New to Heartland.....

[CPDDet]

Hello all, Dave and Ronna here.

We recently sold our truck camper; I’ll just call it “SOB” (some other brand) as I’m not sure if it’s proper etiquette on this forum to mention it by name.

I retired from the Chicago Police Department in January of 2013 and took the truck camper on the road full time for 2 years. I’m lucky enough to have a girl that supported me in this adventure. Ronna, who is an RN, will be retiring in the near future so we want to upgrade to something larger. Our plan is to spend 2-3 months in a warmer climate as well as a few 1-2 week vacations during the warmer months up north. Of course there will be the usual weekend family outings as well.

My truck camper was manufactured by a very reputable company and we are hoping to find a similar quality in a Heartland product. While we haven’t decided on a specific unit yet, we are leaning toward a mid-profile 5[SUP]th[/SUP] wheel.

There was an owners group for our previously owned RV which was an enormous help and we were thrilled to see that Heartland owners have banded together to establish a very similar forum.

We will have many questions for you more experienced Heartland owners and are looking forward to learning from you all.

 

[danemayer]

Hi Dave and Ronna,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. This is a great place to ask questions because there's a large group of friendly and helpful people here who are quick to share what they've learned.

Feel free to ask away.

 

[Nabo]

Welcome to the forum. If you want to do a lot of camping in state and national parks, they are geared for shorter campers, therefore campers under 38 feet would be better. If commercial campground are your liking, then any length will work. We started our Heartland experience in a Sundance before moving up to a couple of Big Country, now the Landmark. The Sundance and the first Big Country we could take just about anywhere because they were 32 and 35 feet long. The next Big Country and the Landmark we have to be a little more careful where we end up because they were 40 and 42 feet long. Good luck in search.

 

[jmgratz]

Hello all, Dave and Ronna here.

We recently sold our truck camper; I’ll just call it “SOB” (some other brand) as I’m not sure if it’s proper etiquette on this forum to mention it by name.

I retired from the Chicago Police Department in January of 2013 and took the truck camper on the road full time for 2 years. I’m lucky enough to have a girl that supported me in this adventure. Ronna, who is an RN, will be retiring in the near future so we want to upgrade to something larger. Our plan is to spend 2-3 months in a warmer climate as well as a few 1-2 week vacations during the warmer months up north. Of course there will be the usual weekend family outings as well.

My truck camper was manufactured by a very reputable company and we are hoping to find a similar quality in a Heartland product. While we haven’t decided on a specific unit yet, we are leaning toward a mid-profile 5[SUP]th[/SUP] wheel.

There was an owners group for our previously owned RV which was an enormous help and we were thrilled to see that Heartland owners have banded together to establish a very similar forum.

We will have many questions for you more experienced Heartland owners and are looking forward to learning from you all.

Hello welcome to the Heartland forum. and welcome to another retired LEO. There are quite a few active and retired LEOs on this forum. I spent 34 years as a LEO and retired from Houston TX PD in 2002. Hopefully we will run across each other at some time and swap some 'war' stories. Don't hesitate to ask questions on this forum as we (the forum) are not bashful in throwing out answers. Welcome again.

 

[CPDDet]

Nathan,
Couldnt agree more. One thing that was nice about the truck camper was the very small footprint. I could pull into any state park and grab a tent site if needed.

We will be keeping our trailer or 5th wheel to under 32 feet. Just the two of us so we dont need that much room. And after 2 years of full timing in the truck camper 32 feet will feel like a palace.

JMGRATZ,

Thanks for your service. Its a shame the job has changed so much. Ronna has 2 sons still on the job and I always wonder if they are going to make enough years to retire.

 

['Lil Guy']

Look at the E lite series Elkridge. We had the E289 and really loved it. Just 31 feet and really easy to tow.

 

[CPDDet]

Thanks baker,

I'll be sure to add it to our list which now has the Sundance XLT 285TS and the new North Peak NP28TS. Both of those are 31'4" and have a GVWR of 9900 pounds. I see the E289 specs out with a GVWR of 11250 pounds which is at the high end of our comfortable towing weight. But definitely worth a look.

I see there is also a new Sundance XLT floorplan, the 289TS, but the specs havent been published yet.

 

[JohnD]

Take a look at the Prowler floor plans . . .

Most of them are the same as the Elkridge and Sundance 5th-wheelers . . . but lighter!

I pull a 2015 Heartland Prowler P292 with a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD double cab short box with the 6.0L Vortec gas engine and a 4.10 rear end in the mountains of Colorado with no issues.

Of course, I wouldn't win the Indy 500 going up hill, but at least have been able to keep a speed that doesn't **** off everyone behind me!

I'll let you look up the numbers . . .

We were lucky enough to find a dealer less than 50 miles away that had two of them when we wanted to see one.

One of them now resides in our side yard (well, at the moment it is at the dealership getting warranty repairs done).

 

[CPDDet]

Glad to hear that!

