01 What makes it unique
Heartland lists the 2024 Big Country 3500SS at 13,216 lb dry, a GVWR of 16,500 lb and a pin weight of 2,710 lb. Heartland prints no cargo carrying capacity for it, so none is given here; the federal label inside the trailer carries one.
It is 39' 7" long and 13' 3" high. Heartland prints no tank capacity for it.
Among the 6 Big Country floorplans Heartland’s 2024 Big Country brochure lists with a published dry weight, it is number 4 from the lightest, in a range from 12,140 lb (Big Country 3200RLK) to 13,885 lb (Big Country 3900MO). Every figure in that comparison is Heartland’s, for the same model year.
Every number on this page was read on 5 Nov 2026 from Heartland’s 2024 Big Country brochure, the maker’s own dated document for model year 2024.
How the 3500SS differs from the other five Big Country floorplans. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Pin weight as a share of dry weight, 20.5%: smallest of six; next is the 3200RLK (20.6%).
- Pin weight, 2,710 lb: second-lightest of six, between the 3200RLK (2,505 lb) and the 3900MO (2,890 lb).
- Length, 39 ft 7 in: second-shortest of six, between the 3200RLK (36 ft 5 in) and the 3905FL (43 ft 3 in).
- Dry weight, 13,216 lb: third-heaviest of six, between the 3502RKI and 3705FB (13,020 lb) and the 3905FL (13,505 lb).
Next to the 3502RKI, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 3500SS is 196 lb heavier by dry weight, has a pin weight 485 lb lighter and is 4 ft 6 in shorter; the two publish the same GVWR and exterior height.
Next to the 3905FL, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 3500SS is 289 lb lighter by dry weight, has a pin weight 760 lb lighter and is 3 ft 8 in shorter; the two publish the same GVWR and exterior height.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 39' 7"
- Exterior height
- 13' 3"
- Exterior width
- Not published by Heartland
- Interior height
- Not published by Heartland
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 13,216 lb
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 16,500 lb
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- Not published by Heartland
- Hitch / pin weight
- 2,710 lb
Capacities
- Fresh water
- Not published by Heartland
- Grey water
- Not published by Heartland
- Black water
- Not published by Heartland
Running gear
- Hitch type
- Fifth wheel (pin box)
- Tire size
- Not published by Heartland
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- 3-4
How these published figures sit against the rest of the catalogue: fifth wheel pin weight and payload; fresh, grey and black tank sizes; camper trailer size chart.
Towing it
Check your vehicle. Enter the ratings from your owner’s manual and the door-pillar placard.
Compares your figures with this page’s published GVWR (16,500 lb) and the upper loaded pin estimate (4,125 lb, a rule of thumb). Your vehicle’s placard and the trailer’s own weight label govern.
Loaded range: 15–25% of GVWR on the pin, a rule of thumb, not a measurement of this unit. No truck ratings or hitch classes (why; NHTSA, DOT HS 809 433). The range starts at the published figure, because loaded is never lighter than that.
03 The Big Country floorplan family
Heartland’s 2024 Big Country brochure lists 6 Big Country floorplans; every one with a printed weight has a page here.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Country 3200RLK | 36' 5" | 3-4 | Profiled |
| Big Country 3502RKI | 44' 1/2" | 3-4 | Profiled |
| Big Country 3705FB | 44' 1/2" | 3-4 | Profiled |
| Big Country 3500SS | 39' 7" | 3-4 | Profiled |
| Big Country 3905FL | 43' 3" | 3-4 | Profiled |
| Big Country 3900MO | 43' 9 7/8" | 7-8 | Profiled |
Heartland’s 2024 Big Country brochure lists 6 Big Country floorplans. Every one with a printed weight has a page here.
04 Notes on this floorplan
What Heartland does not publish for the Big Country 3500SS
Heartland prints no cargo carrying capacity, tire size, interior height, grey-tank, black-tank for this model, so none is given. Nothing is filled from a sibling model, a different model year or a dealer listing.
