Heartland Big Horn Fifth Wheel Trailers

[TnTtravelers]

Hello, I'm hoping to find information on Big Horn Fifth Wheel Trailers. DW and I are planning our retirement and were looking for a more full time type of a trailer to go exploring this great nation. We were looking at Montanas and they seem to be full time units, with the 4 season labeling. I was wondering if the Big Horn fifth wheel trailers are considered full time and how they compare to Montana, quality-wise etc... Thank you!

[7_3_psdman]

It matters where you plan on wintering and how handy you are at rigging a fifth wheel up for winter use. Without taking proper precautions water will freeze no mater what kind of RV you have. Some campgrounds have heated water spigots and all you have to do is heat and insulate your end of the hose and run a heater behind the wall in the front compartment to keep the lines from freezing. I use pink insulation board that fits the windows tightly and the pull down blinds help hold it in place. I had to rework the duct work on my unit to even out the heat. It had too much heat in the front and not enough in the back. I ran a new duct behind the kitchen cabinets to the rear living room and shut off some of the ducting to the front bedroom. Be careful when shutting off ducts that you don't back too much heat into the plenum. If you want to live where it is really cold you might have to close or skirt the trailer. Let the water drip when it is really cold and have a hair dryer and portable heater handy just in case the water lines freeze. Had a time or two where the water wouldn't run until noon. The coldest we camped was about 5 above. We have seen people pack up and head further south in Florida if they forecast is for 30 degrees. That is why they have wheels.

[GDS-3950BH]

94-D2 wrote:
I would steer more to the grand design models. Higher price point but better quality I think.

Grand Design is pumping out slapped together garbage every bit as much as anyone else. If you buy something built while this current situation is in effect, where dealers lots are mostly empty and they can not get units fast enough, you're chances of being handed a POS are exponentially higher no matter the brand. None of these manufacturers care about QC or QA, only the bottom line and they're backed up by their trade organization the RVIA whose main job is to lobby against any lemon law type legislation that is proposed by anyone.

[sdfiver]

We really like our Bighorn 3760EL. Have over 6 months of living in it while snowbirding down south. Probably towed it around 10,000 miles. No issues big enough to take to dealer. Fixed a few minor things ourselves like loose screws and very minor water drip behind the outside shower. It is warranted for full time use as ReneeG mentioned already.

[ReneeG]

We have a 2011 Bighorn that we purchased new in 2010. Yes, still have it and it is warranted for full time use. The best RV we've ever had. Other than regular maintenance stuff that needs updated, like seals, slideout awnings, axle and brake maintenance, etc., it's held up extremely well. If for some reason we had to buy another, I would look for one of this same year. IMO, newer RV's no matter what make or model are not built as well. We have a local guy that services what we can't and he says ours is very well built. We're getting ready to apply new laminated decals on it.

[Me_Again]

JTrac wrote:
Just curious, how is the roof supported? I can't see any side supports and it appears it is resting on the Big Horn's roof.

Park rules require roof to be supported by the RV, so yes the trailer is supporting the roof. This summer we added a roof to the porch. It is not connected to the trailer roof. It just underlaps the trailers roof.

[JTrac]

Me Again wrote:
We full timed in our 2017 Bighorn 3575el(bought in May of 2016) for almost 2 years and now it is our summer home.

Wow. That is a unique set up and looks great. Keeping it under cover will add years to its longevity. Just curious, how is the roof supported? I can't see any side supports and it appears it is resting on the Big Horn's roof.

[Me_Again]

We full timed in our 2017 Bighorn 3575el(bought in May of 2016) for almost 2 years and now it is our summer home.

[Wadcutter]

We just traded our Big Country last spring. Had it 10 years which is the longest we've ever kept any camper/RV. We kept it that long because it was such a good, solid, trouble free unit and we liked the floor plan. I have no idea how many miles we pulled it over those 10 years. From central IL it had been to the west coast once, the east coast 7 times, over the top of all the Great Lakes once and WI several times, and along the Gulf Coast at least twice a year. When we traded we weren't really sure we wanted to do that since it had been so trouble free and fearing what will we get in to with a new rig. The dealer sold it the day after we traded it.
The only reason we did not get another Big Country was because the dealer we go to quit and none of the other dealers close by picked up sales. If we had a Heartland dealer close we would definitely had gone Heartland again.

