SouthernNights
Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Well, here we sit in one of our favorite campgrounds in SC and thinking about the decision we made almost 2 years ago to buy a HL Big Country. I started thinking about some of the likes and dislikes that we have of the BC and how it compares to some other trailers we have had.
Now to be honest, the comparison list is rather short. I can’t compare it to another brand that I have never owned. The list only has three other trailers on it: StarCraft, Fleetwood Wilderness and a Sunnybrook. I will say right up front that the Fleetwood was – without a doubt- the biggest piece of crap I ever owned. That includes cars, trucks, trailers, boats etc. There is no way that any company building anything could produce a bigger piece of junk than our Fleetwood Wilderness. On the other hand, the Sunnybrook was a good trailer that took anything we dished out including living in it for almost a year, 2 months of that with six people ( 2 adults and 4 children) in it.
Ok, so much for setting the comparison benchmark. A lot of these thoughts are just opinions and are very subjectional.
Exterior:
The looks of the exterior is definitely a love/hate relationship. The front with its molded fiberglass cap looks great. Couple that with the drop frame and the trailer looks a little bigger than it really is. The old sunburst decal is a little tacky but I can’t see it when I am inside the trailer.
The sides are ok. As most of you know, the BC came with filon sides, not gel coat. Ok, they are what they are but with proper maintenance they will look good for years. Again, they have that same tacky sunburst design plastered on them. Some day when I am really bored, they will come off.
The rear:
What happened??? Looks like someone cutoff the back of the trailer with a chainsaw. Not a very attractive rear-end but it is functional. I am a little old fashioned and I do like the rear bumper.
Frame and suspension:
Absolutely no issues. I think because the trailer is one of the lightest ones produced by HL that is on a 10” frame helps a lot. We had looked at trailers much bigger and heavier that were on an 8” I beam.
No flat spring issues. Added wet bolt kit. I do know the trailer rides very good. Did you know that a cup of coffee in a ceramic cup can ride on the countertop for over 500 miles and not spill any coffee? I do.
Interior;
Still love the floor plan. Very simple, very open and very livable for us. The only thing we will look closer at though when the time comes to buy another trailer is the steps to the bedroom need to be away from the entry door.
The fit and finish is good. We knew we were not buying an expensive high end trailer, but what this trailer does have on the inside; the factory did a good job.
Insulation:
UUHHHMMM…well it’s a trailer. Slide floor insulation non-existent. Have had to insulate several walls in the basement and have taken the left slide apart to get better insulation in it. I think coming up with new ideas on how to better insulation the living space and basement will continue as long as we own the trailer. Of course, part of my dissatisfaction with the insulation is my fault. We do not have dual pane windows and the primary purpose of the trailer has changed since we purchased it. It does do a good job retaining the heat in very cold weather, it just has areas that refuse to feel comfortable.
Plumbing and electrical:
What a mess behind the basement wall and electrical cabinet but with the exception the water heater ground wire on the 110 side and one fitting that failed, it all worked. Since then I have installed manifolds and the plumbing drops are homeruns. All the wires have at least been bundled and all the grounds (12 volt) behind the electrical cabinet have been run to terminals with redundant grounds.
Furniture:
comfortable and functional but I don’t think it will last too long. I am 6’2” and weigh 260. No signs of the recliner or my dinette chair giving up yet, but I can kill a Lazy Boy recliner in a couple years.
Carpet and padding:
Didn’t expect anything different than what we got. It will get replace a some point.
Cabinets:
Very nice for a trailer. Not real fond of Oak but that’s what they are. Oh well. The doors have a great finish on them. Wish they were hidden hinges with soft close. Probably change them some day but not high on the list.
Storage:
Wow, they did good!!! Inside and out they did good!!
Overall reliability:
Very good. Any time you can take a trailer and bounce it down the road at 65 or 70, park it for indefinite periods and then do it again and everything always works, I think says a lot for how well the trailer is built and how well it is engineered.
Heartland Customer Service;
Outstanding. Without going into any details, the factory CALLED ME; I did not call them over an issue. Hopefully I will never have to use the CS again, but the one dealing I had with them---again---OUTSTANDING.
Heartland Forum:
Another plus for owning a HL product.
Heartland Rallies;
Wow, fantastic fellowship and lots of food…I mean fun.
We have made some very special friends that we never would have met if it wasn’t for Heartland, the forums and the rallies. I really think at this point that Jim Beletti , Julie , the moderators and all the chapter leaders and division leaders need a special thank you! And of course Deb Bylinski for the HL newsletter.
A special thank you to Nancy for allowing us to share Jim.
Overall:
Very satisfied with our trailer. We looked last year at “upgrading” to another trailer whether a Landmark or SOB. For the money and our requirements, we had to say that at this time there is nothing out there that we would want to trade for. Yes, there are trailers that are plusher, bigger, and have more whistles and bells on them but for what we have invested we feel like we own the best.
This was not intended to be a thorough in depth review. Just random thoughts based on my own opinions and experience. I might also point out that we do not FT in this trailer. We do use it and pull it more than the average weekend warrior. I would think the unit, with a little more maintenance, could handle FTing with no problems what so ever. As a matter of fact, we are looking forward to that day. That day may come as early as this year and I can tell we are very excited about that possibility.
