Honest opinons from current owners

[lhetsler]

Heck of a ride

I bought my Bighorn in May 2008 and have used it extensively and it is impressive. Sure there are always a few issues, but they have been small and fixed without problems. I have a story to tell. I bought my bighorn in Florida while there for the winter. I stopped to use the facilities on my way to Ohio. I had just been to McDonalds and had a chocolate shake. For some stupid reason, I took it into the RV with me and laid it on the bathroom sink. About 30 miles down the road, I about panicked when I realized my shake was gone. I thought at best it will be all over the bathroom and at worst on the hall way carpet. I pulled over at the first opportunity and was shocked to see my chocolate shake sitting on the sink right were I put it.

The suspension is awesome, even more so than I had heard. I am convinced.

 

[LSPTpr]

Lovin the Bighorn

I dont make many posts on here but had to say my two cents on my RL3600. DW and I had SOB for awhile (bought after Katrina storm) which was our first. We started using it more than what we anticipated and knew we needed a larger one. We spent about a year researching and doing the RV show thing. We werent excited about any of the 5ers until we saw the Heartland Bighorn and we knew that was the one. I had my concerns about the dealer but he was close and i wanted a close dealership. Turns out after we bought dealership went under shortly after but Heartland notified me of another dealer that started up with them and that dealership has been great even though i didnt buy my 3400 from them. I had a couple issues and that dealership took care of my issues quickly. I even had an issued that i didnt believe was Heartlands responsiblity to correct and when the manufacturer stated that they wouldn't replace it, I got on this website to look for a fix. Heartland rep emailed me and corrected the problem immediately through them even though as i said i dont believe it was their responsiblity. That impressed me tremendously. We have had it for about 16 months and traveled over 7000 miles with it vacationing (we are not FTers). Will i buy another one:YES, but i do have plans to cross over to a MH in the next year or two

 

[TXBobcat]

Intresting thread. For the OP.. SOB means some other brand. It does not mean the other thing that might come to mind.

A lot of complements here and I agree with all of them. I had SOB and did not like the quality or the response of the Mfgr. In fact the dealers I dealt with did not like working with the Mfgr.

The one thing you will have the biggest problem with is the Dealer. Many of them will tell you what ever it takes to sell you an RV. There are exceptions but they are in the business to sell.

If you line up, lets say all the 5th wheels and put them side by side you would most likely find the following.
They all use the same Refer, water heater, frame, axles, Chinese tires, pin box, hydraulics, water faucets, furniture, converter, and many other things. The big difference is the construction of the body and the manner the Mfgr will support you.
The dealer is the one weak or strong point. For me the dealer helped me get my Bighorn. They have been a good dealer, but it doesn’t matter because I am full timing and will take it to the best place around. RV Capital Service Center in Elkhart, IN. You have to be patient and take time to let them get all the problems fixed. They did this and more. I am now in Coopersville, NY and have a faring coming apart over the passenger side. I have read about this happening with others so I am not surprised. I will try to fix it as best I can and then I will have it replaced when I get to a place that can get the part.
Would I buy my Bighorn again? You can bet your sweet A%$ on that.
Oh.. by the way. With all this response.. where is the OP.. His first post. Where is his second post? Oh well this is a good tribute to our Heartland RV’s.
Hee Hee.. Roll on.

 

[Borntowade]

I don't think it is reasonable to expect towing around a house on wheels for hunfreds of miles without having some issues. Heck I have had more issues to fix in my stationary home than I have on my Bighorn, and the first time my home does any serious moving it is all over. When I needed service I got service. No questions, no hassles just got it done and put e back on the road. Me and the Mrs looked for over 18 months and she decided within 5 minutes of seeing our 3670. (It took me a bit ,onger as I climbed and crawled every square inch I could before even talking to the salesman). When I determined "it would do", heck guys are looking for structure not trinkets, I got to dealing. Got a fair price and a great rig. We love it and will for many years (assuming I outlive it). Can't expect better than that.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Just got back from a 31 day real shake down cruise and both fantastic fans, the bedroom/living room door broke etc. but i called heartland warranty and gary was more than understanding and heartland is allowing a local trailer supply and repair dealer in san clemente to make all the repairs under the warranty. i will keep everyone informed regarding the status, but i am encouraged that heartland stands behind their products during the warranty period. Since the air conditioner in the living room doesnt kool down the bedroom too well, i suggest bringing a small oscillating fan to utilize in the bedroom. It saved us in some of the hot areas or we would have been sleeping on the floor of the living room.

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Larry,

Try doing a search for the the tent in the vent for the air conditioner. I always read about it on the forum but never got around to it until we were in really hot weather, sure does make a difference.

 

[MMToo]

Larry, how did our temporary fix for a door stop hold up? I second the "tent in the vent" recommendation. I did that last week and it made a world of difference.

