Have been in the Goshen/Elkhart area checking out a replacement 5W for our Montana. Happened into the Heartland Ralley at the Fairgrounds in Goshen as a bonus since BH is at the top of our list, mostly because of weight considerations and our TV.
Eric gave us a great tour of the Heartland facilities and we also visited a couple more mfgrs. and many RV lots. Thank you, Eric. Our visits seemed to make us more confused than able to zero in on one rig.
Biggest difficulty for us is that most mfgrs. including BH use Lippert frames and this has been the biggest source of a good part of our problems. We did get the frame fixed at the factory, but we still have questions in our minds whether it will hold up or not. Know that there have been some of the same problems still continuing with Lippert frames.
We cannot understand why all the mfgrs. are such copycats, especially when they copy things which are bad. The latest trend is the side aisle bathroom which we like except when it takes away closet space up front with the W/D placement. Here BH has compounded the mistake with a storage space which takes up the other side of the front closest (would be OK if it had a convertible hanging space to use either as a shirt closet or cupboard). Anyone using their 5W through two seasons or more (say a trip to Alaska) needs the full closet space across the front of the 5W.
We feel that there is a movement by the mfgrs. of not wanting to sell RVs to fulltimers (BH warranty exclusion, e.g.). Think the industry is going the wrong say with the oncoming babyboomers who are going to keep the industry afloat, but only if they are treated right. A lot of this potential market want to fulltime. Don't understand why mfgrs. can't make a 5W which will last for 365 days of use and to guarantee it!
Saw some small, but important issues to us with the BH. First thing that struck us was the various heights of the microwave/convection ovens. We have one now as our only oven, so maybe it was more apparent to us. In some of the BHs, the heights were very dangerous for an average height woman to get something boiling hot out of the oven since she had to reach way overhead. DW is fairly tall, but she had trouble with many of them. Isn't there some type of standard?
Many of the cupboards had open tops with totally unuseable space above them good only for collecting dust and bugs. Either run the top of the cupboars to the ceiling or cut them down enough where you can use the space for storage or decoration. Our choice is to go for the ceiling.
We think that the wallboard color is absolutely terrible. Saw that Cardinal was using the same babypoop color in their line--more copycatting? Neutral colored walls is the way to go. Most RV furniture is terrible, too. Why not have an option for Lazyboy recliners? Most of us have replaced the original furniture with them anyway. We'd be happier and BH would make some money on it.
One question we had for Eric which he didn't have a ready answer was, " can you get white framed window instead of black(since Landmark has them)?" He thought it was a question of $$--could be, but know that Everest has them and Montana doesn't, yet both cost about the same. Saw many cheaper towables with white windows. Think they look better and they don't show the dust as bad.
Went to CampingWorld in Elkhart and they had the thin wall Dometic refrigerators (9.5 cuft) vs. the standard RV industry one (7.7 cuft) for $100 less! Seems like the thin wall refer should be the RV standard. We'd get more storage and the mfgrs. would make more $$.
Does Heartland have designers or use a design team? We always wonder what a 5W would look like if the Extreme Home Makeover people were put to the task of building a 5W. We understand that most changes are small and made over time, but maybe it is the time for a shift in such thinking (can anyone figure out a better sewage system?) Heartland should be the leader, not the follower. Heartland is still on our list.
Eric gave us a great tour of the Heartland facilities and we also visited a couple more mfgrs. and many RV lots. Thank you, Eric. Our visits seemed to make us more confused than able to zero in on one rig.
Biggest difficulty for us is that most mfgrs. including BH use Lippert frames and this has been the biggest source of a good part of our problems. We did get the frame fixed at the factory, but we still have questions in our minds whether it will hold up or not. Know that there have been some of the same problems still continuing with Lippert frames.
We cannot understand why all the mfgrs. are such copycats, especially when they copy things which are bad. The latest trend is the side aisle bathroom which we like except when it takes away closet space up front with the W/D placement. Here BH has compounded the mistake with a storage space which takes up the other side of the front closest (would be OK if it had a convertible hanging space to use either as a shirt closet or cupboard). Anyone using their 5W through two seasons or more (say a trip to Alaska) needs the full closet space across the front of the 5W.
We feel that there is a movement by the mfgrs. of not wanting to sell RVs to fulltimers (BH warranty exclusion, e.g.). Think the industry is going the wrong say with the oncoming babyboomers who are going to keep the industry afloat, but only if they are treated right. A lot of this potential market want to fulltime. Don't understand why mfgrs. can't make a 5W which will last for 365 days of use and to guarantee it!
Saw some small, but important issues to us with the BH. First thing that struck us was the various heights of the microwave/convection ovens. We have one now as our only oven, so maybe it was more apparent to us. In some of the BHs, the heights were very dangerous for an average height woman to get something boiling hot out of the oven since she had to reach way overhead. DW is fairly tall, but she had trouble with many of them. Isn't there some type of standard?
Many of the cupboards had open tops with totally unuseable space above them good only for collecting dust and bugs. Either run the top of the cupboars to the ceiling or cut them down enough where you can use the space for storage or decoration. Our choice is to go for the ceiling.
We think that the wallboard color is absolutely terrible. Saw that Cardinal was using the same babypoop color in their line--more copycatting? Neutral colored walls is the way to go. Most RV furniture is terrible, too. Why not have an option for Lazyboy recliners? Most of us have replaced the original furniture with them anyway. We'd be happier and BH would make some money on it.
One question we had for Eric which he didn't have a ready answer was, " can you get white framed window instead of black(since Landmark has them)?" He thought it was a question of $$--could be, but know that Everest has them and Montana doesn't, yet both cost about the same. Saw many cheaper towables with white windows. Think they look better and they don't show the dust as bad.
Went to CampingWorld in Elkhart and they had the thin wall Dometic refrigerators (9.5 cuft) vs. the standard RV industry one (7.7 cuft) for $100 less! Seems like the thin wall refer should be the RV standard. We'd get more storage and the mfgrs. would make more $$.
Does Heartland have designers or use a design team? We always wonder what a 5W would look like if the Extreme Home Makeover people were put to the task of building a 5W. We understand that most changes are small and made over time, but maybe it is the time for a shift in such thinking (can anyone figure out a better sewage system?) Heartland should be the leader, not the follower. Heartland is still on our list.
Last edited:
