Frameless Windows/Ducted Air for BH in 2014?

[forsailors]

I'm seriously considering a Big Horn 3010RE. Three friends of mine own Big Horns, so I'm impressed with Heartland. However, I've noticed several other fifth wheel brands are now making their rigs with frameless windows, ducted air, and arched ceilings. Heartland's Gateway has the frameless windows, not sure about the ducted air, and it looks good. Has anyone heard if Heartland will soon upgrade their Big Horns like some of the other fifth wheels on the market?

 

[Phatkd]

I'm seriously considering a Big Horn 3010RE. Three friends of mine own Big Horns, so I'm impressed with Heartland. However, I've noticed several other fifth wheel brands are now making their rigs with frameless windows, ducted air, and arched ceilings. Heartland's Gateway has the frameless windows, not sure about the ducted air, and it looks good. Has anyone heard if Heartland will soon upgrade their Big Horns like some of the other fifth wheels on the market?

As a 3010RE owner I can say we love our coach! It does not have frameless windows but ours are the dual pane windows and I'm not sure about the single panes being frameless. That was certainly not a deal breaker for us as the rest of the coach is awesome! It does have ducted roof air as well. We really like the changes they made to the 2013 models.

If you have any questions regarding the 3010 please feel free to ask. There are a few of us 3010 owners here and we are all more than willing to help out in anyway possible.

Cheers,..Kris

 

[Wharton]

Our BH has ducted air and it is a 2009 I think. I am not sure what you mean by arched ceilings but the ceiling is very high in the BH, don't see why it would need to be arched. Not sure what a frameless window is but really don't care. I look at the quality of the build and the layout of the trailer plus customer service, not the fluffy stuff.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Frameless windows are/were an option. They come in single and dual pane. As far as I know, all the higher end HL coaches have ducted air and if you order one with the BR A/C it will ducted also. A quick call to HL and they will answer all your questions on options.

 

[Westwind]

I think the comment ducted Air Conditioning needs to cleared up - the main system is ducted through out our 2012 Bighorn 3070RL. We added a second AC in the bedroom and that could not be Ducted so it vents into the bedroom directly and that's a noisy arrangement. It might have been quieter if it could have been ducted.
I think that is what the original questions is - if a second AC is added at the factory would it be ducted???

 

[Theresau]

The 2013 BR AC is ducted in the Bighorn. I queried on the Big Country and was told it is ducted as of 2013 as well.

 

[forsailors]

I think the comment ducted Air Conditioning needs to cleared up - the main system is ducted through out our 2012 Bighorn 3070RL. We added a second AC in the bedroom and that could not be Ducted so it vents into the bedroom directly and that's a noisy arrangement. It might have been quieter if it could have been ducted.
I think that is what the original questions is - if a second AC is added at the factory would it be ducted???

Yes, this is the intention of my question. I've noticed some 5th wheels in the BH price point are including fully ducted air conditioning units with cool air return. That way the air conditioning is quieter throughout the entire living and sleeping areas.

 

[danemayer]

Yes, this is the intention of my question. I've noticed some 5th wheels in the BH price point are including fully ducted air conditioning units with cool air return. That way the air conditioning is quieter throughout the entire living and sleeping areas.

If you look on the Heartlandrvs.com website at Landmark, you'll see under Standard Features and Options that A/C is described as:

• Whisper Quiet Air Conditioner System Featuring Fully Ducted, Dual 15,000 BTU high efficiency A/C units. (emphasis added)

The Bighorn Standard Features and Options describes A/C as:

• Insulated In-Roof Air Conditioning System for Maximum Efficiency
• 15,000 BTU Air Conditioner
• Air Conditioned Stool Room

There's an option for:

• 2nd Low Profile 13.5 BTU Fully Ducted Bedroom A/C (Standard on 3855FL)

On the Gateway, A/C is described as:

• Quick-Cool O-Shaped Dual Air Conditioner Duct System with 2 A/C and 2 Thermostats
  
  ...which sounds a bit like the Whisper Quiet system.

The Whisper Quiet system required some re-engineering effort in the A/C, ceiling, and ductwork. The Gateway is a new design, which may explain why it's there.

 

[Theresau]

Big Country doesn't state it is ducted but I had this checked and at least per the dealer it is for 2013.

 

[danemayer]

Big Country doesn't state it is ducted but I had this checked and at least per the dealer it is for 2013.

There's ducted, and there's DUCTED. Ask if the bedroom A/C unit is connected to the ductwork, or if it just dumps cold air directly into the bedroom.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I believe if the trailer is ordered with the bedroom A/C from the factory, it is ducted throughout.
If the A/C is added at a later date by a dealer, it is not ducted.

 

[Westwind]

I believe if the trailer is ordered with the bedroom A/C from the factory, it is ducted throughout.
If the A/C is added at a later date by a dealer, it is not ducted.

That wasn't the case on my 2012 Bighorn, there wasn't any venting of the 2nd AC other then into the bedroom directly. At least that was the way it was explained to me.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

That wasn't the case on my 2012 Bighorn, there wasn't any venting of the 2nd AC other then into the bedroom directly. At least that was the way it was explained to me.

I guess I should have mentioned that this is for the 2013 model year. Some late 2012's maybe but???

 

[forsailors]

I heard from the good folks at Heartland's Big Horn sales department, and they said you can order the Big Horn with the frameless windows as an option. The AC has been ducted for some time. There is a difference between the Landmark's Whisper Quiet duct system and the other Heartland systems. From my perspective, that makes sense, with the Landmark, Big Horn, and Big Country built to appeal to different price points.

 

[karykatz]

forsailors,

It sounds like there might have been some miscommunication. Bighorn does not offer frameless windows. Our landmark offers the Frameless windows and whisper quiet AC system.

 

[rgwilliams69]

Just a heads up on the Whisper Quiet - we had that in a 2011 Keystone Alpine with the cold air return and second AC in the bedroom also fully ducted. We found that it was much more difficult to cool the coach with the Whisper Quiet system than any we had ever had before with the same BTU and coach size. Even with moderately warm temps and the 15.5 and 13.5 in action the coach would get considerably warmer than what we experienced with a different dual AC coach before and our dual AC Cyclone now. Also you loose the "full dump" option so if you have any loss in your ducts you have to deal with that all the time. Just something to consider or ask about if you are going to be staying in warm climes. It was nice and quiet though.

 

[forsailors]

Thanks, RG, for sharing what you've actually experienced. A little extra "white noise" to keep a trailer cool in hot weather is worth it. I'm sure the Whisper Quiet system lives up to its name, but good to get another perspective. Still considering the Big Horn as our #1 choice so far.

 

[Westwind]

I'd say call the factory, there is a product rep for Bighorn that can confirm what you want to know, but be careful how you ask the questions and let him explain it to you.
Sometimes the question and answer get tangled up.

 

[forsailors]

Thanks, Kary for the clarification. I guess it begs the question, since frameless windows are a growing trend and they really do look sharp on the new Heartland Gateway and the established Landmark, are there plans afoot to add them to the Big Horn in the near future? I think the frameless windows would make the Big Horn, already a good look trailer, even more attractive to prospective owners like myself. Just my humble opinion.