Poll: If in the Market, Would You Buy Another Heartland

[jmgratz]

I have not visited the forum for a while because everything was fine with the BH. We still like the RV. Just as with a new house some things need to be fixed or adjusted but compared to other RVs I've seen the BH is a real winner.

Except that I would like to meet the so-called "electrician" responsible for the ratsnest he or she "created". In my business he would have been able to do that only once before he was out on the street. I sincerely would like to punch him in the nose. This guy single-handedly ruins the image of HeartlandRVs.

Because of people like him (I can't imagining a she would be that sloppy) we need inspectors because this kind of so-called work, certainly creates a fire-hazard.

I've started to clean up the mesh but I gave it up: it's almost impossible without going through the effort to take out all of the wiring and start from scratch again.

SHAME ON YOU, whomever you are!

PS Suggestion for HeartlandRVs QC.
Publish the names of the people working on the construction of every individual RV on a plaque displayed in every RV.

Please don't avoid the forum because everything is going okay. Visit often especially when things are okay. Why? Because others on the forum may need your expertise and advise. Thanks for visiting this time.

 

[jbeletti]

vrugt,

Thank you for your input. Heartland is working on cleaning this area up and improvements have already been made. Further improvement is ongoing.

I also agree with Jim Gratz - coming to the forum to report the negative is only marginally helpful to the Heartland owner base. Please participate more often with what you are doing, where you are going, what you like, what you have modified etc. Owners helping owners - the Heartland Owners Community.

Thanks again for chiming in and don't be a stranger. Come to a rally near you (NY, NJ, PA, VA, SC...)

 

[htneighbors]

I really would like to hear the other side of this story....there always is one...

Not the other side of this one, but here's another...

I've had my Cyclone for over 18 months and lived in it fulltime since the day after I bought it. I've had it in temps well over 100 and (after my deep winter preparation mods) down to 30 below. I've hauled it several thousand miles. Any minor issues that have reared their little heads, I've taken care of them. I try to stay on top of the preventative maintenance issues, as one should, to ward off the evil spirits of any major problems. Thankfully, to date - I've never had any major problems and it has never been to any shop, anywhere, for anything. I feel I purchased a great quality unit. Having never previously had an RV in my life, there is nothing else I can compare it to. It's mucho better than any tent I ever had-and I've had some nice ones! I can say that thanks to this forum and many of you guys, I learned quite a bit even before I picked it up. There's tons of information and many years of experience represented here.

One of these days, I'm sure I'll be in the market for another RV. As far as I'm concerned, the only way I would NOT buy a Heartland is if I decided I needed a motorhome! If that ends up the case, maybe they'll start making them by then and the problem would be solved!

 

[OwensMom]

BH=Freedom

We purchased our BH 10/07. We had never owned an rv before and were intimidated by the unit. We had received absolutely NO training form K&CRV in Longmont even though they knew we were ignorant about rvs. Luckily we had some friends who gave us advice. After alot of trial and error(mostly error) our BH has survived and so have we. We have used our BH mostly dry camping and took our first 3500 mi trip this summer. We had 3 dogs and 3 cats with us. We all enjoyed camping on an island in the Mississippi Riven in LaCrosse WI. And we completely enjoyed every minute of the trip. We had the freedom to have our furry kids with us and they were entertained by our journeys. Our BH has performed beautifully. We have a few small problems. Jim has taken care of most problems. The worst problem from my point of view is the failed bathroom gasket.
Would I buy another Heartland-yes but not from K&CRV. Will we continue rving- absolutely yes.
Thank you all for you advice and knowledge. We get a kick from reading your messages!! Lynn

 

[jpyles]

YES! In fact, we just upgraded from our 22FB North Country to a new Sundance XLT 287RL 5th Wheel. We camped over 50 nights in our North Country with only one problem. The hinges on the bed came undone because of the small size of the of mounting screws used. So far we are delighted with our new 5th wheel.

 

[retire2010]

My husband and I own a 3410RE 2009. We will be retired next year and plan to full time RV, 6 months in New York and 6 months in a warmer climate. You have me a little worried now. I did a lot of research before we bought this brand and found few complaints posted anywhere on the web. So far any problems that we have had (which were small) were taken care of by Wilkin's RV where we bought the fifth wheel and by replacement by Heartland themselves. I hope that I have chosen wisely.

 

[Uncle Rog]

H*** Yes!

