My DW and I are preparing to retire and travel the USA and Canada. We are looking to purchase a fifth wheel and have narrowed it down to the three fivers in the subject line. Can you please help us by providing pros and cons of these three products. We want a product that will be durable with a company that stands behind their product. We will be living in this fiver for 8 to 9 months at a time as we travel so comfortable living is important as well. The models that we are interested in are the CC 38FBD, the landmark Orlando or. Newport and the BH 3875F. We are new to this forum and in fact, this is our very first post.Service issues, warranty issues, quality and tech issues are concerns we have. Any and all help is appreciated.Thank you in advance for you input.

Cedar Creek 12 years of satisfaction with nothing but routine repairs

Welcome to the forum. We had a Heartland Big Horn 3055RL and really liked it.

If I had to choose one of those for full timing I would go with the Landmark 365. Standard with Disk brakes and 17.5" Tires. Only down side is you will most likely need a Dually to haul it around they are Heavy. Good Luck

My preference would be a Cedar Creek, but I am biased. For any of your choices I think you will need a dually.

You will be happy with any one of them. I went from a Heartland Big Country to a Cedar Creek and I am glad I did. Both have very good customer service and support from the manufacturer. I like the Cedar Creek a lot. Different type of construction with its' hung sidewalls. I like the name brand instead of no name appliances, furniture and carpet. I like the sealed burner gas range. No nonsense solid construction not a lot of do-dads to fall apart. A lot of the extras Heartland charges for are standard on a Cedar Creek, ie: tank heaters, extra insulation without have to buy their "Yetti" package. Cedar Creek has almost silent A/C in the living room. Heartland claims theirs is quiet but the ones I was in weren't.Cedar Creek offers a second year FACTORY warranty for $250.00. Heartland offers nothing for the second year.B.O.

Cedar Creek - Landmark 365 - or Big Horn | Good Sam Community

davidaf
Explorer
Nov 18, 2016
LM vs BH came down to cargo capacity. We liked them both but obviously the LM had more lipstick which won the wife over. As I recall there was about 1k lb difference in carrying capacity between the two. That goes pretty quick when full time.

Been mostly happy. Will be happier when the shake down bugs are gone. Service was great to work with so far. Called and ordered the parts so they are ready when we take it in for service. Our choice of service center just needed pre-approval. We purchased in Indiana would love to go back there for service but not going to happen this time of year.
retispcsi
Explorer
Nov 14, 2016
We travel full time around the country. Go back to manufacturer for repairs or use mobile service. The dealer thing does not apply if you are a thousand miles away. Once warranty is off your on your own dime anyway. One thing I like about DRV is they have a excellent repair department with a great camp facility while repairs are done.
Bamaman11
Explorer
Nov 14, 2016
I too say go with the Landmark.
If you are looking for a great dealer, see RVsForLess.net which is the dealer in Knoxville. He's a 5th wheel trailer specialist--sells nothing else. I'd say he'd be worth the trip from Florida.
B_O__Plenty
Explorer II
Nov 13, 2016
soren wrote:
portliz wrote:
When we were 2000 miles from home on a holiday weekend our dealer answered his phone, found us a dealer who would help us out and sent repair parts so that we could continue on our trip. Our dealer is top notch. If your dealer won't stand behind the product then you are on your own. We Aren't!

It's wonderful that you have a dealer that goes above and beyond. However, the claim that I highlighted is ridiculous. There are plenty of folks out there who are very happy with their RV, and wouldn't hesitate to purchase the same brand again. Even after their purchasing dealer turned out to be a horror story, and the manufacturer stepped in to get the thing diverted to a competent shop.

My motorhome came from a dealer that's a 14 hour trip from my home. The sales experience was smooth and left me one happy camper. The service during the sale was a stunningly incompetent. After watching that dumpster fire of a service department, I wouldn't let their techs. fix a big wheel with a fisher price tool set. In the end it's all meaningless, since I have no need for the dealer. In many cases, buying an RV based on the dealer, since they are close, or have the brand you want, can turn out to be the biggest mistake of the whole purchase.
2X Very well stated. I couldn't care less about the dealer and their "Service Department" generally staffed by a bunch of $7.00 and hour drop-outs with no training or tools. I'm sure I can fix anything they can in less time and do a better job. Tried them once, no plans to go back...

B.O.
VoodooMedicineM
Explorer
Nov 13, 2016
Make sure you have a truck that will pull it. I would not go less than a 350 dually diesel. A 450 or higher would be better.
Me_Again
Explorer III
Nov 13, 2016
I think a company like Heartland and others that will support you directly with parts or authorize an independent RV service to fix things as long as you pick up their travel time/charge goes a long ways to a good experience. Customers can call Heartland directly with their vin and get great responce for them. This cancels out a bad dealer experiences. Chris
soren
Explorer
Nov 13, 2016
portliz wrote:
When we were 2000 miles from home on a holiday weekend our dealer answered his phone, found us a dealer who would help us out and sent repair parts so that we could continue on our trip. Our dealer is top notch. If your dealer won't stand behind the product then you are on your own. We Aren't!

It's wonderful that you have a dealer that goes above and beyond. However, the claim that I highlighted is ridiculous. There are plenty of folks out there who are very happy with their RV, and wouldn't hesitate to purchase the same brand again. Even after their purchasing dealer turned out to be a horror story, and the manufacturer stepped in to get the thing diverted to a competent shop.

My motorhome came from a dealer that's a 14 hour trip from my home. The sales experience was smooth and left me one happy camper. The service during the sale was a stunningly incompetent. After watching that dumpster fire of a service department, I wouldn't let their techs. fix a big wheel with a fisher price tool set. In the end it's all meaningless, since I have no need for the dealer. In many cases, buying an RV based on the dealer, since they are close, or have the brand you want, can turn out to be the biggest mistake of the whole purchase.
AUwing2
Explorer
Nov 13, 2016
With the amount of traveling you're considering I'd suggest comparing the axles & brakes and choose the most robust. The dealer is important as the good ones will inspect the trailer as soon as it arrives and address any manufacturing issues before you you take delivery. The dealer is the manufacturers customer and has leverage when issues are addressed early.
Me_Again
Explorer III
Nov 12, 2016
We really like our 2017 Bighorn 3575el. Biased we are. I did not like the Western theme of the CC interior or the OEM Westlake tires. Front cap noted to fade.

Heartland has a great users forum and club to join, with rallies all around country.
FishOnOne
Nomad
Nov 12, 2016
Cedar Creek hands down...