Heartland 39500 Junk

[BigGuy82]

This is what our 2015 Heartland Prowler looked like on the bottom four months after the date of manufacture:

View attachment 48668

So I understand your frustration.

Our dealership sprayed some stuff on it and gave it an undercoating that seems to be holding.

However, we are having to replace the rear axle (the one pictured) already in roughly 5000 miles and not quite a year and a half since the purchase.

That being said . . . we love our Prowler and can't wait for our next trip!

I'm assuming that those little yellow tabs are made out of steel? If so, that's a pretty good indicator of a quality paint job vs something else ...

If they're not made out of steel ... never mind.

 

[ray587]

my 2012 Roadwarrior hardly has any rust on the frame.

 

[Geodude]

We've never owned an RV that hasn't rusted, much like the many pictures already posted. A trip down salt-covered winter roads to get to salt-water air in Florida will do that. I clean and paint under the trailer (spray paint) at least once a year, with touch ups as needed. In the fall of the year when I'm rustproofing our cars, I also get under the trailer and spray everything I can with rust prevention spray.

 

[Dan50]

We've never owned an RV that hasn't rusted, much like the many pictures already posted. A trip down salt-covered winter roads to get to salt-water air in Florida will do that. I clean and paint under the trailer (spray paint) at least once a year, with touch ups as needed. In the fall of the year when I'm rustproofing our cars, I also get under the trailer and spray everything I can with rust prevention spray.

I do the same.

 

[2BWIRED]

I do the same.

Nice spring project, remove all axles and harware. Sandblast/sodablast frame and all parts. Repaint and replace all axle hardware.

 

[CDN]

To the OP,

Picture would helpful, which bolts? The u bolts or the shackle bolts? Where the shackle bolts lubricated? Which suspension system as well..

 

[2BWIRED]

To the OP,

Picture would helpful, which bolts? The u bolts or the shackle bolts? Where the shackle bolts lubricated? Which suspension system as well..

If you click on the jpg there are pictures. It was serviced a month prior to it breaking.

 

[mlpeloquin]

View attachment 50930View attachment 50931

Nice spring project, remove all axles and harware. Sandblast/sodablast frame and all parts. Repaint and replace all axle hardware.

Wow! It definitely has seen road salt or other corrosive liquid that was never washed off. You can get a soda blaster from Harbor Freight to clean off the rust. I have a neighbor that did that to clean up a very old Jaguar he is restoring. It too had very heavy to light surface rust. Then coat with rust converter, prime, and paint. That is what he did and it should hold up. I have been to the factory and seen chassis and suspensions and none had rust on them at all.

Do yourself a favor and change out the useless dry lube for life hardware for wet bolts. I am sure glad I did. Had only 6K miles on mine and found two bolts 1/3 eaten into with the original hardware and two sleeves cracked and worn through.

 

[MP_CS]

So is it my understanding that the frame looked good when you purchased it and it has rusted that bad since you purchased it? If not that means the frame and undercarriage were rusty when you bought it, i understand that it shouldn't be rusting that fast but its also something you should've seen begore you purchased. I probably would've kept looking if i saw rust starting like that but thats just me.