Quote:
Originally Posted by HBarlow
Brad,
I didn't see your post addressed to me until this morning.
Jayco is one of the brands I would consider for weekend/vacationing use and for a starter trailer. I consider Jayco a good value for the price, not among the top rated manfacturers but a good trailer for the dollar. I pulled a lot of Jaycos and liked them when I was transporting. I witnessed a few dealer delivery inpections and it appeared that they were put together pretty well.
I've never seen or read an RV Consumer report so don't know what the report bases its opinon about highway control on. The rating is probably based on some measure of tongue weight as a percentage of overall weight and some opinion about sway. Perhaps the report also measures braking ability? You didn't specify fifth wheel so I'm assuming you bought a conventional tt?
One thing I would encourage you to address immediately on a 2004 trailer is the tires. If you purchased a lightly used 2004 model it probably still has the OEM tires which are already too old for safety. You can read the DOT code molded into the tire carcass on the inside sidewall of each tire.
When I was pulling Jayco trailers the smaller/lighter tts were equipped with "WillPop" brand ChiComm tires which, imo, were just good enough to make the trip from factory to dealer. If I owned one I would pull it directly from the dealer to a tire store and put a new set of tires on it.
Unfortunately, Jayco conventional tts are equipped with small 13" or 14" wheels. IMO opinion there is no such thing as a good trailer tire and no light truck tires of quality are manufactured in any size smaller than 16". The best you can do, again imo, is a set of Goodyear Marathons and I hate GY tires. If your trailer is a fifth wheel I would strongly recommend a set of new light truck tires, Michelin or BF Goodrich Commercial T/A are the only two tires I would use. My tire comments will immediatly cause the owners of various ChiComm brands and inferior American brands to pop up with their angry squeals of defense. That is fine, each to his own. I can only offer opinions on my own experience.
Enjoy your Jayco. My kids were raised traveling and camping on truck campers and travel trailers and my daughter (age 45) still speaks fondly of those times. RVing and camping are great activities for young families with children and also for the rest of us who refuse to grow up.
|
I purchased the TT, not a 5th wheel.
The trailer has the original tires. They are a 15in ST rated MAXXIS tire. Tires look nearly new. When I had the certified master tech look at the trailer, including the tires, he said the tires were in excellent shape and he would have no hesitation taking the trailer across the country.
I plan to upgrade next year. Thanks for the recommendations.
The reference to the RV Consumer Group is a non-profit that has been evaluating RVs for 20+ years. RV.org
What they found with this trailer is in regard to balance. Just as you stated, it relates to the tongue weight, but also how well is it balanced with the tanks are full or empty. The available payload is also very low at about 1200 lbs. Again, fine for a vacationing trailer.
Thanks for the recommendations on the tires.
Take care,
Brad