Ordered a Cyclone 4000 Today

[alex00]

I stepped inside one today at LazyDays. IMO the new "L" shaped couch is a big improvement. The removeable piece that sits directly in front of the big screen tv is a recliner. Didn't see how it secures to the floor, but I wish I had it in mine.

Remo, it's comforting to hear you say that. I know you have issues with the comfort level of your furniture. I haven't put hands on the new 4000 furniture, but sat in two other models with the same improved couches. My understanding from talking to AJ and Brandon is that the couch attaches to the removable section on the side, and the removable piece sits on the floor.


I wonder if it would be an easy switch to take your old couch out and put the new furniture in. I figure with all the trouble the CW gave you on your rig, they should come out of pocket as a gesture of goodwill to make you happy. I'd be on the horn with Marcus over there and see if his rapid response team wants to bend over backwards to make you happy. Rumor has it, someone got a brand new SOB MH because of the problems. A new couch seems like a drop in the bucket compared to a new MH.

 

[alex00]

Alex, I've always recommended buyers take along with them another experienced RVer during the PDI. I assume you're up above Sacramento area. I don't know which way you'll be traveling to Gilroy, but if you'd like an extra person for the PDI, I'll make myself available. I'm currently in Vallejo till March 31.

Dave, I appreciate the offer. This is my second coach, though. I feel that armed with the great checklists I've found on this site, and the months of reading I've been doing I should be able to handle the PDI pretty well.

 

[jducherer]

Just picked up my new 3800hd Saturday now the fun begins. It's -20c here right now so the mods will be done in a few weeks.


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[alex00]

Just picked up my new 3800hd Saturday now the fun begins. It's -20c here right now so the mods will be done in a few weeks.


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I know what you mean. It was 68f here the other day. I had to find a light jacket to wear. Lol

Congratulations on the 3800. I love the living room in that one. If it had a king bed I'd have bought it.

I alr any have a long list of mods planned in my head. I can't wait to get started.

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[Noelle]

Help! I am really new to some of the terms used here. What is PDI? We are trying to confirm what we are going to order. We like the 4000 and are leaning that way, but are trying to compare to the Forest River 401AMP. Anyone know where we can get good comparison information? We plan on ordering our unit this spring. Just upgraded our truck so we can haul one of these beauties!

 

[alex00]

Help! I am really new to some of the terms used here. What is PDI? We are trying to confirm what we are going to order. We like the 4000 and are leaning that way, but are trying to compare to the Forest River 401AMP. Anyone know where we can get good comparison information? We plan on ordering our unit this spring. Just upgraded our truck so we can haul one of these beauties!

PDI is Pre Deliver Inspection.

I would start with dealer websites and look at specifications. For us, tank capacity was huge. Many of the other brands, Voltage, Fuzion, Raptor, AMP all had smaller black tanks. From experience with out older trailer, we knew we needed more than the 40 gallons that many offered. We dry camp for lengths of time, and don't want to move the trailer to dump.

Once you narrow down a floor plan you like, compare decor from different brands. Voltage looks nice inside on the 3970, but the couch only fits two people, or three if my seven year old squeezed in. I personally did not like the cabinets and flooring of the other trailers. Fuzion, Raptor and AMP had decor choices that I didn't like.

I started my shopping by looking for bad reviews of products. It helped me narrow down what brands to stay away from. What you realize, though, is that every trailer has bad units, and bad units get talked about online. Common themes of problems raised flags, but also the customer service of the manufacturer. In all honesty, this forum was big part of choosing a Heartland product. I am aware of the Forest River forum, but did not spend much time there. It may not be important to you. It was to me. Can you call and talk to a factory rep, or the brand manager of other trailers? I've never had a problem getting through to a manufacturer rep for Heartland, and that was while I was shopping.

Customer service to me, is the biggest issue of them all. All the appliances and what-nots are similar brand to brand. It is how the brand you bought from responds if there is a problem. Sure, there are bad stories here, but there are a ton of good ones too. Look at customer service stories from other brands, and you'll see that people have a very hard time getting a hold of certain manufacturers after the sale.

This thread has a good comparison post from AJ Jones, the brand manager, albeit to a Voltage, but it will give you an idea.

Good luck and have fun. Trailer shopping can be a lot of fun.

 

[Noelle]

PDI is Pre Deliver Inspection.

I would start with dealer websites and look at specifications. For us, tank capacity was huge. Many of the other brands, Voltage, Fuzion, Raptor, AMP all had smaller black tanks. From experience with out older trailer, we knew we needed more than the 40 gallons that many offered. We dry camp for lengths of time, and don't want to move the trailer to dump.

