Res Fridge On Slide Pushing Kitchen Island On Close

I have an issue with our 2019 Bighorn 3925MLP wherein when the large slide closes, its Resi fridge presses up against the kitchen island counter top. The door handles on the fridge are taking the pressure and are already marred. The pressure is enough to actually cause the island cabinetry to tilt (the counter top sticks off the cabinet about 8 inches so the door handles sort of push up on it). This is cabinet/floor damage waiting to happen it seems to me. Island design with this fridge no workey. Unfortunately, was not in a situation to have caught this specific issue prior to delivery.

I'm told Heartland will not likely do anything about it unless/until damage repairs are necessary. Anyone else ever seen this kind of an issue?

Have you actually contacted Heartland directly, with your VIN? Might want to take some photos of the problem, too. Chance that the counter top could be moved enough to eliminate the problem since they're probably not glued to the cabinet base, just screwed in place from underneath.

JohnDar said:

Have you actually contacted Heartland directly, with your VIN? Might want to take some photos of the problem, too. Chance that the counter top could be moved enough to eliminate the problem since they're probably not glued to the cabinet base, just screwed in place from underneath.

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Having a head-slap moment here, John. Never gave thought to checking out the mounting of the counter top. That's a potential answer assuming the sinks can move accordingly. Have to get a look under it. I don't need but a couple inches and there's eight inches all around the cabinet. Many thanks.

Yes, the dealer took pictures and wrote it up. But they "warned" me regarding the likely Heartland perspective. I have not discussed it with Heartland directly myself.

Regards,

BigHorns said:

Having a head-slap moment here, John. Never gave thought to checking out the mounting of the counter top. That's a potential answer assuming the sinks can move accordingly. Have to get a look under it. I don't need but a couple inches and there's eight inches all around the cabinet. Many thanks.

Yes, the dealer took pictures and wrote it up. But they "warned" me regarding the likely Heartland perspective. I have not discussed it with Heartland directly myself.

Regards,

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I'm kind of a DIY fix-it guy (when I can figure it out). Most likely, the countertop doesn't need to be moved much if it's just marring the handles and not bending them. Other possibility is the fridge is sitting a little too far forward and needs to be moved deeper into the slide opening for it.

But calling Heartland with the problem is always a first move on a new rig, even if the dealer says otherwise. That way you're sure they (HL) have been contacted by the dealer. Been hanging around these forums for many years and you wouldn't be the first owner to get a load of BS from a dealer.

JohnDar said:

I'm kind of a DIY fix-it guy (when I can figure it out). Most likely, the countertop doesn't need to be moved much if it's just marring the handles and not bending them. Other possibility is the fridge is sitting a little too far forward and needs to be moved deeper into the slide opening for it.

But calling Heartland with the problem is always a first move on a new rig, even if the dealer says otherwise. That way you're sure they (HL) have been contacted by the dealer. Been hanging around these forums for many years and you wouldn't be the first owner to get a load of BS from a dealer.

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No, it doesn't need much but it does push on the island and cause it to tilt it ever so slightly. Moving the countertop should be a great solution.

You touched a nerve. We have been in this 5W two months as of yesterday. We were so pumped on buying a Heartland unit and especially the Bighorn, and this unusual/rare model (now discontinued) is why we stuck with it. But we bought the dealership based on our pre-sale confidence. Post-sale has been a nightmare. And, I have to say, our experience with this 5W has been nearly as bad so far with manufacturing's rudimentary quality control issues. We're disappointed. When you are new to a unit like this, you have a lot of work in front of you anyway to learn and familiarize. But to have to troubleshoot and recover from the kinds of issues we've had with this one (that never should get out of production) was not expected. We're just anxious to get on with the reason we're out here! Help from the dealer? None, zip, zilch, nada. My delivery tech answered more than one question with "sorry, I can't tell you anything/don't know anything about that".

But you're right. I should have contacted Heartland directly on the issue given my collective experience with the dealer's service dept.

Regards,

Yes, seems that the quality just isn't always there anymore. We've been pretty fortunate with our almost ancient rig in that there haven't been any major problems (other than the front overhang) that I couldn't fix or get fixed by someone. We also had the "luxury" of being able to leave it with our dealer at the end of our summer season, or taking it in before it started, to get some work done that I didn't have the capacity for. Most of the fix-its and preventative maintenance I've done was from reading posts by others.

As for moving the counter top, if you can detach it via screws from the cabinet and loosen the P-traps, you should be able to shift it without too much concern for the sinks. The water lines are PEX and will flex a little. Push comes to shove, you could splice an extension into them if need be. Limiting factor may be how much space is available between the stem of the faucet under the top and the rear framing of the cabinet.

The photo is what the underside of my sink looks like.

Before moving the countertop, you should first try to establish whether the refrigerator is correctly positioned. If it can be moved 1/2", that would be much easier.

Second, I recall someone having a similar problem with something on the doorside contacting the island when the slide was closed. Heartland paid for the island to be moved just enough to fix the problem. And moving the island may be easier than moving the counter top.

You should contact Heartland directly to discuss the warranty coverage and your dealer's performance.

Dan has a point on the question of moving the top vs. the whole island assembly. Depends on what's more accessible, the base frame or the underside of the countertop. And, as I also mentioned, try pushing the fridge further back. Assuming it's a residential model, is there a vent panel on the outside wall of the slide. If so, remove it and see if anything is stopping it from moving further into the slide.

JohnDar said:

Most of the fix-its and preventative maintenance I've done was from reading posts by others.

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I can imagine. Being new to a later model unit of this size, that's how I'm familiarizing myself far more rapidly than I had in mind coming in. It's been great to have so many "helping hands". In fact, it's been a life saver.

The space in back of that sink is the only thing I need to get a look at. I'm not worried about shifting that counter otherwise.

I generally consider myself handy in terms of fixing my own issues as well (with occasional brain farts and other evidence to the contrary at times). It's the components and implementations unique to this application (as opposed to a house!) and the complete absence of unit-specific documentation that escalate the learning curve. I'm thankful for the docs I've discovered herein, and grateful for all those that devoted the time to their creation.

Thanks again for the thoughts and assistance.

danemayer said:

Before moving the countertop, you should first try to establish whether the refrigerator is correctly positioned. If it can be moved 1/2", that would be much easier..

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That's actually the first thing I checked. I fully suspected the fridge was not back all the way. But it is. I will need more than a half inch, too.

And moving the island may be easier than moving the counter top.

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Gonna be a problem here. The island cabinet is right up against the heat duct in the floor on its back side. I kind of wondered if that wasn't part of the design problem. The cabinet is so tightly against the metal vent cover that I wondered if that wasn't the cause of the cabinet being so close to the closed slide. But I don't know for sure which comes first- the hole in the floor or the cabinet. I would suspect the former.

I do want to get a look at the mounting of the counter top to see just how feasible it might be. Based on that review, I may have to get hold of Heartland.

Thanks for all the continued thoughts and considerations.

Bill and Michelle:
If you think this is a design flaw, maybe you should call Heartland service and ask to talk to the Bighorn Product manager, or get his e-mail and voicemail if he is not immediately available.
All of your problems might be worth a visit to Elkhart, and the factory service center. Talk to the service department. Maybe you could get a service date around the 2 week 2021 annual Heartland National Rally in nearby Goshen, Indiana, around the 2nd week of June. I came from California in 2013 to get my factory service done around the national rally, and it was a very good experience.

Had issue with my Landmark. The fridge was not all the way back into the slide. Removed the screws and pushed the fridge back.