Few questions before purchasing a Cyclone

[ketah777]

Hello, we are planning to sell our house and purchase a Cyclone 4100 to live in and travel around the country. I have a few questions before we go forward with it.

1. Although we plan to mostly follow the warmer climates throughout the year, at some point we do want to spend some time in Colorado in the winter for snow skiing. And I know even the warmer states can sometimes get cold in the winter. Do we need the Arctic Package? If we plan to spend any amount of time in the snow or colder temps, should we get this? Also, should we get the dual pane windows?
2. We currently have a Keystone Cougar and the AC has an option for continuous fan so it doesn't turn on and off all night. I was thankful to figure out that option after a few sleepless nights with the AC waking me up off and on. Does the AC in the Cyclone also have the option for continuous fan? I especially like the noise to drown out any outside noise.
3. We plan to get a golf cart to store in the garage during travel. After adding that and 4 bikes, approximately how much weight would we still have for other things?
4. Does the central vacuum really work? I would love to not have to take up space/weight with my vacuum cleaner but want to make sure this works well before getting rid of mine.
5. I have heard that Heartland may not honor the warranty if we live in the RV full-time. Is that true?
6. If we decide to order an RV instead of buy off the lot (which we may need to do if there are options we need that they don't have on the lot), how long before we need it should we order. We are hoping to hit the road by the end of January.

Thanks so much for any help with these questions!

 

[TravelTiger]

Hello, we are planning to sell our house and purchase a Cyclone 4100 to live in and travel around the country. I have a few questions before we go forward with it.

1. Although we plan to mostly follow the warmer climates throughout the year, at some point we do want to spend some time in Colorado in the winter for snow skiing. And I know even the warmer states can sometimes get cold in the winter. Do we need the Arctic Package? If we plan to spend any amount of time in the snow or colder temps, should we get this? Also, should we get the dual pane windows?
2. We currently have a Keystone Cougar and the AC has an option for continuous fan so it doesn't turn on and off all night. I was thankful to figure out that option after a few sleepless nights with the AC waking me up off and on. Does the AC in the Cyclone also have the option for continuous fan? I especially like the noise to drown out any outside noise.
3. We plan to get a golf cart to store in the garage during travel. After adding that and 4 bikes, approximately how much weight would we still have for other things?
4. Does the central vacuum really work? I would love to not have to take up space/weight with my vacuum cleaner but want to make sure this works well before getting rid of mine.
5. I have heard that Heartland may not honor the warranty if we live in the RV full-time. Is that true?
6. If we decide to order an RV instead of buy off the lot (which we may need to do if there are options we need that they don't have on the lot), how long before we need it should we order. We are hoping to hit the road by the end of January.

Thanks so much for any help with these questions!

Welcome to the forum! I can't answer all the questions, but I can answer the winter/skiing one. Yes, if you plan to camp where it snows, I recommend the Arctic package. It will help keep tanks and main water line from the fresh tank from freezing and give you a little more insulation in some areas.

We love to ski, so we try to take our ElkRidge to Colorado 2-3 times a year. We installed tank heaters ourselves, because the first time without them, we had pipes freeze.

Others will chime in with answers, I'm sure.

Erika


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[scottyb]

Hello Ketah777.

Although we plan to mostly follow the warmer climates throughout the year, at some point we do want to spend some time in Colorado in the winter for snow skiing. And I know even the warmer states can sometimes get cold in the winter. Do we need the Arctic Package? If we plan to spend any amount of time in the snow or colder temps, should we get this? Also, should we get the dual pane windows?

I would recommend the Artic Pkg if you really want to camp in cold weather. I have had mine down to the low 20's w/o it, but was not hooked up to water and was running the heater all night.

We currently have a Keystone Cougar and the AC has an option for continuous fan so it doesn't turn on and off all night. I was thankful to figure out that option after a few sleepless nights with the AC waking me up off and on. Does the AC in the Cyclone also have the option for continuous fan? I especially like the noise to drown out any outside noise.

The fan can be set for low, high, or auto. I run mine on low or high a lot because I park in the pits at motorsports venues. I can sleep through just about anything with it running. See phot below.

We plan to get a golf cart to store in the garage during travel. After adding that and 4 bikes, approximately how much weight would we still have for other things?

Not sure what kind of bikes you mean, but I haul a 4010 Mule and a full size Weber gas grill. My garage is rated for 3000.

Does the central vacuum really work? I would love to not have to take up space/weight with my vacuum cleaner but want to make sure this works well before getting rid of mine.

Yes. It works very well. The wife wished the one in our house worked as well.

I have heard that Heartland may not honor the warranty if we live in the RV full-time. Is that true?

There are quiet a few on here living full time in theirs. I don't think that has been an issue.

