New fifth wheel choice

[BriarPatch]

We are looking at purchasing a new fifth wheel and have pretty much narrowed it down to a Jayco Pinnacle 35LKTS, Big Country 3450TS or a Montanna Big Sky 3700RL. The RV will be used in the US & Canada so we are concerned about the insulation and construction, does anybody have any experience with any of these products as regards build quality, useability or problems/issues etc.

Thanks

Nick

[RustyJC]

We've owned three (3) Jaycos, a pop-up and two (2) Designer 5th wheels. All have been excellent values at their price points, and Jayco customer service is second to none in our experience. Our Jaycos had their industry-leading 2+3 warranty (2 years bumper-to-hitch, 3 additional years structural).

Can't comment with firsthand knowledge on the others you list.

Rusty

[Blaster 22]

Montana is the best selling 5th wheel in the country 10 years and counting. We had a 3400RL for a number of years. Just my opinion, of course, but I think dollar for dollar they are hard to beat, great customer service, too.

[Rob_Fla]

We have been 5th Wheel shopping for several years and had 3 finalists that fit our budget, needs and wants. The Heartland Big Country, Crossroads Rushmore and Jayco Pinnacle.
We had a Jayco Eagle 5th Wheel which was a great, problem free 5er for 6 years so maybe Jayco had a edge but we were keeping our minds open as we looked.
The Crossroads Rushmore and Jayco Pinnacle have a 2 year warranty and the Heartland Big Country has a 1 year warranty.
Both Crossroads and Heartland are now owned by Thor Industries and Jayco is still family owned.
We found a Jayco 35LKTS at a dealer that fit our needs and was optioned like we would have ordered and at a great price, so we bought it about a month ago.
So far it has been a great unit and we are very happy with our purchase.
We did find a few very minor issues at the Dealer's PDI that were taken care of immediately.
We have had a couple of minor issues since delivery but they had nothing to do with Jayco construction, they were with the appliances which are the same appliances many RV Manufacturers use.

[rfhtlh]

if you can, take a factory tour to see how they are really built. we have toured many factories and in some cases it changed our mind.

[meterguru]

I must say you have picked the best of the best. We've own a Jayco and had no complaints. The Big Country (Heartland) is considered #3 in the premium RV and the Jayco and Keystone are #1 and #2 Above Average category in the JR consumer RV book. It all a matter of taste at this point and price. In all our research we could find no real fault with any of your choices. Our final choice was based on Floor plans. All of your choices were in the running for us but our needs required a specific layout, our final choice was a KZ Stoneridge 37RB. But from all our research you won't go wrong with any of your choices.

[Muddypaws]

My brother-in-law and one of my oldest friends both bought Heartland fifth wheels.

Actually, my brother-in-law has bought two of them because the first one burned to the ground. It was less than 6 months old. The fire spread to his house and that was a total loss as well. The several investigators who've analyzed the remains cannot agree what started the fire. The most votes go for the water heater but it did have a Dometic 4 door refer - known to catch fire fairly often. Often enough that someone makes an automatic halon fire suppression device for them.

My friends Heartland has so many problems I can't keep track of them all.

Everything under the surface of the Heartlands i've worked on screams CHEAP. The walls seem to be thinner than other brands, lots of pieces do not line up properly, plastic body parts are the flimsiest I've ever seen. The flooring seems to be thin. And the overall quality of assembly is very poor.

Personally I would not even consider a Heartland product.

We had a Montana 2955 for 6 years and I had few complaints about how it was put together. Prior to that we had a Arctic Fox and it was built like a tank!

We currently have a 35 foot diesel pusher and I'm sometimes wishing we'd kept the Montana or gone for a bigger fiver in the High Country line.

[BIG ZD]

Big problem with heartland is the tires and anxel. I had a heartland TT and had tire issues and a few other things. There customer services is far from good asked them to fix a bumper that was a know factory issue and they wouldnt because it was 1 month over they one year warrenty. Other friends of mine still have a 5th wheels by heartland and like them but they still complain about customer service.

[Westwind]

Part of your search should be to check out Owner's Forums, they are a wealth of information. Their has been a change in manufacturer's attitudes of the past few years due to the decline in the industry. Everyone wants everyone's business and it's interesting, good luck in your search. Remember none of them are perfect.