Quality of Heartland 5th wheels for fulltiming?

[JimGnitecki]

My wife and I have fulltimed in the past in a diesel pusher, a conversion bus, and a Heartland 26 foot "recreational" trailer (I cannot recall the exact model name). We currently live in a park model cabin on an RV resort, and are considering returning to RVing now that we see at least one true "2 bedroom" model Heartland.

We got excited when we saw the 2015 Gateway 3750PT recently. THAT's a true 2 bedroom, with a king bed in one bedroom and a queen bed in the second, and , meaningful closet, storage, and finish in both. Plus, with the bedrooms being at opposite ends of the RV, noise and privacy are as good as they can get. The 2nd bathroom, and the side patio, are nice additional features, the residential refrigerator eliminates the most costly common RV repair, and the R39 floor/R11 wall/and R38 roof insulation help both power use and quietness.

However, a couple of things really concern us.

First, the Heartland owners manual clearly states that none of its 5th wheels other than the Landmark, Bighorn, and Big Country, are warrantied for fulltime use. This is a major red flag, as it allows Heartland to say "no warranty coverage" if something major goes wrong.

Second, the Landmark, Bighorn, and Big Country have NO floorplans that offer 2 bedrooms, so while they are warrantied for fulltiming, they obviously won't work for us.

Third, and most concerning, are the experiences of 2 other Heartland Landmark and Bighorn owners in our RV resort, whom we have come to know. Both are having major issues.

The Landmark was bought brand new a year and a half ago for fulltime use. Its roof began deliminating very quickly, and after 5 months, Heartland authorized replacement of the entire roof, including not only the polymer layer, but also the plywood! Since then, there have been multiple slide issues and wall delamination issues, which like the roof replacement, required the fulltiming owners to live in a hotel while the RV was tied up for repairs for multiple days at a time, each time. The owner is so discouraged that he is reluctantly considering trading it on a new DRV Mobile Suites, even though the trade will be hugely expensive because of the difference in initial cost coupled with the troubled history of the Landmark.

The Bighorn is only 2 or 3 months old, and used only for occasional weekend and vacation use. The owner is more embarrassed and tight lipped about the number of severity of problems on his costly purchase, but has volunteered that the RV has been back in the dealer's shop multiple times, and since my stored toyhauler sits right near his RV in the storage area, I have seen that each shop visit took at least a week.

I have also Googled Heartland quality, and was horrified to find multiple forum and Facebook threads that talk about "30 to 40" warranty repair items per RV being "not unusual" per Heartland response to some of the posting and BBB complaints. Even worse, the costly and fulltiming-approved Landmark models are especially prominently being mentioned as having problems.

I know that Heartland's volume appears to have grown a lot since the Great Recession (especially the Cyclone toyhaulers), and so Heartland must be having to rehire lots of new employees after the big layoffs of the Great Recession, and perhaps that is manifesting as inadequate workmanship.

My wife and I can't afford to be paying for hotel stays while our RV home is spending days or longer at a time in an RV repair shop, whether the work is being covered under warranty or not. And we certianly cannot pay for major work that is denied under warranty because we would be fulltiming.

This all leads me to ask:

- Is a Gateway model, which Heartland does NOT certify for fulltiming use, and the only model with true 2-bedroom floorplan, going to be inadequate for long-term fulltiming?

- Will Heartland perhaps cover low cost warranty items on a Gateway being used for fulltiming without dispute, but maybe balk on major repairs like wall delamination or roof issues?

- Are there really Heartland 5th wheels that need "30 to 40" warranty item repairs??

I'm asking these questions because we simply cannot afford to make a big financial mistake that could really hurt us for a long time.

Can I get some honest feedback here from people who have been, or are, actually fulltimers with Heartland 5th wheels, whether the "approved" models or the unapproved models?

Jim G

 

[kakampers]

We have fulltimed in two different Heartland models...the first was six years in a Bighorn and now three years in a Landmark. Heartland has been great to work with with any issues...even the major sidewall issues we had with our Bighorn, which BTW was caused by our medium duty truck, not Heartland. We have had no issues with the Landmark that required warranty repair, other than a furnace circuit board which went bad. Heartland paid to have a mobile tech come out and take care of it.

