aquiring signal
Well-known member
We've been full-timing since 2006 & recently traded our 2008 Bighorn 3670RL for a 2011 Bighorn 3585RL. After a week in the new coach, I have to say that most of the changes Heartland has made (materials, design & components) in those few model years have mostly been improvements in my opinion. I decided to post this here as it may be useful info to anyone considering a new coach.
Ceiling panels - The new interior ceiling surface is a smooth semi-glossy surface with a leather-like grain to it. Maybe it's vinyl. The old ceiling was flat white in color with a textured/stippled surface. I like the new one better I have to say.
Wall covering - the color & pattern is slightly different. I liked the old one fine, but I think I love the new.
Cabinets & woodwork - The Oak was nice, but we welcome the Royal Maple. It looks good and we were ready for a change.
Decor - Mary likes the new Royal Maple cabinets and the color scheme of everything. I especially like the color (black & brown) & design (curved backs, bottom to top) of the new dinette chairs. The trim around the slide-out rooms & the bed headboard looks higher quality in the new rig.
Recliners & couch - ultra leather is fine so far. The cushions are much firmer than the old furniture. Maybe they just aren't broken in yet. I find my new chair more comfortable than my old one.
Guest bed - the air mattress now has it's own integral rip proof bag that in attached to the couch frame via velcro straps. It sits right behind the couch back. You fold it down, unzip, flop the mattress out & plug it in & inflate. they also changed to it 120 volt or 12 volt so you can inflate on the road without shore power. Now the blankets & pillows can stay in the lower drawer & the mattress will be closer to where it will be used. An improvement for sure.
Hydraulic front landing gear. Wow, I can't say enough about it. SO much better, faster, smoother, & quieter than the old electric system. I can lift that trailer off the truck in seconds. It feels very powerful, too.
Kitchen sink - now stainless steel. Mary was always working hard to keep that white one we had clean. Also the boutique faucet is big, tall, operates smoothly with neat control lever. I like it.
The toilet - the old one said Sealand on it. This one is a Dometic. The new one is 10 times better. On the old one you stepped down to flush and had to pull up (hard) on the pedal to fill. The new one you step all the way down to flush, and slightly down to fill. the pedal operates with a very light touch. Much, much easier. And the water fills in a swirling motion from the top rim of the bowl, more like a residential unit. A definite improvement.
Bathroom sink - this I think is one area that is a step backwards. The old one was a porcelain or ceramic sink that came up over the counter top. The new one in clamped below the counter top. Though it is better that there is no sink edge lip, it seems to now be made of plastic or some composite material. Not high gloss ceramic like before. This may be one of the only steps backwards I've seen.
Shower - the seat is gone. It's good & bad. there's definitely more floor space now, which I like, but Mary liked the seat. I think it can be resolved by adding a water proof folding seat in there. Our old shower door had a towel bar, that's gone. I miss it. Perhaps I'll order one from a 2008 & install it myself.
Under-bed storage - Our 2008 had a hydraulic bedroom slide & a hydraulic ram beneath the bed meant shallow storage. The new bedroom slide is electric so the under-bed space is unencumbered. Nice.
Laundry Closet - this is a great improvement that I think came out the year after we got our 2008. The washer in the main closet was terrible. This is how it needs to be. (but they forgot to put a light in the laundry closet. Oops.) The louver doors are a nice touch.
TV - going from 32" to 42" is a 74% increase in screen area. WOW. And now it's on a swivel mount & adjustable. It has several HDMI inputs as well as USB. (But the lower horizontal hat-section bracket of the swivel mount does block a few of the inputs on the back. I can correct that.) The old one had one HDMI input and zero USB ports. Obstructed ports are better than no ports. And we went from a brand I've never heard of (Olevia?) to a Sharp.
Tires & wheels - no change. Same wheels, same Goodyear G614 tires. I like them.
Exterior baggage/propane doors - now a little thicker & more rigid, I think. Perhaps the new "slam latches" require a thicker door. The new doors are 1 1/4" thick, I think the old doors were 1". This along with the gas struts to hold the doors open is a great improvement.
Exterior surface - The gel coat on the old unit was glossy & smooth & straight/flat. The new one is glossy and smooth, but a bit wavy. I was told this change was made because spider-web cracks were forming in the thicker gelcoat of the older models. I have to say that in 3 1/2 years we had not (yet) had that problem on our 2008, but if the new finish is truly more trouble free and long lasting, I can live with it.
Suspension - went from Lippert axles to Dexter "never lube" axles and better brakes. Also better suspension (mor-ryde, I think). I did notice that the distance between the two axles is a few inches larger than the last rig. I noticed then I was chocking the wheels that space between each forward & rear tire is a bit larger.
Floor plan - it feels more open. Partly because of the wider staircase, but mostly because the entertainment area slide out & the kitchen slide out have been combined into one. it really opens the place up. Now that Mary can see the TV easily from the kitchen, I won't have to pause the TV when she wants to be in the kitchen. More room in the bedroom. The laundry room with its own doors is a vast improvement. The bathroom appears to be a tiny bit smaller. I think the old one was rectangular but to make the new floorplan work it looks like they chamfered the room corners. What was lost is minimal.
Features - here are a few things we did not have in the 2008 that are improvements - power cord reel, double refrigerator, keyless entry, drawers in stairs, electric awning, dual zone air conditioning with programmable thermostat, exterior speakers.
