Considering 2008 3490BHS

[LizzieB]

Hello all,
I am looking at 2008 3490BHS. I have a Lance TT, but this is a whole nother beast.
So I am looking for honest feedback on this rig and manufacturer. I am full-time and would be using this as my primary residence with the Lance as travel rig. I have PDI from previous owner, and it looks like they corrected the issues that were identified.

Few questions. When I looked at front wall of basement directly under the cap there is no insulation or anything. Is the normal? The basement flooring is OSB, is this normal? And finally, they installed a new toilet and there was work done on bathroom floor around toilet. Is this floor normally just plywood, or the sandwich type? I had a very expensive repair on a previous trailer from a toilet leak so I’m a bit skittish about bathroom floors and leaky toilets 😳😬

Finally, pros and cons. Has your experience with the Big Country been good?

Thanks,
LizzieB

 

[danemayer]

Hi LizzieB,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

In general, the Big Country is a very good RV, but a 2008 is 13 years old and there are several areas you'd want to have checked out carefully. Age and condition of tires for one. Any tires over 5 years old or showing anything unusual should be replaced, even if you don't expect to use the rig for travel. Check the suspension for excess wear and tear. Depending on maintenance, the shackle links and other components can show a lot of wear after a few years of use. Carefully check the bottoms of the slideouts for any evidence of water intrusion. Hitch up the to the truck and then raise and lower the front landing gear while watching for any movement along the seams of the front cap. Check the date stamp on the propane tanks. I believe anything over 10 years old will have to be recertified (or replaced) before a propane outlet will fill them.

Sounds like whatever was going on with the toilet has been repaired. And I don't think the front storage areas are insulated. The pass through storage should have a covering over the wood. If it isn't there, it's possible the wood was replaced.

We have a collection of manufacturer manuals here, and also a number of owner-written user guides you may find helpful - here.

 

[LizzieB]

Thanks for the feedback Dan. A few more things for me to consider!