My new NT 31RED

I finally did it, sold my house and bought a new NT 31RED about 5 months ago. I must say I love this floor plan, got a great deal due to the fact that it was a 2011. Again I have to say I just love this travel trailer and my dog, a boxer, seems to love it as well.

With that out of the way, where is the quality control Heartland? I'm pretty upset with all the little problems. I'm a full timer so I'm stuck with fixing all the little things instead of running to dealers all the time. I did a complete PDI to the best of my ability. Don't get me wrong, I fully expected to have a few things pop up but the plumbing problems alone are massive headache especially after only 500 miles. I still love my trailer I just wish Heartland would have better quality control. I guess I'm posting this not only to vent since I did drop a good chunk of change on it but to help inform others of things they may run into.

• Kitchen drain pipe was leaking.
• Water heater, both fittings leaked, no pipe dope at all.
• Outdoor shower hose was leaking.
• Toilet leaking, compression fitting cracked.
• Water pump not bolted down, screws on floor next to pump.
• Furnace hoses kinked, hardly any air flow.
• Furnace, hose fittings at furnace leaked.
• Bath tub, had to add extra supports.
• A/C, intake and exhaust missing foam board divider.
• A/C, almost all vents plugged with styrofoam.
• LP Alarm was faulty, kept going off.
• Toggle for TV lift and both slides wires came off at switch.
• Cable connection loose at back of trailer.

So that's the list of things I have fixed so far, at what seems like one after another. Now I have to take the trailer to a dealer because my 3500# Lippert axles are now smiling at me but that's a Lippert issue. I talked to Heartland already about having the axles looked at and was approved but the rep was rather belligerent, drilling me about "how do you know there's a problem with the axles?". I just let it go, I'm a million miler retired long haul driver, guess I know nothing about trailer axles but I didn't want to make waves.

Kaos, a thorough PDI should have found all of these issues. If your having issues submit the trailer for a warranty repair. Some of the things look like features you wanted extra, like extra tub supports?

Please don't be so quick to blame Heartland on this. They after all do mass produce these rigs, QA/QC cannot catch everything.

No, a thorough PDI did not reveal these problems. A lot of these are things happened over the first few weeks of ownership, a leak here and a leak there after traveling. The furnace problems were my fault as it was June in Utah so I did not take it into account and the furnace seemed hot at the time. I'm sorry you skimmed over my post but I am a full timer and don't have the ability of running to a dealer every time something happens. Extra tub supports are a feature? LMAO, so all Heartlands come with 3 tub supports? I just don't want to fall through my tub, feature? I am mechanically inclined so I did the repairs myself, except for the axles which still are pending.

I only posted here to help others be aware of potential problems. Heartland has the luxury of mass producing, unfortunately I can't mass produce my money. Heartland is a big company, I think they can take some simple criticism.

North Trails are not typically designed for full timing, that is probably why your tub doesn't have the support you are looking for. I have no issues with my tub being weak and I am roughly 200 pounds.

I didn't skim over your post. The bath tub doesnt seem like an issue to me so I picked that out. The rest of the items you mention are small things or things that would be covered under warranty.

I personally love my North Trail. Too many people are quick to criticize rather than praise. I think that everyone should be aware that when they buy a rig there may be some small issues that come up. I have had issues but have found those issues to be a blessing because I am able to investigate my rig and learn about its inner workings. Like you I am also mechanically inclined and its a hobby of mine to tinker with things. Yeah the problems are not fun, but in the grand scheme of things I find my NT to be very enjoyable.

I'm genuinely glad that you're happy with your NT, so am I for the most part as I mentioned in my initial post. You're still not understanding the tub issue, there were 3 posts supporting the tub at 3 corners, now if you do the math, a rectangular tub has how many corners? I added the 4th post and I also beefed it up with a total of six supports since I weigh 220lbs. My head does fit nicely in the sky light, I'm 6' 4". In fact the bath was one of the reasons I bought this model, it was one of the few that fit me well. If I had not caught this when I did I cringe at the thought of what would have happened if I had shifted my weight to the unsupported front corner.

I have the right to criticize, with all the small issues then compound that with the big issue of bent axles makes for an unhappy camper. I won't roll over and say "it's to be expected". If more people spoke up maybe these problems would be fewer. Don't believe me, just do a search here and at RV.net for bent axles.

Personally I don't appreciate the sarcasm and your need to attack my intellect. I can see that this thread is getting no where fast.

Enjoy your Heartland.

Let's endeavor to keep this thread productive and focused on getting help or helping others.

Thanks.