Can we get Heartland to make a change...

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I like my BH 3400RE and plan to keep it for a long time. I have made a number of modifications to fix things I was not comfortable with. But there is two things I don't know how to fix and was wondering what others have done and if maybe Heartland might look into.

We are staying near our daughters for Thanksgivings, Christmas and New Years. The last few days we have had heavy wind and this always causes the flapping door on our vent-a-hood to constantly open and close loud enough to be disturbing. If I go outside to lock it down it is great until I need to use the stove and turn on the Vent-a-hood fan. Now I have to go outside and turn the two tabs so the vent will work. It is very high up and for me, being 6'3" I still have to stretch on my tippy toes to open and close it. It is even worse when it is 25* outside. I would really like to have a cord or chain connected to the flap and go into the trailer where I could lock or unlock the flap. This is not a big money item and would be nice to have.

The other thing that erks me is the plastic fender skirts. It seems that I have to replace or repair them all the time. This is an item that I can not order a special replacement, like I did to replace the axles. I have seen on one trailer the fender skirts were metal. I wish Heartland would start using the metal fender skirts or at least give us a supplier that has them so we could replace them and not have to keep patching the plastic ones.

These are a couple of small items that would improve the trailer and would not cost a lot.

Any ideas??

BC
 

MTPockets

Well-known member
I agree with you there are a number of things Heartland could do that as new owners we end up doing ourselves at a much higher cost than they could do on the production line. Cost is usually the response, and if they think that's true, at least offer these improvements as options. We had a Class C that had a lever attached to a rod that was used to open and close the vent... Simple but effective.
 

davebennington

Senior Member
I have asked Heartland to do something about this several times, but as of now it has not happened. I had a truck camper way back in 1975 and it had a simple chain that when released it open the vent and turned on the fan, I cannot understand why Heartland with their creative engineers can not seem to come up with an idea that could be better. I believe a joint effort between Heartland and Fantastic Fan people they could come up with a great solution that could be spread across the RV industry.

dave
 

2psnapod2

Texas-South Chapter Leaders-Retired
I have yet to ever open my fan cover. Never seems to bother the fan. It is too tall for me and I have not figured a good way to open and close it with little effort. So it will stay closed for now.
 

brianharrison

Well-known member
My 2011 Landmark has the Amana convection microwave with integrated fan. It vents out the top of the microwave; it does not vent outside the unit. I leave the outside flapper locked down all the time.

When I first got the Landmark, there was no flow to the outside vent (flapper never moved no matter what the fan speed). Upon closer inspection (up on a ladder), I found no flow to the outside and all flow just recirculating from the bottom of the convection microwave to the top.

Brian
 

back2nature

Well-known member
Yeah, I agree that vent gets really noisy when it gets windy outside. One night, I could hardly sleep for all the banging. I have a piece of 1/2 inch dowel about 3 ft. long, with a cup hook on it and some leftover clear tubing (for a better grip) over the hook. The dowel reaches the tabs to open and close them. Except that night, my husband wouldn't go out in the middle of the night to lock it. Had to wait till morning. Darn.

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gebills

Well-known member
The vent systems might be a little different on various models. We own a BH3455RL and on roughly our 2nd or 3rd outing, I found out the visual way, that the vent needs to be open when operating the stove. Forget what I was preparing in the oven, but it produced a small amount of smoke. I durned on the vent below the microwave and ended up having the smoke blow back in through the slim cabinet on top of the microwave. The smoke was being drawn into the vent but had nowhere to go with the vent closed. I got a ladder, climbed up (if I were 7' tall, I still couldn't reach the vent without a ladder) and opened the vent. It remained open for the rest of the trip (roughly another 2,000 miles). If I were having problems with the vent flapping up and down, I would probably go down to HomeDepot or Lowes and look for something to dappen the noise. Not certain what it would be without looking, but something to put under the damper lid that would stop the noise but would not restrict it from being locked down.

As to the fiberglass and plastic fender flares and fender wells, I've been a little suprised that ours have lived without being broken considering how flimsy they are. Knock on wood, they have not broken or torn loose. I understand well though, that if you through a tread, it would make short work of the fiberglass and plastic. Good luck on your mission. gebills.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Maybe the plastic fender is sacrificial. When something damages the plastic, it probably breaks without affecting the sidewall. I wonder if a metal fender would do the same.

