Considering ordering 3055RL, Pros & Cons?

We are considering ordering a Bighorn 3055RL at this time. Having never been around a Heartland unit, I would like some feedback about quality and customer service. Also any must have options that you feel are necessary for all the creature comforts needed.

After climbing the ladder of camping from tent to motor home, we now have a 5er and thats where we will stay. Our concept of ruffing it while camping is sleeping on 200 thread count sheets instead of 400 thread count sheets. We do not go for the ultimate of plush, but we do like to be comfortable.

Thanks for any comments and help.

I'll be the first to jump in here. Our experience with Heartland has been great. We have had to contact customer service a few times. Each issue has been handled by a "real live human being" no press 1 for..., press 2 for.... If you go into your purchase with the understanding that you are pulling a "house" down the road and will probably encounter some minor issues, you will be pleased with a Heartland. We put over 4000 miles on ours in a 3 week period and still LOVE it.

Thanks for your reply Cheryl. I am a little disapointed in the amount of replies that I have received. Evidently this forum is not used by very many people or they just don't want to post their opinon on what should be a very easy subject. Tell me what you like or tell me what you don't like about your Heartland product.

My take on this is to read this forum, timely, and make your own conclusions. Then read as much as you can on other rv's you may be interested in and compare them all. I have one of the first, #284, Landmarks built. I do believe that quality and customer service has increased for the better as the company has grown. Like Cheryl said, you are towing a house and things will go wrong no matter what brand you buy. With all of this said I do have to tell you I am taking my Landmark back into the dealer, fourth time, in the next couple of days for warranty work before the warranty runs out in February.

Be patient, you'll get more replies. There are a lot of good people active on here. Sometimes they can just get busy with that ugly W (work) word. I have to head there shortly so I will post my likes and dislikes this afternoon.

Thanks folks. I will be waiting and checking back.
Jim

Things I would change if I could:
The "rod" in the front closet is too close to the door, hangers won't fit without getting twisted sideways - makes it a little hard to open and shut the door. I would have a seat in the shower. And of course, the drawer slides are junk. The need better quality put in. We had a couple break off our first trip out. Our shower door leaked - it seems as if a lot of people had this problem - but it was an easy fix - a little caulking work. And I really don't like the remote control unit for the air conditioner/heater. I love gadgets, but not this one. I have figured it out and it works fine, it just seems like to much of a bother. Can't really think of anything else at the moment - we haven't had it out since the end of September.

I love the colors, fabrics, and the layout of our Golden Gate. It is very plush, spacious and beautiful. It is very easy to set up and just as easy to close up. I know some people have said they don't like the recliners, but we love ours. The fireplace is a pretty touch - if you don't expect it to heat your unit by it's self. The TV's are nice and so is the DVD player. The refrigerator is a good size (we have the top/bottom model). The little details like the molding, cabinet doors, corian counters and "wood" flooring in the kitchen just make it feel so luxurious and rich. We aren't wealthy (just relatively comfortable), but being in our Golden Gate makes me feel as if we are. The water supply in the front storage (both sides) is great especially if you are at the beach. I could go on and on, but I won't. I'll let everyone else chip in with their thoughts.

Hi Jim,

I have a Bighorn 3200RL Ser#313. We moved up from a 26'TT to this so we feel like we are really "roughing it smoothly." Since we picked up our coach, we have had our share of minor problems but I will say that the biggest percentage are "purchased" parts that are common with most RV's in the industry. The thing I would stress most of all is to find a dealer that you know and trust and has a good service department. As for customer service at the factory, we have on several occaisions emailed Scott to get things moving that seemed not to be getting the proper attention. He has always responded and worked to get all problems resolved for me. We are still waiting on a couple of items but we have a time scheduled for the repairs. I have at times been frustrated but I believe that Heartland has a true concern in customer satisfaction and as you will see by reading posts on this web site, they are listening.

Phil

Jim, we have a 3400RL #571 and we loveit had some minor problems but the dealer was great and it is all fixed. I have had the opportunity to go the factory 3 times this past summer . Once to check it out before we bought ours and two other times to pick up units for the dealer we bought ours from . One of the units was ours,the guys at hartland to me are doing great job meeting customers needs they do seem to care about what we think. We had a montana before the bighorn we do think the BH is the better unit. I have no problem recommending a hartland product to anyone. I like the electric rear jacks,enclosed docking station,how they finished off the storage area, heat and air in the stool room,and the list goes on . Do your homework and you will see that hartland products give you most for your $$.. Happy BigHorn owner.

