It's Here! It's Lovely! It's....Broken!

Well, we picked up our much anticipated '09 Sundance 2998 RB on Tuesday and it was much more than we expected! We ordered this model without even ever seeing the floor plan in person, since we could not find a dealer with this floorplan in stock. Anyways, we took it out over the weekend and I am in LOVE with it! I don't know what my favorite feature is, there is so much storage, things are so well thought out and everything is so convenient! The one and only problem is that today, while loading up to come home, I broke it!!!! I seriously broke it! I was pulling in the bunkhouse slide and forgot to close the door to it, so the slide, bullied it's way in anyways, broke the handle off the door, pulled a section of the moulding from the slide trim (inside) and punched a hole in the wall behind the door! I am so sad that I did that! I didn't even think of whether the door was opened or closed! We went to home depot and got a new door handle, and a wall protector for behind the door (that was an incident waiting to happen anyways) and am not sure what we are going to do about the moulding. Just thought I would share....I still LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new coach and can't wait to take it out again next weekend! Thank you all to those of you who helped with my delivery question. Hope all are well. More later on the fiasco of the dealership we purchased from going out of business!

Christin

I did a similar no-no so don't feel like the lone stranger. We forgot to lower our counter top extension and closed the slides. The Dinette table got friendly with the extension. Broke of one leg of the dinette and cracked another and pulled a few screws loose that hold the table to the pedestal. I was more embarrassed than med. I brought the table outside at our next stop and was able to get it as good as new with a little Elmers glue and a few clamps. Next project: Raise the counter top extension.

Oh Babyhorsie, that sounds familiar... When we first got our 2998 delivered, we were opening it up in our driveway, we pushed the buttons for the slide, the cupboard above the entertainment(on the left) was open a bit and it hooked on to the side of the slide ... It was taking the door right off. We just had the guys doing a bit of repairs for the 2nd time and I just asked them to fix the door... It wasn't too bad but you needed to shut both doors at the same time to shut that cupboard. Now it is perfect. Congrats on your new coach, aren't they amazing. We are so In Love with ours as well.

Hi Christin,

Congrats on bringing home your new baby. So sorry to hear about your little "oops". Let me just say "it happens to nearly everyone". Some sort of oops. Some of us - more than one too

We had a sleeping bag fall off a sofa and behind the vertical slide fascia. DW did not notice it and did her one setup job - ran the slides out. Pushed the wood vertical fascia right off the wall. I had a lot of nails to pull out but it was a great excuse to by an air powered brad nailer

As your dealer is going out of business, you may contact Heartland Customer Service and likely order the parts you need to fix your "oops".

Happy camping!

Jim

Christin:
Believe me, Jim is totally correct. You are, by no means alone in having some sort of booboo. I would bet that every single person that owns an RV can relate sometime that they pulled a brain ****. We have sure had our share. Just get her fixed and enjoy your trailer. I know we sure do love ours.
Welcome to the Heartland family.
Fred

mistakes

I opened our kitchen slide once and almost pulled one of the kitchen cabinet doors off it's hinge. Each time I open or close the slides I especially make sure the recliners aren't sticking out too far so they don't catch the slides. Welcome to the club. Every time something goes wrong I harkin to the movie "RV" or the original movie with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez called "The Long Long Trailer". Things could always be worse.

Sid

Join the club...we use to have a Terry Quantum TT, with a front kitchen with a corner sink. Pulled in the dinette slide, heard a sickening sound, and looked over to see the door under the sink OPEN...being pushed in by the slide and it actually lifted the countertop up and away from the sink, while pushing in the front stiles of the cabinet under the sink!!

Thank God DH is extremely handy...he was able to repair the entire mess...couldn't even tell I did it! Don't think I ever felt "sicker" in my life!! Happens to the best of us.

What your new Sundance has an ouchey!!!!! Holy Moly at least you made it to the campe ground and camped in it first, i have seen where they didn't make it off of the Dealer's lot. I am so glade you are enjoying your Sundance. John Sundance Brand Manager

I am so happy to see that I am not an idiot and that this sort of thing has happened to some others. I am the type of person that usually freak "accidents" happen to. My hubby is also extremely handy, so he should have it fixed before our next trip this weekend. He is thinking of modifiying the slide and door in that area (so it won't happen again???), so we will see what he comes up with. I'll post pictures! I can't say how much I love this thing though and people are amazed that this 29 footer has 3 slides! I feel like it is my own little camping mansion! Thanks all for making me feel better!

