We have narrowed down to these to models of class c motorhomes. There are things we would like as far as upgrades to each one but comparing companies which is the better company to deal with?

If floorplan is what you want, I'd choose on construction details. Holiday used to be top of the line. I don't know who's building it now or on whose design and specs. We had an old Holiday that was bulletproof. Our current Jayco is...and I don't want to sound harsh...fragile.

j-d wrote:If floorplan is what you want, I'd choose on construction details. Holiday used to be top of the line. I don't know who's building it now or on whose design and specs. We had an old Holiday that was bulletproof. Our current Jayco is...and I don't want to sound harsh...fragile.Holiday is a better construction then? even the newer models? I am not having much luck for info for holiday on the newer models. Have seen where the older models have been higher in quality. When compared on rvguide they both were pretty much the same.

Holiday Rambler is part of Monaco RV, which is owned by Navistar (for now) but Navistar acts more like a holding company for their subsidiaries and less like a parent company (probably because they are scrambling to keep IH/Navistar from sinking).I personally had a bed experience with Jayco with a TT. They appear to have improved their build quality, but the lack of support from Jayco left me with a bad impression, so they are permanently off my list.

Without a cutaway diagram, even without words, I can't begin co comment on HR's current construction. I saw where the present "HR" was a Navistar company, which doesn't do much for me either way. I think all Navistar probably owns is rights to the Name. Others have abused that concept in the past. I wasn't pleased to see "Flat Roof" in the few construction details I saw. The older Jayco "Designer" line was beautiful RVs. It was out of respect for those that I bought our Escapade. Different animal. Clearly entry level in construction and execution as well as decor. No decor was OK but lame construction, wiring and plumbing aren't.Wild card: Have you looked at FR's Sunseeker (and Forester)? They seem to be the up-and-comers in our circle here. I turned down a Forester to get this Jayco and I'm sorry I did.You want a full fiberglass front end cap. The Holiday had full caps both ends... Anyway, not only is the cap essentially "seamless", but it does something I hadn't thought about. On the Escapade, the roof is arched at the rear. That's good. But without a molded front end cap, the cap they bend out of sidewall material can't bend in another dimension to keep the roof curved all the way forward. So our curved roof goes flat in the cabover and holds puddles. I drive it up onto two 2x blocks on our otherwise level pad so it doesn't puddle between trips. Right now, we're camping, we're level, it's pouring, it's puddling.It's a big investment. Go to the factories if you have to.

We have a Redhawk 26XS and are very happy with it. The cabinets are all very nice and very sturdy. This is an entry level model so don't expect anything fancy. We looked at a lot of different RVs and we thought the Jayco was the best quality for the money. They are the only one offering a 2 year warranty in this price range.It's tough because there are so many choices. What is important for one is not important for another. For us it was headroom in the bunk. The Jayco had the most bunk headroom of any C we sat in. I can sit upright in the bunk and not hit my head. That's important when your playing PS3 with your son!

jayco redhawk 31xl vs holiday rambler aluma lite 31sfd

14 Replies

Snowman9000
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
HR & Monaco are no longer owned by Navistar. They are part of Allied Specialty Vehicles, in the RV division, which also includes Fleetwood and American Coach. They are in it for the long haul now.

http://www.monaco-online.com/
GrumpyandGrandm
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
We had a 2001 JAYCO Designer 32' and now have a 2008 SENECA and both have been flawless. I personally know at least 10 people with JAYCO GREYHAWKS including my sister-in-law and 3 others with SENECAs(camping with them as I write) and they are happy with their purchases. Every manufacturer has a few bad units and those are the only ones you hear about. Remember JAYCO backs the unit with a 2 year warranty and warranty problems are usually the dealer not making a good effort to get things fixed.
Nocaltom
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
Hello, I just bought a 2014 31k minnie Winnie and I have had problems with the waste pipe being so low. Just curious if you have had yours re-plumbed? If so do you have a picture so I can show my dealer? I called Winnebago and they weren't much help.