Once you narrow down a floor plan you like, compare decor from different brands. Voltage looks nice inside on the 3970, but the couch only fits two people, or three if my seven year old squeezed in. I personally did not like the cabinets and flooring of the other trailers. Fuzion, Raptor and AMP had decor choices that I didn't like.

I started my shopping by looking for bad reviews of products. It helped me narrow down what brands to stay away from. What you realize, though, is that every trailer has bad units, and bad units get talked about online. Common themes of problems raised flags, but also the customer service of the manufacturer. In all honesty, this forum was big part of choosing a Heartland product. I am aware of the Forest River forum, but did not spend much time there. It may not be important to you. It was to me. Can you call and talk to a factory rep, or the brand manager of other trailers? I've never had a problem getting through to a manufacturer rep for Heartland, and that was while I was shopping.

Customer service to me, is the biggest issue of them all. All the appliances and what-nots are similar brand to brand. It is how the brand you bought from responds if there is a problem. Sure, there are bad stories here, but there are a ton of good ones too. Look at customer service stories from other brands, and you'll see that people have a very hard time getting a hold of certain manufacturers after the sale.

This thread has a good comparison post from AJ Jones, the brand manager, albeit to a Voltage, but it will give you an idea.

Good luck and have fun. Trailer shopping can be a lot of fun.

I started a reply and my computer shut down to install updates! Thanks for the reply and good information.

So, is the PDI at the manufacturer's before delivery or at the dealers before transferring the unit to us? We also have done a lot of research and had settled on this unit or that unit. Of course we wanted to one in real life before making a purchase and boy are we glad we did. We had wanted a nicer 5th wheel, but our truck had a tow weight of 15.000 and most of the units we really liked had GW of 18,000. Not a good idea. So we thought we needed a smaller unit and looked at Crossroads. They look good on paper, but when we found one to go through, it was soooo cheap! We finally decided we needed to upgrade our truck and no we can get what we really want. We love the 4000 floor plan and the quality of the Cyclone - and the 2014 NOT the 2013 because of that ugly seat in the closet and the fireplace partway behind the sofa. Those have both been fixed in the 2014's. So now FR is making a floor plan that is almost just like the 4000. Both have visual features that I like and there are some differences. What I need is a comparison of the "underneath" features. And Heartland is beginning to make 2015's. I need to know what changes there will be in th 2015's.

You are so right about water holding capacity. But I need to know more about the slides and water tightness and that kind of thing. The literature I have seen on the Cyclones looks great, but every brand makes claims that they do this better than the other guys. What have Cyclone owners experienced? I could not find a forum like this for the 401 AMP or I would be in there reading, too.

I have already searched the forums for hours and need to dig deeper, but also want/need that comparison. We were able to go through some AMPs, but not the 401. The visual quality seemed reasonable.

Thanks again for the reply and information. I look forward to getting much more before we make our purchase!

 

[remoandiris]

and the 2014 NOT the 2013 because of that ugly seat in the closet and the fireplace partway behind the sofa. Those have both been fixed in the 2014's.

The fireplace on my 2014 and a later model 2014 I walked thru is partially blocked by the sofa.

 

[alex00]

I started a reply and my computer shut down to install updates! Thanks for the reply and good information.

So, is the PDI at the manufacturer's before delivery or at the dealers before transferring the unit to us? We also have done a lot of research and had settled on this unit or that unit. Of course we wanted to one in real life before making a purchase and boy are we glad we did. We had wanted a nicer 5th wheel, but our truck had a tow weight of 15.000 and most of the units we really liked had GW of 18,000. Not a good idea. So we thought we needed a smaller unit and looked at Crossroads. They look good on paper, but when we found one to go through, it was soooo cheap! We finally decided we needed to upgrade our truck and no we can get what we really want. We love the 4000 floor plan and the quality of the Cyclone - and the 2014 NOT the 2013 because of that ugly seat in the closet and the fireplace partway behind the sofa. Those have both been fixed in the 2014's. So now FR is making a floor plan that is almost just like the 4000. Both have visual features that I like and there are some differences. What I need is a comparison of the "underneath" features. And Heartland is beginning to make 2015's. I need to know what changes there will be in th 2015's.

You are so right about water holding capacity. But I need to know more about the slides and water tightness and that kind of thing. The literature I have seen on the Cyclones looks great, but every brand makes claims that they do this better than the other guys. What have Cyclone owners experienced? I could not find a forum like this for the 401 AMP or I would be in there reading, too.

