Considering a BIGHORN Model 3055

FlashG

Member
I am thinking of buying a new Bighorn.

Questions:

The Bighorns appear to have an extra step to get in compared with say the Montana. If so does that mean the ceiling height is lower in the BH?

Looking at the specs the Bighorns is only 2 1/2 inches taller.

Is the skirting lower on the Bighorn? I am kinda confused when looking at the outside photos in the brochures.

I have my purchase decision narrowed down to a few fifth wheels model/brands. The Bighorn is at or near the top of my "short list" - some of the negative comments regarding Bighorn are scaring me. :eek:

How does Bighorn compare with these?
Montana
Everest
Cedar Creek
Cardinal

Thanks I really appreciate the information!
 

sislv

Tom & Sharol
3055RL bighorn

We have a 2006 3055RL and I don't have any head clearance problem in the bedroom. I am 5' 11" and probably have at least 5" head clearance. The kitchen/living room has much more clearance, about 20 plus inches.

I think the 3055RL is mounted higher on the axles compared to other brands, as the springs are on top of them plus I believe the main frame "I" beams are bigger. The newer 3055RL has much improvements over ours. They have a 'dropped' frame under the front of the unit which really adds a LOT of additional storage. When we bought ours I thought we had a lot then.

We have over 5,000 miles on our Bighorn and no major problems. It tows great and light enough to stop good.

We had seriously looked at the Montana, Cardinal, and Cedar Creek brands and we felt the quality of the Bighorn and the floorplan was much better and the price was much better. We had seen a few Everest models but did not like the floor plans, although their quality seemed good.
 

sailorand

Past British Columbia Chapter Leader
Flash
We have a 3055rl. We love it!!
The extra step could be that you do not see the extra step on the Montana as theirs is inside, heard it called the suicide step.
Do the other 5th's you are looking at have a form read by the Factory?
Heartland has backed their units fantastical.
We would by another Heartland product anytime.
Rand
 

FlashG

Member
Thanks for the replys, you guys are great!
What we really like about the 3055 is:

Decor
The quality wood trim.
King size bed
Nice shower stall - not flimsy
Fireplace and desk in the lounge area. (Never thought I'd need a fireplace in an RV! LOL)

The floorplan is great for the shorter length. Most floorplans like this one are at least 36 ft long.

I havent bought the new pickup yet - I like the idea of being able to tow the BH with a short bed truck. Should I trust the marketing?
I had a short bed truck before with my old 5er - I used a Pullrite superglide. Sold the Pullrite with the old 5er. I dont want to spend that kind of money if I dont have to.
 

soilmovers

Well-known member
We bought our 08 Bighorn 3055 in June.
This is our first RV so we shopped and studied the options before deciding on the Heartland product.
We work all over Texas and have lived in it since the day we drove it off the lot. WE LOVE IT!
I don't know about the negative comments you mentioned, but any problems we had were quickly handled by the great team at Heartland.
It's a quality rig and the best value we found on the market.
Cindy
 

Oldlthrnecksgirl

Hisyoungercuterwife
We don't have the same model as you are looking at,,, we have the 3670 but we tow it with a short bed truck. We already had a slider hitch installed but haven't used it yet and are staying in our sixth? seventh? place. We even backed into our neices backyard with an opening with 6" on either side and had to jockey into position without using the slider.
 

sislv

Tom & Sharol
Floor plan and short bed truck

FlashG said:
Thanks for the replys, you guys are great!

The floorplan is great for the shorter length. Most floorplans like this one are at least 36 ft long.

I havent bought the new pickup yet - I like the idea of being able to tow the BH with a short bed truck. Should I trust the marketing?
I had a short bed truck before with my old 5er - I used a Pullrite superglide. Sold the Pullrite with the old 5er. I dont want to spend that kind of money if I dont have to.

The floorplan was the main reason we looked seriously at the Bighorn 3055RL, and I agree you usually don't find it on rigs under 36 feet.

As you can see from our signature we have a 2006 GMC with the short box and haven't had ANY problem with turning either going forward or backing up. I haven't even come close to hitting the cab. The Reese 16K hitch handles the hookup fine without spending the money for a slider.

I think you'll be very happy with the 3055RL, and I don't think you can beat Heartlands response to any needed service. Plus, where else can you find a Manufacturer presence on a forum where you can ask questions and usually get a quick response.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
I would like to echo the response that Tom and Sharoyl and Sailorand gave. We have a 3055RL and love it. With the 08 model having the drop frame, you get a huge storage area.

The only thing I disagree with is the fireplace. We had a fireplace in another brand 5er, and they are pretty and put out some heat. But in the 3055RL you will loose a huge storage area under the desk, which I think is much more valuable. We purchased a tower type heater that osculates, about the same heat output as fireplace and has a thermostat and is only about 10-12" diameter and 30" tall (about 50 bucks). It sets in the corner behind the recliners when not in use and we don't even carry it in the summer.

What ever you decide as far as options, I'm sure you will be happy with a Bighorn and the Heartland family

My 3 cents worth, to long for 2 cents.

Jim (the other Jim)
 

5erWonk

Well-known member
Flash,

I echo the other BH owners opinions...I have the unique experience of owning both a Montana 2955 and BH 3055 in the same year, and by far the BH is a better rig.

