Quailty is missing at heartland

[danemayer]

I would also like some input regarding generators, gas versus propane, what size is best for 41' 5th wheel with two ac.
Appreciate any suggestions anyone has, preferrably from someone who has had or knows someone who has had experience with either,

We have a 39' 5th wheel with 2 A/C units, washer/dryer, fireplace, 4 door refrigerator, etc. It runs off 50Amp campground electric and we have the Onan 5500 LP generator (factory install) which provides 50Amp service when not plugged into shore power. Everything runs correctly off either shore power or off the generator.

The LP generator is reasonably quiet - we have slept with it running. Nevertheless, some campgrounds probably won't permit its use during quiet hours.

Generators are expensive to run. 12 hours with A/C running will consume most of a 40# tank of LP. At $3-4/gallon, that's $27-36 in propane to run the generator from 7PM to 7AM in hot weather. I don't have experience with gas generators, but it's probably not much different.

We mostly use ours for short stints: for backup power temporarily during a storm outage, if we need to power an air compressor while on the road, to charge the battery in a pinch.

There's a factory option called "Generator Prep" that is required in order to install the Onan 5500. I believe it includes the transfer switch and wiring, exhaust plumbing, and probably some other stuff. From what I've read, this is not a simple thing to add outside the factory. If you don't have it, you'll need to find a place that has experience with installing the prep option and the generator.

One other note: the 50Amp shore power connection is actually two 50Amp 110V circuits. Add up the current requirements for 2 A/C units, coffee maker, microwave, hair dryer, and clothes dryer, which could all be running at the same time, and you'll see that you need the generator to power both 50Amp circuits or you'll have to carefully manage which devices are running concurrently - like you would have to if plugged into 30Amp shore power.

 

[TandT]

Re: Quailty is missing at hearland

youWE just got back from a long long trip with our Landmark, we went to the Ontario rally then the North American rally in Indiana then we came home for a few days ( to fix the slide, my fault for not checking bolts) then went to oregon and tiured there for 5 weeks. Normally I would have been chomping at the bit to get back here after all that time, I could have stayed longer.

While fueling up at a place in Hinton alberta a guy with SOB pulled up opposite me and asked, "So what don't you like about your Landmark?" My resposne, Nothing!

We had some problems when we first got the trailer, we have had problems with every new trailer and vehicle we have ever purchased, once you work through these the rest is maintenance. That is why they have warranty. It never hurts to call (Heartland) when you have a problem. In my view, if you count the number of SERIOUS problems vs the number of units produced by heartland the ratio would be very low, if it wasn't we would be reading about Heartlands problems and their bankruptcy.

I work with some of my clients and their customer service agents, I always hear them talk about the CUTOMERS FROM ****, the ones where it is the end of the world and you have to do something you..........

If it was you on the receiving end how quickly would you like to assist this person. CS is a 2 way street.Remember, all customer service agents are not created equal meaning they are not all good at their jobs, if you encounter one that you feel dropped the ball, call them on it. If you don't get satisfaction, they always have managers, do not go to the CS manager go to the top or as high as you can go, I have found that this has always worked.

End of rant, In my view the small problems are just that, we bought our Landmark after being on this forum for 11 months and reading about the problems, I like to think I made an informed purchase.

My 2 cents

I agree. Much of the perception here is with dealers and the way they handle problems after the sale. Some are sorely lacking and that leaves the customer with a bad taste in their mouth. If the start up problems, (yes there are usually a few) are handled in a timely, friendly manner, it makes it much easier to take. Unfortunatly this is not often the case.
We are happy with Heartland as a whole, their service and the bang for the buck.
My only complaint has been the dealer's ("west coast attitude") lack of urgency, when there is a problem.

 

[brianharrison]

Generators are expensive to run. 12 hours with A/C running will consume most of a 40# tank of LP. At $3-4/gallon, that's $27-36 in propane to run the generator from 7PM to 7AM in hot weather. I don't have experience with gas generators, but it's probably not much different.

Fuel consumption for the Onan 5500, gas and LP.

