John barlean
Member
I would like to find out if other people are having as many problems with their bighorn fifth wheel as I am
Excessive problems
- Thread starter John barlean
- Start date
John barlean
Member
I have excessive rust on the frame and the piping I have a kitchen sink that continues to leak, I have a broken spring shackle and the rest of them don’t appear to be welded properly, the whole entire edge of the roof caulk is cracking and peeling off, my awning is pulling loose from the RV, the table and my cable and antenna cable will work in the living room, my fireplace light shorted out, my kitchen slide won’t slide all the way out, fridge runs constantly, microwaveWiring was not correct. I was informed by a manager at La Mesa RV in Mesa Arizona that these were not excessive problems to have with a 2018 big horn fifth wheel. Does anyone agree with this
John barlean
Member
I would appreciate any feedback I can get. My email is John bgb@gmail.com
Most of those are fairly big issues in my opinion especially on a 2018 model. Those also aren't very common issues either especially in the quantity that you seem to have. I would start looking into other ways to rectify those issues as it seems the manager isn't too inclined to assist you. Good luck and keep us posted!
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chaplady
Well-known member
I have a 2018 caulking has been gone over twice now. It's a yearly maintenance item for me, my biggest issue right now due to improper design in my opinion water has run down outside slide underneath the slide door side damaged floor door side , when I switched to wet bolts plastic bushing on original bolts was totally gone at 1000 miles , burned a control board on heater, check valve on water pump went bad, propane reg door side replaced awning repositioned it slid down in track. Always something to fix on them yes it could be worse
RoadJunkie
Well-known member
Well..."Excessive" is a subjective term and easily disputed by either parties involved. Surface rust on the frame and other metal material can be considered normal; Others have taken the approach of painting the frame with a quality paint upon delivery to help prevent the rust. Apparently the paint process at Lippert is not the best. I can't imagine that the sink leak is a terribly difficult problem to fix. It is not unusual for the caulking to require constant attention and repair or replacement, even early after the purchase. My cable TV wiring had several shorts where the braid wires were wrapped around the center conductor. The shackle welds are usually addressed by Lippert and I would suggest you contact them directly for a path forward to repair. The untold truth about RVs is that they will require constant...CONSTANT...attention and repairs cannot be put off or they will surely become bigger problems. I consider the overall purchase of the RV as the down payment with many expenses yet to come. Best of luck.
wdk450
Well-known member
I would find another RV service professional to look at your rig, preferably one with an independent business, and some good reviews. Too many times the service department at dealers could care less about after the sale service. The independent RV servicer, who counts on satisified customers as his main source of income, has more incentive to help you out.
Here is a listing of RV servicers in Arizona (alphabetical by city) with independent reviews b y RVers:
Here is a listing of RV servicers in Arizona (alphabetical by city) with independent reviews b y RVers:
The Best RV Service Centers in Arizona - Updated 2021
It's inevitable, RVs need repairs. We'll guide you to the best repair shops in Arizona.
rvservicereviews.com
TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Some of the items you have stated are maintenance items, like caulking. Some are component failure, no fault of Heartland directly. Some are frame issues - rust will happen without preventative maintenance. Lippert had some issues with bad frame hangers across multiple brands... seems like around 2018-2019, but not sure. Just seem to recall seeing more posts about them.
We have a 2016 and I bet my list is longer. But I’m a third time Rv owner, and knew what to expect. I knew I’d have some issues along the way, it’s the nature of the beast. Every manufacturer has them. In 2018, the RV market was booming, so they were cranking them out fast.
As others have said, they require constant maintenance and something always seems to be needing repair, replacement or upgrade. We live fulltime in ours, and I appreciate no yard maintenance, no water bill, not much to clean... but in exchange, I have to check caulking, wiring, plumbing, sewer, windows, seals, suspension, appliances, battery, slide mechanisms, brakes, tires, cables — more than I ever expected — to make sure everything is in working order.
As mentioned, find a good independent Rv service provider. Also, learn everything you can about the inner-workings of your rig, so nothing is a mystery when things go south. You’ll learn that many minor repairs are easier to diy than hire someone.
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We have a 2016 and I bet my list is longer. But I’m a third time Rv owner, and knew what to expect. I knew I’d have some issues along the way, it’s the nature of the beast. Every manufacturer has them. In 2018, the RV market was booming, so they were cranking them out fast.
As others have said, they require constant maintenance and something always seems to be needing repair, replacement or upgrade. We live fulltime in ours, and I appreciate no yard maintenance, no water bill, not much to clean... but in exchange, I have to check caulking, wiring, plumbing, sewer, windows, seals, suspension, appliances, battery, slide mechanisms, brakes, tires, cables — more than I ever expected — to make sure everything is in working order.