Thanks,
Tom

Mich F wrote:
I have the the 2014 Itasca 31K (same as the Minnie Winnie). That thing is huge (to me) with the slide out. I don't have a problem with the shower since between this and the previous 5 RV's I've had with showers, we've never used the shower, other than for storage. :B
That U shaped dinette is really nice. The couch on the other hand, is extremely small in width, yet comfortable
I've only used it for 2 3 day trips, but have been quite pleased with it so far.
The 31K doesn't offer many options, and my MH does have all the offered options. I believe you get a lot of MH for your money with the 31K.
My biggest gripe (actually my only gripe so far), is with the height of the waste pipe outlet. It's less than 6" off the ground. I don't know if they're all plumbed like that, or mine was a fluke. I noticed it before buying, but that certainly wasn't enough to kill the deal. When I went back to the dealer the other similar units he had were out at an RV "show", so I didn't have a chance to check them out.
My son, an RV tech for the last 18 years or so, is going to replumb the tanks, to give me some more ground clearance.
triple602
Explorer
Jun 19, 2013
No experience with HR. Owned a 2007 Jayco Seneca 36FS and it was a piece of ......junk.:S Love the quality of my Winnie Access Premier.
BLTOH
Explorer
Jun 18, 2013
well after some more researching we are now looking at the minnie winnie and hoping to look at a forestriver sunseeker this weekend. we seem to like the floor plans with the u shaped dinettes. we keep coming back to the minnie winnie but i dont care for the confined shower. by the looks of the pictures i have seen i am hoping the sunseeker has the biger square style shower. if it does i think that will be our pick.
Mich_F
Explorer
May 03, 2013
I have the the 2014 Itasca 31K (same as the Minnie Winnie). That thing is huge (to me) with the slide out. I don't have a problem with the shower since between this and the previous 5 RV's I've had with showers, we've never used the shower, other than for storage. :B
That U shaped dinette is really nice. The couch on the other hand, is extremely small in width, yet comfortable
I've only used it for 2 3 day trips, but have been quite pleased with it so far.
The 31K doesn't offer many options, and my MH does have all the offered options. I believe you get a lot of MH for your money with the 31K.
My biggest gripe (actually my only gripe so far), is with the height of the waste pipe outlet. It's less than 6" off the ground. I don't know if they're all plumbed like that, or mine was a fluke. I noticed it before buying, but that certainly wasn't enough to kill the deal. When I went back to the dealer the other similar units he had were out at an RV "show", so I didn't have a chance to check them out.
My son, an RV tech for the last 18 years or so, is going to replumb the tanks, to give me some more ground clearance.
BLTOH
Explorer
May 03, 2013
We went to see a jayco Redhawk 31xl last night. Decided to check out the 2014 Minnie Winnie that was beside it just to see a u shaped dinette setup. Well now we are thinking that the Minnie Winnie will be a better fit for us with the more open floor plan (31k). Only thing I didn't like was the square shower. Does anyone know how difficult it would be to convert to the rounded style shower? I don't think there is an option to get the other style. I did like the bathroom setup of the Redhawk. Wish there was a company that you could create your own floor plan.
super_camper
Explorer
May 03, 2013
BLTOH wrote:
We have narrowed down to these to models of class c motorhomes. There are things we would like as far as upgrades to each one but comparing companies which is the better company to deal with?
I think you're likely to get a mixed bag of feedback on your question. I can't give you an answer directly as I have no personal experience with Monaco but I can tell you how I answered similar questions when I bought a few years ago.

I made a simple list of things I wanted in order of importance and scored each MH that I went a saw and ended up liking. I narrowed it down to 3 based on features and then used things like company reputation, price, warranty, and dealer support to narrow it down further.

Are both of these MH's new? Do you have a local dealer than can help you if needed, you're likely to work with the dealer long before you need to work with the manufacturer. As an example I bought a Jayco new 5 years ago and have never spoken with Jayco. Any problems I did have were taken care of by my local dealer.
emcee
Explorer
May 03, 2013
That 31SFD floorplan was my pick when I was researching our future dream rig a while back. Loved the 2 grey tanks, the TV across from the sofa, 2 door bathroom, the open floorplan. Never personally saw one though. What I could never find out however was the unloaded weight of the rig. There is a whole lot of slide on that 32' chassis.
rcase13
Explorer
May 02, 2013
We have a Redhawk 26XS and are very happy with it. The cabinets are all very nice and very sturdy. This is an entry level model so don't expect anything fancy. We looked at a lot of different RVs and we thought the Jayco was the best quality for the money. They are the only one offering a 2 year warranty in this price range.

It's tough because there are so many choices. What is important for one is not important for another. For us it was headroom in the bunk. The Jayco had the most bunk headroom of any C we sat in. I can sit upright in the bunk and not hit my head. That's important when your playing PS3 with your son!