As for large numbers of issues....from what I've seen the people that make these types of complaints usually have complaints of minor issues and can't or won't take care of them themselves. Also, many times they had little or no PDI done....we made sure everything was hooked up and functioning, including water, etc. Have never had to return to a selling dealer because we make sure things are in working order before leaving.

As for the Gateway not being "full time" rated....I have never known Heartland to care...they have worked on many units that people live in and made repairs under warranty. Even know of cases where they've offered to bring units back and make repairs at the factory...most accepted their offer...some decided they'd rather complain and bash Heartland instead...JMHO.

 

[RoadJunkie]

My coach is way out of warranty, but I never had Heartland turn down an issue during the warranty period. In looking back, I may have had 10-15 small items for warranty work and only a couple of major-type issues. The fact that your Landmark-owning friend is having a complete new roof installed is a pretty good indicator of the Heartland warranty response. I wonder if over analysis is in play on your decision. I realize the feeling of making a mistake is difficult to overcome, but you can't get to second base if you keep a foot on first. Best of luck with you choice.

 

[danemayer]

This all leads me to ask:

- Is a Gateway model, which Heartland does NOT certify for fulltiming use, and the only model with true 2-bedroom floorplan, going to be inadequate for long-term fulltiming?

- Will Heartland perhaps cover low cost warranty items on a Gateway being used for fulltiming without dispute, but maybe balk on major repairs like wall delamination or roof issues?

- Are there really Heartland 5th wheels that need "30 to 40" warranty item repairs??

I'm asking these questions because we simply cannot afford to make a big financial mistake that could really hurt us for a long time.

Hi Jim,

In 5 years reading just about every post to this forum, I've never seen a post where Heartland refused a warranty repair because of full time usage. But you may find that there are differences between a unit marketed for full-timers vs a unit marketed to occasional campers who use the rig a few weeks out of the year.

"30 to 40" warranty item repairs are pretty exceptional, and also a bit suspect. My opinion is that posts like that are from people primarily using social media to try and pressure the manufacturer into a remedy not offered by the warranty - like a buyback. That said, warranty problems are not evenly distributed with each coach getting one or two. Some have none. Some have more. Also worth noting is that many warranty problems are with the appliances and subsystems used by Heartland and every other manufacturer. So when Dometic starts having problems with their Air Conditioners, people count that as a Heartland quality issue when it affects the entire industry pretty equally.

If your expectation is that you'll never have a warranty problem, that's pretty unrealistic. And there's always the period after warranty expires. Things wear out and things break.

Will you ever have to drop your trailer off at a repair shop and stay in a hotel? Possibly. Some people avoid that by finding a mobile servicer who comes to your RV.

We've been in our Landmark for 5 years: almost 4 years of 1/2 time use and about 15 months of full-time use. I've never had to cut a trip short or while full-timing have to stay in a hotel. I've repaired a lot of things myself over the years. But some things I've left to the dealer tech. If you run into a tree and tear up your roof, you're not going to get a new roof while you're living in the coach. If your refrigerator needs a new cooling unit, most people will leave that to the dealer and at absolute best, it's going to take a few days. Depending on the dealer, and the time of year, it could take a lot longer.

This seems to be the reality of the RV industry.

Your friend with the roof problem has something pretty unusual. Will he find happiness trading for a DRV? Well for sure he'll spend a lot of money because DRVs can run a lot higher. Will they be problem-free? Not likely.

Btw, last winter, a guy with a brand new very expensive Tiffin motorhome was parked next to us. He had boatloads of problems, including some very serious problems. And although Tiffin has a good rep for service, he was pretty unhappy when he called just before Christmas and got a recording saying they were closed for 2 weeks.

Just saying, they all have problems. And if you did the same type of search on other brands, you'll find similar posts about them.

My experience and that of the vast majority on this forum is that Heartland provides excellent customer service. Not perfect. But excellent.

 

[TravelTiger]

The Gateway product isn't designed for fulltiming, but there are people doing it. Www.Newschoolnomads.com, a family of 5 is traveling the country full time in their Gateway.

That said: insulation, size of holding tanks, and storage space, to name a few, might be reasons it's not considered "full time". We happen to be full time in our ElkRidge. These areas I mentioned are areas of "lacking" for us, and why our next rig will be a Unit designed for fulltiming.