If we decide to order an RV instead of buy off the lot (which we may need to do if there are options we need that they don't have on the lot), how long before we need it should we order. We are hoping to hit the road by the end of January.

You would not have any trouble getting one before Jan. I didn't order mine but would do so on the next one. Someone else can better answer that question.

 

[blong]

Hi

Welcome to the forum, you will find the answers you are looking for here for sure as the folks are great. Let me chime in on couple of your questions.

Definitely the Arctic package as it adds insulation to the walls and the tank heaters, also Dual pane windows buys you a quieter trailer and almost no condensation on the windows and cooler in the summer, we will not have another trailer without them.
Vacuum woks great it is all you will need.
Not sure about the fan options but I think it is there, just never looked for it...
Weight limits will also depend on options such as additional AC's and dual pane windows, they will both add to total weight so subtracting from what you can carry...

 

[porthole]

Hello, we are planning to sell our house and purchase a Cyclone 4100 to live in and travel around the country. I have a few questions before we go forward with it.

1. Although we plan to mostly follow the warmer climates throughout the year, at some point we do want to spend some time in Colorado in the winter for snow skiing. And I know even the warmer states can sometimes get cold in the winter. Do we need the Arctic Package? If we plan to spend any amount of time in the snow or colder temps, should we get this? Also, should we get the dual pane windows?
2. We currently have a Keystone Cougar and the AC has an option for continuous fan so it doesn't turn on and off all night. I was thankful to figure out that option after a few sleepless nights with the AC waking me up off and on. Does the AC in the Cyclone also have the option for continuous fan? I especially like the noise to drown out any outside noise.
3. We plan to get a golf cart to store in the garage during travel. After adding that and 4 bikes, approximately how much weight would we still have for other things?
4. Does the central vacuum really work? I would love to not have to take up space/weight with my vacuum cleaner but want to make sure this works well before getting rid of mine.
5. I have heard that Heartland may not honor the warranty if we live in the RV full-time. Is that true?
6. If we decide to order an RV instead of buy off the lot (which we may need to do if there are options we need that they don't have on the lot), how long before we need it should we order. We are hoping to hit the road by the end of January.

Thanks so much for any help with these questions!

Order - get what you want. If you can afford get all the extras. Dual pane windows, dual AC's Arctic package etc, Washer dryer as well if you are full timing it.
Answer to AC is yes.

Ordering 6-8 weeks - but - you said January need. I personally would not order a trailer that would be shipped during the winter season, because of the road chemicals.

Golf carts are roughly 800 pounds

We have the central vac and like it. Wife doesn't because of the bending to attach the hose and dealing with the hose.
I bought one of the extra long hoses at the Goshen rally last year. No problem for me from one end of the trailer to the other. The shortcoming with the central vac is the lack of a beater bar head unit.
There are air powered beater bar heads available, but they lose some of the pick up power with the brush being powered by an air flow motor.

Even with the central vac, we have a Dyson cordless and a small Electrolux standup "cyclone" type vac,

 

[danemayer]

We've spent 6-7 weeks in Breckenridge, CO for each of the past 4 ski seasons. Temps have been as low as -30F. You definitely want the Arctic package and I'd recommend dual pane windows. A fireplace is also worth having. It's also a good idea to have your dealer install at least one extra outlet with a dedicated 20amp circuit breaker in order to run a ceramic disc heater without competing with other devices on a common circuit. I have one dedicated outlet in the kitchen and another in the basement.

We have an owner-written Water Systems Winter Usage Guide with additional info on how to keep the water running in sub-zero weather.

As for full-time use and warranty, most RV warranties exclude full-time use. Heartland has several high-end products that do specifically warranty full-time use. I'm not sure whether that includes the Cyclone 4100. I'd suggest you call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030 and ask to speak with AJ, the Cyclone General Manager.

And if you're planning on hitting the road in January, I'd plan on taking delivery in October/November so you can take a few short trips and allow time for any warranty work that's needed.

 

[ketah777]

Thank you all for the answers and advice. I love this forum, everyone is so helpful! It sounds like we should consider trying to get it this fall rather than wait until a delivery in January. Not sure if we can do that or not. One of the biggest problems would be we have no place to keep it until we move into it. Our Cougar is parked at a friend's machine shop but it's about 10 feet shorter than the Cyclone. Anyway, you've given us lots to think about, thank you again!

 

[Bob&Patty]

Everyone stated what you should get but 6 things. Make sure you get the Goodyear G614 tires from the plant. I agree with Duane on the road salt issue. I would not wait until January. I would also get the 3rd A/C. All this is cheaper now than adding them on later. BTW, what will you be pulling the CY with?

