposed to the sun at all.
If you really plan to make it permanent I would us the leave-up jacks to raise it up and put good solid blocks under the frame in 6 to 8 points and put all 6 of the level-up jacks all the way up (retracted) to keep the rams in new condition. Just a few things to get you started.
We are also in Manteca

Also look at Dan's links. And don't leave your black tank valve open, as it will get toilet paper pile up and water will just run out, your dump valves will plug up and not seal properly when you need them. I would keep all 3 valves closed myself.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Jerrod for your suggestions. I like the idea of the tires being on a more solid surface. I will look into using blocks instead of the jacks too, since it won't be going anywhere. We bought our rig at Manteca Trailer, they seem nice enough of course while you're buying it. Do you have any experience with them by chance? I I got an extended warranty for 6 years (I know, probably a waste of money) so just curious how they handle warranty work and things of that nature.

NWILSON said:

If you're going to be stationary for extended periods you might even consider adding skirting around the base. It will help your heating bill immensely as well as reduce the chances of water lines freezing.
Blocking the frame as jesstalkn suggested to keep it level (and stable) is also a good idea. Does California have a requirement for it to be strapped down in "permanent" settings?
If you can keep it raised enough to keep any load off the tires you'll reduce the strain on the sidewalls but regardless keep them covered to prevent damage from the sun.

Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion on the skirting Neale, thank you for that. Not sure what California requires in a permanent situation, but it's a good point to consider. Will definitely be getting covers for the tires, I know they can get expensive.

I got an extended warranty for 6 years (I know, probably a waste of money) so just curious how they handle warranty work and things of that nature.

Click to expand...

Since you'll be stationary, you'll probably be using a mobile servicer. With advance approval, Heartland will usually authorize warranty work by mobile servicers, but the travel charge will not be reimbursed. But it's often less than the cost of towing the trailer to a dealer.

Appliances and some devices in the RV are warranted by their respective manufacturers. So a Suburban furnace or water heater warranty will come from Suburban. Whoever you use for warranty service on those devices would have to be pre-authorized by Suburban.

You should check with the extended warranty company to see what's required in the way of pre-authorizations and whether they'll authorize a mobile servicer. I don't see why they wouldn't, if the servicer is qualified, but you never know until you read the fine print.

When I bought my first 5th wheel many years ago, I didn't have a truck to pull it either, so I did negotiate with the dealership to have there service department come and repair anything that needed repaired for the first year. Good luck, you will love your new Heartland product.

Just curious as this may be an option for us in the future also. Why did you go with a 5th wheel as opposed to a unit more designed for stationary living such as a mobile home or park model? Or is the stationary part just temporary?

JanAndBill said:

Just curious as this may be an option for us in the future also. Why did you go with a 5th wheel as opposed to a unit more designed for stationary living such as a mobile home or park model? Or is the stationary part just temporary?

Click to expand...

Well, we're relocating from Texas to my wife's childhood home in California. We will be working for the family business and living on her father's land. The land is not available to be split, or to have another permanent dwelling added. Also, the future is still kinda open - not sure if we will buy a house later or continue in the RV full time. Either way we will keep the fifth wheel whether we stay on her father's land or park it a driveway at a regular house.

Looked at the mobile/manufactured home option, but you need land for that obviously. Land isn't cheap in Cali . All inclusive was appealing instead of renting an apartment or even a house. Fifth wheel is low maintenance in regards to yard work, etc. and more cost effective since father in law has the space AND the hookups for septic, electric and water - all no charge. With the business we will be doing, there will be long hours most days. So a new fifth wheel that is turn key and ready to go was appealing to us.

We understand there will be maintenance of course with the fifth wheel, like most things. And there will be a huge learning curve too (hence why we're here ).

Thank you for the question and responding, and we wish you luck in your future endeavors.

Regarding my original questions, what items should we be planning to purchase when we pick it up? Any particular brands on products already mentioned, like the wheel covers, blocks or semi-permanent stabilizers, etc.? Anything for the interior we need right away we may have missed?

Thanks to all who have responded, much appreciated to help us greenhorns figure it all out

Shawn & Sandra

I didn't see anyone mention it but instead of using a good sewer hose since you will be stationary you can buy the adapters to make a permanent line for your sewer connection that will fit right to your current setup and outlets. Thus in the future all you will have to do is disconnect the fittings and hook up a flexible sewer hose to use later when traveling in the RV. We also used paper plates and plastic utensils until we figured out what we wanted. Get an induction cook top ready pots and pans. they will go a long way for you.

Based on your local codes, as to what constitutes a permanent dwelling, adding anything that will enhance your stay will make it much easier on you. Things like skirting, PVC sewer hookup (though I would highly recommend you NOT leave your dump valves open), permanent blocking to relieve the load on your hydraulic jacks, external LP tank, steps, etc.

We were discussing the semi permanent options last night with some fellow Heartlanders, one made that comment that they could not get an external LP tank in their winter state, unless the trailer was tied down with hurricane straps (weird because they didn't require tie downs on the tank). Each state can have their own regulations.

Thank you Bones for your reply! Yes, we are looking into putting in a line to the septic, but like everything else, it seems we really can't do too much planning until we fly out there on the 24th.

We are also looking at "whole house" water filter systems and surge protection options. Since we are stationary would it still make sense to get an EMS or would it be ok to just inspect the 50 amp panel?

We contacted DirecTV and they will be coming out to do an install. We looked at the Traveler, and although we love the idea of having the dish on the roof, we love saving $1500 more at this moment. DirecTV said they have no problem setting us up like a regular house. I do need to call them back and make sure they will be doing a wireless install. I think it's worth the $99. I ordered 1 big receiver for the living room and a genie mini for the bedroom. Should I order a second mini for the outside TV or can I with the wireless mini between the bedroom and the outside TV easily? I am a little scared of how the DirecTV guy will do the installation. I don't want him drilling holes in my Charleston. Can I still have the dish plugged in without putting holes in the trailer, even if its the "freebie" one from DirecTV?

We are in the final stages of getting rid of everything at our house in Texas. The closing is on Thursday the 22nd and the we fly out to our new life on the 24th. We have sold everything except for a few personal items like photographs and such. It feels strange to fit everything we own in just a couple of cardboard boxes, but also very refreshing and freeing. The few boxed will get shipped early next week and then the one way plane ride will just be us, our sweet little dog, and 1 luggage bag. We are using this as an opportunity to start fresh, to have only what we truly need, but the few things we do get will be high quality that only need to be purchased once. So yes it will be paper plates for a time until we get settled. And that's ok. We are ready for a fun adventure along with all of the quirks that come with it.

Thank you for the warm welcome again. Please if anyone has anything to add, we would love to hear it!

You should be able to use the internal satellite wiring to connect the dish to the receivers in living room and bedroom. In the bedroom, where the TV signal booster is located, there's a jumper wire that connects 2 wall plates. For the bedroom to get satellite, the jumper has to be moved from the Antenna/Cable connector, to the satellite connector. The other wall plate is the connector that goes to the TV.

Before trying to use the trailer wiring, have the tech get the setup working with coax running directly from dish to receiver. Once that's good, then connect using the trailer wiring. That way if you have any problems, you'll know it's with the trailer coax connections, loose connections, or possibly splitter problems.

For the outside TV, you might consider a wireless A/V transmitter/receiver. You can get a high-def setup for $100-200. I don't think there's an existing satellite coax run to the outside TV, so if you wanted to use a receiver there, you'd have to have coax run to that location.

I would look at outdoor seating and tables. Aside from personal items such as bedding, dishware and cookware, I have found the newer RVs to have all other comforts. You may want the clothes washer/dryer if you didn't have it added to your original purchase. I wandered through the RV store and have to say I was a little disappointed to find I didn't really NEED to purchase anything.

Rangelady

If you are going to hook up to a septic use a septic safe deodorizer in your black tank, something that is formaldehyde free. It will be much easier on the good bacteria in the septic system. Also as others have said don't leave the black tank dump valve open just dump the tank when it needs it. You can leave the gray water dump valve open without any issues.


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I had Directv hook me up while we winter in AZ. We used the portable dish that they supplied. I eventually got a tripod to put it on for our travels between Michigan and Arizona. There initially was some wiring issues in our other rv that we had at the time, but our Bighorn was pretty much plug and play. I added a splitter in the satellite line and a double outlet for the outside tv.