RV Standard Equipment, Failures and Must Haves for Dry Camping

Here is a list of things that should have been included as standard features or are must haves for the type of camping we enjoy.  Peace of mind is important.  Dry camping is important.  As you can see by the photo to the right there are no hookups where we camp.  I bought a Toy Hauler and had some expectations that were not met.

This rig was not setup for dry camping.  I suppose to have all of these things as standard features would have cost more.  Maybe I should have looked for a rig that had more.  On the other hand I get to customize things the way I want.  Not sure that is a good thing or not yet.

Items that should be standard equipment, failures and must haves for Dry camping:

• Sewer Hose Storage: Where do they expect me to put my stinky hose?
• Solution:  I purchased and installed a Super-Slider Adjustable Super-Tube for $50 from D&W Incorporated.
• Leaky Waste Valve:
• With 4 feet of Pipe between the valves and the end of the pipe a safety valve would be nice.
• I think I have a slow leak in the Black Tank Valve.  
• Solution:  I installed a Valterra T58 Twist-On Wast Valve for around $21.00.  Works great!  Not a single drop of waste water on my gloved hand.
•  Flawed Heater System:
• Fail #1: The Thermostat is located in the Living area and cannot be controlled in the bedroom even though there is a second controller there.
• Fail #2: If all the heat goes into areas farthest from the thermostat how is the thermostat supposed to know when the desired temperature is reached?  IT CAN'T!  As a result we cooked in the bedroom and you could fry an egg in the Bathroom and shiver in the living room, loft and garage area.
• Solution I hope:  I installed fully adjustable ceiling vents, an adjustable outlet vent for the bathroom and 3 floor registers with dampers from D&W Incorporated.  I had an issue with the order from D&W but they went above and beyond to correct the issue.  Price was $38 and change for 6 spaceports, 3 floor registers and a 4" heat outlet vent with Damper
• You can't cook bacon without running the generator:
• The unit has a Microwave with a Vent Fan but it only runs on 120v. So you can't run the vent fan without running the Generator when you are dry camping.
• This issue is at the moment not resolved yet.  My thought is to install an Inverter to light up that microwave.  This should allow me to run the Fan.  Running the Microwave on Battery power is not the goal but maybe someday.  I don't mind kicking on the Gen for the Microwave.
• Reputable Tires:
• Solution:  For peace of mind I replaced my Power King Towmax tires AKA: BlowMax with 5 Goodyear G614's ($2000 installed by America's Tire).  There are too many horror stories of people having Blow outs with Tow Max trailer tires which in turn tear up the side of their trailer.
• The Tables were located under the mattress with the leg holes pointing up.
• The leg holes stick up about 2" so you might feel them while sleeping.
• It takes two people to remove them.  One to hold the mattress and the other to carefully slide them out without scratching them on the tie down mounts.
• Solution:  I have since relocated them.
• The Fantastic Vent needs a thermostat
• They skimped on the fantastic vent in the living room.  It has one speed and no thermostat.  
• I replaced it with one that has a Thermostat, Rain Sensor, reversible and remote Controlled.  We use it on every trip.
• LED lights:
• I have replaced most of my bulbs with LED lights.  Going from 16 watts per bulb to 1.2 each makes a difference when the main cabin light switch activates at least 8 bulbs.
• For the T10's I am happy with GRV T10 921 194 24-3528 SMD LED Bulb lamp Super Bright Warm White for around $2.00 each.
• I wasn't sure about the HAMIST 20-smd T10 12v Light LED as the light is Blue and doesn't put out much light however in the right place they are a great mood light.
• Disc Type G4 Base Side Pin 10 SMD Led - Wish these were a tad brighter but this might be your best bet.
• 2.1-Watt G4 LED Bulb 12V AC/DC, 10SMD 5050 LED, 1.5W Cool White Color - Don't recommend these as the color is on the Blue side and not very bright.
• 12 volt cigarette lighter or USB Charging stations.  This is a no brainier!
• In this day in age how can you sell a camper without a way to charge your devices.  The only 12 receptacle is in the bedroom in the ceiling in a corner above the TV.  Do you really expect me to run the Generator to charge an iPhone?
• Solution:  I installed three USB charging stations.  One behind the TV and one in the Storage compartment outside and a third in the Garage.
• I bought these but the jury is still out.  You can only charge one devices at a time so it appears yet it comes with USB two ports.
• 12V Waterproof Power Outlet Cigarette Lighter Socket 2.1A Dual USB Charger Panel Flush Mount  $23.83 for two after tax and shipping
• There is only 10 inches give or take of clearance below the rear jacks and spare tire. 
  
