Heartland Quality ?

R

Rikyracer

Member
I am a Newbie here so this is my first post. Let me explain why I am here. I just sold an '02 Fleetwood Prowler 5th wheel that I owned for 4 years and really got some good use out of it but because of its age I decided it is time for an upgrade to something newer. I almost bit the bullet on a 2015 Jayco Eagle 5th wheel until I started reading some of the horror stories concerning Jayco quality or should I say lack of. I have never read so many conflicting stories that were all over the board. Some people love them --- some people hate them. As I continued to get nervous about the Jayco I stumbled across a 2010 Heartland Landmark Augusta that really looked to be of great quality and was the same price as the Jayco. I like the fact that it has a washer/dryer and generator built in. The wife and I may end up living in it for a short while so those features are nice. I am wondering if it would be o.k. to have some of you Heartland owners chime in and give me a little info ( good or bad ) in regards to this particular model ? It is a big financial step and I want to spend my $$ wisely

Thanks in advance, Rick
 
jimtoo

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Rick,

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.

If you get the Landmark be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.

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

Jim M
 
JohnD

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
There are lots of members here who have the same model you are looking at, so I'm sure you'll get a lot insight about the Landmark.

Prowlers are now a Heartland product . . .

We have one and love it!
 
P

Pokiejoe

Well-known member
Rick I don,t you will go wrong with the landmark , they are one of the best RV,S that I have seen.And the people here will help you with any thing you may need.We have a 2014 and just love it.
 
RoadJunkie

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
If you contain quality comparisons to that of similar priced RVs, then Heartland products are pretty much on par with industry construction standards. I am on my second Heartland product and have spent considerable time identifying problems and repairing components. Typically, my issues have been minor but frustrating. Some have been issues related to vendor supplied products that are not directly related to Heartland. If you consider yourself handy with all manners of home maintenance, then you decision on which brand to buy won't really matter...especially since you're considering a pre owned unit. I suggest you buy based on desired features and floor plan. There are quality horror stories for any brand of mass produced RV out there.
 
danemayer

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Rick,

We have a 2011 Landmark Rushmore that we've spent 1300 nights in over the past 7 years. We had one 16 month period where we were full time between houses and we frequently spend 3-4 month stretches in the Landmark.

We've repaired appliances and replaced some parts and upgraded others. Not too much different than the houses we've had.
 
TravelTiger

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Heartland was an independent startup that was doing gangbusters -- they launched with a luxury fifth wheel, the Landmark. In 2011 They were bought by Thor, a major company in rv manufacturing. A 2010 will be pre-Thor ownership, which means the unit was probably built on a slower assembly line than ones today. ;). We had a 2010 ElkRidge, which was a few steps below a Landmark. Although we had some issues, the overall experience of ownership was very good. We did not have major component failures. We did have a frame flex issue, that was corrected by Heartland for no charge, in 2013, and a minor delamination issue that was also repaired courtesy of Heartland.

Being a 2010 unit, it will be subject to component failure, just because I don't think they "make them like they used to".

The critical things to look at will be roof, all of the caulking, front overhang, and suspension components.

Roofing to make sure it's in good shape and no places where it's compromised.

All caulking: if it's cracking, it's a potential water intrusion point.

Overhang: look for caulking that's been redone a lot or when hitched or picked up with a fork, does it flex or separate.

Suspension/wheel components can wear out, so a good bearing repack and replacing shackles, bushings and bolts would be smart.

I'm sure there's more that others can chime in to look at on a used trailer, but these are the places we see a lot of posts about here in the forum. It's a great resource, for all things Heartland! The folks here are honest and want to help. You'll be hard pressed to find this elsewhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
J

John T Bettencourt

Well-known member
Hi Rick, I have a 2009 Landmark Augusta that I ordered new it is in excellent condition and gets waxed trice a year. I am in Ma and am going to buy a new smaller unit will sell mine for 29,900 if you are interested. 508 904 1874. Thanks
 
dbbls59

dbbls59

Well-known member
Heartland is probably no better or worse than any other brand. They all have quality problems. You will not find many negative comments on this forum because they are discouraged but there are people I know of who have gotten rid of their Heartlands and said they will never have another one. That said, a Landmark 3 or 4 years old probably has the bugs repaired. It took me a few years to get them out of my Big Country. I have had two used and two new 5th wheels. Never had a single problem with the two used ones, lots of problems with the two new ones.
 
G

Garypowell

Well-known member
We are on our second Heartland and believe it is one of the better brands. We have always bought new so not to inherit others problems. And that is my only concern about your purchase. See if you can speak to the previous owner and see why they traded it in. Get someone independent to inspect the unit....who is qualified to do this job. This removes the emotion of the upgrade, etc. that is going to be running around your head.
 