In summary, I think Heartland made a great coach in 2008 and has made several improvements since then and I hope that continues for years to come. If you are considering a new Heartland 5th wheel, I think you will be happy with your decision to move up in model year. I hope this helps.
Ceiling panels - The new interior ceiling surface is a smooth semi-glossy surface with a leather-like grain to it. Maybe it's vinyl. The old ceiling was flat white in color with a textured/stippled surface. I like the new one better I have to say.
Wall covering - the color & pattern is slightly different. I liked the old one fine, but I think I love the new.
Cabinets & woodwork - The Oak was nice, but we welcome the Royal Maple. It looks good and we were ready for a change.
Decor - Mary likes the new Royal Maple cabinets and the color scheme of everything. I especially like the color (black & brown) & design (curved backs, bottom to top) of the new dinette chairs. The trim around the slide-out rooms & the bed headboard looks higher quality in the new rig.
Recliners & couch - ultra leather is fine so far. The cushions are much firmer than the old furniture. Maybe they just aren't broken in yet. I find my new chair more comfortable than my old one.
Guest bed - the air mattress now has it's own integral rip proof bag that in attached to the couch frame via velcro straps. It sits right behind the couch back. You fold it down, unzip, flop the mattress out & plug it in & inflate. they also changed to it 120 volt or 12 volt so you can inflate on the road without shore power. Now the blankets & pillows can stay in the lower drawer & the mattress will be closer to where it will be used. An improvement for sure.
Hydraulic front landing gear. Wow, I can't say enough about it. SO much better, faster, smoother, & quieter than the old electric system. I can lift that trailer off the truck in seconds. It feels very powerful, too.
Kitchen sink - now stainless steel. Mary was always working hard to keep that white one we had clean. Also the boutique faucet is big, tall, operates smoothly with neat control lever. I like it.
The toilet - the old one said Sealand on it. This one is a Dometic. The new one is 10 times better. On the old one you stepped down to flush and had to pull up (hard) on the pedal to fill. The new one you step all the way down to flush, and slightly down to fill. the pedal operates with a very light touch. Much, much easier. And the water fills in a swirling motion from the top rim of the bowl, more like a residential unit. A definite improvement.
Bathroom sink - this I think is one area that is a step backwards. The old one was a porcelain or ceramic sink that came up over the counter top. The new one in clamped below the counter top. Though it is better that there is no sink edge lip, it seems to now be made of plastic or some composite material. Not high gloss ceramic like before. This may be one of the only steps backwards I've seen.
Shower - the seat is gone. It's good & bad. there's definitely more floor space now, which I like, but Mary liked the seat. I think it can be resolved by adding a water proof folding seat in there. Our old shower door had a towel bar, that's gone. I miss it. Perhaps I'll order one from a 2008 & install it myself.
Under-bed storage - Our 2008 had a hydraulic bedroom slide & a hydraulic ram beneath the bed meant shallow storage. The new bedroom slide is electric so the under-bed space is unencumbered. Nice.
Laundry Closet - this is a great improvement that I think came out the year after we got our 2008. The washer in the main closet was terrible. This is how it needs to be. (but they forgot to put a light in the laundry closet. Oops.) The louver doors are a nice touch.
TV - going from 32" to 42" is a 74% increase in screen area. WOW. And now it's on a swivel mount & adjustable. It has several HDMI inputs as well as USB. (But the lower horizontal hat-section bracket of the swivel mount does block a few of the inputs on the back. I can correct that.) The old one had one HDMI input and zero USB ports. Obstructed ports are better than no ports. And we went from a brand I've never heard of (Olevia?) to a Sharp.
Tires & wheels - no change. Same wheels, same Goodyear G614 tires. I like them.
Exterior baggage/propane doors - now a little thicker & more rigid, I think. Perhaps the new "slam latches" require a thicker door. The new doors are 1 1/4" thick, I think the old doors were 1". This along with the gas struts to hold the doors open is a great improvement.
Exterior surface - The gel coat on the old unit was glossy & smooth & straight/flat. The new one is glossy and smooth, but a bit wavy. I was told this change was made because spider-web cracks were forming in the thicker gelcoat of the older models. I have to say that in 3 1/2 years we had not (yet) had that problem on our 2008, but if the new finish is truly more trouble free and long lasting, I can live with it.
Suspension - went from Lippert axles to Dexter "never lube" axles and better brakes. Also better suspension (mor-ryde, I think). I did notice that the distance between the two axles is a few inches larger than the last rig. I noticed then I was chocking the wheels that space between each forward & rear tire is a bit larger.
Floor plan - it feels more open. Partly because of the wider staircase, but mostly because the entertainment area slide out & the kitchen slide out have been combined into one. it really opens the place up. Now that Mary can see the TV easily from the kitchen, I won't have to pause the TV when she wants to be in the kitchen. More room in the bedroom. The laundry room with its own doors is a vast improvement. The bathroom appears to be a tiny bit smaller. I think the old one was rectangular but to make the new floorplan work it looks like they chamfered the room corners. What was lost is minimal.
Features - here are a few things we did not have in the 2008 that are improvements - power cord reel, double refrigerator, keyless entry, drawers in stairs, electric awning, dual zone air conditioning with programmable thermostat, exterior speakers.
In summary, I think Heartland made a great coach in 2008 and has made several improvements since then and I hope that continues for years to come. If you are considering a new Heartland 5th wheel, I think you will be happy with your decision to move up in model year. I hope this helps.
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