A big leap of faith

[JohnAndAsiza]

My wife and I just purchased West Medical Lake Resort. We knew that we would eventually have to live there full time. We did our research, and found an '08 Bighorn 3055RL at a good price. I grew up with rvs, not her. The floor plan of the 3055 sold her on the idea of living full time in an rv. We just got approved for financing, and will go tomorrow to the dealer with the down payment. I've read a lot here, but ask for any advice on owning a preowned Bighorn. We won't be traveling with it, I don't have a 1ton. Thanks to all of you on this forum for the advice I've read so far.

 

[jimtoo]

Hi JohnAndAsiza,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and 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 would suggest you check it front to back. Try to have the dealer have it hooked to water and power to make sure everything works. Also you might look under the slides at the bottom of the flooring, if it had previous water leaks it could damage the flooring.

Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club.

Enjoy the forum and your new to you unit.

Jim M

 

[danemayer]

Hi JohnAndAsiza,

Check carefully for any signs of water damage or water intrusion. Inspect the caulking very carefully all around the coach and also check the outside edges of the slideout room floors.

Since you don't have a way to tow, talk to the dealer or with independent mobile servicers about how you'll get repairs done.

 

[Gary521]

You do not need a 1 ton to pull a 3055.

 

[Garypowell]

I have never seen any feedback from anyone who I have suggested this to but get the vin and call Heartland and see if they have any notes on your coach.

I would be Leary if the unit was one year old, for example, because you wonder why it is for sale. As noted above there are always concerns about an older unit too. But if you are careful you can possibly get a good deal.

 

[JohnDar]

Walk "heavily" around the bedroom and note any creaking, squeaking or unusual movement of the nose while you're in it. Check the flooring for any signs of "ridges" under the carpet. You don't want to be surprised by a weakened nose frame/bad welds.

Pull the basement walls and check back there for any signs of water damage. Pull up the floor registers, with the duct still attached, and look for any rodent droppings below. Remove the lower drawers on cabinets and look for droppings there, as well. To remove the drawers, there is a little black tab on both drawer slides. One gets moved up, the other down. You need to look in the cavity behind the drawers.

 

[JohnAndAsiza]

OOkay, did most of what you all suggested today. Previous owner was from Arizona, and was taken as a trade up to another heartland rv. The dealer is towing it to the resort free of charge, and I've a friend with a 3\4 ton with hitch to move me if and when needed. The dealer was asking 35k. It has the fireplace, double pane windows, and I'm not sure what else. One of the heating went covers was melted a little, over by the bay windows. It has some serious sun fading, but after searching top to bottom, i didn't notice any water damage. It is real clean on the inside, very little wear and tear. We settled lower than 35k, and the walk through its tomorrow.

 

[Gaffer]

35k is too much. NADA had our 2010 BH3055 at $29k two years ago when we traded it. The dealer sold it within a week for around 39k.

Check out Google to see some more for sale. Use this link for a bargaining chip.
http://www.rvt.com/New-and-Used-Hea...els&manu=Heartland&brand=Bighorn&model=3055RL

 

[JohnAndAsiza]

We closed the deal at 22k today. After doing some more research, I think it is a fair deal. We are excited to join the club! If anyone is in eastern Washington and needs a place to stop, please keep us and our resort in mind. We are just 15 minutes off of I-90, paved all the way. Until I can upgrade the resort, all we offer is 30 amp hookups. Thanks again for all of your support. I'll be reading a lot from all the wisdom found on here.

 

[MCTalley]

We could have used a place near I-90 in eastern Washington last weekend on the way to Chelan. We'll keep you in mind during our late summer travels to and from Washington.

 

[JohnAndAsiza]

So, we've had the 08 bighorn for almost a week. The king size bed is the biggest let down, ouch! The inflatable sofa bed is much more comfortable. I busted the elbow on the outside shower on the first day, thought the hose would be longer than what it was. Other than that, we are impressed with it. My next big project will be trying to replicate the cat box mod that was posted. We also have two dogs, ones a 15 pound mutt, the other is a 90 pound black Russian terrier.