On our previous 5ver a Dutchman a 12 pack of mixer I mean 7up fell behind the slide where I couldn't see it. When we opened the slide I didn't notice and it tweeked the slide where there was about a 2" air gap at the bottom when the slide was opened. I worked on that thing for hours never could get it right. We would have to stick a couple of towels in there to keep the kritters and air from comming in. Can anyone say hillbilly lol. Talk about issues that thing had a lot of them. We traded that half rotten poc in on a new Bh and what a differnce. I climb around checking everything before those slides move now. I forgot to strap the Tv once but fortunately no damage. I am going to work up a check list. Not so long that I won't use it but long enough to keep from causing major damage.

Greg

Christin,
yep, oopsies happen. Glad you love the SD. Please consider coming to the rally in Jackson in October and hanging out with all of us. I'm sure you can hear about some other great "oopsies" that we've all had. Enjoy!

I also had a similar slide mishap. We had the slide out in our 2800RLS. My wife had left one of the upper back cabinet doors open (one of the ones that lift up). I did not notice this when I put the slide back in, and it caught the corner moulding on the slide and popped it off. Luckily my dad has a brad nailer, so I was able to nail it back on.

So far that's been the only oopsie! I"m keeping my fingers crossed!

-steve

Been there, done that

Kristin,

Congratulations on your new rig. We have the same model and love it. We did a similar thing on our maiden voyage. Our rig was all closed up for travel and when we got to the CG, got level, checked the perimeter, inside, outside, you name it we checked it except ... the rear bath door. You cannot see the door when the slide is in and little did we know that it popped open during travel. When we ran the main slide out, it got caught on the door which in turn forced the slide foward into th entertainment center. Long story short, we munched the door frame to the rear bath as well as took out a door on the entertainment center at the same time. From that time on, I always run the main slide out a couple inches, stop to check the rear bath door is still closed, and then run the slide out the rest of the way.

On a positive note, Heartland was very willing to make sure we got the necessary repairs done with my dealer and even picked up part of the tab.

Happy caming in your new 2998 and as a Californian, maybe we'll see you somewhere on the road.

Frank

Well I guess I have to jump in this also.. I was extending our main living room slide and it did not want to go all the way out. Fortunately I went to take a look at it and found one tof the 5ft doors stuck behind the slide. Pulled it in and found I only bent the hinges. Same thing with the other living slide. Bent hinges on the kitchen cabinet. Then after having the slides adjusted and we parked in a campground I was extended the slides, the bedroom normally goes out all the way first then the smaller drivers side living room then the large passenger slide. Well the bedroom slide went out almost all the way then stopped, the other slides went out all the way. I thought well they just tightened the slide up. Kept holding the slide button and I heard a pop. Went to see what it was. Didn't see anything (dark in the bedroom). Went outside and the bedroom slide was not out all the way and was slightly crooked. Went back in and pulled the bedroom slide in about a foot or so.. went to look and I'll be %^&Y* the big cabined door was snapped into. That's a new door.

Now before I pull the slides in I turn on all the inside lights, walk around and check "all" doors, then run the slides out.

Oh Yea. If your lowering your landing gear onto the TV and you keep raising the gear, it will pop the pins that go into the landing gear legs. That is another story... LOL

Travel safe
BC

Door Holders

Well I have to ask. I haven't gotten my 5er yet so hopefully after reading all this I can prevent a mishap that seems to be going to happen sooner or later to me.

Doesnt anyone make a holder of some kind that will prevent all these doors that seem to accidently open themselves in travel. It seems to me someone somewhere should have developed something by now that wold prevent this kind of thing from happening.

I talked to my father that traveled fulltime for 15 years and got off the road about 1 year ago that he too had this same issue. seems to me with all the inventors in this world that this issue would have already been addressed.

Thanks

Lenny,

All the cabinet doors have a standard Roller Catch on them. But there are better ones out there. Here's a link to several. On this page (2), I like the Push Latch with Strike - H315.

Jim

me to

done the same thing twice. once the kitchen cabinet opened and a plastic bowl came out, went behind the slide and DW didnt notice till the facia came poppin off. second time was the pantry door had opened a little and when she opened the kitchen slide, pop, off goes that facia. Luckily both were easy fixes with the brad nailer but now i have a small bungee cord wrapped around both knobs while we travel. Take them off when arrive and then ensure back on again prior to leaving. never had the problem again.

Did this with my riding lawnmower

There was a couple of this forum that brought the entertainment slide in on a cabinet door and did some pretty good damage. Told my wife that we should always check doors before we brought the slides in or out. Wasnt too much longer I was bringing a slide in and heard a crunch. I stopped in time to do hardly any damage. So I made a sign out of double folded furnace tape and screwed it to the switch plate with the top screw and then wrote "check (symbol for check) doors" on it. You have to raise the flap to get at the rocker switch. So far so good.

Great idea CB. Been thinking of what I can do to remember the antenna and satellite dish on the roof. Have yet to pull out of a CG with either up but have forgotten the dish 3 times after I put away the electrical cord. Genny came in handy for those first 3 times.