39RK: 3,000 lb of margin, 1 of 7
Ranked against the other six plans in Heartland's 2026 Bighorn spec table. The margin is GVWR minus unloaded weight, and Heartland prints the same 3,000 lb as cargo carrying capacity.
What 2 ft 10 in more than the 36RK buys in the 39RK
At the back, Heartland's current drawings of the two plans match: overhead cabinets, microwave, and a counter with a pull-out cutting board across the rear, a pullout pantry in the corner, a door-side slide with the residential fridge, a pantry with shelves, a desk and coffee bar, and a roll-out table, and a 100-inch L-shaped sofa in the road-side slide, here with a theater seat. The difference is forward. The 39RK's TV with fireplace stands mid-coach, and beside the linen cabinet the drawing shows a toilet and sink. The 72 by 80 inch king bed sits in a slide between them and a front room holding a 30 by 61 inch shower, a walk-in closet, and washer and dryer prep. The 36RK puts its only bath mid-coach and a wardrobe on the front wall.
In numbers, those 2 ft 10 in add 735 lb of unloaded weight and 360 lb of hitch weight, and bring 900 lb more GVWR, 2 more sleeping places, and 3 in more interior height. The tradeoff is the pin: 19.5% of unloaded weight against the 36RK's 18%. A buyer drawn by the 3,000 lb margin is also signing up for the third heaviest pin in the family.
Its nearest rival on weight is the 38RE, and the 39RK is the rear-kitchen answer to the same budget of pounds: 9 in longer, 75 lb lighter, and 205 lb more GVWR, which is where the extra margin comes from. What the 38RE keeps is gray capacity. The 39RK carries the family's common tank set, 75 gal fresh, 87 gal gray, and 50 gal black, 212 gal in all, against the 38RE's 262 gal.
Heartland's current Bighorn 39RK floor plan →Four questions the 39RK's front bath raises
- Walk from the L-shaped sofa to the 30 by 61 inch shower. The front room is reached past the king bed, so decide whether guests will use the mid-coach toilet and sink instead.
- Open the walk-in closet and the washer and dryer prep beside the shower, and check that both doors clear with the bedroom slide closed.
- Stand at the rear counters with the door-side slide in and check whether the fridge, pantry, and desk can still be reached on a travel day.
- Read the unit's own weight label. The 3,000 lb margin is the reason to shortlist this plan, and Heartland footnotes that some specs at the time of print may include estimates.
Where the 39RK's figures and room labels come from
Weights, length, heights, tanks, and sleeping capacity are 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 39RK drawing, read on 2026-09-26, because the brochure prints the 2026 drawing too small to read. Check the exact 2026 unit against the 2027 drawing before relying on the front-bath arrangement. The slide count is from RVUSA's 2026 spec guide and matches the three slide boxes on the 2027 drawing.
Three Bighorns to test against the 39RK's rear kitchen
2 ft 10 in shorter, 735 lb lighter, and 360 lb lighter on the hitch, with GVWR 900 lb lower. It sleeps 2, keeps one bath mid-coach, and lists the family's lowest interior height, 8 ft 4 in.
Open record →Near twin on weight, lounge at the rearBighorn 38RE9 in shorter but 75 lb heavier, 10 lb heavier on the hitch, and GVWR 205 lb lower. It swaps the rear kitchen for a TV lift and fireplace on the rear wall, adds a slide, and carries 137 gal of gray, 50 gal more.
Open record →Same four berths, 7 ft 3 in shorterBighorn 31RL2,140 lb lighter, 555 lb lighter on the hitch, and GVWR 2,200 lb lower. Its 2,940 lb margin is only 60 lb less, and it is the only Bighorn under 40 feet.
Open record →