[MarkTwain]

JTrac wrote:
I am not a my brand is best type guy as it depends on what works for you plus how you spend your money is none of my business. All I can do is relate what we found. We looked at Big Horns, GD Solitudes, Redwoods, Villanos, and Jayco Pinnacle's for over 6 months earlier this year, off and on, before deciding on the Pinnacle. I would have looked an Alliance Paradigm if I could have found one within a reasonable distance. We were able to compare several models at an rv/boat show in January and actually liked the Redwood best but we were never able to find the model we wanted as none were available, anywhere.

We finally boiled it down to the Solitude and the Pinnacle. We liked both but the Pinnacle had a few more features and most of all had a 2 year full warranty plus a 3 year structural. All the others were one year. We've got about 40 nights in it and so far the only issue was a locked compressor on the bedroom ac from day 1, which was immediately replaced. It was easy to cool on a 97 degree day and heated nicely on a 20 degree night just a couple of weeks ago. The wife really likes the Insignia residential style range/oven. I really haven't found anything I would consider shoddy workmanship but I also understand that it is not a high end fifth wheel so my expectations are made accordingly.

There was a model of the Big Horn we particularly liked but I can't remember which one it was.

Have a 2012 3070 RSL Fifth wheel 34 ft.. It has been a great with few issues that were all taken care by the Heartland warranty service. I was always able to call their tech support to help resolve issues. Replace all the tires before you ever drive it off the lot. All tires on new trailers are cheap which give you flat tires and damage to your rig. Buy LT G rated tires. I have always used Goodyear. The dealer in Oregon has a RV park lot across the street where I stayed over night to check out and learn how to use all the systems.

[JTrac]

I am not a my brand is best type guy as it depends on what works for you plus how you spend your money is none of my business. All I can do is relate what we found. We looked at Big Horns, GD Solitudes, Redwoods, Villanos, and Jayco Pinnacle's for over 6 months earlier this year, off and on, before deciding on the Pinnacle. I would have looked an Alliance Paradigm if I could have found one within a reasonable distance. We were able to compare several models at an rv/boat show in January and actually liked the Redwood best but we were never able to find the model we wanted as none were available, anywhere.

We finally boiled it down to the Solitude and the Pinnacle. We liked both but the Pinnacle had a few more features and most of all had a 2 year full warranty plus a 3 year structural. All the others were one year. We've got about 40 nights in it and so far the only issue was a locked compressor on the bedroom ac from day 1, which was immediately replaced. It was easy to cool on a 97 degree day and heated nicely on a 20 degree night just a couple of weeks ago. The wife really likes the Insignia residential style range/oven. I really haven't found anything I would consider shoddy workmanship but I also understand that it is not a high end fifth wheel so my expectations are made accordingly.

There was a model of the Big Horn we particularly liked but I can't remember which one it was.

[94-D2]

I have a 2018 Big Horn Treveler 39MB. Have had three years now and maybe 8-10k miles on it. I can tell you, I don’t think it is made for full timing. I have yet to open the door and not find saw dust and at least one screw on the floor from unknown places, The insulation is inadequate, single pane windows And poor quality In the assembly. Sheet metal or wood screws on fiber board and veneer, All of which back out constantly and can’t be tightened, adheasive backed fixtures letting go due to heat, and hardware that constantly losses during transit. It is very maintenance Intensive.

Although it has 2 A/C units, the cooling is barely able to keep up (due to poor insulation) and heating is chaotic depending on which area of the trailer your in. So, it is great for a mild summer trip but I think cold temperatures or extreme heat would be uncomfortable full timing. The appliances are good and have performed well. The structure is solid and seems to ok on tires etc. roof vents are on the cheap side and factory sealants are minimal and need redoing, I would steer more to the grand design models. Higher price point but better quality I think.

[goducks10]

Per Heartlands website;

"We can't guarantee that every RV we make will be totally free of defects, but we stand behind our products. That's why we offer the best warranties in the industry. Every RV we make will have at least a 1-year warranty. Our luxury brands, Bighorn and Big Country, are warrantied for full-time RVing, and Landmark holds an industry-best 2-year warranty for full-time RVing. And, starting in 2018, every unit comes with a 3-year structural warranty too."