 

[readytohitheroad]

Be especially careful to analyze your needs with respect to carrying capacity. We were looking a toy haulers until we discovered that we would not be able to haul all that we needed to haul in the garage and still be able to haul the other necessities such as water, food etc. At the time we looked the carrying capacity was 2500 lbs for the entire trailer, not just the garage.

 

[ketah777]

Thanks for the reminder about the tires! I have read on here all the complaints about the blowmax tires that come standard. Makes me wonder why Heartland would continue to use these tires when there have been so many complaints about them. And we definitely want the 3rd AC. We don't have the right tow vehicle yet. We plan to get a 350 dually, looking at a Dodge, but open to suggestions.

 

[TravelTiger]

HL has changed tire brand for some of their lines. For them to do this, it's probably more complicated and costly than we know. I'm glad to finally see it.

I'm sure insisting on better tires at time of order/purchase, you can get them.

Sadly, many RV brands, not just HL, use low quality tires, because they can. Not many RV shoppers think about the tires-- they care about the looks and functionality of the unit. Educated buyers will upgrade their tires.

 

[remoandiris]

If you have both bunks in the garage (lower folding bunk/bench seats and upper flat one) the garage AC will do little unless it is ducted. IIRC, the garage AC can NOT be ducted. Why would a garage AC do little? Because the upper bunk blocks the downward flow/blow. If you don't have an upper bunk, a garage AC might work fine for you as long as the lower bunk/bench seats are down.

I've pulled my 2014 CY4000 for about 10,000 miles. I've had zero problem with the stock Towmax tires. I keep tire pressure at the factory recommended setting and usually drive near 60 mph.

Yes, the ACs do have a fan option. Does the Cougar have one or 2 ACs? At night I usually turn off the bedroom AC and just use the livingroom AC. They are both ducted. Having the bedroom AC off means it is quieter in the bedroom and the livingroom AC keeps the unit comfortable.

My wife loves the central vac. She can sweep the kitchen/LR floor dust/dirt to the vac opening and it gets sucked up with an easy lift of the vac door opening. The vac bag door is not convenient to get to (almost centered in the basement) but at least it doesn't need replaced often. We have carpet runners in the bedroom and hallway. She prefers it and I don't care one way or the other.

IMO, you concern about HL's warranty should be less about fulltiming and more about how you will get warranty work done. It could be VERY problematic for a non-factory authorized repair facility to fix your rig. A mobile RV repair could bring the same problems. Make sure you know EXACTLY what HL requires BEFORE you need repairs. Plus, have a plan for what you'll do if the unit needs to stay for a few days or a few weeks at a repair facility.

As for ordering in January and the concerns about road salt during transport to you, what will you do when you're traveling thru snowy climates once you own the rig? Will you wash underneath it every time you move?

Before buying a TH, have you considered a swivelwheel trailer to pull behind a non-TH 5er? Depending on your state, it could be legal. IIRC, states on the east coast prohibit the practice, but most other states allow it. You would have MUCH more "real" living space going that route. Anoterr option would be a big travel trailer and put the cart in the bed of your pickup. That could give you the same amount of "real" living space while costing less and getting a little better gas mileage.

Whatever you do, best of luck.

 

[ketah777]

Thanks for the feedback. Please forgive my dumb questions, but what does IIRC mean? And what does it mean when the AC is ducted?

I was wondering about the delivery in January issue. Why is that a problem? Is it because it will get dirty, or is there a more serious issue? Just wondering because we may not have a choice to get it any sooner than that. We live in FL and could try to find one at a dealer in FL so we won't have to worry about transport in the winter through colder states. But then it might be hard to find all the options we're looking for. And like the previous poster said, if we plan to travel to Colorado in the winter at some point, does it matter? Would love to hear why others would not take delivery in the winter if ordering.

Thanks again for all the advice!

 

[jassson007]

IIRC=if I remember correctly

 

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

January delivery last year was quite a problem. We ordered our Cyclone 4000 November 15 and did not take dlivery of it until April 1. Most of that was lamed no last years bad winter.

I would say if your going to fulltime get what you want from the gitgo rather than trying to add to it or up grade later. When we ordered our Cyclone the only thing left off the list was the outside TV. The artic package will also help in the warn months. I would also recomend not to leave off the Goodyear G614 tires and also upgrade to the 7000 lb axles.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

 

[remoandiris]

Thanks for the feedback. Please forgive my dumb questions, but what does IIRC mean? And what does it mean when the AC is ducted?

IIRC- If I recall (remember) correctly.

Ducted means the hot air from the furnace or cold air from AC is channeled thru ducts to the various living areas of the coach. ACs also have a slide to direct the cold air into the room instead of thru the ducts. I use this when first setting up and the living room or bed room are hot and need cooled down in a hurry.

When you walk thru a coach, look at the ceiling and you will see the cold air openings. Look on the floor and you will see the warm air openings.