This is my fourth RV, and I have been on this forum for 3+ years now.
When we picked the Horn over the others we looked at it was for several resons.
Initially the floorplan, amenities, construction, turning radius and overall appearance (you get the picture) got our attention.
We never even asked the price as we figured we could never afford a rig this nice.
When we did start to get some pricing we were not impressed with what we were hearing. We got the rig for $2k less than the closest competion that did not even come close to the Horn.
We had some problems right out of the gate which started to sour us on our purchase.
As it turns out it was a dealer issue, Richardson's RV in Sun City, they could care less about service after the sale.
I was a poster child for posting problems on this forum, primarily to see if there were easy fixes for the issues we were having.
We contacted HL directly and they took care of us by sending me to a great service only shop, J&L in Fontana, and I tell you what, they were great about fixing the issues at hand.
During the warranty period we had to have service three times, the first was for some QC problems from the factory, the last two were for issues developing from pulling a 16k# rig 4+ miles down the road.
Everything being equal we would buy another BH / HL product again.

Uncle Rog

 

[wrayj1]

Heartland quality

I hope that my bringing my honest concerns to the forum prior to making a big investment is not seen as all negative, but hopefully to give honest feedback to Heartland. Hopefully Heartland will strive to not rest on its laurels, but take the concerns of its customers and use them to rise to the top of the industry. If we, as individuals or a manufacturing company, only want people to tell us what we want to hear we have no impetus to look at what needs improvement. We like what we see in the Heartland Landmark, and want them to continue to grow and succeed. Let them not grow at the cost of continually striving for better quality.

 

[wrayj1]

Problems

There seems to be a number of Heartland owners who have problems, but who also say they are happy with how Heartland responds to the problems. Many customers say "Heartland always sends me the parts I need." My question is who installs these parts? Hopefully a qualifed technician who is also paid by Heartland?

 

[SouthernNights]

There seems to be a number of Heartland owners who have problems, but who also say they are happy with how Heartland responds to the problems. Many customers say "Heartland always sends me the parts I need." My question is who installs these parts? Hopefully a qualifed technician who is also paid by Heartland?

I think you will find that some/most of us install our own parts and do our own maintenance.

I can only speak for myself when I say I would rather do it myself than to trust a dealer and their techs.

 

[jnbhobe]

I agree with Larry, I would rather do it my self, I have a great dealer who will do any thing I ask and do it right. But if I do it myself I don't have to tow the rig to his shop and I can do the work at my pace.Any part that I need he makes available (even if he has to take it off a new unit)and I can have one of my guys pickup parts when they are in the area. JON

 

[boatto5er]

I think you will find that some/most of us install our own parts and do our own maintenance.

I can only speak for myself when I say I would rather do it myself than to trust a dealer and their techs.

Now that I'm out of warranty, I'll do 99% of repairs myself: I like doing the work myself (I know who to go to if it doesn't work later). I learn things doing it myself. After doing it myself enough times, I feel pretty confident to fix almost any problem when when I'm out in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday afternoon and everything is closed within 100 miles radius. Had to do this when I had my boats too.

 

[JoelC]

We have seen the Heartland Augusta and Landmark and like them both on the exterior but know nothing about the hidden aspects. We are looking for a 5er that is built well and will serve us for many years as a full time unit. However, I have found very few positive notes about Hartland and am having second thoughts. Seems to be many problems with the Big Horn, too. I would like to hear specifics of problems you have had so I can extablish if they are major or minor. Slides is major to me. Also, if you would not purchase another Heartland product, what would be recommended?

Currently, we own a K-Z Durango with bunks and two baths and it has had very few problems. I would like my final 5er to have no greater the problems as I have had with this unit.

Thanks

 

[jmgratz]

We have seen the Heartland Augusta and Landmark and like them both on the exterior but know nothing about the hidden aspects. We are looking for a 5er that is built well and will serve us for many years as a full time unit. However, I have found very few positive notes about Hartland and am having second thoughts. Seems to be many problems with the Big Horn, too. I would like to hear specifics of problems you have had so I can extablish if they are major or minor. Slides is major to me. Also, if you would not purchase another Heartland product, what would be recommended?

Currently, we own a K-Z Durango with bunks and two baths and it has had very few problems. I would like my final 5er to have no greater the problems as I have had with this unit.

Thanks

First of all let me correct a couple of your comments. #1 - The Augusta is a Landmark. It is a Landmark model. The Landmark is the top of the Heartland product line. #2 - The company is Heartland not Hartland.