I’m running at about the same HP with a bit more torque than you and a 4.3 rear end. I see your P292 GVW is 10,500.

Actually I’ve found several postings on other forums from people who are running the 6.2L with 5[SUP]th[/SUP] wheels weighing 10,000 to 12,000 pounds without any real issues. Going a bit slower on long, steeper grades but still keeping a respectable speed.

Thanks for chiming in on this issue!

 

[Gtoli]

JMGRATZ,

Thanks for your service. Its a shame the job has changed so much. Ronna has 2 sons still on the job and I always wonder if they are going to make enough years to retire.

I feel the same about my career, hope I can make it through the last 8. It's getting harder to do the job by the day.

 

[jmgratz]

To the LEOs out there....after working in the training division for some 16 years my best advise is find a safe spot after you do your time
'on the street'. Someplace like the property room, records or dispatch. I spent about 6 years in driver's training which was one of the best assignments because we got to 'tear up someone else's car and get paid for it'. If you enjoy teaching young LEO how to stay safe and do the job correctly I would highly recommend getting into the training division of your department. I was fortunate that my department had a full time training division. Stay safe and the very most important thing to remember is two-fold. 1. Be sure to do your job so you can go home at the end of shift and 2. Don't kill yourself trying to catch the bad guy because he will screw up again and you can get him then. BTW ... thanks to all of the first responders (Police Fire and EMS) for keeping us safe on a daily basis.

 

[lishshel]

You might also want to check out the Sundance 2880 RLT. It has a "flat floor" in the bedroom and an island in the kitchen. It pulls and parks relatively easy, yet has plenty of room for 2-3 people to use it comfortably.

 

[olcoon]

Another LEO here, retired Deputy Sheriff. We went from tent camping to a 5th wheel, and didn't really know much about the RV lifestyle. We bought an Elk Ridge in 2011, and have spent 6 months of the year living in it. We now are wishing that we'd bought something different, as we only have 1 slide, and has plenty of room, and storage for a "vacation", but on an extended trip like we make, we sometimes run out of room...where did I store my coat, or where did I stash the shorts & t-shirts. Basically what I'm saying is look at what works for now, then anticipate what your needs/wants may be in a couple of years.

 

[Fulltimers]

Great Day everyone. Kerry and Jere here. I joined the Forum almost a year ago. We are getting closer to becoming Heartland owners. Our goal is to order a Newport 365 this year. We are within 2 to 6 years from retirement and really like the bath and a half floor plan. Once retired we are work campers and plan to go North in the summer (visit kids and workcamp) and beat feet back South for the winter. We have a GMC 3500 dually with Duramax and Allison. We have been fulltiming since 2005 with have no regrets and excited that traveling is just around the corner.

 

[GOTTOYS]

Another LEO here, retired Deputy Sheriff. We went from tent camping to a 5th wheel, and didn't really know much about the RV lifestyle. We bought an Elk Ridge in 2011, and have spent 6 months of the year living in it. We now are wishing that we'd bought something different, as we only have 1 slide, and has plenty of room, and storage for a "vacation", but on an extended trip like we make, we sometimes run out of room...where did I store my coat, or where did I stash the shorts & t-shirts. Basically what I'm saying is look at what works for now, then anticipate what your needs/wants may be in a couple of years.

I agree with Roy. We bought what we thought we wanted. Now we have decided there are a lot of things we would differently. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods it's pretty hard to sell my 5th wheel by myself even when asking a well below market price. Trading it in is even worse if I could find a dealer that will even want it. Our local dealers are saturated with used trailers and they just aren't selling. Do a lot of thinking and anticipate what your needs/wants might be in a few years....JMHO..Don

 

[JohnD]

I agree with Roy. We bought what we thought we wanted. Now we have decided there are a lot of things we would differently. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods it's pretty hard to sell my 5th wheel by myself even when asking a well below market price. Trading it in is even worse if I could find a dealer that will even want it. Our local dealers are saturated with used trailers and they just aren't selling. Do a lot of thinking and anticipate what your needs/wants might be in a few years....JMHO..Don

Our 2013 Heartland Trail Runner sold the day after it hit the lot at our dealership . . .

Maybe trade it in at a dealership in another state where used trailers sell fast!

Like Colorado.

 

[Fulltimers]

I was a LEO in Kansas (mainly with the Shawnee County SO) and now finishing my career with the VA Police as a supervisor. We have spent the last 6 years as volunteers for the Corps of Engineers at Lake Waco. Lake front camp site. Life has been great here and thankful to God for the blessing.

 

[JohnD]

I was a LEO in Kansas (mainly with the Shawnee County SO) and now finishing my career with the VA Police as a supervisor. We have spent the last 6 years as volunteers for the Corps of Engineers at Lake Waco. Lake front camp site. Life has been great here and thankful to God for the blessing.

We figure that the next time we need to upgrade our truck and trailer (maybe 10 years???) that we will be able to retire and sell off the house and hit the road full time!

Until then . . . CAN'T WAIT!