Introduction and a question for a potential buyer

Hello, my name is Erik. I have moved from camping under a tarp to a tent to truck camper, a 26' bunkhouse, and now the family has grown again so we sold the BH and are looking for something with a slide and a little bit more room. Here is a little about myself. I live in Northern MN, have a wife, 2 kids and a dog. Last spring we bought a camper to see if we would like camping out of a TT. I bought a 2002 wildwood 26BH with issues and fixed it up. I ended up tearing off most of the roof and replacing everything down to the rafters, and the for good measure replaced the back wall of the camper and refloored the inside. The camper worked great and we are hooked. I sold the camper yesterday and now the shopping has begun. Even before we sold our old camper we had narrowed a list of potential campers down to a few. And that is what has led me here.
What we found is a 2008 North trail 31BHD. Everything seems to be in great condition other than the floor. It is spongy in between the studs. I have searched the web and through this site and it seems to be a common issue. I have heard everything from it is normal, to people telling me it is rotting away. I guess I think it is jut spongy due to the way it was designed to be light. I am not sure, but I read HL used a different process with the floor and sandwiched styrofoam in between thin layers of wood. It feels like it could use some more crossmemebers. There is no evidence of water leaks anywhere in the trailer, so I thought I would come here seeing as this seems to be the stop for everything Heartland. Please let me know what you think. My wife loves the look and the layout. I love the weight and the design.

Sorry for the long post. Maybe I should start a blog instead of a new topic

Have you been to the Heartland website section for North Trail's? Here's the link and if you go down to the bottom the video "Your Laminated World" may shed some light on how HL builds their floors.

http://www.heartlandrvs.com/index.php?p=35&c=lightweight&sc=NTTT&i=North+Trail

Erik, I'm not real sure when Heartland started using the laminated flooring system in the North Trails. If you can get the VIN from the trailer you're looking at, you can call Heartland and they can help.
A question. Is the floor "spongy" or is it just flexing a little? If you knock on the floor does it sound solid or a dull knock like it's been water logged? If it's a solid sound, it should be OK.

Thanks for the replies. I have the VIN from the camper, so I am going to call them. Thanks for the video too. I hadn't seen it before, but that is how the salesman said they build the floor. When I walked on the floor I noticed a little bounce to it and it was the same universally throughout the trailer which leads me to believe it is just the way it is. A couple of things the salesman said that caught my attention were that they bought the trailer at auction, and they had replaced the carpet in front of the couch in the slide. Salesman said that they replace the carpet in RV's they get because the cost is minimal for them to replace it, and it really helps to sell. I walked through some of their other trailers and it looked like most of them had new carpet and even linoleum. I guess it probably does help sell, but it makes me nervous. This is a small dealer located on a campground that is owned and operated by a local family that has been in business for 30+ years, so I guess that goes in their favor as well. I am a fan of the little guy.
Anyway, thanks for the replies.

I am going to call HL, but I have one last question. When I was going through the cabinets and storage areas looking for water damage or other hidden stuff I found some papers with what appear to be the old owners name and phone number on them. I am thinking that I am going to call them to see what they can tell me. I feel it is okay to investigate all I can before spending the money, but what do you guys/gals think about calling up the old owner?

Thanks,
Erik

I would call the previous owner. I would hate to find a major problem and then think "man why didn't I call".
Its your money.

Peace
Dave

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Just had a crazy experience when I called the toll free number for Heartland. It actually caught me off guard to the point I was tongue tied. I called and after 3 rings a live person answered. SHe then said she would transfer me to service and another live person answered. He answered my questions and ran the VIN for me. I am just astounded that I didn't have a phone tree to navigate. That gives me some confidence in Heartland. Now I just need to get some confidence in this particular camper. Thanks for the replies.

I have a North Trail and the floor isn't spongy and nor have they been spongy in other North Trails I have been in.

Thanks again for all of the replies and the advice. I called the previous owner and they were very helpful. First words out of their mouths were, "don't buy that" followed by, "We were wondering who the sucker would be to get that camper, glad you called". Apparently they had many issues with leaks, things not working, and were concerned about the spongy floor. I am sure some preventative maintenance in the beginning would have helped. They were the second owners. The more I shop for used campers the more I feel like just buying a new one. I am still impressed that Heartland has humans that answer phones and questions. So I am still a fan of Heartland, just not this camper and am soured on the dealership.

While there's no guarantee that you won't encounter problems buying a new vs. a used trailer, you at least have a 1 year warranty on a new one to take most of the angst out of the equation. And as you must know from your previous experiences, these rigs do require attention and maintenance to keep them in shape. A little preventative maintenance helps prevent costly maintenance later. I'm always poking around our rig while we use it and when I read of someone else's problem, I have a look-see on mine to be sure I'm not the next one to lament about it.

noob

Just bought my first rv!!! Found a decent deal on the 291 torque and can't wait to pick it up Thursday. Has anyone had any experience with this model/ make?

I went through the looking for a nice used one thing for one whole Summer. We found a 2 year old Big Country 3250 and we really liked it..just not that particular one..It was impossible to find a nice clean 1-3 year old unit. Seems like we must have been looking at a bunch of repos or overpriced junk. Bought a new 3250 for very little more than a used one after some serious dealing...Not sorry we did that...Don

Re: noob

Remaxin said:

Just bought my first rv!!! Found a decent deal on the 291 torque and can't wait to pick it up Thursday. Has anyone had any experience with this model/ make?

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Hi Remaxin,

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

When you go for PDI,, do a very slow and through inspection. Check everything top to bottom ,,, front to back.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M