As mentioned, find a good independent Rv service provider. Also, learn everything you can about the inner-workings of your rig, so nothing is a mystery when things go south. You’ll learn that many minor repairs are easier to diy than hire someone.
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A couple things.
Sounds like a used Purchase from a dealer. If so the repairs should be part of a purchase.
I have a 2018 Landmark Louisville made in September 2017. We purchased new off the dealer lot in March 2019. In Fall 2020 all caulking was pulled out and replaced on roof edge.
Cable and antenna is likely a connection in the underbelly just where the umbilical terminates to the frame. There are F81 coax barrels there, loose on every trailer I have owned. By the basement TV connection there is a splitter that was also loose connections. Check the power supply injector in the bedroom also. Finally bulkhead.
Slide, is it binding? Has the roller cut through the plastic and wore a hole in it?
Fireplace, replace
Awning might need some new screws in a different spot.
Kitchen sink, replace the basket strainer and tail piece with something new.
We had a 2016 Bighorn that had no issues at all. A lot can happen on the road and metal stress can cause the hanger to break. If a used trailer not sure how it was handled before purchase.
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taskswap
Well-known member
I've come to the point where I just expect these things. I literally bring my toolbox when I pick up a new camper. I made a video walking through all the issues I found with my brand-new Milestone and it took an hour to cover them all. Screws falling out, sink drain pipe not tightened... one of my six-point leveling jack wires was not plugged in at all. I've spent the summer sorting it all out.
I know this is probably defeatist but I've come to believe this is just how it goes. I paid $50k-ish for the "hard stuff": I can't weld up a fifth-wheel frame, can't source Azdel siding, and probably COULD install tanks and plumbing (I had dreams and plans to make a Skoolie years back) but wouldn't want to.
There are some campers built to much higher quality levels but then again they also cost twice as much. Overall I'm just resigned to it.
I know this is probably defeatist but I've come to believe this is just how it goes. I paid $50k-ish for the "hard stuff": I can't weld up a fifth-wheel frame, can't source Azdel siding, and probably COULD install tanks and plumbing (I had dreams and plans to make a Skoolie years back) but wouldn't want to.
There are some campers built to much higher quality levels but then again they also cost twice as much. Overall I'm just resigned to it.
yes the bighorn has many mfg. assy problems...my very old 2018 (quote by Chris Stevens mfg technician ) ... when purchased jan 2018 the roof had leaks and the dealer Wilkins RV in bath ny stated the mfg. used the wrong sealant and it had to be replaced .. well yup the sink leaked, under floor drain, was not supported it seperated and flooded the underbelly , awning seperated from camper, ect ect ect...dissimilar corrosion at almost every screw and my latest discovery was the rotted floor in bedroom slide ,and r/h rear slide floor is rotting.. the bedroom slide leak was due to mfg placing butyl sealant on bottom (great if it rained from the ground up) so with no seal on the weather side the water was let in and the sealant kept it there to be absorbed by the wood..... So after replacing the rotted floor and sealing it THE RIGHT WAY ..its back together with no leaking ..then i checked the other slides ,yup the r/h slide is rotted also.. I suspect the problem started at the roof where the flange and slide roof mate..every screw on the vert flange is out about 1/64.th of a inch allowing small leakage ..but untill i rip off the flange i wont know for sure . i was professional mechanic on helicopters which included every phase from corrosion control to proper assy. and maintenance. YES FOLKS THIS IS i have spent many hours fixing this 3 year old camper. WITH NO SUPPORT FROM THE DEALER OR FROM THE TECH SERVICE FROM THE DEALER IS WILKINS RV FROM BATH NY ... I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR PARTS SINCE END OF JULY THEY EXPECT SHIPPING TO BE IN NOVEMBER ... 2021 I HOPE
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oh yea almost forgot the date stamp on the tires is (was) 2015 and last trip 3 tires blew before anyone popoos me about tire press ,or overloading (i check tire press every trip and never trailer with fresh water or sewer tanks with anything in them ) just do your own search on "Trailer King Tire Blowout" you will get over 2 million hits in 10 sec.. thats what Heartland Uses..
our frame is bad also poor paint jub .no primer with large areas of paint just blown off with bare metal ,i have been scraping paint and using now use the equivelent of LPS-2 corr.spray on every screw bolt and frame ,,, PS the multi port gas manifolds are all corroding this could cause a explosion and loss of life in they rot through...
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