• I relocated the Spare tire mounting it higher and closer to the tires gaining 3+ inches of clearance, but I still have the hydraulic Jacks to worry about.  This severely limits the parking lots that I can get in and out of.
• The Jacks can't be raised unless you cut a hole in the garage floor from what I can tell. 
• My 4X4 Dodge is stock height.  Seems like my best option is to raise the rig with a lift kit I presume. Still researching....
• A Towel Rack and Toilet Paper roll holder would have been nice in the Bathroom.
• Installed a hand towel rack and toilet paper roll holder.  Still need one for the big towels though.
• A light switch near the entry door would be nice.
• DVD Player?  Really?  Who buys DVD's anymore.
• It doesn't even have an HDMI connection for the cheap HD TV that it came with.
• The sound from the cheap HD TV can't be sent through the surround sound system so what's the point?
• I will be replacing the receiver at some point.  Due to size constraints I have my eye on the Marantz NR1504 Slim Line 5.1 with AirPlay.  $500.00
• Solar:
  
• I installed a 200 Watt kit from Renogy.  30amp Charge Controller, 2 100 Watt bendable panels.  So far I am loving the setup.  $653.95
• Bought some Velcro, used 4 screws and some RV Roof Caulking to finish the job.
• Inverter:
• I hard wired a 400Watt inverter in the Storage area, ran an extension cord to the area behind the TV.  Now we can watch TV and grind Coffee without running the Generator.
• Future plan is to install a larger one and light up some outlets and the Microwave for Vent fan usage on 12 volts.  Maybe even run the microwave some day with if I add more panels and battery storage.

I am sure I could poke more fun at my trailer but that covers most of it.  If you add up all the mod's mentioned above you can plan on spending over $3,600.00 more to have the peace of mind and features you desire, assuming you do most of the work yourself.  As you may have read I have more to do still so the $3600.00 is just a start.  If you read my previous posts you will see some of the expenses I incurred getting my Truck setup.  So make sure you leave a little cushion in your budget when start looking at sticker prices.  Might be better to buy used.  If you are lucky some day you can buy mine from me as it will be a sweet setup when I am done with it.

On our last trip I breathed a sigh of relief as most of the issues above were corrected.  Warranty issues mentioned in a previous post were corrected.  The Beast is starting to feel like home now.  Anything you can do to decrease stress and increase the fun and convenience is a plus.  There are some things that Heartland did right, but unfortunately it is the things they didn't do that stand out.  When I am done this rig will be worthy of it's name "The Beast".

Warranty Issues on my 2014 Heartland Cyclone 3110

We got a great deal on our Cyclone however perhaps it came at a price.  Perhaps the dealer knew about some of the issues associated with the trailer and neglected to mention them.  Our Cyclone is a 2014, manufactured in  2013 so it had been sitting on a lot for a while.  What follows is the list of our issues covered under warranty.  Some issues were caused by the dealer.  Most issues were covered under the warranty. Most issues were resolved in the end, but the Beast spent around two months in total at the dealer luckily in the off season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Items that were denied by Heartland:

1. Relocate Auto Leveling Control to a sensible location.  Factory installed location was approximately 3 1/2 feet inside the compartment.  Sorry, but this is not convenient?  This just didn't make any sense but it was easy to move!
2. Replace Tow Max Tires (AKA: Blow Max) with reliable tires. Too many horror stories.  I replaced them with Goodyear G614's.  Peace of mind!
   