I have already searched the forums for hours and need to dig deeper, but also want/need that comparison. We were able to go through some AMPs, but not the 401. The visual quality seemed reasonable.

Thanks again for the reply and information. I look forward to getting much more before we make our purchase!

Your process sounds very similar to mine. We originally ruled the 4000 out because of the bunk access being in the kitchen. At the time I was shopping the 4000 was the only floor plan of it's kind. Within a few months Voltage, Fuzion and Raptor all had copies. Each one brought something to the table, but there were too many things about the Cyclone I liked, as well as things about the other brands I didn't.

I don't know all of the changes for 2015, but what I do know is on the newest (as in two weeks ago) the bedroom window is larger, and the TV pulls out of the washer dryer closet like the 4200. Not all 2014 models will be the same. There are mid year changes. An early 2014 will still have the older couches. The newer 2014s will have a wainscoting in the garage, darker gray exterior on the HD package and the Broyhill residential furniture.

As far as underneath, I can't really help with a side by side comparison on the AMP, or many others. I compared to Voltage, and preferred the Cyclone construction. Hydraulic slides vs. the Schwintek slides. Everything I read from each manufacturer was that they had the best construction, the best features, etc. It is hard to distill the information into actual comparisons except to read posts by people that have had both units, and written a comparison. Obviously those posts are rare. What I did realize is that the Cyclone was built to handle the demands I would likely throw at it. Most of the other trailers were, too. It may take finding out what is important to you, and asking each manufacturer what their spec is on that point. Are you an extreme hot or cold camper, needing great insulation? Do you need extra cargo capacity? Do you want a particular tank capacity?

With particular emphasis on your point about the slides. The slide issues are probably going to vary from trailer to trailer and brand to brand. Aside from the Voltage must be level to put slides out issue, I am not aware of any brand-wide slide leaking issues. There are posts from every brand where owners talk about leaking. For the most part any issue is going to be limited to how that unit was built, and the overall quality control of a brand. If you read 10 different posts that brand XYZ had ABC problem, does that mean your unit will or won't have the problem? I don't know. I am putting a lot of trust in the brand overall spending as much as I did. I can tell you that I spent nearly 10 months researching before pulling the trigger. I did not make the decision lightly, but feel confident that I bough the right brand and floor plan for my family's needs.

What really helps boost my confidence is that this forum is thriving, on mostly positive energy from mostly happy owners. If Heartland was a brand to avoid, I am confident this forum would be a ghost town. Of course the giant grain of salt in all of this post is that I have not yet taken delivery of my unit. All my opinions are based on my recent shopping experience, and having been in your exact position a few months ago. But, I had not problem dropping a huge down payment on a special order trailer, sight unseen based on Heartland's reputation. I was not willing to do that for a Dutchmen, Keystone or Forest River product.

 

[byob]

A newbe here, we traded our Raptor for a 4000 yesterday. Trailer should be built and at dealership end of April. Retired and planning on selling house soon and living in rv a few years. We looked at Voltage,the new 412t Raptor and liked the 4000 features better. One of or biggest issues was the L shaped seating, tired of turning my head to watch tv. The 6pt. leveling, outdoor ref., double pain windows with the artic package & 3 airs should make a comfortable house!

 

[jimtoo]

Hi byob,


Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure you will have questions and the Heartland family is here to help. Now the hard part comes.... WAITING....

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[alex00]

The dealer left a message for me on Thursday that the trailer was enroute, and due for arrival any day. The dealership finance department called me on Monday. When I called back Tuesday I got the news my trailer is HERE!!! I made an appointment to do the PDI on Sunday. This should work out really well, because even though I am three hours from the dealer, we made plans to go camping about 20 minutes away in weeks. Best case scenario, the trailer is flawless and I take it home, go camping and never take it to the dealer for warranty work. If there are items to be corrected, I will postpone delivery until they are fixed, and hopefully take delivery when we go camping.

A newbe here, we traded our Raptor for a 4000 yesterday. Trailer should be built and at dealership end of April. Retired and planning on selling house soon and living in rv a few years. We looked at Voltage,the new 412t Raptor and liked the 4000 features better. One of or biggest issues was the L shaped seating, tired of turning my head to watch tv. The 6pt. leveling, outdoor ref., double pain windows with the artic package & 3 airs should make a comfortable house!

Sounds like we had the same thoughts about the trailer. The L shaped couch was what sold me.