Average fuel consumption:
Gasoline
No load Half load Full load
0.3 Gal/h (1.3 L/h) 0.6 Gal/h (2.3 L/h) 0.9 Gal/h (3.6 L/h)


LPG:
No load Half load Full load
0.4 Gal/h (1.8 lb/h) 0.8 kg/h 0.8 Gal/h (3.3 lb/h) 1.5 kg/h 1.1 Gal/h (4.6 lb/h) 2.1 kg/h

 

[Crumgater]

Re: Quailty is missing at hearland

Just to chime in on the positive side - we've had our ElkRidge for just under a year, and have put just under 2,000 miles on it in 6 trips so far. Due to our wanting the unit for an event, we did a very hurried PDI. It arrived at the dealer on Friday morning - with a flat tire - more than a week later than expected. The dealer took a half-day to go through the unit (they normally like a full day or 2), then we took another 2 hours with the dealer before hitching it up and pulling it the hour long trip home. The tire turned into a wheel problem. The dealer drove out to our place on Monday (after our weekend event, which included pumping up the tire before every move) to pickup the RV and take it to the shop where they found a crack in the wheel itself. They put on a spare and delivered the RV back to our place on Wednesday. That is SERVICE! We had a few other small items (broken closet door latch, cabinet glass crack), which they also took care of - maybe not quickly, but those weren't 'show-stoppers' like the wheel issue. It took us about 5 months to find time to drive the RV to the dealership to get our new wheel put on and some of the other items fixed up (but that was due to our schedule, not theirs).

Over the year of use, we've had no problems with the ElkRidge, and LOVE it! This is our first trailer of any sort - we had a slide-in truck camper before. So some of the parts are new to us, but we're learning fast and enjoying every minute.

I get the feeling that the trailer industry has all sorts of QC issues, but that Heartland might have relatively low numbers (i.e. good ratings) for the numbers of units they produce. Is there any third-party rating system out there for RV quality and customer satisfaction? i.e. a Consumer Reports survey?

When reading the forum, we all need to remember that we often come here to solve problems - which means that's most of what we talk about. The rigs that run flawlessly don't always get mentioned - but we see them on the road all the time. Which reminds me I need to go write a "seen here" post.

-Tina

 

[porthole]

The advantage to the gasoline Genny on a Cyclone is an onboard 30 gallon gasoline tank with about 25 or so usable gallons - that a lot of Genny time. And gasoline is a bit easier to get.

Fuel consumption for the Onan 5500, gas and LP.

Average fuel consumption:
Gasoline
No load Half load Full load
0.3 Gal/h (1.3 L/h) 0.6 Gal/h (2.3 L/h) 0.9 Gal/h (3.6 L/h)


LPG:
No load Half load Full load
0.4 Gal/h (1.8 lb/h) 0.8 kg/h 0.8 Gal/h (3.3 lb/h) 1.5 kg/h 1.1 Gal/h (4.6 lb/h) 2.1 kg/h

 

[TandT]

Since we're officially off-topic here, my two cents about a generator. Have you ever walked through a heavily occupied dry camp area where there are dozens of gas generators running? I have and the air quality from gasoline generators is not great. I'm just trying to get past and I see people sitting at their rigs drinking a cold one. I'm thinking to myself, man the air over there must be bad enough to kill somebody.
LP generators are more costly to run, no doubt. However, I figure because they burn much cleaner, if I do catch a whiff, it is not going to bother the DW or pets quite as badly. Afterall propane is what is used for indoor forklifts, etc. Therefore I got the propane version. Trace

 

[porthole]

Small engines are also required to meet emission and clean air standards.
Modern, properly tuned and running gasoline, diesel or propane powered engines are clean burning, but they all can produce toxic gases and or unpleasant odors if not running correctly.

You can stand next to the tailpipe of the 2011 diesel Fords and couldn't tell form the smell they are diesel (I suppose the GMs too, but haven't tried it).
In theory, propane powered vehicles can run and produce up to 90% less CO.

