Fulltime living LM San Antonio update

[TexasTraveler]

So sorry that it has been so long since I posted. We got moved into the Alamo condo full time at the end of may and sold our five bedroom house towards the end of june. It all happened so fast. It was hard at first getting rid of 21 years worth of belongings. As it progressed it became very liberating to be rid of all those material belongings. I was a little discouraged at first with the workmanship and lack of good quality control but all issues have been addressed very well by our dealer. We had been to the houston rv show prior to buying this home and have been to two since. As industry standard seems a bit lacking in quality. With that said we are still very pleased with our San Antonio compared to what we have seen as recently as last weekend at the ft worth show. I made an uneducated purchase by not getting the heated tanks and a few other things available in what I believe might be called a fulltimer package. We moved to Childress in Sept. for work and currently still here. We have had temps in the negative single digits and have stayed plenty warm with the help of small electric heaters. We have really come to love living the simple life. Its nice not to own a bunch of stuff and with the sale of our large family home we were able to pay off the alamo condo, buy a new camry and pay off all our debt. Lori was able to retire at 38 years old and I have 10 more years to draw full retirement. We have not a care or want in the world. We go see our grown kids at least twice a month and spend time with the grandbabies. After awhile we have become accustomed to dodging and dancing around each other while we are both moving about inside the house. We have really come to love this rig. Everything has its place and we still have storage room left unused. My most recent project is to relocate the furnace thermostat somewhere other than right above the heat register on the stairs. This summer I am going to replace all the plastic pex fittings with brass and install heat pads to the holding tanks. I am also going to insulate the belly better. I didn't think to do anything to the two roof ac units before winter hit. I'll be happy to any suggestions anyone is willing to share. In ft. worth last weekend we looked at many many new rigs and came to the conclusion that we still like ours best for our needs. We looked on a new key largo and it was beautiful with the new colors. The san antonio just fits us better because of the washer dryer stack not being in the bedroom closet. I see they added more corner shelves in the shower. We have determined only a front living room landmark would improve our wants. I hope everyone is safe and having the time of their lives.
Nathan

 

[danemayer]

Hi Nathan,

Congratulations on your transition. We're about 1/2 time in our Rushmore and love it.

Our rig came with tank heating pads, but if I were adding them today, I would put them on separate switches. That way, if you decide to leave one or both of your gray valves open, you could turn off the heating pads and avoid heat damage to the tank. With them all on a single switch, you have to have at least a little water in each tank all the time.

While you have the coroplast down to install tank heaters, consider adding heat tape and insulation to the water lines. You also may want to get some 2" duct and extend the stub that heats the underbelly, putting a slice every 10" or so to release air. Make a loop and tee it back into the stub. If you get 1/2" foam insulation, and cut it to the inside dimension between frame members, it's pretty easy to flex it into position before putting the coroplast back into place.

Enjoy your full-timing adventures.

 

[TexasTraveler]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I will be instituting each one. I'll be cruising around looking through the forum for things to be done to improve the construction and livability of this unit. I have the time, desire and funds to make any modifications, improvements and repairs that come about. That being said, understand that I shouldn't havarti do these things to a coach with a MSRP in the high 90' s. I am a realist and understand that bells and whistles make sales and cutting corners increases profits but feel there is no reason that industry wide it should be the "norm" to cut every corner possible. I'm not beating up on heartland but the industry in general. I feel like I have purchased either the top of the low end or the bottom of the high end, I'm not sure which one. Heartland needs to take the landmark line and be a trendsetter and not merely a follower in the luxury line. By buying a landmark did I get $25k dollars better rig over a comparable bighorn? Of course I didn't, I got more smoke, mirrors, fluff, a few extra feet and the floorplan I wanted. I love my heartland but with the landmark line I just wish they knew they really need to step up or step aside. Hope everyone is ready for a wonderful weekend.
Nathan

 

[danemayer]

Nathan, my suggestions don't represent things where Heartland cut corners. They don't interest the vast majority of buyers. Some of them are available as options, which you would have gotten if you'd ordered the Yeti option. As to the rest, they're interesting to the very, very few people like myself who camp in extreme weather (3 nights in a row down to -30F this month without skirting). I gave you my suggestions because removing the coroplast is a significant effort. Once you have it down, it makes sense to do everything you can all at once.

 

[TexasTraveler]

LOL... I just reread my post from early this morning and not knowing me and just reading the words I can see where it appears I went off on a tangent about quality control. I promise not my intentions at all. As a matter of fact if I had to do it over again I would buy the very same coach from the very same manufacturer and dealer. I have had nothing but great service. I really need to get off my soap box about the industry as a while being lacking in quality. I have even considered deleting or editing the previous ones but anyhow. I enjoy working on it and customizing it to my specific needs and wants. I like the idea you mentioned about the separate heating pads.we don't dry camp so I wonder f I ought to just put it on the black tank or go ahead and do all 3 while I have it apart. I enjoy doing things to it and making it more personal. Once again thanks for all the suggestions. This is an awesome place for information with lots of great folks. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend

 

[Birchwood]

I just returned from the Tampa RV super show where every fifth wheel offered was on display.We viewed many ,
many fifth wheels DRV,Redwood,New Horizons,Excel and many other high end units.Finally we found the Landmarks
as it was a large display and the one thing we noticed was that the Landmark is still towable with a 1 ton.Many of the other units
are very nice with many options and they would be my first choice over Landmark if I didn't have to tow them.Good work
Heartland for keeping the weight at a reasonable level and also providing a luxury condo on wheels.