On the other hand, it'd be nice if there was some reinforcement around the mounting holes so they didn't fracture so easily.


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TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
I completely agree that the range hood vent flap could be improved.
We had a push-pull lever over the stove on a former truck camper years ago that worked well. So the technology is out there.
I currently use an awning hook to lock and unlock the outside tabs on my BH range vent.
However, as Laurie said, it's a pita to get up in the middle of the night when it starts banging in the wind, to go out to lock it.

Dan,
I agree the fender skirts should be beefed up a little thicker in the molding process, at the points where the screws attach.
I had one replaced in Gillette and it's cracking at a different screw, just from wind vibration. Trace
 
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back2nature

Well-known member
I forgot to add that after the very windy night, I gave my husband two little rubber "dots", that you put on the bottom of vases and such so as not to scratch your furniture. He put them on the vent outside and now it's very quiet, even in the wind. We think we can still lock it for traveling. Haven't tried that yet.

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TomMar

Retired Texas-South Chapter Leader
I agree it would that it would be nice to be able to work the vent from inside, but until that happens I use a 1/2" x 3"x 36" (?) with a notch cut in both sides. I said (?) because I do not have the exact dims here at the house and the KL is 10 miles away in storage. The board I use use is actually a piece of a baseboard I originally cut (and still use) in the shower door track to keep the door from sliding close when traveling. The notches allow me to reach up to the vent, place the notch over the tab (right notch- right tab, left notch-left tab). The 3" width allows me to hold the door closed while I push the tabs bac into position.

thats my method.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
I use an awning rod to open the tabs. Use a broom stick and the rod to close them (broom stick holds flap closed). Either my flap doesn't make a lot of noise or the wife's snoring masks it (don't tell her I said that). As for the fenders, why does one side have a reinforcing strap and the other side is left to flap in the breeze, which results in stress cracking at the screws?
 

Speedy

Well-known member
I think we are directing our suggestions to the wrong company; Heartland does not make the vent or the flap just choses it in their build plan. What needs to be done is find a different supplier and replace it then pass it along to Heartland. We do it all the time with other mods and Heartland does listen; maybe not to all but to some.

Regarding the plastic fender skirts I find them cheap and on a list to replace as I look to armor the wheel well area to prevent damage when a tire fails.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
I think we are directing our suggestions to the wrong company; Heartland does not make the vent or the flap just choses it in their build plan. What needs to be done is find a different supplier and replace it then pass it along to Heartland. We do it all the time with other mods and Heartland does listen; maybe not to all but to some.

Regarding the plastic fender skirts I find them cheap and on a list to replace as I look to armor the wheel well area to prevent damage when a tire fails.

I'm in no position to speak for Heartland on "why this" or "what's it going to take" and so on, but I like how John is framing this. If someone can give me pictures, a brand and part number for the better microwave vent, I am willing to take this to Heartland for consideration.

John - armoring the wheel wells is something I've heard of and in one case, actually seen. A club member (Terry Adkins) from MS that I met at the first Alamissabamasippi rally had done this on his previous SOB toyhauler and then again on his current Heartland Cyclone. He used flatbed steel trailer fenders. He removed the CY plastic fender skirts, tires/wheels and carefully fitted the steel fenders up in there. He trimmed the fenders as needed, then fabricated brackets and welded everything into place. Fortunately, he has not had a blowout with his CY, but he had many with his SOB and the fenders saved him from floor damage.
 

brianharrison

Well-known member

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
I also recall seeing something about putting metal fenders over the wheels. It was on a different brand, but I might have saved the link. Will check later when I get on the computer. But I recall that the configuration of my slide mechanisms would make it difficult to do.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Thanks Brian! Wondering if the V2148 (manual cable control) is the one that would fit? Can't find the price on that one in Vent Line's web store but found it here at General RV. At $16, I think we need a guinea pig :) Someone with a white (or yellowed) vent. Mine is dark painted - so not trying it on my unit.
 

boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
I kind of like the the one that doesn't open/close. Would probably put some screen behins it when installing to keep the insects out and then change that out every couple of years (greasing up you know). No moving parts, nothing to break.
 
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