Read the label on the trailer
Federal rules put a load-carrying label inside every RV trailer: its unloaded weight with full propane, its cargo carrying capacity and its GVWR (49 CFR 571.110 and 571.120). Those figures come from the trailer itself and govern the towing decision.
05 How it compares
13,020 lb dry and 16,500 lb GVWR, against this model’s 13,216 lb and 16,500 lb.
13,505 lb dry and 16,500 lb GVWR, against this model’s 13,216 lb and 16,500 lb.
07 Where this floorplan sits
Closest sibling: the Big Country 3200RLK, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 4 of the 5 fields both publish (this plan first): length 39 ft 7 in vs 36 ft 5 in; dry weight 13,216 lb vs 12,140 lb; GVWR 16,500 lb vs 16,000 lb; hitch weight 2,710 lb vs 2,505 lb. They match on sleeps.
| Big Country plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 16,500 | 2–6 of 6 | 16,000–16,500 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 13,216 | 4 of 6 | 12,140–13,885 |
| Hitch weight (lb) | 2,710 | 2 of 6 | 2,505–3,470 |
| Length | 39 ft 7 in | 2 of 6 | 36 ft 5 in–44 ft 1 in |
| Sleeps | 4 | 1–5 of 6 | 4–8 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Big Country 3200RLK is 500 lb lighter (16,000 lb GVWR); Big Country 3502RKI matches it at 16,500 lb GVWR.
| Nearest Big Country siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Country 3500SS | 39 ft 7 in | 4 | 13,216 | 16,500 | — | 2,710 | — |
| Big Country 3200RLK | 36 ft 5 in | 4 | 12,140 | 16,000 | — | 2,505 | — |
| Big Country 3502RKI | 44 ft 1 in | 4 | 13,020 | 16,500 | — | 3,195 | — |
| Big Country 3705FB | 44 ft 1 in | 4 | 13,020 | 16,500 | — | 3,195 | — |
| Big Country 3905FL | 43 ft 3 in | 4 | 13,505 | 16,500 | — | 3,470 | — |
| Big Country 3900MO | 43 ft 9 in | 8 | 13,885 | 16,500 | — | 2,890 | — |
All 6 Big Country floorplans: Big Country line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Country 3500SS | 16,500 | 13,216 | 4 | 39 ft 7 in |
| Durango Gold G310RLQ | 16,500 | 13,400 | 4 | 34 ft 11 in |
| Paradigm 340RL | 16,500 | 14,072 | — | 37 ft 10 in |
| Seismic 403 | 16,500 | 13,260 | 7 | 41 ft 6 in |
| Talon 403T | 16,500 | 12,190 | — | 40 ft 0 in |
| Columbus 377DS | 16,480 | 14,339 | — | 42 ft 7 in |
| Cedar Creek 360RL | 16,525 | 13,134 | — | 40 ft 7 in |
Against the Big Country 3500SS: the Durango Gold G310RLQ is 5 ft shorter; the Paradigm 340RL is 2 ft shorter; the Seismic 403 is 2 ft longer and sleeps 3 more.
08 Common questions about the Big Country 3500SS
How much does the Big Country 3500SS weigh?
13,216 lb dry; 16,500 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
What is the pin weight of the Big Country 3500SS?
2,710 lb as published, 21% of the dry weight (median across 540 fifth wheels here: 19%).
What size tow vehicle does the Big Country 3500SS need?
A tow rating of at least 16,500 lb, plus payload for the loaded pin weight, passengers and cargo.
How many people does the Big Country 3500SS sleep?
Its published sleeping capacity is 3–4. 1 of the 6 Big Country floorplans that publish a count sleep more.
How long is the Big Country 3500SS?
39' 7" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
6 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the Big Country 3500SS. Not published: cargo capacity (CCC), exterior width, interior height, fresh tank, grey tank, black tank, slide count, axle count, tire specification, awning, refrigerator, air conditioning.
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: heartlandrvs.com, library.rvusa.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.