Heartland 5th Wheels

[brunella]

Looking at heartland big horn & & big country 5th wheels. Any pros cons
Thanks

[ReneeG]

One of the things to note about the Heartland Bighorn is that is guaranteed for full time use.

[B_O__Plenty]

justme wrote:
Some heartland owners seem to be brand loyalists. I don't think that brand is above average to justify loyalty and therefor that loyalty may be based on protecting their decision or ego. My take is that Heartland brand is average.

I agree and think this statement could be true for many brands/owners. Not much real difference between most mid priced RVs. They use the same components, appliances, frames etc.

B.O.

[Me_Again]

We had a Cardinal for 11 years and it was a great trailer and floor plan. We could not find a new Cardinal that we liked that had a light enough pin weight for our 3500 SRW RAM. Cardinals smallest model is cheaply make to keep it light.

So we bought a 2017 Big Horn 3575el. We love this trailer still after 14 months with it, living in it most of that time. Support from Heartland Corp is great, the Heartland owners forum and club is great also. Most of the large Heartland trailers come OEM with Sailun LRG or LRH tires.

We feel that what we got for our money is a little above the average quality in an industry that is noted for quality issues.

The Landmark, Big Horn and Big Country all go down the same assembly line. Big Country lacks rear cap which was on our must have list.

We looked at just about all West Coast offerings. Montana, Cedar Creek, Cardinal, all Heartland lines, Open Range etc.

We bought the Big Horn with plans to snowbird in it, and now it turns out we are sunbirding in it, as last winter we built a new park model with Arizona room in Gold Canyon, Az after selling our B&S home last summer.

[Wadcutter]

We have a 3500 Big Country for the past 7 years. It's been a good one. No complaints. In the past we've had Cardinals, New Vision (before they were toy haulers) Jayco, KountryAire and a Montana for a short time. (So not a 'brand loyalist.) The Big Country has been the best for us and least maintainenace. Only real problem was the plastic check valve on the rear of the water heater tank was cracked and it leaked water into the basement. Once the leak location was found it was a simple swap out of parts. Probably overtightened during installation or hit with something when installing. The other problem was the capacitor on the AC motor went bad and needed it replaced. The AC isn't made by Heartland.
All the other brands had a lot more quality control issues. ie, one of the Cardinals the axles weren't aligned correctly and ate up a set of tires in less than 1000 miles. The Jayco and New Vision leaked around windows, roof leak, leak around antenna and AC. AC went out in the Jayco. The KountryAire had alignment problems with the door, cabinet doors came apart, and floor warped which we never diagnosed why but no indication of water, believed to be construction problem.

[justme]

Some heartland owners seem to be brand loyalists. I don't think that brand is above average to justify loyalty and therefor that loyalty may be based on protecting their decision or ego. My take is that Heartland brand is average.

[B_O__Plenty]

Had a 2011 Big Country. Good basic construction but it needed a lot of upgrades over the years. Springs went flat and needed replacement, both front and rear caps faded and needed to be painted, both fender skirts changed from gray to brown in the Sun and one started to peel, plagued by plumbing leaks, cracked fittings for the first couple years, cheap ceiling van shook and buzzed while running, very noisy A/C, electric front jacks were troublesome and the streetside jack had to be replaced which meant cutting a hole in the propane cabinet to gain access. Changed brands this time and I'm much happier. Cannot fault Heartland customer service, but dealers are getting harder to find.

B.O.

[alexleblanc]

I can only comment that this weekend while camping at a local race I noticed quite a few Heartland fivers that were 2-5 years old that had severe delamination issue, so much that while walking around with my father we took stock of how many we could see with such issues and our end count was 15 out of probably 800 there in total ands about 30 or so Heartland units.

not to say that they aren't good units but it seems like maybe the factory caulking job or something is questionable.

[ACZL]

Just bought a 2018 Big Country 3560 SS and love it. Like other RV's it has the usual bugs, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Lots of room and plenty of BR storage. Not light units tho. Ours weighs 14K dry/empty and max of 16k so that leaves us w/ just 2,000 lbs of "stuff". Tows great.

PS: Tried sending OP a PM and in order to receive it, OP needs to change your settings.

[FSJPat]

I've been full timing for 4 years in a 2013 Bighorn. Pulled it cross country, no problems whatsoever. I have had one slight issue, a piece of water line that stung a leak underneath. The dealer got me in right away, replaced the line and pressure tested the entire system, and had me on my way in about two hours. Other than that, no issues. Holding up well to two big dogs and the occasional isit from teenagers.

[1492]

[MarkTwain]

brunella wrote:
Looking at heartland big horn & & big country 5th wheels. Any pros cons
Thanks

2012 Big Horn
Great trailer, I would buy another BH. Suggestions before you buy and leave the dealership.
1. Throw away the tires and make it part of the deal to replace with Good Year "G" rated tires.
2. Spend overnight at your Heartland Dealer shop and test every system over and over.
3. buy a general box of fuses and extra light bulbs the interior of the RV that your RV may need.
4. buy a can of spray to lubricate the slide poles.
5. Sewer, have the dealer install a devise on your sewer that allows you to use close the sewer in addition to the the regular sewer close handles.
6. Buy a new collapsible sewer hoses. 1- 15', 1- 10'. they save a lot of space in your basement.
7 Buy a double water filter.
8. I would not recommend the "Extended warranty" from Good Sam. Too many exceptions for what they will pay for or not.
9. Install a Air Hitch for smoother rides, less chucking.

[ReneeG]

Depends on the year you are looking at. We purchased our 2010 model in 2011 and have had great success, in fact I would say that the quality is unbeatable. We love it. When we went back to our dealer in 2014 for some repair to a fender after a tire separated, I noticed that they weren't selling Bighorn's anymore. They said because the quality changed. You'll have to get feedback from those that own newer models.