Fireflipper

Jim
I, or anyone else for that matter, can tell you what you like. But I can tell you that I have Heartland Grand Canyon # 29. Bought it in Nov of 2004, and I have had my share of problems, more than most. Heartland has bent over backwards to make every thing right. Still have a few small things to take care of, but like everyone is saying, this is a rolling house. You will encounter problems. The most important thing to consider is the DEALER, they will make or break you ideas on any fiver that you buy. Find one you trust and is willing to sit down with you as many times as it takes to make you understand and know the product that you are buying. As for the Heartland, I think they are during fairly well for such a new company, and as time goes by they are improving. Good Luck in your search and hope hear about your purchase.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I am getting a good feeling about the Bighorn and Heartland products. Only time will tell as to what we will do.

Cheryl...did you do the graphics on your truck or were they supplied by Heartland? It looks really good and I have graphics on mine now that match our unit. But would want to change if we did go with a Bighorn.

Jim,
We had the graphics put on by a co-worker of our son. We ordered them from the company that puts them on the Heartland. They make them smaller for trucks to match the Landmark. You would have to call them to see if they do the same for the bighorn. A bit expensive, but we love it.
http://www.graphixunlimited.com/

If I were going to order a new fifth wheel, I would pay the extra for a heat pump/air conditioner and not get the remote control. For longer units, I would also get the second unit for the bedroom. My 37ft. Grand Cayon is getting a second unit in the next week or two.

Ken, are they going to plumb your bedroom ac to existing air duct or use the standard drop down cover on it?
Thanks Dan

Hi Dan,
I wish that it could be plumbed to the duck work but it is my understanding that it will dump into the bedroom. I plan on blocking the flow of the main unit going to the bedroom which should give me more air flow in the living area. Also I would like to restrict some of the air flow going to the toilet closet.To much air goes to this area even with the vent closed off to it's lowest point.

I agree with too much air in the bathroom. Nelson took the cover off the vent in the bathroom for me. I then covered the inside of it with aluminum foil to block most of the flow. After poking a few holes in the foil, I think I have just the right amount of cold air going in.

Well we visited a dealer and looked some more at the 3055RL. This is a different one from the original one that we looked at and had a couple of different options, like the euro recliners and will add a couple more items. We are now getting serious, down to the pricing and tradein. Looking favorable so far.

We did check the rod in the walkin closet and cannot find anything wrong with the mounting. It feels really strong, but time will tell.

Does anyone have something else we should look for, good or bad?

Thanks
Jim

3005rl

Hey Jim,
We purchased our 3055 RL at the end of October. We moved from a 30' Coachman travel trailer to this unit. We took it out for New Year's Eve on our maiden voyage and it exceeds our hopes. The unit pulled great (I'm driving a 2003 Ford F-250, power stroke diesal with auto. We have been very please with the quality of workmanship and only have a couple of modifications to fit our style. First, with the corner refrigerator, it's almost impossible to access anything in there with the slides in (unless you have really long arms and can go across the top). We opted to order the kit to reverse the door swing from right hinge to left hinge.This solved that issue. Secondly there is only on AC outlet in the kitchen area (located under the upper cabinet to the right of the stove top). It is also a little dark in the corner of the counter as well. I installed three halogen lights under the cabinet and ran the wiring behind the microwave (tying into the AC outlet used by the microwave and ended it with a recepticle to the left of the corkboard. That recepticle houses and switch for the halogen lights and an outlet to provide that extra plug.
Other than those little things, we really love this unit and can't wait to take it to Tennessee this coming June. Who knows after that. We haven't retired yet, but we're not waiting until then.Good luck

Well, I can only say that, after posting our dissatisfaction with getting anywhere with service from the factory on this site we finally, after another couple of weeks, got a reply to contact an outside service facilty to take care of our problems. These were issues that our dealer had been told by the factory people they would have to handle "in the factory". Now we find out the factory does not have repair facilities. I understand this is a fairly new outfit, but they do not repair their own problems???? Hopefully all will come out well, as we are not novice RV owners and are not terribly happy at this time. Several emails to factory have gone unanswerd, probably because they are not very happy ones. We will see, since we will have our Bighorn over there soon, as well as attending the rally in June. Hopefully we will have time to go to factory when we take unit over for repair, we both work and have a 6 hour drive each way. Really want to express my opinions personally to Scott in particular.

Do not want to put anyone off buying a Heartland product in general, but realize that they are not always forthcoming on stuff. It is a nice unit for the cost, but some things cannot be done by dealer. We have a great dealer and I sometimes think we got one of those units built the wrong time of the month, or something.

Nan and Paul
2006 Bighorn 2003 Chevy Duramax 2500

Well, we did it. We made the deal to purchase a Bighorn 3055RL. Found a few little things to be corrected before delivery. Also a couple of things to add before delivery. Delivery scheduled for 24th or 25th. More after the delivery and walk through.

Thanks for everyone's input, both good and bad. We will stay in contact through this forum and post the results of our delivery and how we are satisfied or dissatisfied. What ever happens it will get posted, good and bad. So far the dealer appears very open and willing, but only time will tell, as we have not taken delivery yet.

Jim