However, we are very happy and comfortable in our current unit, because the floor plan fits our way of living so well.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[buddyboy]

What you need to ask yourself first is given the number of units Heartland produces each year, how many of those new purchasers have real issues. I've seen postings that included screws not tightened, a drawer sliding open while underway, and (related to me by a fellow RVer) the bottom of a cabinet unfinished which the owner discovered while laying on the floor. I'm not saying that there could be and are items needing attention while under warranty, but when you read postings drill down to what the items really are.

Second, every RV - no matter who the manufacturer is - requires maintenance. We check our BH over whenever we move it and tighten connections when they jostle loose. It happens. We also check our caulking, eyeball seams, look under for signs of any leaks or wear, and give the roof a look over even when it's in storage. We fix things if they begin to fail not after they do.

Third, how many of us could afford to make a big financial mistake - not many, I wager. The best advice you will receive is to do a slow, thorough PDI. Don't let the staff at the dealer's rush you or say that you don't need to check something because they already did. It's your money, not theirs, and many dealers won't be nearly as attentive after you've completed the sale as they will before.

We were full-time for only around 14 months, but we found Heartland to be there for us when we needed them, even when we had questions about "we accidentally did ____, now how do we undo it?" Yeah it does happen. Ask other brand owners about service after the sale. But in the end, only y'all can determine what's best for you.

Just my 2¢ worth.

Martha

 

[ketah777]

We are full timing with 2 kids in a Gateway 3650bh. We have only had a few items that needed to be repaired under warranty, but like you said, since we live in it we didn't want to leave it at a dealer while we pay for a hotel. We called Heartland and told them we are full timing. We also travel and move frequently. They sent parts to us at various locations, and they also reimbursed us for the cost of a mobile tech making the repairs. We have been very happy with our rig and the excellent customer service we have received from Heartland. I hope this helps!

 

['Lil Guy']

I've been reading a full timers forum and have seen the Heartland products getting good reviews. I'm about to take delivery of our new Bighorn and am also a little tense wanting to get it right from the dealer. I'm doing everything I can to see that the PDI is thorough and catches all of the small issues people complain about. This is my 3rd HL unit in 3 years moving up 2 feet at a time. Have had no issues other than self induced. I've gotten to know the service hand that does our PDI and I take care of him. He's severely underpaid and I always give him a generous tip. Probably not necessary but I feel better. I feel most problems incur during the delivery form the builder to the dealer.
Parts, fittings, and wiring are tightened up at the factory and everyone should know the 1st and probably the longest tow your rig will make nonstop is going to be the roughest it will see. The truck hired to bring your rig to the dealer wants to get there and get it off his truck. This is the time that things are going to come loose and need to be tightened. This is the purpose of your PDI where you can oversee the opening up of the unit and the check for leaks and loose wires while under power and hooked to water. This will also give you the opportunity to see where the various parts are located inside of the enclosures. All fittings and bolts should be checked at this time and it will be the most important thing you can do and eliminate the little headaches people write about. I, too, read all of the complaints people have and they scare me a bit but I think 99% could be caught at the pre-delivery inspection.
Same goes for your hitch. It states to torque bolts after use. The 1st one is the most important.
Good luck with your decision but I don't think you'll go wrong with a Heartland product. However, you might have issues without a good PDI on any rig you might buy.
I think if you do your homework, we'll be seeing you back on the forum and as a member of our HOC after you go with a HL product.
Later and have a great day.

 

[TxCowboy]

Have to agree with the PDI comments. Just check to make sure the PDI repairs were completed. There were about a half dozen things that I noted on the PDI, all minor, that needed dealer attention. Zero were repaired before the Key West was delivered to my RV park which is 150 miles from the dealer.

My fault entirely. I should have returned to the dealership to check these items were repaired before I took delivery and I did not. My fault entirely.

We love our new Key West, our second Heartland product, and are happy with the HL Customer Service. Just make sure you do your own due diligence and ensure the small things are fixed at the dealership before taking delivery. It can cost you several hundred dollars out of pocket if you don't. HL does not cover the service fees from the mobile techs.