Bookoo

Bookoo

Member
Before we purchased our 2017 Bighorn, my wife and I spent over 18 months breaking down makes and models by internet, BBB reports, and personally driving through 5 states climbing and crawling through ever unit that fit our needs and desires. Heartland was the fourth manufacture we researched. The reviews and ratings were higher than other manufactures hence making us drive to other states to check them out. Needless to say, the reports proved correct. Fit, finish, and internal mechanical (yes I removed the basement walls in all brands) were points ahead of the previous three. We did not stop our search though knowing the bar was set pretty high. After visiting two more brands, we were confident with our choice of Heartland. While getting ready to research models, my wife was visiting in Portland Or and walked through a 3585rl. The search was over.
We purchased April 2017. Traveled 30 days through out Idaho, Wyoming, Montana. 30 more days traveling the washed out road of the Olympic Peninsula. Problems? 1. Bedroom USB port bezel bottom screw came loose. I fixed. 2. Garbage can sliding rail loose in back of cabinet. I fixed. THAT IS IT!
I spent 27 years as a parts and service manager for a mega dealer ranging from Ferrari to Yugo so I know what warranty and customer issues are all about. My good customers were dedicated to MAINTENCE. The ones who didn't, had issues and blamed everything on things other than themselves.
We all chose a great product. We have a great community. Enjoy!
And yes, We did the same thing purchasing our new truck

P.S. My wife has banned me from Jerrod's thread for 2 weeks. UPS driver is complaining and all she sees from me are my legs sticking out from somewhere. She says she is going to put Ruby slippers on my feet.
 
Bones

Bones

Well-known member
Bookoo said:
Before we purchased our 2017 Bighorn, my wife and I spent over 18 months breaking down makes and models by internet, BBB reports, and personally driving through 5 states climbing and crawling through ever unit that fit our needs and desires. Heartland was the fourth manufacture we researched. The reviews and ratings were higher than other manufactures hence making us drive to other states to check them out. Needless to say, the reports proved correct. Fit, finish, and internal mechanical (yes I removed the basement walls in all brands) were points ahead of the previous three. We did not stop our search though knowing the bar was set pretty high. After visiting two more brands, we were confident with our choice of Heartland. While getting ready to research models, my wife was visiting in Portland Or and walked through a 3585rl. The search was over.
We purchased April 2017. Traveled 30 days through out Idaho, Wyoming, Montana. 30 more days traveling the washed out road of the Olympic Peninsula. Problems? 1. Bedroom USB port bezel bottom screw came loose. I fixed. 2. Garbage can sliding rail loose in back of cabinet. I fixed. THAT IS IT!
I spent 27 years as a parts and service manager for a mega dealer ranging from Ferrari to Yugo so I know what warranty and customer issues are all about. My good customers were dedicated to MAINTENCE. The ones who didn't, had issues and blamed everything on things other than themselves.
We all chose a great product. We have a great community. Enjoy!
And yes, We did the same thing purchasing our new truck

P.S. My wife has banned me from Jerrod's thread for 2 weeks. UPS driver is complaining and all she sees from me are my legs sticking out from somewhere. She says she is going to put Ruby slippers on my feet.
Click to expand...

Ha funny.
 
R

Rikyracer

Member
Time for an update.

I did bite the bullet and purchase the Landmark. Our first outing in it will be for the Thanksgiving Holiday although the wife and I did get to spent one night in it and were very impressed with the quality of the unit. We are happy campers so far. Thanks to all who helped me with the decision towards the purchase. It was much appreciated.
 
R

rebeldog

Member
Well after owning our Big Country for one year I have to say I'm disappointed. I understand there will be issues but some are over the top. I posted a year ago about the electrical box on the pin box getting crushed on the side of my truck bed. Yes I relocated it out of the way. Big gouge in truck bed. Heartland said they would replace box in the exact location. Warped doors to the Den got replaced. Light fixture over sink came crashing down. Of course they don't carry that type anymore. Trims all over are falling down. Brad nails don't hold at all. Door jams were out of square but got it fixed. Floor vent in kitchen area came up. Screw stripped through floor. Was afraid it would get hung up on popout so I took it out and found the problem. When they cut the hole for vent they were right over the floor brace. They trimmed the sheet metal to clear it. The hose is crush to one side and has an opening about 1 1/2 inches. Then use the screws to hold it all down. Wall panels bowing out. Slide outs didn't close flush but got that fixed. Just shabby work and jury rigging.
 
R

Rikyracer

Member
It has now been a year since I started this thread. Time for an update

After a year spent with our new to us/ used Landmark we are very happy with the purchase. The only issue so far was my fault. I had asked the dealer I purchased it from if a water pressure regulator was needed and he told me no. He was wrong. I had a water line leak and flooded the storage area which was a bit of a bummer but a fairly easy fix. I have since connected a regulator and have had no issues. The only issue I have is that the front curved fiberglass under the front cap at the 5th wheel hitch mount is starting to delaminate for some reason. Other than astectics it is not a real issue.

When I see this trailer parked in front of the house I ask myself " Why did I get such a big trailer for only 2 of us " ? After we are inside and it feels like home I don't ask that question anymore.

Overall we are very pleased with it. We love the roominess and comfort.
 
CoveredWagon

CoveredWagon

Well-known member
Rikyracer said:
When I see this trailer parked in front of the house I ask myself " Why did I get such a big trailer for only 2 of us " ? After we are inside and it feels like home I don't ask that question anymore.
Overall we are very pleased with it. We love the roominess and comfort.
Click to expand...

When we see all the 40ft plus or minus Rvs we ask ourselves, why didn’t we get a larger Rv. After we’re in it a while we don’t ask why any longer, it’s just the two of us and our small pup. 😉
It works for us.
 
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