Next - Let me ask you if you are so happy with your KZ Durango why are you looking at another RV? If it is to upgrade then the Landmark would be a fine choice, however no Heartland unit is designed as a full-time residence even though many people use their Landmarks, Big Horns, Big Countries, Cyclones, Sundances, Elk Ridges, and even North Trails as full-time units. If you go to the www.heartlandrvs.com (manufacturer website) you can see the inside of many of the units. Good luck in your search.

BTW - Yes we would buy another Heartland if we were in the market. Heartland does have terrific customer support IMHO.

 

[JoelC]

Sorry for the spelling and misinformation. We were looking at the Augusta and Grand Canyon. I do realize that the Heartland products are 3 season, unlike a few competitors that do claim 4 season. K-Z does manufacture an upscaled version, but we do not like the inside lay out.

Full Time would be traveling 6 months out of the year in this great country and the other 6 possibly "snow birding" in a snow free zone. So, I do not expect to be in an area below the teens. Even in Florida, the temperatures can get below freezing a couple of nights, and I want to be SURE that the water lines are protected properly from a heated basement. I once had a bad experience with a Class A, with water lines freezing and no water.

 

[lwmcguir]

The heartland Luxury campers are Four Season down to zero tested. Where did you get the idea that they were three season. Only one other brand advertises down to -10F that I am aware of. There are some upscale Arctic packages available but that isn't a standard coach by any means.

 

[jbeletti]

Hi Joel,

Thanks for checking out the Landmark product by Heartland. Cool stuff. For your style of camping, sounds like it's a decent fit if you like one of the floorplans and the style of the RV.

If you have some manufacturing specific questions that need to be answered before you make a final determination on Heartland, I urge you to consider making a call to the Brand Manager for the Landmark and Bighorn products. His name is Kevin Finn and he can be reached at 574-262-5992. Nothing like talking directly to the product manager right at the plant

Jim

 

[jmgratz]

Joel C, The Landmark is a great choice for what u r looking for. We have had ours since 2008 and traveled many miles with it in tow. It is a wonderful and we currently have been at our location staying in our Landmark for 3 months without issues. I know you have been reading posts on this site and have seen both positive and negative remarks concerning the various Heartland units. Please consider the number units Heartland has sold versus the number of negative remarks. Have there been issues with various Heartland units? Sure, but you have to remember Heartland is a young company and has gone through 'growing pains'. They would never be where they are if they did not stand behind their products. I would also say many issues people (including myself) have had are dealer related (screwups by the dealers) and have not been Heartland's fault.

Would we buy another Heartland product, Yes. Would we be more selective about the dealer we use, you betcha.

While looking at RVs keep in mind most manufacturer uses the same suppliers for their components. That is, Dometic, Lippert, Suburban, Atwood, Dexter, Fanfastic Fan, Etc. Every RV is subject to the failure of these components. Also remember it does not matter whether you have a Prevost, American Eagle, Jayco, KZ or whatever every RV is subject to failures. If you have an RV that is totally trouble free, you are lucky.

Finally, Good luck in your search. Heartland does make a great product (I don't work for them) and you would be happy with Heartland ownership. BTW - How many other manufactures would permit a website like this one?

 

[JoelC]

When we were at the Hershey, PA RV show the sales rep told us they were not 4 season....3.5 he said. I think it was Wilkens RV, but not sure.

The brand we were originally considering, came with many options. Seemed like more options than standard. After talking with the rep. for this brand, for several minutes, we decided no go.

Of all the RV's on the market today, the Heartland seems the best possibility. I am just hesitant due to all the problems I see about the hydraulic system, freezing water lines in contact with the frame and sloppy internal wiring. If there is a problem, I want to be sure there is easy access to the area too.

Thanks for your input, so far.
Joel

 

[lwmcguir]

Joel, I have seen the inside of many campers as we are on our 7Th. The last 5 have been fifth wheels by various vendors. None from the same manufacturer. Looking at our Augusta it is as well built or better than all the others. It has more insulation than any other unit out there in the floor and comparable to any with standard 2 inch walls. The plumbing and wiring are no worse or better either than any of the others we have owned. Most of them don't spend much time/money dressing the wiring down. The plumbing is about the same as all the others as well. If you want a 4 season then go with the Landmark series as compared to the others. We have had some issues but overall we feel the value is there. We looked at over 100 units before we bought the Augusta so we compared a lot of units. There is only one standard line that has a better winter guarantee and they don't make the larger units. (not counting the high priced Attic packages) If you want the luxury and comfort go for a Landmark or Big Horn and you should be happy.