Big Country 3285RL or 2950RK fifth wheel

[mike9955]

Hello!
We are considering purchasing a Hartland Big Country 3285RL or 2950RK fifth wheel for camping at National Parks and for limited travel as well. This is my first post, and we know next to nothing about 5th wheels but own a pop-up, and have tent camped for a long time.

Would appreciate help, as well as advice/info on this model to purchase. We were hoping to buy in the Spring. We also need to purchase a truck to pull it with and wanted any helpful pointers in that direction as well.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of people here, with lots of information and all willing to share.

You will hear both, good and bad about the units and dealers. Someone will jump in here and give you their opinion on the Big County and also what kind of truck they are using to tow with.

My personal opinion is you cannot beat a Heartland unit for value for the dollar spent. Also the company people are great to work with if you have a problem and need help.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[mjatwalker]

Hi Mike, Welcome to the fourm. We have a 09 BC 3250TS it's a great camper. Heartland is a good company and build nice units. Moving to a 5er from a popup is big as far as a tow vehicle you will need no less than a 3/4 ton truck (brand of your choice) Good luck.

Mike

 

[boatdoc]

I suggest you buy your trailer FIRST then your truck. Many, many times I have read where people do just the oppisite and then don't have enough truck for the trailer mama fell in love with and couldn't do without.
We have NEVER owned anything but a 1ton so when we changed out trailers and yes there were many, till we found the Horn, we had NO problem with what we decided on.
One can't go wrong with a Heartland.

 

[bighorn3370]

Hi, Mike. As the the other poster said, you can't go wrong with a Heartland. The model of the Big Country you choose needs to fit the way you like to camp. I have a Bighorn 3370RL. I love that I have big living room in the back and a smaller kitchen. We use the barbecue and skillet to cook with outside of the BH. If more countertop or food prep area is needed, the rear kitchen will give you that. I also like that when we travel, I can get to my fridge with out putting out any slideouts. That makes it easy to stop at a rest area for a lunch or pack the frige on the go. I would spend some time at the dealer going through each one. Think of things like where the coffee pot would be plugged in. In my other fifthwheel, I needed to raise it up 2", as the plug was overhead, which was not user-friendly. Try to get the sales person out of the choach when do this. I remember when my salesman came to see how I was doing, I was under the sink. He thought it was different and said that he bet I'd seen every inch of the coach. He was right. Your truck should be at least a 3/4 ton. If you can, I would get a diesel over a gas. Again, this is my two cents and enjoy whatever you buy. Ernie

 

[bill40]

Hi Mike we have a BC 3500RL, little larger than what you are looking at. Great product not perfect but we love it. As already said get your 5er first and then settle on truck. Any one of the three 2500HD would do the job but like Gary we like our one ton, little hard to park but I always did park at the end of Lowes lot,old people need the walk.

 

[cliffbuilt]

Hello & Welcome,

We absolutely love our Big Country and enjoy camping in National Parks & BLM, State Parks, Etc. It tows easily and is not hard to maneuver in campgrounds.

I'm not familiar with the 3285rl but the photos on Heartlands website sure look nice. I would also look into the Elk Ridge 29RKSA, very similar to the Big Country 2950 RK except the kitchen layout is more accessible with slides in.

Also we do four season camping and I wish we had dual pane windows, this is an option if You order it but you cant retrofit an existing unit.

On your question about a truck I strongly recommend Diesel. Both for milage & towing ability. The 2950 RK puts my 3/4 ton at its maximum GVWR so be careful not to limit yourself by the size of your truck.

Be very careful about who you purchase from. A good dealership can make the difference between an enjoyable experience or a nightmare....

Good Luck & Happy Camping,
Cliff

 

[SilverRhino]

As others have stated..."Don't think you can go wrong with a HL product"!

We have the BC 3250 and love it. This is our second 5th wheel, moved up to 5th wheels from a pop up too. The 3250 was the model that best met our needs.....look at all of them....try to picture how you will be using it while you are looking.....sometimes a small difference can mean a lot later down the road.

As far as a tow vehicle....I too strongly recommend diesel over gas and my personal preference would be a 1 ton dual rw.

Good luck with your search.......take your time!

 

[mike9955]

Hi ALL:

Thanks for the quick responses, good advice and support.

I hope your Holiday’s are blessed, and
The New Year gives you all you want!

Mike

 

[Nabo]

Here's my 2 cents. We have had 3 5th wheeler starting off with another brand, then buying a Sundance. Loved it but wanted something a little bigger so we moved up to our current rig which is the BC. Great pulling rig and the size is pretty good getting into most of the state/national parks. We pulled our current rig for over 2 years with a 2500 diesel Dodge Ram without any problems covering over 10K miles. We just traded up to a 3500 Dodge single rear wheel diesel with the idea of upgrading to a bigger rig. Story made short - Heartland makes a very good product which I feel you will enjoy no matter which model you pick out.
Byrd

 

[priestlake]

2950rk

We have the 2950rk-heartland seems responsive on the issues we have had. My wife loves the rear kitchen. Pulling with a chev 3500 extended cab 8 ft box diesel-does a great job. Good luck

 

[gasman]

Mike, we love our 2010 BC 2950RK. Great floor plan with tons of bang for your buck. We tow with a 2008 F350 crew cab dually powerstroke. Our previous fifth wheel was shorter but pulled harder than the BC. Be aware in the national parks that many of the campgrounds are older and were built for shorter trailers. Sometimes it can be a little challenging to find a NPS campsite to accommodate longer units. Be sure you buy a heavy enough hitch for your load plus a little safety cushion. Happy camping.

 

[Greenstonekiwis]

Re: 2950rk

Looking at exactly the same setup combination for our full timing with that 5th and tow wagon.....what are u like with the total all up weights - water, gas bottles, gear etc - do u still come in well under weight allowed? any hints?