Now to be honest, the comparison list is rather short. I can’t compare it to another brand that I have never owned. The list only has three other trailers on it: StarCraft, Fleetwood Wilderness and a Sunnybrook. I will say right up front that the Fleetwood was – without a doubt- the biggest piece of crap I ever owned. That includes cars, trucks, trailers, boats etc. There is no way that any company building anything could produce a bigger piece of junk than our Fleetwood Wilderness. On the other hand, the Sunnybrook was a good trailer that took anything we dished out including living in it for almost a year, 2 months of that with six people ( 2 adults and 4 children) in it.
Ok, so much for setting the comparison benchmark. A lot of these thoughts are just opinions and are very subjectional.
Exterior:
The looks of the exterior is definitely a love/hate relationship. The front with its molded fiberglass cap looks great. Couple that with the drop frame and the trailer looks a little bigger than it really is. The old sunburst decal is a little tacky but I can’t see it when I am inside the trailer.
The sides are ok. As most of you know, the BC came with filon sides, not gel coat. Ok, they are what they are but with proper maintenance they will look good for years. Again, they have that same tacky sunburst design plastered on them. Some day when I am really bored, they will come off.
The rear:
What happened??? Looks like someone cutoff the back of the trailer with a chainsaw. Not a very attractive rear-end but it is functional. I am a little old fashioned and I do like the rear bumper.
Frame and suspension:
Absolutely no issues. I think because the trailer is one of the lightest ones produced by HL that is on a 10” frame helps a lot. We had looked at trailers much bigger and heavier that were on an 8” I beam.
No flat spring issues. Added wet bolt kit. I do know the trailer rides very good. Did you know that a cup of coffee in a ceramic cup can ride on the countertop for over 500 miles and not spill any coffee? I do.
Interior;
Still love the floor plan. Very simple, very open and very livable for us. The only thing we will look closer at though when the time comes to buy another trailer is the steps to the bedroom need to be away from the entry door.
The fit and finish is good. We knew we were not buying an expensive high end trailer, but what this trailer does have on the inside; the factory did a good job.
Insulation:
UUHHHMMM…well it’s a trailer. Slide floor insulation non-existent. Have had to insulate several walls in the basement and have taken the left slide apart to get better insulation in it. I think coming up with new ideas on how to better insulation the living space and basement will continue as long as we own the trailer. Of course, part of my dissatisfaction with the insulation is my fault. We do not have dual pane windows and the primary purpose of the trailer has changed since we purchased it. It does do a good job retaining the heat in very cold weather, it just has areas that refuse to feel comfortable.
Plumbing and electrical:
What a mess behind the basement wall and electrical cabinet but with the exception the water heater ground wire on the 110 side and one fitting that failed, it all worked. Since then I have installed manifolds and the plumbing drops are homeruns. All the wires have at least been bundled and all the grounds (12 volt) behind the electrical cabinet have been run to terminals with redundant grounds.
Furniture:
comfortable and functional but I don’t think it will last too long. I am 6’2” and weigh 260. No signs of the recliner or my dinette chair giving up yet, but I can kill a Lazy Boy recliner in a couple years.
Carpet and padding:
Didn’t expect anything different than what we got. It will get replace a some point.
Cabinets:
Very nice for a trailer. Not real fond of Oak but that’s what they are. Oh well. The doors have a great finish on them. Wish they were hidden hinges with soft close. Probably change them some day but not high on the list.
Storage:
Wow, they did good!!! Inside and out they did good!!
Overall reliability:
Very good. Any time you can take a trailer and bounce it down the road at 65 or 70, park it for indefinite periods and then do it again and everything always works, I think says a lot for how well the trailer is built and how well it is engineered.
Heartland Customer Service;
Outstanding. Without going into any details, the factory CALLED ME; I did not call them over an issue. Hopefully I will never have to use the CS again, but the one dealing I had with them---again---OUTSTANDING.
Heartland Forum:
Another plus for owning a HL product.
Heartland Rallies;
Wow, fantastic fellowship and lots of food…I mean fun.
We have made some very special friends that we never would have met if it wasn’t for Heartland, the forums and the rallies. I really think at this point that Jim Beletti , Julie , the moderators and all the chapter leaders and division leaders need a special thank you! And of course Deb Bylinski for the HL newsletter.
A special thank you to Nancy for allowing us to share Jim.
Overall:
Very satisfied with our trailer. We looked last year at “upgrading” to another trailer whether a Landmark or SOB. For the money and our requirements, we had to say that at this time there is nothing out there that we would want to trade for. Yes, there are trailers that are plusher, bigger, and have more whistles and bells on them but for what we have invested we feel like we own the best.
This was not intended to be a thorough in depth review. Just random thoughts based on my own opinions and experience. I might also point out that we do not FT in this trailer. We do use it and pull it more than the average weekend warrior. I would think the unit, with a little more maintenance, could handle FTing with no problems what so ever. As a matter of fact, we are looking forward to that day. That day may come as early as this year and I can tell we are very excited about that possibility.
