You Can Take It With You: A Brief History Of Heartland Recreational Vehicles

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Landmark 365 fifth wheel. (Photo courtesy of Heartland RV.)

Elkhart, Indiana,-based Heartland Recreational Vehicles started out in 2003 when several experts from various manufacturers in the RV industry decided to form a super group of sorts. Brian Brady, who retired from the company in 2012, served as its owner and chairperson after a decade-long stint as the president and CEO of Damon Corporation. Damon went on to merge with Four Winds International to create Thor Motor Coach, whose parent company, Thor Industries, acquired Heartland RV in 2010.

Early Days

Heartland RV released its first recreational vehicle, the Landmark, in 2004. The luxury fifth-wheel camper sported a Universal Docking Center, drop-frame basement storage, and an 88-degree turning radius. The following year, Heartland introduced the Bighorn and Big Country fifth-wheel campers, which were similar to the Landmark model but at a lower price, as well as the Sundance lightweight fifth wheel and the Cyclone toy hauler. In 2006, the company opened up a new 111,000-square-foot facility that included an administration office and manufacturing plant.

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North Trail 22 FBS travel trailer. (Photo courtesy of Heartland RV.)

Growth & Change

When the financial crisis hit in 2007 and 2008, Heartland RV answered the call for economical recreation by moving into a new 80,000-square-foot facility focused on travel trailer production and introducing the North Trail and North Country travel trailers in 2009. In 2010, Heartland RV purchased Fleetwood Enterprises and brought back the Prowler brand of travel trailers. It was in that same year that Thor Industries acquired Heartland RV.

Over the next five years, Heartland introduced the mpg, Focus, Greystone, Elkridge, Trail Runner, Pioneer, and Wilderness product lines in addition to the Country Ridge line of destination trailers. The company continued to grow throughout this period by expanding to a total production footprint of 780,000 square feet in 2014 and acquiring Cruiser RV and DRV in 2015 to add even more manufacturing capacity. In 2016, the company expanded into Idaho.

Heartland Owners Club

In 2005, a group of passionate Heartland RV customers came together at a rally and established the Heartland Owners Club. The group, which was free to join as of November 2017, holds several events throughout the year all across the United States where fans of Heartland campers get together to celebrate the company. There is also an official Heartland Owner Clubs website as well as a Heartland Owners Forum for members to keep in touch. Heartland showed its dedication to its customers in 2015 by opening up an in-house service center complete with hookup sites near the service bays to give customers full access to amenities before getting their RVs serviced.

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Cyclone 4220 Giant toy hauler. (Photo courtesy of Heartland RV.)

Heartland RV Today

Heartland RV specializes in travel trailers, toy haulers, and fifth wheels. Examples of popular brands in each category include the North Trail, Prowler, and Wilderness travel trailers; Trail Runner, Torque, and Cyclone toy haulers; and Bighorn, Landmark, Pioneer, and Sundance fifth wheels. These models are available with various floor plans, sleeping capacities, and amenities that make Heartland RV a fit for nearly any budget.

You’ll find hundreds of new and used Heartland RVs for sale every day on RVUniverse.com, including many of the aforementioned models.