 

[JohnAndAsiza]

UPDATE, we've been living in our 3055RL now for months. I have to say, it has been a mostly good experience. Becoming the second owner of an older used RV has its challenges. all of the main seals needed replaced. all in all, the rugged construction of the bighorn has lent itself well to age. these next few months will be the real test. the mercury will be hitting the single digits and lower for highs. I'll keep you posted.

 

[wdk450]

UPDATE, we've been living in our 3055RL now for months. I have to say, it has been a mostly good experience. Becoming the second owner of an older used RV has its challenges. all of the main seals needed replaced. all in all, the rugged construction of the bighorn has lent itself well to age. these next few months will be the real test. the mercury will be hitting the single digits and lower for highs. I'll keep you posted.

John: Re the cold weather living. This is gong to be a challenge. I got an air conditioner foam rubber insulation kit at Walmart and used the 2 inch square foam to make a seal (with glue) to stuff under the front lip of the kitchen slide, as I actually saw sunlight coming in under this slide. I would definitely be on 50 amp power, and invest in 2 or 3 electric space heaters. If you do that, replace the outlets at any point you think you plug in the heaters, as RV's use a low contact area insulation displacement connector outlet, not regular large contact area screw connector outlets. You will need boxes for these new outlets for mounting, too. They do not use boxes on RV outlets. There is a device you can buy that modifies your furnace to electric heat, but I have heard that this device is not compatible with the way the furnace is installed in Heartlands - this is worth checking out. I would also seal up your air conditioner main over kitchen plate with foam, and Camco has an insulated pad to fit into your air circulation roof vents. I have seen RV's parked in cold weather areas with oversized external propane tanks connected to them. Also think about having some fulltime heating source in the underbelly to prevent water lines and sanitation tanks from freezing up.This from a Southern Californian.On Edit: Also think about getting an electric blanket.

 

[danemayer]

UPDATE, we've been living in our 3055RL now for months. I have to say, it has been a mostly good experience. Becoming the second owner of an older used RV has its challenges. all of the main seals needed replaced. all in all, the rugged construction of the bighorn has lent itself well to age. these next few months will be the real test. the mercury will be hitting the single digits and lower for highs. I'll keep you posted.

Hi JohnAndAsiza,

Sub-freezing and sub-zero temperatures need extra prep if you want to keep the water systems working. Please take a look at our owner-written Water Systems Winter Usage Guide in this folder. We've used the tips and techniques described in that guide for 6 extended ski trips in Breckenridge, Colorado with temps down to -30 (F).

wdk450 mentioned a furnace conversion that allows the furnace to run off either propane or 50 amp electric service. It's CheapHeat by RV Comfort Systems. It's compatible with Suburban SF42 furnaces, which is probably what you have. But you need a certain amount of space next to the furnace to install it. I have one and have found it very convenient, but I haven't tested it in sub-zero weather yet.

If running off propane, you'll find it much more convenient, and probably less expensive, to have a 125 gallon external propane tank set up. In cold weather you can easily go through a 40 lb tank of propane in 3 or 4 days.

If you don't have tank heaters, you'll either want to get them installed or take other specific measures to keep the tanks from freezing.

 

[mlpeloquin]

You will need a heated water hose as well. Don't keep the tank valves open. The draining water will freeze in the sewer hose. Drain your tanks every few days. And you really need 50 amp service, but you may also have a 20 amp 120V outlet along with your 30 amp outlet on your power pole. If so, use it to get some heat in the under belly of your rig to prevent your waste tanks from freezing. If you do not have them, you can purchase heating pads for the tanks and install them. They work off of 12VDC. You can also put RV skirting to help seal the underside and keep the heat in.

http://www.campingworld.com/search/...camping world&utm_content=Camping World Exact

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-toilets-tanks/rv-holding-tank-heater.htm

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