But 90% reduction or not, you can't see taste touch or smell CO.

 

[kb0zke]

Re: Quailty is missing at hearland

I wasn't going to say anything, but I changed my mind. We damaged the sink cover on our mpg on the way to the Heartland Rally this summer. It is just covered particle board, and any water on it will warp it, which is what happened. Totally our fault. I asked the service people if I could buy a replacement. They wrote it up as a warranty item, even though I said it was our fault. Then, they weren't able to get the right one before we left the rally, so it was mailed to us.

While we were at the Rally, we noticed a constant smell of propane near the tanks. A bit of troubleshooting revealed a leak at the fitting going to the trailer. Again, a new hose was installed in a matter of hours. Last week I was at the dealer and mentioned that hose to the service manager. He said that they have replaced several hoses on different brands, all with the same problem, so he suspects that whoever made the hose fittings had a bad run.

Our mpg is our learning rig, as we prepare to go full-time in a few years. We're going to visit the factory of any brand we may consider. We visited three so far (Heartland is one of them), and are planning on at least two more next summer on our way to or from the Rally in Gillette. When we toured the Heartland factory they weren't working, so we were able to look and ask more questions than we could at the other two, which were in full production when we toured. Heartland has their senior people giving the tours to the owners, and they listen to the comments and ask their own questions. One man on my tour asked why he was having a certain problem, and I was able to show both him and the executive what the problem was and how it should be fixed. I don't know whether the change has been made or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if there hasn't been a running change made.

 

[powerj]

Re: Quailty is missing at hearland

What quality control?? Bought a new BH32 TI in May 2011.
Ok they got most of the big stuff right, like anyone else, but what a pile of little and not so little things.
What is the name of the guy who lets these things out the door?
We have had two new Dutchmens with zero issues and were expecting at least the same from Heartland.
I could show you the long list of little things, 90% fixed by me, the dealer is too far away, but other items will still be there for him in the fall.
My wife and I are second guessing our decision to buy Heartland. Word of mouth....the advertising will not be good.

 

[z-dog]

Re: Quailty is missing at hearland

Can't help but chime in here. I posted a thread about our service/quality issues a few weeks back. We have a 2011 BH 3070 that we full time in since Oct. 2010.
We have had many service issues with our BH. And it is still ongoing. The latest things now to have done: new front door install, spider cracking at front cap in the gel coat, work on the slides top roof (screws are wearing through at the rubber) and last but not least, new rubber roof (debris left under the rubber roof at the factory are starting to wear through the rubber, tech already had to put patches on them to keep it from leaking. So from our experience I would say that the quality of a Heartland is certain no better than other units we have had if not worse.
Heartland is standing behind its product at this point to at least fix the items, but I think these are things that should have never developed with a quality build in the first place. Can't say that we are too impressed at this point with Heartland quality but their customer service does seem to be good.
Chris

 

[TeleBack]

.....We are very disappointed with the quailty of this 5er. No brakes, water leaks referigator doesn't cool but frezzer works great. Heartland said its normal to have a 52 deg temp in the ref when its hot outside, so I guess we can only use it when its cold outside. .....

Sorry to jump in here but everyone needs to know this....

Be careful and DO NOT put food your refer at that temp. Let it cool down to between 32 and 41 degrees. That is the Safe Zone for food in your refer. If your refer is over 41 degrees for 2 hrs or more (with food in it), you are at high risk for making yourself sick from bacteria. Note that after you put a lot of groceries in it, it will spike up to over 41 for a bit.

FWIW, we are in direct sunlight in 100+ degree heat and our refer (double door) stays under 37 degrees. We have it on the #4 setting.

 

[gwalter]

We are very happy with our ElkRidge after one year and have not had any issues at all other than a ruined door from a break in. Our dealer ordered one and replaced it in a very timely manner. I worked in the public arena for 32 yrs and discovered one thing early. You will hear almost everyones negatives but very few positives. I have learned a lot of positive things from this forum. Unfortunately in this day and age there is a lot of negativity.