36RK: a kitchen across the rear wall and one king bed
Heartland rates the 36RK to sleep up to 2; every other Bighorn is rated for at least 4. Its numbers sit one step above the 31RL in each column: 2 of 7 by length at 40 ft 5 in, 2 of 7 by unloaded weight at 14,465 lb, 2 of 7 by GVWR at 17,300 lb, and 2 of 7 by hitch weight at 2,600 lb. The pin share, 18% of unloaded weight, is the second lowest in the family, and GVWR minus unloaded weight leaves 2,835 lb, third largest.
Heartland's current drawing of the plan puts the kitchen at the back: overhead cabinets, a microwave, and a counter with a pull-out cutting board along the rear, a pullout pantry in the rear corner, and a door-side slide holding the residential fridge, a pantry with shelves, a desk and coffee bar, and a roll-out table. A 100-inch L-shaped sofa fills the road-side slide, and an entertainment center with fireplace stands just forward of it. Past the entry wardrobe and linen cabinet is a bath with a 36 by 48 inch shower, and up front a 72 by 80 inch king bed sits in its own slide with a dresser under a TV, a wardrobe, and washer and dryer prep. Three slides in all.
The tradeoff is the length. At 40 ft 5 in this is the first Bighorn past a 40-foot pad, while the 31RL clears the same pad by 4 ft. The 36RK also lists the lowest main interior height in the family, 8 ft 4 in, where the other six list 8 ft 6 in or 8 ft 7 in. And putting the kitchen at the back does not by itself set the pin share: the 39RK, drawn with the same rear kitchen, carries 19.5%.
Heartland's current Bighorn 36RK floor plan →Two Bighorns to set beside the 36RK's rear kitchen
2 ft 10 in longer, 735 lb heavier, and 360 lb more on the hitch, with GVWR 900 lb higher. That buys 2 more sleeping places, 3 in more interior height at 8 ft 7 in, a front bath with a walk-in closet on Heartland's drawing, and the family's largest GVWR-minus-unloaded margin, 3,000 lb.
Open record →If those 5 in over the pad matterBighorn 31RL4 ft 5 in shorter, 1,405 lb lighter, and 195 lb lighter on the hitch, with GVWR 1,300 lb lower. It is rated for 4 and is the only Bighorn under 40 feet.
Open record →Walking a 36RK from the rear counters forward
- Start at the rear counters with every slide closed. The residential fridge, pantry, and desk ride in the door-side slide, so check whether they can still be opened on a travel day.
- Turn to the roll-out table and count seats. The 2026 brochure lists two free-standing and two folding chairs, so decide where the folding pair stows when the slide comes in.
- Sit on the L-shaped sofa and check the sightline to the entertainment center with fireplace, which stands just forward of the sofa on the road side.
- Walk up to the bedroom and open the washer and dryer prep space in the front corner. Heartland's 8 ft 4 in figure is for the main floor, the lowest in the family, so measure the bedroom separately.
The 36RK's spec table, 82.5-gallon gray tank included
What the 36RK record rests on
Every figure comes from the spec table in Heartland's 2026 Bighorn brochure (Rev. 2/26), last checked here on 2026-08-15. The room labels come from Heartland's current 2027 Bighorn 36RK drawing, read on 2026-09-26, because the 2026 brochure prints this plan too small to read. Check the exact 2026 unit against the 2027 drawing before relying on any room detail. The gray tank is listed at 82.5 gal, the only fractional tank figure in the Bighorn table, for 207.5 gal across all three tanks, and Heartland prints the 2,835 lb margin as cargo carrying capacity. The slide count is from RVUSA's 2026 spec guide. Heartland notes that some specs at the time of print may include estimates.