propspective owner

rkjpierce

Member
Hello my name is Robert. My wife, son, and i were looking into a Heartland Trailrunner 24sle 4850 lbs dry, I am towing with a 2014 Ford f150 5.0l 3.31 rear end with a towing capacity of 7900 lbs. I wanted to make sure i have enough truck for trailer. I also wanted some input on trailrunners and their quality. Got burned buying my last trailer. It was used and had some water damage and delamination which is why i am buying stick and tin now. I made the mistake of not having the trailer inspected before purchase. This has made me nervous about purchasing a new trailer. I also know nothing about the heartland brand and was also looking at some Forest River products but have heard alot of negative about Forest River.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
HI Robert,

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

I'm sure you will get some good info from some of our other family soon.

Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

Also moving thread to better area.
 

Bones

Well-known member
Hello,
I think Heartland quality is good. I also think there is good and bad with almost every brand out there. I have had good luck when dealing with heartland warranty department. One of the best things you can do once you make up your mind which trailer you like is to have a good PDI before you sign the dotted line to ensure everything is in good working order. there are a few people on here that have PDI checklist. As for your truck go out check out fifth wheel street for some guide lines.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi rkjpierce,

A lot of people who have or have had Trail Runners really enjoy them. And there are a bunch of former Trail Runner owners on the forum who eventually moved up to larger Heartland RVs, staying with Heartland because they were very satisfied with the product and the company.

That said, you should set expectations realistically on a new trailer. RVs are built by human beings who are not perfect. So on a new rig it's not unusual to find something that's not perfect. A thorough walk through can usually catch anything that needs to be corrected. And if you can stay at or near the dealer for a day or two, with prior agreement the dealer should be able to fix anything that arises without making you drop the trailer off and wait.

As for tow vehicles, instead of looking at empty weight, look at the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). On a ball hitch, plan on a loaded hitch weight of at least 15% of the GVWR. With the GVWR, and the 15% number, you can compare to your Tow Vehicle's towing capacity and payload capacity to see if you're ok.
 
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