Prospective buyer with questions

I am new to the forum since I am just in the investigation phase. I have narrowed my search to 3 fivers: Sundance, Cruiser and Wildcat. I am leaning toward the Sundance coach because I see quality in their manufacturing and like the floor plan we are thinking of getting (2900RK). I have a couple of questions:

1. I know that Heartland went to wood trusses in the roof and wood raming in the floor. What are advantages/disadvantages to wood versus aluminum in these areas?

2. In a rear kitchen design on the Sundance, are the axles placed differently on the coach than on a side kitchen to handle the rear weight?

3. Much has been written about Chinese made tires. What brand of tire comes on the Sundance and are they American made?

many thanks to you!

Scott
Redding, Ca.None
 

fishn2dmax

Well-known member
Scott,

We too looked at and considered the Wildcat, Crusier and Sundance. Not to knock other makes, but if you look very close at the construction of the Wildcat, you'll see why we didn't buy one. The Crusier is a good coach with a good company backing it up. When we compared feature to feature between the Cruiser and the Sundance for the dollar, the Sundance was the winner for what we were looking for in a trailer.

If you look at the Specs on the 2900 RK vs. the three slide 2900 MK, you'll see the length is the same, but total weight and pin hitch weight is less on the RK. The axles are placed based differently on each model to balance the trailers axle weight to pin weight ratio. I highly suggest getting the 16" wheel and 6000 lb axles with 4 shocks option. It will smooth out the ride and give you plenty extra carry capacity. We looked at the RK, but decided on the MK. My wife loved the island kitchen and I liked the big picture windows in the back.

I prefer the wood ceiling trusses due to condensation that occurs on Alum trussed ceilings. As far as the floor, I would have preferred Aluminum floor joists. The wood floor is warmer and doesn't weigh much more, so I guess I can live with wood floor joists ( as long as they don't develop squeaks). To be honest, I'm still a little peeved about the floor being wood! I was told it was aluminum ( 05- 07 model years only), but sometime in 2007, Heartland converted to wood? Overall, we've had a few minor problems, but the factory has been great to work with and have resolved every issue ( my dealer wasn't the greatest)! We're very happy with our Sundance and would purchase again.

Unfortunately, Heartland sends their units out with China bomb tires. I also noticed Crossroads, Forest river, Keystone, Fleetwood and many others do as well? Sadly the RV industry doesn't seem to understand how important good quality tires are to the safety and piece of mind of their customers. I replaced my China bombs shortly after taking delivery of my new Sundance. Another reason for going with 16" tires is you will have many more options for tires than with the standard 15" tires. With the 16" tires, you have the option to replace the ST ( Trailer service) tires with good LT tires and put your mind at ease.

Good Luck on your choice. Also consider the dealer you will be purchasing from in your decision. A dealer that is there for you after the sell is very, very important! After learning a hard lesson my last go round, I would pay more for a dealer that will be there for you after the sell.
 

BJ'sDad

Active Member
My Sundance and all the others at my selling dealer had Goodyear Marathons (unfortunately made in China), but since none of the trailers on the lot had the 16 inch wheel/axle upgrade, I'm not sure what they would likely have.

IMO, if you don't go the added expense of the upgraded axle/16 inch wheel, probably the best thing to do is to plan on upgrading the 15 inch tires to the Maxxis 10 ply tires, there have been very few complaints on that brand compared to all the other China Bombs....even though they are made in Indonesia (a couple different countries if I recall) they seem to have better QC and construction than the rest.

I'm going to put one more season on the Goodyears and then upgrade to Maxxis 10 ply on mine since I only put about 3K miles on the 5'er since I bought it.
 

Scott

Well-known member
ReddingScott,

To answer your questions:

Advantages/Disadvantages of wood roof trusses vs. aluminum trusses.
Well, the aluminum ones are lighter - but they are more expensive, especially as the aluminum prices went through the roof in 2007. That was one of the biggest reasons we went to wood. The fact is, while aluminum is lighter in weight, the wood is very strong and RVs have been built with wooden roof trusses - just like residential homes - for more than 50 years. We still have them every 16" on center, and double them up at the A/C. Add to that a number of our competitors were using wood and we just couldn't justify going up in price so much that it might eliminate potential shoppers from even considering our product versus say the Cougar/Wildcat/Laredo - all of which we stack up VERY well against when you consider features, innovation and pure value for the dollar.

On the axle placement, one of the great things about Heartland is that we have separate engineering staffs for each of our product lines (almost unheard of in this industry FYI), and yes, I can say with the utmost confidence that we move the axle locations as necessary to provide the best weight balance for the floorplan of the coach. That is why you will see different wheel shroud designs and cuts, as they are not the same on every coach.

Lastly, I can't tell you how many paragraphs I have written about the tire discussions that have been going on in this industry all year - but suffice to say, I've written books on this forum. You will have to do some searches on my posts regarding tires. Bottom line, we've used three different brands of tires on the Sundance this year due to supply shortages. Know this - the tires on your coach are the right tires for the job, they are rated with the proper thickness of rubber and tread and honestly, with Sundances, you don't get into anywhere near the pressures on the tires that the larger coaches do and we haven't had issues with them.

Hope that helps answer some of your questions.

ST
 
Thought I would write and update you-I have purchased a 2900RK from a dealer in Oregon. It has the Unicorn Express Chinese bomb tires on it. I negotiated a switch out with the dealer for some Maxxis tires which I have heard good things about. From your note, you said that LT tires might be better than ST. Is that correct? I have my choice of what tires to put on so want to make the right decision. Thanks! Scott
 

fishn2dmax

Well-known member
Scott,

Congratulations on the new 2900 RK. I replaced my "unicorns with 16" Maxxis load range E ST tires. ST tires are true trailer service tires. If you can't get Maxxis ST load range E or higher, then go with a LT rib style tire. I attempted to put on the Michelin Rib tire everyone is raving about, but it was too tall and caused interference with my wheel skirts and other areas. The Maxxis ST is good tire that should serve you well.
 

slmayor

Founding California Northern Chapter Leader
ReddingScott,
Great to hear you got your unit. I suspect our local dealer was not helpful. LOL
I hope to see you guys this summer. We are trying to organize a Northen Cal rally for this spring. Any input you have would be appreciated.
 
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