RE: Buying a site in an RV Resort.
"There *are* quality ownership lots in quality parks - Retama Village in Mission TX for example"
I Agree 100%...Love all our neighbors here in Retama! Been here for three seasons...everyone gets along very well, and everyone treats each other with respect...makes for a wonderful community!
RE: Is a GMC 3500 enough for a 18,500# Teton
I'd have second thoughts towing it with my Kodiak...I'm at my limits with a 17,000 5er...actually over on the GCWR.
RE: Any square dance campers out there?
We don't square dance either, but our winter neighbors do...there are many parks here in the Rio Grande Valley that offer it. They said they could dance every day of the week, several times a day if they wanted to....
RE: HELP! AT&T Cellular kicking us out!
Just curious if anyone has had issues with this with Verizon yet... my work cell and aircard are both through Verizon, and we're wandering all over the country. If they decide to complain about roaming, I could be in trouble...
We do the same thing with Verizon as we are fulltimers...
We have only been in roaming mode a few times, which you will see on your phone as extended network. The rest of the time it says Verizon, so we're not considered "roaming"...don't expect a problem...Verizon's network is huge!!!
RE: Heartland fifth-wheels
I wrote Mr. Brady In July... didn't hear back. I guess he really doesn't care about his customers!
Eh!
Graham,
Your current level of satisfaction not-withstanding, Mr. Brady had his team and his suppliers respond to you by working with you to take care of your coach and your requested reimbursements, without regard to warranty status or "potential" retail induced forces (loading, curbing, road conditions, usage etc.).
Jim Beletti
I beg to differ... as far as I'm concerned all negotiations for partial compensation from Lippert was between me & various management levels of Lippert.
When I was in business it was only common courtesy that when a customer wrote to a quality organization, that organization ALWAYS wrote back to the customer with their response to the issues.
Eh!
OK...so you came to an agreement with the involved parties...Why are you still beating that dead horse????
RE: In the middle of a dealer/manufacturer turf war
96, I agree that the situation has been mishandled and yes all parties including yourself had a part in it. My blame goes to the second dealer that called you and told you that Holiday could not sell it to you. They had no place to call you but it seems to me that they were going to show Holiday as well as you that they won the peeing contest and you were going to have to buy from them. That is just bad business on their part because if you wanted to buy from them you would have to start with. If I was Heartland; I would make sure that this did not happen again. I still think that more to this story exists and you may find the rest of the story in the coming weeks or months. I hope you find the rig you are looking for but I would not rule out Heartland due to the poor judgement of a dealer. Just my 02
I completely agree...Heartland, nor any other manufacturer, has complete physical control over what their dealer/employee of dealer does in contacting customers directly. Heartland stepped up and tried to "right" what the second dealer did, which was definitely unethical, but Heartland shouldn't be condemned for the dealer's stupid action...JMHO!
RE: Question about deeded lots
We actually went thru this in Aranasa Pass, Texas. We bought a lot, along with about 40 others, in a brand new development for RVs (used to be called Iron Gator..now its called Southern Oaks, and is a shadow of what it was supposed to be).
After waiting a year for our lots to start, the developer just packed up and left one day...this, after many of us had already settled! Talk about scary! The only thing that saved us was the Title Company...they didn't just hand over our money, even though the developer tried to obtain it...they checked and determined that, according to our contracts, the development wasn't ready for occupancy. Long story short, the silent partner, who was also duped, bought back our lots and we got our money back! Talk about lucky...
What did we learn...make certain the developer has the money to see a project to completion, and that they are reputable. We ended up buying in a beautiful community in the RGV called Retama. Not only is this developer capable and on the up and up...he's the only one we've ever seen who built the Club, pools, activities areas at the BEGINNING of his project! As for our dues, they are based on what they should cost at full build-out, with the developer making up the difference in maintenance costs until the HOA is turned over to the owners. That, however, will be many years down the road because Retama is one of 11 communities in Bentsen Palm which will ALL need to be 75% sold prior to the turn over....as someone stated earlier....READ YOUR PURCHASE DOCUMENTS THOROUGHLY!!!
What you describe, no pool, no clubhouse just streets, etc...sounds like the first mess we almost lost our shirts on...be VERY careful!!
RE: Big Horn Vs Montana
In think of all the 5ers on the market today, in this price point, the Bighorn and the Montana are the most comparable. We looked at both and decided on the Bighorn. Floorplan, price and standard features, along with solid wood cabinetry and construction were our deciding factors.
We have lived in this unit for 2 1/2 years and still love it as much as when we first got it. Don't think you can go wrong with either, but Heartland's customer service is what would make us buy their product again if we're ever in the market...JMHO!
RE: Crime in Rio Grande Valley, Texas
I have found it next to impossible for someone to steal my truck while in a Walmart parking lot in Mission, TX. Within 5 minutes of parking the truck, it is totally surrounded with shopping cart buggies. There must be some ordiance against putting things back where they belong.
Bugged by buggies.
OH MY GOD!!! My thoughts exactly....LOL:B
RE: Pulling Heavy Trailer with 3/4 Ton Trucks
Finally someone wins the teddy bear. Steep grades you always use your tranny or prefeably a jake brake to keep your rigs speed down to a reasonable speed. Some folks drive a 20,000 lb rig like they drive the family car. You don't drive down the side of a mountain doing 60 mph. Drop you speed and drop a gear at the top and if really steep drop 2 gears.
