Purchased a 2900MK today, picking up tomorrow

[iowahog]

Hello,

My wife and I are in our late 20's and have never owned or used a 5er before. We are driving from Des Moines, IA to East Lansing, MI to pick up the new 5er tomorrow.

We'll be towing with a 3/4 ton, 6.4L Super Duty and a Slider Hitch. So many people have told us different things about to use or not to use a slider with these new Sundance trailers. Should we pay the extra for a manual slider if we have planned trips to Colorado and beyond or not?

Anything else that we need to look for in pre-inspection - or to have them do before taking delivery of the unit?

I really have no idea what I'm looking for, except bad trim and things like that. Do you typically have them test everything from hot water, air, heater, shower, all faucets, toilet and everything or how does that work?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Clint

 

[jimtoo]

HI Clint,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here, with lots of information.

When you do your PDI, make sure they show you the operation of everything, TV, micro, make sure it it hooked to water and check for leaks, hot and cold, shower, check everything. Take notes or pictures and have them correct anything you find.
They should be willing to spend 4 hours at least checking things out with you.

Jim M

 

[htneighbors]

Clint,
Big Ditto to what Jim said. Welcome! Yes - check EVERYTHING! Don't sign anything until you are satisfied with everything. We spent 8 1/2 hours doing our PDI - our first RV also! I moved into it the day after I picked it up (March 2008) and have had very small minor issues. I honestly believe this is due to the time I spent at the dealership the first day, checking everything out. Then, keep up with a little tweaking and adjusting and proper PM along the way and enjoy your Heartland!

Oh yeah, make sure you get an Owners Manual. It should have all the paperwork for everything you have in your camper. Being new when I got mine, I spent many hours over the first couple of weeks, just reading through everything and getting to know my Cyclone, learning how things work, etc.

 

[iowahog]

Thanks for the information you guys! I asked my sales person to make sure they went through and checked all of the water connections before we even got there, so I'll double check everything with water hooked up and see if we find any leaks.

We were told to take a video camera along to make sure we caught all of the instructions on video...

I know I'll forget something as I've never done this before and I won't know exactly what I'm looking for.

I guess all I can do is hope for the best.. Good thing - this 5er just came off the line on 7/24/09, so she's like BRAND NEW!

Thanks again!

 

[TRAVELER07]

Hi Clint,1st we tow a Sundance 3300SK with a short bed F250 and no slider 5th wheel and have it in tight turning situtations with no prob's.Also how long will you be in Mich picking up your new 5er?Join us at the Mich rally Aug 27-30 2009 Lakeshore Campground St Ignace Mi phone #906-643-9522 tell them your with Heartland owners rally. Then we can answer any of your 5er questions.E-mail me at wcs1271@hotmail.comwith any questions or if you can come to the Mich rally. TRAVELER07(Mich chapter) AKA Rick

 

[TRAVELER07]

PS Clint Congrad. on your Sundance, And welcome to Heartland Owners Family TRAVELER07

 

[Del600]

Clint,

Welcome to the famliy, I went from the QCA to Michigan to get my 2998RB. It was alot of fun.

Slider - I went with it, I have heard to many horror stories about uneven roads and crazy campsites. To this day I have not had to use my slider.... but for, it is cheap insurance.

PDI - I got lucky, I had the dealer set the camper up on there lot and we spent the night in it, it gave me a solid 12+ hours to go through everything. We are very picky about stuff, and got down to the tightening of screws..... I did spend some of the night doing it myself. But..... get on top, underneath, check all the systems, charge the water tank, take off access panels, run the furnace, run the A/C, run the shower, flush switch and turn EVERTHING.
Don't be stressed, have fun with it!!!!!

Of topic question for you, did the local dealer not have the unit or is Michigan a $$ thing? (It was $$$$ for me)

Mark

 

[iowahog]

That's kind of what I plan on doing, but we have to be back by Sunday morning as my wife has to work at 10AM... It's going to be a fly out, and haul back pick up... Unfortunately!

It's a $$$ thing, the dealers couldn't touch the price here in Iowa, and this one had all the options we're looking for except electric jacks.. Oh well, I guess I'll get used to cranking!

Hopefully we don't run into any major problems - I forewarned the sales guy that I'm a picky SOB, so I wanted them to cover things in prep before we even got there...

His opinion was spend the extra $300 and get the slider as insurance. He mentioned the same thing, uneven roads and strange sights might be the only time you'll need it. But, it's cheap insurance to know you have it!

Thanks everyone for the welcome messages. We're excited.

 

[jmgratz]

Check this link for a PDI form ... it might help

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/buenavistas/

 

[tmcran]

Congrats! We have a 2998RB. I have a Chevy short bed and do not have a slider hitch. I have had to make some very tight turns during a recent trip. I guess there might be some reason for a slider with the Sundance but
I haven't seen it. Good luck with your unit. Oh, be sure to follow the others advise and test everything that has water run through it. Don't forget the water heater. Be sure it heats on both propane and electric. Due to some problems some have had with leaks in the front bedroom slide have them run some water over and around the slides.

 

[Duramax1]

I have the same Sundance model as you. I chose not to purchase a slider hitch and I have absolutely no regrets.

In fact, I have since read posts that suggest that at least some slider hitches can be noisier and produce more undesirable movements than non sliders.

Check out comments on the brand of the slider hitch you may be purchasing.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

iowahog, Welcome to the Heartland Forum & Family. Youve found a great bunch of folks here to help you get through most any situation that may arise. Enjoy your new Sundance!

 

[boatto5er]

Don't be cranking those rear jacks up and down by hand. Use a drill with appropriately sized socket. It makes it much easier and much faster.

 

[iowahog]

Well, we had a change of heart and didn't make the trip to Michigan this evening.... We have decided to go with a larger unit right here in Iowa! We're going to be proud owners of a 2010 3200RE!!! We like the roominess of the 5er much better, and feel that it will fit our needs a little more than the 2900MK.

More money, but I think we're getting a pretty good deal and it's nice to know that we'll have service when we need it. I've heard some horror stories from these internet sales and service down the road.

Can't wait to hook this 5er up and Get 'R Done!

Thanks all for the feedback, it definitely helps...

 

[2010augusta]

More money, but I think we're getting a pretty good deal and it's nice to know that we'll have service when we need it. I've heard some horror stories from these internet sales and service down the road.

Since we full time, we weren't planning on returning to the area we were living, so the best deal anywhere was what we when with. I am our service department because we can be with out the trailer. So far, so good.

Congrats on the 3200RE I am sur you'll love it.

 

[iowahog]

Picked the 3200RE up tonight! All I can say is WOW, in so many ways. These Sundance trailers pull VERY nice!

Anyone have any tips or things to watch for on this certain model?

Thanks!

 

[Jim Posz]

Things to look for

We have a 2007 Sundance 3300SK, so this advice may not be necessary in 2009. However, I would suggest that you crawl around under your new rig to look for loose braces, wires, etc. On our rig it appeared that someone overtightened and broke several of the screws supporting the electrical junction boxes under the slides, with the result they were dangling by the wires. I discovered and fixed this before a problem came up, but I wish I had got dirty at the dealership and checked this out where they could have fixed it.

After two long trips and numerous short ones we still really like our Sundance. I hope you are as satisfied with yours.

PS We were camping in your neck of the woods for the state fair a couple weekends ago. Acorn Creek on Saylorville lake is a nice smaller campground with larger sites. Jim