After we totalled our Montana we looked at all options and preferred the floorplan of the BH. We took delivery in Feb '07 and have traveled +6K miles without any major issues. The fit and finish are definately superior to our Monatna, we have no regrets.

BTW we actually liked our Montana, but our BH isbetter.

No matter what you choose.......Enjoy!!!
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
Great floor plan! I vote for the fireplace. Makes for great atmosphere. They did change manufactures and I don't like the new one, if they are still using them, near as well. The only problem I have with the lay out is that I would like to have the big windows on the same side as the door. We seem to have to make a decision when boon docking which way to point the rig. If the door and windows were on the same side we wouldn't have to worry about it. BUT the place we have in AZ right now is perfect for the layout. Door out to the patio and the big windows open up to the COLO River and the mountains. WHAT A VIEW! Don't worry about the negative comments (and I have had a few) the factory will take care of you. Cant say that about the rest of them.
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
We too loved the 3055 layout, however, with being fulltimers I really wanted the stack washer/dryer. Couldn't do that in the 3055 so we decided on the 3600RL...couldn't be happier! Unfortunately it's alot heavier so we had to sell our old dependable Dodge 1-ton DRW and get a Chevy 4500 Kodiak...real happy with that purchase too!

As for Heartland, they are the greatest! They will take care of you even if the dealer can't or won't. We will be Heartland owners from here on out, till we can't climb into the rig anymore...which hopefully is a long time away!

You won't regret purchasing a Heartland product, no matter what the floor plan!
 

navyAZ1

Well-known member
FlashG said:
Thanks for the replys, you guys are great!
What we really like about the 3055 is:

Decor
The quality wood trim.
King size bed
Nice shower stall - not flimsy
Fireplace and desk in the lounge area. (Never thought I'd need a fireplace in an RV! LOL)

The floorplan is great for the shorter length. Most floorplans like this one are at least 36 ft long.

I havent bought the new pickup yet - I like the idea of being able to tow the BH with a short bed truck. Should I trust the marketing?
I had a short bed truck before with my old 5er - I used a Pullrite superglide. Sold the Pullrite with the old 5er. I dont want to spend that kind of money if I dont have to.

We have had our 3055RL since April have logged about 7,000 miles and we love it. We had the fireplace removed and doors with a fixed shelf put in I work from the road a lot and use that area for my printer didn't need a fireplace. We have a short bed Chevy and it is true you don't need the slider hitch the design of the front cap works well. As to the length I measured from the end of the pin box to back of the ladder it measured 35'-8". Good Luck.
 

DennisZ

Well-known member
FlashG
We have had our 3055RL since June 06 nad have logged about 10K miles. So far no problems, just little improvements that I wanted. We really love the space and layout. I'm a big guy, and have NO problems with space.

Good luck with your decision.

Dennis
 

Fishingicon

Member
Show Purchase

My wife really liked the Montana, what changed our minds was shopping at a big RV show (in Denver) where the Montana and BH were almost side by side. As we went from coach to coach we could better compare the quality of fit and finish = we now own the 3055!
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I agree that the Bighorn is a great. However I would like to give another view on the TV. If you really like a short bed then that is what you need. I like the long bed on my truck. I have extra hauling room, Truck comes with a larger OEM Fuel tank. It is a little harder to park in some places, but if your going to fulltime, you can always use a little extra room.

FWIW
BC
 

larryg

Member
I am using this post to tell our story. My wife and I shopped fifth wheels. for 8 months. We Sold our 2000 Pace Arrow in April "07", ordered our BH the same week from Veture Out in Bakersfield Cali. Arrived May 10, 2007. (fast) Only problem was, the driver hit a low crossing of some kind coming out from the factory. destroyed about 8 feet of roof line including vents and trusses. Venture Out and Heartland gave us 2 options. 1. recieve a new FW from the factory (8 weeks) or the dealer will fix the wrecked one. we chose our own option #3. We took delivery of a BH that was delivered to the dealer as a floor model the same week. It was the same coach we ordered only it was our 2nd color pick which turned out better. Ironically, the circuit board for the hot water heater and the fire place went out the first 2 weeks we had it. (2 different trips) Since the dealer was 95 miles away from home Venture Out Heartland and Dessa heater Sent me the parts, no questions asked. Had a small water leak a few months ago at the tank which the dealer fixed with a 5 day turnaround.
Holiday Rambler, Cardinal, Nu-Wa and Montana along with the BH were on our short list. All of them had their good points. In our eyes and pocket book, the BH stood out above and beyond the rest of them.
The Point to all this, The Dealer and Factory support from Venture Out and Heartland has exceeded all of our expectations. We have many friends with different makes of FW's and all of them are amazed at the support that we have recieved.
Pulls straight and true with good fit and finish.

LarryG
2008 3055
2007 Dodge 2500 4x4 "QC" S.B.
Jake, Firestone Bags,
Mag Hitec A.T. Pan and Rear Diff Cover
 

gdog

gdog
Just came home with a 2009 3055 being pulled by a gmc duramax. The combination is fantastic. I will never go back to a gasser if you want to pull anything with significant weight.
gdog
 

christianson

Active Member
We have 07 Bighorn 3055 we love it have spent 2years in AZ lived in it for 3months each year we have fireplace and use it all the time we also have the dual pane windows and definatly would not be with out them they do make guit a differance heating and cooling and noise
 
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