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ericsmith32's avatar
ericsmith32
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013

1200 miles - 2 months

It's been right at 2 months since we got our 05 Jayco 28ZSLP and put a little over 1200 miles in that time. Spent a variety of 20 days in it from the driveway a few days to mostly MO but a few down in AR. Now with school starting not sure how much we'll get out. It's been a fun couple of months at least!

Averaged 9.06-9.07 with a full freshwater tank and bit empty can average 9.7-10. It's not over a long term but the Chevy 6.0L seems fairly consistent. The 6.0L has plenty of power but seems to really scream up the hills. I typically drive around 65mph and let it drop to 60-55 on hills before winding it up.

There's four of us, 5 and 3 year boys. Typical sleeping arrangements are me up on top bunk, the 5 year old on the couch, 3 year old on the dinette and the queen DW on the queen bed in the back. The pole arrangement on the table I'd like to change to the bracket on the wall and the support leg. It would be much easier to setup. Another hindrance is the TV on the table eventually will get it mounted below the cabinet and above the table, the factory position is terrible. No complaints on the comfort of the cushions, the mattress in the back has been changed though.

The layout is exactly what we were looking for no big complaints. The bathroom could be a inch wider and deeper would make it more comfortable, for everyone's sake I'll pass on the details! Storage is lacking but DW has everything perfectly arranged so it's seems like there's more room than there actually is. Need to get a sink cover and extension on the end of the cabinet.

Appliance and chassis wise.. Finally got everything to work except the electric portion of the water heater. Had to fix more than I thought but at least I'm very familiar with the systems now. Had to do the vinegar flush on the water heater smelled like the sewer! Had to replace the house battery, propane regulator and one line, and the electric step motor (not sure what killed it) the first thing. Found a roof leak somehow I missed which I'm not happy about but not much I can do now. Caulked the roof with Dicor 501 so even with a little damage in the upper bunk should be ok, eternabond is on the list. Chassis wise even with 27k the front/rear seal on the transmission was leaking but with a pan drop with Maxlife seems to have slowed. Power steering was howling on the first trip but did a few reservoir swaps seems to have cleared up. The 37 gallon fresh water doesn't seem to last long, mostly need to look at the dish washing, we managed to do 1.5 gallons showers though! May look at adding a second tank.

A bit winded maybe.. overall pretty happy with the purchase. Based on the other Class C's we looked at this one was a gem. Paid about $3k less than nada and others were listed and we don't have over $400 in repairs. And least and most of all the DW isn't complaining and the boys love it.. that's all that matters!

8 Replies

  • Nice report.

    We got our new rig on June 1 as well. We have been out in it over 40 nights so far, with a nine day trip to the outer banks coming up, as well as a week in the mountains in September and five days over Labor Day weekend. We have reservations for six additional weekends, taking us through October. I need to make some more reservations!

    We've put about 2K on the odometer in the ten weeks since we bought it, but have several longer trips on the horizon.

    I can't wait to get out on the road again. We leave in a few hours for a state park.

    Happy trails!
  • j-d wrote:
    Great report! Our V10 howls on hills too...


    I like to refer to that as "10 little cylinders..." 4K rpm at 50 in second gear up the steep hills, those "10 little cylinders" are just screaming!
  • I'll have to try going a little slower. Seems easier going slow in the RV versus the car people are less apt to try to run you over. We have one 3 day weekend in Sept and one 4 day in Oct. as well. Not sure on a destination. FYI I looked up the pieces to convert the dinette looks around $40 for the side brackets, support leg etc. Not bad so that's something else on the list.
  • I just noticed our MH's milage today of just over 2100 miles on it. I think it was in the 600 range when we got it June 1st. We have put from the looks of it about 1500 miles on it since then. Camped in it 21 nights so far and heading out agina this coming weekend and we have another weekend in October already booked. Will try to do another one, probably right around or after Labor Day weekend.
  • Great report and I think if you look at driving at 60 to 62 mph you might get over 10 consistently. I have a Chateau Sport 26Q with an 8.1 Vortec and on our recent trip of 5700+ miles I averaged 9.78 going through 13 Western States. Ran AC and cab AC for most of the trip. Found my sweet spot to about 62mph. When I did run a day at 65 or over the mileage dropped by 1mph. JMHO
  • We are planning on adding a cargo carrier with a maybe a carrier. Right now have a bike rack with 3 bikes. j-d what do you think of the build quality? Doesn't seem bad overall but seems like alot of loose ends.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Great report! Our V10 howls on hills too...
  • Sounds great! I consider the repairs to be "bonding" with the RV. :)

    I hear you on the dinette post. I do not see the benefit of that AT ALL in a conventional booth dinette. We have the old fashioned flip down version, and it goes up or down in one simple action.

    Re storage, it gets better as you put some camping time in and see what you actually need and where it can fit the best. If you don't tow a car, there is always the option of a hitch rack for more carrying.