01 What makes it unique
The 31RL is where Bighorn starts, and it starts with the full architecture: a rear living room opened by three slides, a front bedroom over the pin, 8-foot-6 main ceilings inside the 102-inch wide-body, and two power awnings (16 and 10 feet) outside. On the 10 July 2026 probe it was the second-most-listed plan in the line, behind only the 38RE.
The build is the shared Bighorn platform: a 12-inch steel I-beam frame with the drop-frame design, CoreShield 2-inch laminated walls, a painted fiberglass front cap with clearcoat and LED lighting, frameless windows, the TrussXL truss under a limited-lifetime roof membrane, and the ThermaShield zero-degree-tested package — 40,000-BTU furnace, double-layer fiberglass batt insulation, fully enclosed heated ducted underbelly, 2-inch block foam with reflective foil. Two 15,000-BTU Whisper Quiet air conditioners, a tankless water heater and the mandatory Premium Package — six-point hydraulic auto-leveling, the GE 21-cubic-foot residential refrigerator with an 1,800-watt inverter, GE convection microwave with air fryer, GE Profile range, central vacuum, fireplace, MORryde steps — are on every unit. The printed 16,000-pound GVWR equals 13,060 dry plus 2,940 cargo exactly, on tandem 7,000-pound axles — the one plan in the line on 7,000s rather than 8,000s.
At a 2,405-pound dry pin, the 31RL is the one Bighorn that a properly configured three-quarter-ton can plausibly carry — loaded pins run higher, so weigh the coach and check the truck’s payload placard, not its tow rating. The 3,000-pound-rated rear tow hitch with a four-way pin connector is standard here as across the line (except the 40DB). Buyers wanting the kitchen aft should read the 36RK; families should start at the 37MD or 40DB.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 36' 0"
- Exterior width
- 8' 6"
- Exterior height
- 12' 7"
- Interior height
- 8' 6"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight
- 13,060 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 16,000 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 2,940 lbs
- Dry pin weight
- 2,405 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 75 gal
- Grey water
- 87 gal
- Black water
- 50 gal
- Refrigerator
- GE 21 cu ft residential
Construction
- Frame
- 12″ steel I-beam · drop frame
- Sidewalls
- CoreShield 2″ laminate · high-gloss gel coat
- Front cap
- Painted fiberglass · clearcoat · LED
- Roof
- TrussXL truss · Alpha membrane (limited lifetime)
Running gear
- Axles (factory)
- 2 x 7000
- Hitch
- Fifth wheel · dry pin 2,405 lb
- Tires
- 215/75R17.5'H'
- LP
- 90 lb total
Galley & systems
- Refrigerator
- GE 21 cu ft residential · 1,800W inverter
- A/C
- 2 × 15,000 BTU Whisper Quiet
- Water heater
- Tankless
- Furnace
- 40,000 BTU
Sleeping & layout
- Sleeps
- Up to 4 (factory)
- Primary bed
- Front bedroom
- Layout
- Rear-living triple-slide — lounge across the rear, front bedroom over the pin, dual awnings (16-foot + 10-foot)
- Awnings & entries
- 2 · 16′ + 10′ · 1 entry (RVUSA)
03 Bighorn floorplan family
Heartland's Bighorn line — the flagship luxury fifth wheel of the relaunched range: seven 2026 floorplans, every one a 102-inch wide-body on a 12-inch steel I-beam drop frame with a painted fiberglass front cap, CoreShield laminated sidewalls in high-gloss gel coat, the ThermaShield zero-degree package with a 40,000-BTU furnace, two 15,000-BTU Whisper Quiet air conditioners, and a mandatory Premium Package that includes six-point hydraulic auto-leveling, a GE 21-cubic-foot residential refrigerator with an 1,800-watt inverter and a GE appliance suite. All seven plans are profiled in depth on the Bighorn hub with verified weights.
| Floorplan | Nominal | Sleeps | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31RL | 36 ft | 4 | Rear-living entry — shortest, lightest, friendliest pin |
| 36RK | 40 ft | 4 | Rear-kitchen plan — the galley takes the back wall |
| 38RE | 43 ft | 4 | Rear-entertainment quad-slide — most-listed; 137-gal grey |
| 37MD | 43 ft | 8 | Middle-den quad-slide — two living zones |
| 39RK | 43 ft | 4 | Rear U-kitchen, bath-and-a-half — respec’d stretch; best margin |
| 39FL | 44 ft | 4 | Front-living flagship — five slides, heaviest pin |
| 40DB | 44 ft | 8 | Two bedrooms, two full baths — the multi-family flagship |
Every Bighorn is a 102-inch wide-body on the 12-inch I-beam drop frame, and the Premium Package is mandatory — its content (hydraulic auto-level, the GE residential appliance suite with inverter, central vacuum, gel-coat sidewalls) is part of the Base MSRP shown. This is a published-GVWR-clean line: dry plus cargo equals the printed GVWR exactly on all seven plans. RVUSA and the library brochure carry an early-print weight set superseded on five plans — the current factory pages and the June-2026 dealer-network brochure agree exactly and are used throughout (the 39RK was respecified from a 40-foot-4 two-slide draft to the current 43-foot-3 three-slide build, logged). Dealer placards typically run above Base MSRP while negotiated street pricing runs below it. A fifth wheel loads its pin into the truck bed — confirm the pin weight against the tow vehicle's payload placard, not its tow rating.
04 What owners & reviewers report
The three-quarter-ton question
The lightest pin in the line at 2,405 pounds dry — but loaded pins run 15-25% of gross, so a 16,000-pound coach wants a truck chosen by payload placard. Most owners land in a one-ton.
7,000-pound axles
The one plan in the roster on tandem 7,000s rather than 8,000s — matched to the 16,000-pound GVWR with margin.
The Premium Package is not optional
Hydraulic auto-level, the residential fridge with inverter, GE appliance suite, central vac and fireplace are mandatory-package content on every 2026 Bighorn — the Base MSRP shown includes it.
Entry only by comparison
The “entry” Bighorn still ships 8-foot-6 ceilings, dual air conditioners and the zero-degree package — the line has no decontented plan.
05 How it compares
The rear-kitchen move — four more feet, the galley across the back and an 82.5-gallon grey tank, 1,405 pounds heavier dry.
Heartland’s laminated travel-trailer flagship — less than half the Base MSRP, towable by a half-ton, trading the wide-body, ceilings and residential suite.
The luxury-fifth-wheel entry field — the 31RL counter is the zero-degree ThermaShield package and the standard hydraulic auto-level.