New Heartland North Trail owner

[steve.morgan.167]

My wife and I just bought a new North Trail 24ft bunkhouse. Honestly, we are scared out of our minds reading horror stories of melted breaker boxes, plumbing leaks, blown tires, mice infestations and leaky roofs. We've yet to take it out yet and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. We love the layout and it seemed to be good quality, but I'm having some trepidation because of stuff I've read. Any words of affirmation from anyone here? We are not wealthy and cannot afford costly repairs every 2 months. Wondering if we made a good choice or tragic mistake. Any tips, tricks and encouragement is appreciated.

 

[danemayer]

Hi Steve,

Congratulations on the new North Trail and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

It's pretty common to have warranty issues, but most are minor and easily corrected. RVs are built by hand by human beings and of course mistakes are made. Then we take our house on wheels down the road and give it a good shaking. You will have things happen over time.

But don't think for a second that you'll experience every issue that you read about on this or any other forum. The information on the forum is great for helping you know what to look out for, and how to correct many problems.

Keep in mind that people mostly post when they have a problem. They don't post the 99% of the time when they aren't having a problem.

So relax and enjoy your new rig. If you have questions, this is a great place to get answers.

 

[JWalker]

We loved our 08 North Trail. So much, that we purchased another in 2011. A few small issues, but we never missed a day of camping.
Enjoy and safe travels!!

 

[TravelTiger]

The best way to approach it is to assume there will be glitches, but know that how you react to them will influence how you feel about your camper and RVing in general. If you let a problem ruin your day and your trip, you will not enjoy RVing. We expect an adventure when we go on a trip... Not expecting to have problems, but knowing that "if something gets in your way, turn". Having a good attitude and not letting hiccups sour you is key.


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[Shortest Straw]

Don't let other peoples stories and mishaps ruin the enjoyment of your new rig. You can eliminate many problems others have by being diligent in how you take care of your rig. Get in the habit of checking the systems in your rig from time to time to make sure things are tight and working properly. Check your tire pressures often, check your wheel lugs often, get on the roof periodically. Now no matter what you do no one can promise that parts are not going to break, that is a given. Through the usage of your new toy and getting familiar with it you can do a lot to eliminate many of your worries.

Congratulations on your new NT! We loved ours when we had it and did not have a bit of problems with it.

 

[pegmikef]

Steve, I am one of those who experienced a loose neutral in my breaker box, causing it to overheat and burn the insulation off the wire. Fortunately, we found it in time before it could cause worse problems (i.e., fire), so now I routinely check it.

I would like to point out that my Big Horn had around 25k miles on it before this problem surfaced. Prior to this rig I owned a North Trail 26 LRSS and had it for 20k plus miles and experienced zero problems (except for tires), and before the NT I briefly owned a Heartland Edge ( 5 or 6k miles) and also experienced zero problems.

Please don't let these experiences ruin your enjoyment of your TT. The two main reasons we post these problems are:

1) To seek advice and help from our more knowledgeable members who may have encountered the same problem.

2) To warn others of the vulnerability and potential of the encountered problem.

I know when I read of other members' problems that I hadn't heard of, I go and check the problem area on my rig.

Enjoy your new travel trailer!

 

[travelin2]

Don't let other peoples stories and mishaps ruin the enjoyment of your new rig. You can eliminate many problems others have by being diligent in how you take care of your rig. Get in the habit of checking the systems in your rig from time to time to make sure things are tight and working properly. Check your tire pressures often, check your wheel lugs often, get on the roof periodically. Now no matter what you do no one can promise that parts are not going to break, that is a given. Through the usage of your new toy and getting familiar with it you can do a lot to eliminate many of your worries.

Congratulations on your new NT! We loved ours when we had it and did not have a bit of problems with it.

What he said . Enjoy the rig. Perform some due diligence and give your rig some timely care and love and make some memories.
We have and are looking ahead to more.


