In the Bighorn ATF forum, the factory was asked to explain how to determine the serial number of a particular unit.
Scott Tuttle from the factory responded (see below) and I created an image that shows an example of decoding a VIN.
Jim
Excerpt of Scott's post:
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The VIN number that we issue in the RV industry is a 17-digit number.
The first three digits are fixed and issued by the government agency (SAE).
The fourth digit determines what type of hitch set up it is (Gooseneck).
The fifth digit determinies whether it is it a fifth wheel (F) or travel trailer (T).
The sixth, seventh and eighth digits are model specific integers (number of axles, then model length)
The ninth digit is the "check digit" which verifies the rest of the VIN and is not something that you can figure out without a formula.
The tenth digit is the model year (7).
The eleventh digit is the city of manufacturer (E for Elkhart)
and the twelvth through seventeenth digits are the production run order numbers.
Jim's decoded VIN:
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//heartlandowners.org/images/decoding_heartland_VIN.jpg
Scott Tuttle from the factory responded (see below) and I created an image that shows an example of decoding a VIN.
Jim
Excerpt of Scott's post:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The VIN number that we issue in the RV industry is a 17-digit number.
The first three digits are fixed and issued by the government agency (SAE).
The fourth digit determines what type of hitch set up it is (Gooseneck).
The fifth digit determinies whether it is it a fifth wheel (F) or travel trailer (T).
The sixth, seventh and eighth digits are model specific integers (number of axles, then model length)
The ninth digit is the "check digit" which verifies the rest of the VIN and is not something that you can figure out without a formula.
The tenth digit is the model year (7).
The eleventh digit is the city of manufacturer (E for Elkhart)
and the twelvth through seventeenth digits are the production run order numbers.
Jim's decoded VIN:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
//heartlandowners.org/images/decoding_heartland_VIN.jpg