Steve

 

[Larryheadhunter]

hey steve,
it still works pretty well, although i have left it open and not used it until it is repaired by the warranty. I met Steve at one of the many campgrounds we stayed at during our month long summer rv trip. steve, i have crs. which campground was that? also welcome to the heartland owners forum. i am glad u took me up and joined. lots of answers and many great ideas. enjoy.

i still dont understand the tent in the vent system but will bring it up at the warranty repair shop. something is amiss when u turn the ac vents off in the living room and it barely shoots air in the bedroom. wonder where the cold air really goes. it must be real kool behind the walls LOL

 

[nscaler2]

hey steve,
. wonder where the cold air really goes. it must be real kool behind the walls LOL

I suspect without the tent in the vent treatment and smoothing out the corners where ductwork joins at the plenum, that all the air is just rumbeling around in the plenum, unable to make the square corner turns that are there. I can't believe the factory hasn't caught on to this and fixed the design. This repair has been out there for quite some time.

 

[SmokeyBare]

Larry,

One thing to have the Repair shop check is the ends of the A/C duct work. I found one that was open at the end of the duct. It was once sealed closed... but seems what ever was keeping it closed... let go.

I used the same foil tape that Heartland uses to seal the edges of the duct work to create a wall that prevented the cold A/C air from going past the last ceiling vent. I also re-sealed every ceiling vent opening. Carefully taping any chance of air leakage getting into the attic of my BigHorn.

To build the Tent Vent mentioned... You will need to remove completely the plastic A/C trim cover. It's really simple... You just create a curved pyramid below where the A/C discharged air flows from the squirrel cage fan. Be sure to not completely cover the whole discharge area... so if you ever want to open the ceiling vent... the one attached to the A/C unit... It will still work. You will find the air flow is is actually not in the center of the A/C discharge.... but a little off to one side.

By putting a pyramid shape below the discharged A/C air... you are allowing it to smoothly flow to the left and right duct opening... that runs the length of the RV. While inside this area... be sure to use some of the foil tape to smooth any rough edges ... trying to get the air to flow with out any restrictions, into the duct work.

Good Luck !

 

[THoltz]

Hello All,
This is my 2nd post on this website. Let me be the skeptic for this string of posts. All the previous posts state they have had problems but no one provides any specifics. I do not currently own a Heartland 5th wheel but I do like the looks and specs of the Big Horn. I do currently own a 2003 Lance truck camper and my wife and I are ready for some more room. So, can anyone provide some details of the problems they have had? Thanks!

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Hello All,
This is my 2nd post on this website. Let me be the skeptic for this string of posts. All the previous posts state they have had problems but no one provides any specifics. I do not currently own a Heartland 5th wheel but I do like the looks and specs of the Big Horn. I do currently own a 2003 Lance truck camper and my wife and I are ready for some more room. So, can anyone provide some details of the problems they have had? Thanks!

Here's my nickel. We see posts concerning fresh water tank filling problems, air conditioner air flow/volume problems and recently concerns with leaking around slide outs. Spend some time browsing the forum and you can get an idea of whats out there. I will say that considering how many trailers Heartland builds the percentage with problems is very low. The best thing of all is Heartlands commitment to customer service. We also have a member that owns both a truck camper and a Heartland. I think it's a Lance too.

 

[chrizg]

My only concern is the fresh water tank filling problems and the air conditioner air flow issue for the bedroom. The posts have been on the forums about these issues for quite some time and my 5 month old trailer has these issues.

Overall I am very happy with it. We walked through some campers at the iowa state fair and I was amazed at how some of the other brands floors bowed and sagged like no other. I love the options and storage space

 

[jbeletti]

THoltz,

Thank you for your 2nd post. If you really poke all around this forum, you will find many details about issues people have found with their units over the past 5 years of production. And you will find many solutions to those issues. Look in the various technical forums here.

And please allow me to say that Heartland does not build perfect trailers. It is their goal but like every other manufacturer, we fall short. That said, we have over 800 employees doing their very best to build the best trailers they can.

When we do fall short, we hope that you will find that we stand behind your trailer and along side you to make things right. We have a vast dealer network and a large customer service department. We remain committed to taking care of customers.

That all said, their have been a handful of times where we were unable to satisfy customers or were never given a chance to do so. We regret these instances but they do happen. As Ray pointed out, given the number of units we have built since the days in mid-2004 when we put 1 per day out the door, the percentage of owners who truly regret their decision is very, very low.

I hope that over time, you get a better sense of our product so you can make the absolute best decision on your next RV, be that Heartland or some other brand. And if there is any chance at all that you can make it to Elkhart, Indiana, you need to take our factory tour. Note too that we at most of our local chapter rallies around the country, our chapter leaders allow RVers with other brands to join them in an effort expose others to the brand. See all of our upcoming rallies at the top/center of our Heartland Owners Portal at www.heartlandowners.org.

Jim Beletti

 

[MMToo]

steve, i have crs. which campground was that?
i still dont understand the tent in the vent system but will bring it up at the warranty repair shop.
wonder where the cold air really goes. it must be real kool behind the walls LOL

Larry, We were at Hart Ranch when we did the door jury rig.
The warranty repair did work on mine twice and it still didn't work right till I did the tent thingy. I found timk's diagram to be the most helpful to understand what is trying to be accomplished.
If you open your dump vent you get a ton of cold air. I think with the dump vent closed (and no tent) back pressure builds up and makes the whole thing very inefficient.
Steve