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['Lil Guy']

We owned the NT21FBS and loved it with zero issues. The NT's are built well. If you decide to replace the tires, I'd go one better up the scale. If they're C rated, go to D, D to E etc. Keep them properly inflated and don't exceed the 65 MPH limit on them.
Don't be like us and read to much into the horror stories. Remember, you're reading posts from a few of the thousands of units on the road.
Enjoy that new NT and don 't be a stranger to the site. If ou do have any minor issues, the knowledgeable people here can usually talk you thru a simple repair. Enjoy that new TT and hope to see youy down the road.

 

[steve.morgan.167]

Thanks for all of the helpful advice. It's just a big purchase and I want to make sure I know what to expect.

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[Domi]

We got our NT 28 RBS in September. It was a used model and we had a couple of issues but nothing major. The forums were great for learning what to keep an eye out for and very helpful for the problems that needed tot be fixed. We were out almost every weekend for 6 weeks and are loving it. If the weather will hold this weekend we are off to do some mid winter camping and see how that works. We have been stuck with out being able to go since mid November and defiantly want to get out using it again.

Enjoy your trailer. It should do you well.

John

 

[JohnD]

You'll love your new North Trail!

Chances are you won't have any major issues with your new trailer . . .

But if you do (and there really are many who have - all brands of RV's), don't be afraid to come here and tell us about it!

 

[Bgthomas]

Nah, mine didn't spontaneously combust and neither will yours. Stick around, though. If you do have problems, the folks here can help you steer through them.

 

[dl_camps]

We have had our 21FBS since 2012 and love it. No major issues with it. We did have a small leak with our kitchen faucet, but just replaced that ourselves and problem solved. Just remember any trailer-any manufacturer can have problems. Enjoy your new trailer

 

[Kaki5591]

Just wanted to say that we have a new NT 24 Bunkhouse too. Camping right now, 4th weekend trip. It gets easier every time, we were nervous wrecks when we started and it's already a lot better. I made a check list for hooking up to travel to camp and another for packing up to travel home. A list for winterizing, etc. I was very surprised at the lack of information in the owners manual, it took me a half hour to find the uptake for the antifreeze and another to find the bypass on water heater, and I had to look at this site to learn how to get the antifreeze in the lines. I spend a lot of time reading the "how to" files on this site. It's beginning to be fun!!


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[BigJim45]

Welcome to the Heartland forum. Yes you can find plenty of answers to your questions plus you have plenty of people on here to help you.
Again welcome and come join a rally near you.

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[JohnD]

Just wanted to say that we have a new NT 24 Bunkhouse too. Camping right now, 4th weekend trip. It gets easier every time, we were nervous wrecks when we started and it's already a lot better. I made a check list for hooking up to travel to camp and another for packing up to travel home. A list for winterizing, etc. I was very surprised at the lack of information in the owners manual, it took me a half hour to find the uptake for the antifreeze and another to find the bypass on water heater, and I had to look at this site to learn how to get the antifreeze in the lines. I spend a lot of time reading the "how to" files on this site. It's beginning to be fun!!


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Welcome to the club!

Each time you take your RV out it all becomes a little bit easier!

But when you come to one of our HOC Rallies . . . everything will make sense!

The Rallies are the best part of the HOC (Heartland Owner's Club) . . .

We've been to six . . . and have at least as many already scheduled in the future!

 

[BobHinSC]

5/27/2015
Hello fellow Heartland owners,
I bought my very first TT on April 18, 2016. I bought a 2015 Heartland North Trail 22 RBK from Palmetto RV in Mount Pleasant, SC. I have been out with it twice. First to camping school which was done by the dealership and then to a Heartland owners rally. I LOVE IT!!! My 2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer would not have been sufficient so on April 19, 2016 I bought a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4, so now towing is not a problem and gives me room (weight wise) to go bigger in the future. I am so excited to get out and go camping. Being in my apartment now is no fun.
Can't wait to meet more Heartland owners.