I agree...our Chevy C4500 has absolutely no problem keeping our 17,000lb 5er at 55 coming down grades up to 7-8 percent. The exhaust brake and the Allison transmission do all the work, we virtually never touch the service brakes...fact is, we quite often loose speed!
RE: Towing a BIG HORN 3670RL
The Arctic Fox 33-5v that we now have is suppose to weight 10,500 but just after we got it I took it and weighted it and it was 11500 with very little on it. Last summer I went to a rally where it was weighted again this time loaded, it weighted 12,920 with a pin weight of 2800. The Arctic Fox or Northwood shows 1800. It looks like I can get a fiver with around 14,000 gross weight. Now what do I get? I want a good quality RV that will be towed across county and be used for extended periods of time.
Heartland makes several other models in the Bighorn line that have GVWR in the 14,000lb range...they are slightly shorter and there are some really great floor plans too...
Just checked, there are five Bighorns that will fit your towing capabilities. check here
RE: Customer Relations at Sunnybrook RV
Asking your name and purpose of the call is the "third degree"??? If our receptionist in my working days did not ask those questions, she wouldn't have held the job for long. The reason for asking the purpose of your call was so she could give "Jeff" a quick briefing, or have someone else handle the issue for you if "Jeff" was not available. It looks to me like she was just doing her job.
I agree...
RE: Towing a BIG HORN 3670RL
Everyone here assumes that you are loading your trailer to its maximum...it seems that you have 4000 lbs. toplay with before you are a the max GVWR....none of these respondants suggest that you weigh the rig and TV before deciding if you are overloaded.
I can tell them from experience, even if they order NO options, the unit will weigh more than the brochure states. Ours came out of the factory with 2 A/C's and dual pane windows and weighed almost 13,000 lbs...DRY!!!
Unless they plan on putting nothing in it...common sense says they'll be very close or over on their weight ratings....JMHO.
RE: Towing a BIG HORN 3670RL
I have to agree...we have the sister unit to the 3670, a 3600RL. We fulltime, so we may be a bit heavier than the normal user, however, our pin weight is over 3,800 pounds. Keep in mind we do also have a generator and a stack W/D which definitely adds to the pin weight.
As you can see in our profile, we tow with a C4500...had a Dodge 1-ton dually and stopping was at times iffy....
RE: Parallel Parking a 5th Wheel
We do it all the time in rest areas...many of them only have parking spaces for 18 wheelers and RVs along the curb. Have also done it in some truck stops...just takes a little practice.
RE: Picking out Full Timers
Can't always tell the fulltimers by the ladder...ours collapses and fits into the cargo bay...never liked seeing it out my back window!
The majority of FT's don't put out all the decorations, lights, etc....it takes up too much valuable space. Therefore, most usually don't use awning lights, lamp posts, etc. We'll usually only have two chairs out, maybe a ground mat and alot of us use the Weber Q or Baby Q grills cause they're easy to store...see the theme emerging ...LOL...cargo space is at a minimum!!
Most of us, however, were weekenders or part-timers at one time...I do remember setting up all the "stuff" just for two nights...had to make the most of our time off. Enjoy and get to know all types of Rver's, they all may have some valuable input on your new lifestyle...
RE: Paint cracks in 2006 Motorhome
Have a friend with a Mandalay that just had the same issue....it seems to appear mainly in the darker paints, especially after sitting in the hot sun for long periods.
RE: RGV Help Needed
It would be great if you would publish the NAME of the RV park that refused them but wouldn't help them find a place to stay. That would be the MINIMUM I'd expect in that situation.
They made the reservation at Bentsen Palm Village, where we are at now, and they offered to let them stay for a week. Apparently the family has had a tough week and was already upset so they did not stay for whatever reason. The staff here is great and it was just an oversight.
First, let me say, we all know there is ALWAYS another side to every story.
I have first hand knowledge of this situation, as I am well acquainted with the Manager and staff at Bentsen Palm, and the first point I need to make is the couple did NOT have a reservation. They were referred to the park by someone who comes here each year, that they met in San Antonio, as a great place to spend the winter, and he didn't stop to think they had children...they just showed up.
Second, the staff was willing to allow them to stay for several weeks, but as this park is completely full every year from December to March...they could not stay longer than a month, children or no children...there simply was no room.
This couple had a very traumatic trip to the RGV and were really upset upon their arrival, to the point they stated "We hate Texas". They asked for an were given a Trailer Life directory, brought it back several minutes later and told the staff they were leaving not only the Valley, but Texas altogether....
RE: Dropped it!
I may have missed it, but the one thing I haven't seen anyone mention is the VISUAL check of the pin before doing the pull test. This is something we do ALWAYS!!! If you're driving and DH is hitching, once you both hear the hitch latch, then he should be visually checking to make sure the jaws have completely encircled the pin AND that the pin is properly hitched...meaning the the large round portion of the bottom of the pin is BELOW the jaws...if not, you are what's called "high pinned" and you will drop the 5er...Good Luck!
