New 2012 Heartland North Trail 21FBS

Hi. My wife and I purchased the above rv from Apache Camping Center, Everett, Washington, in February, 2012. We had a few minor problems / deficiencies with our trailer, which I understand is common, that Apache Service Staff, Karl et al...., fixed. Great trailer! Great customer service! I am looking forward to reading other persons' comments and advice about our new 2012 North Trail 21FBS, rving, etc....I hope everyone has a great day. :)
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi 2012hnt21fbs,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

Happy to hear your dealer took good care of your problems. Always good to hear a good report for a dealer.

Enjoy the forum and your North Trail.

Jim M
 

Manzan

Well-known member
2012hnt, we bought our 21FBS a year ago last March from the same dealer with the same experience. Terrific dealer to do business with and went the extra mile to fix a problem we didn't know we had. Well, sort of didn't know we had. Rear axle was bent and destroyed a couple of tires. Replaced the axle, did not like what they saw and replaced the other axle. They took very good care of us!
 

Kawg

Member
We agreed yesterday to buy the 2013 North Trail 21FBS excalibur edition and would appreciate any advice. Of course, we're curious about how lots of things like the electric stabilizer jacks work. This is our first post and would also welcome suggestions for where we can learn more about our particular camper. Thanks.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Kawg, Welcome to the Heartland Forum. I'm not very familiar with the North Trail line but you've come to the right place. I'm sure you'll have some replies soon from other NT owners.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Kwag,

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

When you go to pickup your new North Trail do a very through PDI (inspection). Make sure the dealer shows you how to operate everything and you can do it. The dealer should have it hooked to water and electric so you can check everything electrical, lights, TV, micro,, fridge and for water... filling the tank, draining the tanks. Also how to set it up and how all the jacks work. Take your time, they have been paid to do this. Take 3--4 hours if needed and try to camp at the dealer or close by to actually use everything.

Enjoy the forum and your North Trail.

Jim M
 

Manzan

Well-known member
The landing gear can be operated with the remote or with switches in the front storage compartment. Also comes with a crank if all else fails. We love our 21 fbs!
 

Kawg

Member
Thanks for the welcome. This is our second travel trailer and we take seriously your advice on the complete PDI. Our first one had 17 items to correct; it was an amazingly bad experience to get it all done. However, when it was complete; we never had another problem in the four years of ownership.
 

PeternLiane

Well-known member
I agree with the rest of the comments. Take your time and do a complete PDI. Also camp at a place that you can use your fresh water tank. The go to a place that has a full hook-up. We never had a water issue until we went to a full hook-up. Our dealer is fixing everything now. I have to live in it over the winter. So they are also adding Heat blankets and wrapping the pipes. It'll keep us through the winter and then we'll be able to camp in all seasons. We love our 22FBS. You'll love your 21FBS.
 

Kawg

Member
We picked up our 2013 North Trail 21FBS yesterday. We're thrilled so far, yet we have expected there will be a thing or two to correct. It came with the wrong Fan-tastic Fan - we ordered the reversible fan with thermostat control. We've discovered some very minor flaws and so are quite happy with build quality so far. One issue that is mildly troubling is that the outside radio speakers require a much high volume setting than the inside speakers. Perhaps there's a fader setting that I have yet to discover. While we get good TV reception, the radio antenna seems quite lacking. I'll be checking this forum for info regarding those two things.
We are loving this camper. Although we recently celebrated our golden wedding anniversary, my dear wife is acting like a kid at Christmas. What fun.

Glad to be here and hope to be helped and to help as time flows on.
 

JRBEN

Member
Hi and welcome to the forum. For the radio, you may want to remove it from the wall and make sure that the antenna is actually connected properly. There have been other posts on the forum stating that some people have found a ribbon cable type antenna behind the radio tied up with the a twist tie and not extended anywhere. On my camper, the radio has a coax type antenna cable which goes to an antenna on the roof of the camper. I found that the antenna on the roof was loose.
 

CliffP

Well-known member
I saw one of the cheap plastic wheel chocks get flattened this summer. We bought the wide style xchocks for ours because they're also supposed to help stabilize the camper so it doesn't shake as much. First hand experience told us not to rely on them for chocks (2' roll back/lucky no one was hurt and nothing was damaged). We bought some commercial style heavy rubber chocks that were $30 each. I'll post a link when I get a chance. This isn't really an area to try to save money. :)
 

dl_camps

Member
We also have a 21FBS Caliber that we purchased this year & we love it. Sadly we already winterized it and packed it away for the winter :(. We also had a few minor issues, nothing serious though. All have been corrected. Congratulations on your new TT and I hope you have many safe and wonderful trips with yours.
 

BorgX

Member
We've had our 21FBS for about 2 and a half years now. Still loving it. Just wanted to put my name out there in case anyone has a problem or question specific to the 21FBS... Hope everyone is doing well!
 
We are starting our 3rd year with a 22FBS. Other than a little more counter space and a sofa at the foot of the bed it is the same camper. Had to make a winter trip to Ohio for a funeral and we camped with night temps down to 14deg F. Nice and comfy. My major issue with the rig is that the stock tires were bias plied and only lasted 6000 miles. All 4 of them slipped belts and had to be replaced with radials. That and the touch sensitive screen on the radio has gone dead and it only works with the remote. I have tried to contact Heartland to see if I could get one of the models they are using in the new trailers but haven't been able to get a response.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I have tried to contact Heartland to see if I could get one of the models they are using in the new trailers but haven't been able to get a response.
Grasshopper, call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032. Have your VIN # ready. Ask for the parts department and if necessary, stay on hold until a person picks up. You should be able to purchase a new radio.

If you are a member of the Owner's Club, you'll get a 10% discount.
 
Top