01 What makes it unique
The 38RE builds the coach around the screen: an entertainment wall spans the rear, four slides open the main living run, and the front bedroom sits over the pin — the layout that led the entire line in live listings on the 10 July 2026 probe. Two awnings (17 and 15 feet) cover the camp side.
One capacity figure separates this plan from everything else in the roster: 137 gallons of grey-water capacity — nearly double the line norm — against the standard 75 fresh and 50 black, making it the extended-boondocking pick of the range. The LP set runs two 30-pound bottles here (60 pounds) where most siblings carry 90. The platform is otherwise the full Bighorn build — 12-inch I-beam drop frame, 102-inch wide-body, CoreShield walls, painted cap, frameless glass, TrussXL truss, ThermaShield zero-degree package with the 40,000-BTU furnace, dual 15,000-BTU Whisper Quiet air, tankless water heater, hydraulic auto-level and the mandatory Premium Package. The printed 17,995-pound GVWR equals 15,275 dry plus 2,720 cargo exactly on tandem 8,000-pound axles.
At a 2,970-pound dry pin — second-heaviest in the line — this is unambiguous one-ton work, dually territory once loaded. RVUSA’s record carries the stale early-print weights; the current factory set, matched by the June-2026 dealer-network brochure, is used here. Couples who want the front of the coach to host instead should read the 39FL.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 42' 6"
- Exterior width
- 8' 6"
- Exterior height
- 12' 7"
- Interior height
- 8' 6"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight
- 15,275 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 17,995 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 2,720 lbs
- Dry pin weight
- 2,970 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 75 gal
- Grey water
- 137 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 8000
- Hitch
- Fifth wheel · dry pin 2,970 lb
- Tires
- 215/75R17.5'H'
- LP
- Two 30-lb bottles
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-entertainment quad-slide — theater wall across the rear, living area amidships, front bedroom, 17-foot + 15-foot awnings
- Awnings & entries
- 2 · 17′ + 15′ · 1 entry (RVUSA)
Drawn to scale
Weight budget
Size, with end view
Holding tanks
Axles, wheels and nose shape are schematic; not a floorplan. Data: dataset.
Towing it
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 dry figure, because loaded is never lighter than dry.
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 Notes on this floorplan
137 gallons of grey
Nearly twice the line norm — showers and dishes for a week between dumps. The defining spec of the plan.
The market’s pick
Most live listings of any Bighorn floorplan on the 10 Jul 2026 probe — the volume plan of the line.
60 pounds of LP
Two 30-pound bottles where most of the roster carries 90 — winter boondockers running the 40,000-BTU furnace should note the smaller reserve.
A 2,970-pound pin
Second-heaviest in the line dry; loaded, plan the truck around the payload placard, not the tow rating.
05 How it compares
The front-living inversion — the lounge moves over the pin on five slides; the trade is a 3,090-pound pin and 74 gallons of grey.
The rear-living entry — the same idea in three slides and 2,215 fewer pounds.
The luxury rear-lounge field — the 38RE counter is the 137-gallon grey set and the standard residential suite.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 75-gallon fresh tank is about 626 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 23% of the Bighorn 38RE’s 2,720 lb cargo capacity, leaving 2,094 lb (524 lb per rated berth). Across 7 Bighorn floorplans the water share runs 21% to 27%, and 2 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Bighorn 40DB at 23% and Bighorn 37MD at 26%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).