   

Warrantied Issues Corrected by Dealer:

1. Leak in one of the water tanks.
2. Leak in one of the cross fill tank lines.
3. Water tanks when over filled were not draining properly.(See Video)
4. Brake Wires were resting on the Springs.  Dealer corrected one of them to satisfaction.
5. Replaced severely cracked rubber generator exhaust pipe support.
6. Shower Surround cracked.  Fiberglass was repaired.
7. Screws holding hose bracket pulled out.  Dealer replaced with bigger screws.
8. Wiring going to main slide-out burned.  Cut, re-routed to prevent grounding on Ram.
9. Replaced Fireplace due to fan wheel problem.  New one appears to have a cosmetic defect.
10. Blank Tank registering full when empty.
11. Dealer emptied Blank Tank because they left the tank in the open position after working on it.
12. Bathroom Sink had a stain.  Thought they would fix, but instead they replaced it.
13. Molding had pulled away from the wall at the base.
14. One of the Bedroom Drawers was not closing flush.
15. TV in main living area was mounted crooked.  Was leaning to the right.
16. Carpets and exterior were washed.

Dealer created issues:

1. Failed to properly close the Refrigerator outside vent cover which flew off shortly after taking delivery.
2. Left the valve on one of the grey tanks open after taking initial delivery.
3. Dealer left the Black Tank in the Open position after working on it, which unfortunately went unnoticed until it was too late.
4. Black tank drain pipe left unsecured after working on the water leak.
5. After dropping one of the water tanks that was cracked they supposedly buttoned up the other tank so we could use the rig while the new tank was being delivered. Something else was wrong and the tank was only holding a few gallons of water.  We ran out of water very quickly as a result.  No showers!
6. Chloroplast underbelly was only partially replaced and cracks were taped up.  Probably won't last.
7. Did not remove old caulking under the Sink when they replaced it.  They corrected the issue.
8. Pins were missing from the outside ladder which the dealer replaced.

Unresolved:

1. The back wall of the New Fireplace appears to be pulled away at the bottom making more light come through behind the fake wood and it doesn't look right.
2. One of the brake wires can still touch the Spring so i will need to address this.
3. The Level Up jacks make a popping sound all day and all night as weight shifts.  The slightest movement will cause random popping sound that will wake you at night.
1. Lippert recommended replacing some of the fluid with a couple quarts of Fork Oil which I have done but it didn't help.  Did it a second time with a quart of the more expensive stuff and it still pops.

Customer corrected issues:

1. Front door piston screws were loose on one end and the other end had been repaired, but with un-matching chrome screws instead of black headed screws.
2. Relocate Auto Leveling Control to a sensible location.
3. Removed three loose screws left behind by the repair men that were sitting on top of one of the Jack bases directly inline and in front of the tires. 
4. Replace Blow Max tires with Goodyear G614's. 

You may have noticed, I have not mentioned either of the two Dealers involved by name.  Many mistakes were made.  Some of them were shady and down right dumb however I am not ready to bash either one yet.  I am not ready to bash Heartland either as they took care of all of my issues so far but it will make me think twice about buying or recommending another heartland product.  Trouble is, the initial dealer could have prevented several of these issues ahead of time rather than passing them on to an unsuspecting buyer. They could have hired smarter service and delivery techs, but then they would have to charge more.

Had the selling dealer kept up on the issues they would have asked a higher price for the unit.  I probably would not have bought it had it been priced higher or if I knew about all the issues.  I would know what to look for next time but I don't plan on having a next time anytime soon.

I hope to post more positive posts in the future.  We will be testing the beast out soon on another trip to the beach so hopefully everything runs smoothly.   Soon I will be posting about some other items, problems and must haves that could have been addressed by Heartland at the factory.  I will be customizing the beast to allow for better dry camping, replacing the tires, and I need to leveling the rig to match my stock Dodge 4X4 height.  Eventually and after spending a lot more money the beast will suit our needs very nicely.  For those reading this prior to purchasing perhaps you will be more prepared before and after your purchase.  Happy Camping!