Bighorn 3655RD towing experence

[dieselengineer]

Does anyone have experence with towing an 3655RD with a Dodge 5.9 2005, SB 6sp, 3.73, 4x4 quad cab? I have the Bighorn 3655RD on my short list after a very long search and really like the overall unit. The last outstanding item is the towing experence with my TV. Since I can not experence this from only the specifications data, Any infomation (performance, mileage, etc. would be a great help. Also, how must clearance is able to be obtained between the bed rails while keeping the rig level? Is a slider hitch really not required with a short bed? I read the data, however it is hard to believe there would not be a clearance problem. Thanks Jim

 

[BluegrassMan]

Short Box towing

HI Dieselengineer:

I can't tell you about the truck performance, but I can tell you that a slider is not needed. Go to the Hearland website and go over the features of the Landmark the front end cap the same or similar to the Bighorn.

One of the selling points of Heartland RV's is the special swept back and radiused lower end cap design. They are designed to be towed with a 6' bed. It is shown in the literature and on the web. NO ONE ELSE HAS THIS FEATURE !

 

[phranc]

diesel engineer .. I have almost the same truck 2004.6 only I have the 4:10 axle and long bed . Obviosly I have no experience in nose cone to back of cab clearance except the unit I looked at inSyracuse NY was being pulled by the factory shortbed chevy. It Had adequate clearance . I obsessed for a while on bedrail to bottom of RV clearance and towing height .. All that vanished when I picked up the 3600 RL.. Truck was not too high and RV rides level and I have more than 8 in bedrail clearance.. The 3600 and the 3655 are similiar in weight. This trl pulls really well with no issues . The Melamine dishes and china cups stay put in kit cupboards ,We keep the coffee maker and supplies in the overhead cupboards in the DR slide out and once in a while the coffepot will move 2 inches..Had a kit drawer open once or twice,till we learned to double check to make sure they're closed tight. Everything foward of the stairs never moves. no tumbled mess in medicine cabnet, no clothes falling in closet .
All in all , a satisfactory unit
To get back to the point.. Mileage Has been lately about 11 mpg ,, I gotten a low of 9.7 when playing around in our eastern hill with the big trucks and a high of 12.7 on the flats .no wind and less than 65 mph...
If you have not bought a hitch yet. perhaps it would not be too much more additional to get a non-automatic slider. It might give you that peace of mind altho you may never need it

 

[merlinb]

Dieselengineer: If you are looking at the specs for the Bighorn 3655RD on the Heartland website I believe they are very much in error. I have a copy of a printed brochure for the 2006 model year Bighorns and it gives the specs for the 3655RD as follows: GVWR-18,000 lbs., Dry Weight-12,300 lbs., and Hitch Weight-2,400 lbs. Those are significantly higher numbers than on the website. I used to deliver Heartland trailers and I remember looking at a 3655RD in the terminal yard and the manufacturers sticker said, "GVWR 18,000 lbs.
Now, you left out one important piece of information. You didn't say whether your Dodge is a 2500 or a 3500. But it probably doesn't make much difference. If you try to pull this trailer with a 2500, you are going to be grossly overloaded because the towing capacity is 13,000 lbs and the GCWR is 20,000 lbs. With a 3500 you will still be overloaded, just not as much; the towing capacity is 15,700 lbs and the GCWR is 23,000. Those numbers are from the Dodge website. The Bighorn 3655RD is a big, heavy trailer.

 

[dieselengineer]

Yes you are correct, I forgot to state that the Dodge truck I am planning to use is a 3500 model. I am also confussed about the weight rating. At 18,000 lbs GVWR, the unit weight on both axles is 18000 - 2400 = 15600 lbs. Therefore each axle would be 15600 / 2 = 7800. Isn't this over the axle ratings?

 

[merlinb]

I may be wrong about this but, I believe, the BH 3655RD has three axles and they would probably be rated at 6000 lbs each which would be plenty of capacity when you consider that 2400 lbs of the total weight can be carried on the hitch pin. If you look at the specs for the Landmark Monticello you will see numbers that are closer to reality for the BH 3655RD than the ones in the BH specification table on the Heartland website.

You need to contact Scott or Coley and get the CORRECT specifications for the 3655RD before you commit to a specific truck. Maybe you can get them to mail you a brochure. I'm not trying to put down the 3655RD. It is a great trailer and if that is the trailer you want you need to be sure you have enough truck to SAFELY take it down the road. You will get a lot of (unsolicited) advice from the so-called "weight police" on the rv.net forum. Some of it is valid and some of it is hysterically, overly conservative (IMHO). But, at the end of the day, YOU have to crunch the numbers and make the final decision because YOU and YOUR FAMILY have to live with that decision. What I am trying to emphasize is--make sure you have correct and accurate numbers when you start crunching.

Good luck.

 

[dieselengineer]

3655RD towing experence

Merlinb
You are correct about the concern with the weight of the 3655RD. The specifications are very confusing and I believe misleading. The one thing I do know is that the bighorn 3655RD was only two axles. I have seen a unit in person and there is only two axles on the unit. The web site states that also, however the site also states that the tires are only "E" rated and there is 6 shocks. The printed brochure for the 2006 model year Bighorns (I have a copy) states that the GVWR is 18,000 just like you said. I believe that is a misprint since there are only two axles on the unit. However the GVWR for the 3600 (shorter unit) is 16,000 and the web site states that the tires are "G" rated and 4 shocks.

Scott can you update us all, what is the correct information for the Bighorn 3655RD

 

[Gary F]

Guys,

Don't forget 20% or so of the trailer GVW is pin weight placed on the tow vehicle.

Gary F

 

[Scott]

3655

Guys, I am at home while answering this because I lost my computer to a spilled pop. So, I do not have a spec brochure in front of me. I can tell you this about the 3655RL - in the beginning, it was scheduled to be a triple axle model and the initial literature and web info reflected that. We ended up making it a double axle model that had different weights and specs which are reflected on the newer brochures.
The latest specification brochure - printed the week of Thanksgiving will be available soon both in print and on the web.
IF you would like a quicker answer, you can email Coley at coley@heartlandrvs.com He is in the Bighorn division, right there at their producdtion facility with the engineer. He will be able to get you all the up to date info you need.

ST

 

[tcbrady]

I wanted to clarify the confusion regarding the 3655RD. I just spoke with the BIGHORN engineer and the dry weight of the 3655RD is 11,950 and the GVWR is 16,000. Unlike other manufactures, the BIGHORN product uses G-rated tires and 7,000 axles on all quad slide floorplans (3600RL and 3655RD). The hitch weight of the 3655RD is 2,040. Hope this helps - if anyone has further questions please do not hesitate to e-mail me at coley@heartlandrvs.com.

Thanks!