07 Where this floorplan sits
Closest sibling: the Bighorn 39RK, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 6 of the 9 fields both publish (this plan first): length 42 ft 6 in vs 43 ft 3 in; dry weight 15,275 lb vs 15,200 lb; GVWR 17,995 lb vs 18,200 lb; cargo capacity 2,720 lb vs 3,000 lb; dry hitch weight 2,970 lb vs 2,960 lb; grey tank 137 gal vs 87 gal. They match on sleeps, fresh tank and black tank.
| Bighorn plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 17,995 | 3–4 of 7 | 16,000–18,850 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 15,275 | 4 of 7 | 13,060–16,110 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 2,720 | 3 of 7 | 2,350–3,000 |
| Dry hitch weight (lb) | 2,970 | 6 of 7 | 2,405–3,090 |
| Length | 42 ft 6 in | 3 of 7 | 36 ft 0 in–43 ft 10 in |
| Grey tank (gal) | 137 | 7 of 7 | 50–137 |
| Black tank (gal) | 50 | 1–5 of 7 | 50–100 |
| Sleeps | 4 | 1–5 of 7 | 4–8 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Bighorn 36RK is 695 lb lighter (17,300 lb GVWR); Bighorn 39FL matches it at 17,995 lb GVWR.
| Nearest Bighorn siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bighorn 38RE | 42 ft 6 in | 4 | 15,275 | 17,995 | 2,720 | 2,970 | 75 |
| Bighorn 39RK | 43 ft 3 in | 4 | 15,200 | 18,200 | 3,000 | 2,960 | 75 |
| Bighorn 36RK | 40 ft 5 in | 4 | 14,465 | 17,300 | 2,835 | 2,600 | 75 |
| Bighorn 39FL | 43 ft 10 in | 4 | 15,645 | 17,995 | 2,350 | 3,090 | 75 |
| Bighorn 31RL | 36 ft 0 in | 4 | 13,060 | 16,000 | 2,940 | 2,405 | 75 |
| Bighorn 37MD | 42 ft 10 in | 8 | 15,650 | 18,100 | 2,450 | 2,705 | 75 |
All 7 Bighorn floorplans: Bighorn line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bighorn 38RE | 17,995 | 15,275 | 4 | 42 ft 6 in |
| North Point 382FLRB | 17,995 | 15,470 | 8 | 43 ft 10 in |
| Puma Grand Mesa 393RL | 17,999 | 14,844 | — | 42 ft 4 in |
| Cedar Creek 381MUD | 18,000 | 15,429 | 8 | 43 ft 5 in |
| Influence 3003RL | 18,000 | 12,500 | 4 | 34 ft 11 in |
| Montana 3100RL | 18,000 | 14,030 | 4 | 35 ft 11 in |
| Paradigm 375RD | 18,000 | 14,771 | 5 | 41 ft 9 in |
Against the Bighorn 38RE: the North Point 382FLRB is 1 ft longer and sleeps 4 more; the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL is 4 lb heavier; the Cedar Creek 381MUD is 5 lb heavier and sleeps 4 more.
08 Common questions about the Bighorn 38RE
How much does the Bighorn 38RE weigh?
15,275 lb dry; 17,995 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Bighorn 38RE carry?
2,720 lb, 15% of its GVWR (median across 307 fifth wheels here: 19%). A full fresh tank uses 626 lb of it.
What is the pin weight of the Bighorn 38RE?
2,970 lb dry, 19% of the dry weight (median across 386 fifth wheels here: 19%).
What size tow vehicle does the Bighorn 38RE need?
A tow rating of at least 17,995 lb, plus payload for the loaded pin weight, passengers and cargo.
How many people does the Bighorn 38RE sleep?
It is rated to sleep 4. 2 of the 7 Bighorn floorplans that publish a count sleep more.
What are the tank capacities on the Bighorn 38RE?
Fresh 75, grey 137, black 50 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Bighorn 38RE?
42' 6" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
16 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the Bighorn 38RE. Not published: slide count, awning.
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.
11 NHTSA safety record
NHTSA holds 20 recall campaigns and 51 owner complaints against the Bighorn line. They are counted separately: a recall is a confirmed defect with a remedy, a complaint one owner’s unverified account.
What to look at on a used one. Across the 51 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are tires (41%), suspension (14%) and structure (10%).
Recall coverage here is not complete, and complaints are owners’ unverified reports (how this record is built). Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Bighorn line page.