Jayco or KZ

I have the same trailer as Lynnmor, 2 years older and have found no major issues. Can I find some of the same issues as his? Probably but they have not given me problems. Example the large knot hole in the dinette frame, very common in the lumber used by most manufacturers, never a problem for us, we are not heavy people. A large couple it could be a large problem. The wheel flex is also very common across brands and yes I have it. My tires wear even and you will only see that kind of flex after a hard turn & it will straighten out when you pull forward.

Lynnmor by the very nature of his profession(the same as my father and grandfather)is obviously a very precise and particular individual. I know finding flaws in design and redesigning it in a better manner was a passion and hobby of my dad. It looks like it may be for Lynnmor as well and that certainly doesn't make him a nut.

Every manufacturer puts out a few problem trailers and Lynnmor may have well bought "the one". With that said, if KZ implemented all his improvements no one would buy it because of the cost. I would buy one of his "corrected" trailers when he was done with it in a flash.

I think KZ makes a great trailer, I'm on my second. I also think most of their dealers are great as well. I don't think Lynnmor's dealer seemed to be up to the normal KZ standard.

JN_B wrote:
One thing you have to realize is that these trailers are stick build by humans and get tossed around on the road. Some are built very well, yet the odd lemon will sneak through. An RV is something that has to be maintained, regular checks, etc. If you leave it (or abuse it), you will have problems. Most people I know that have major issues with RV's are the guys that are going 65mph down a gravel road, or 85mph on the hwy. They wonder why everything falls apart, lol.

I have had minor problems (most fixed under warranty), and have been very happy with our KZ.

BTW.. No matter your price range or builder, you can (and will) have issues. It's best to expect (and look) for issues sooner than later.

I have been meaning to post a comment similar to the above. All brands have problems. If you have looked at a number of brands (and I've looked at somewhere between 10-15 over the past three years), in addition to the component quality, you will soon see a good correlation between the price point and the fit and finish in the unit. The odd unit for every brand comes off the assembly line with an abnormal number of issues. For whatever reason, quality control inspection points are missed and the units fails to re-enter the assembly line. The unfortunate part arises when the issues under warranty are not dealt with effectively by the dealer or manufacturer of the component or workmanship in question. Also, it can not be emphasized enough that these trailers require continual maintenance or upkeep inside and out.

JN_B wrote:
One thing you have to realize is that these trailers are stick build by humans and get tossed around on the road. Some are built very well, yet the odd lemon will sneak through. An RV is something that has to be maintained, regular checks, etc. If you leave it (or abuse it), you will have problems. Most people I know that have major issues with RV's are the guys that are going 65mph down a gravel road, or 85mph on the hwy. They wonder why everything falls apart, lol.

I have had minor problems (most fixed under warranty), and have been very happy with our KZ.

BTW.. No matter your price range or builder, you can (and will) have issues. It's best to expect (and look) for issues sooner than later.

Yes, I agree. That's why I bought a new one and take very good care of all my vehicles. I still have my 34 year old van that has been all over the country towing trailers. It is still in excellant condition. I've not had one problem with my trailer that was caused by neglect or abuse. LOL, LOL!

One thing you have to realize is that these trailers are stick build by humans and get tossed around on the road. Some are built very well, yet the odd lemon will sneak through. An RV is something that has to be maintained, regular checks, etc. If you leave it (or abuse it), you will have problems. Most people I know that have major issues with RV's are the guys that are going 65mph down a gravel road, or 85mph on the hwy. They wonder why everything falls apart, lol.

I have had minor problems (most fixed under warranty), and have been very happy with our KZ.

BTW.. No matter your price range or builder, you can (and will) have issues. It's best to expect (and look) for issues sooner than later.

Lynnmor wrote:
I have a KZ. If you go thru my library on Photobucket it might help you decide.

My KZ

There are upgrades and repairs shown to make this 2011 261rks useable.

Wow, that's a lot of work. I am really impressed with all the work that went into that unit, great job. Thanks for posting the pics, very interesting.

And great front license plate (even though I drive a chevy!)

For the OP, I had a Jayco Jayflight for 2 years and really liked it. We bought a new trailer because the jayco was just too small for us.

Interesting to see the responses. I've never owned a Jayco and only owned 1 KZ, a 5th wheel.

Had absolutely none, nada, zero problems with the KZ...I did have a Norcold fridge that stopped working 2.5 years after the purchase (i.e. out of warranty). After getting the run-around from Norcold (I was just trying to find out who would be a good installing dealer, I was prepared to pay for it myself, but Norcold wouldn't respond to me), I asked KZ to intervene.

Within 1 day of contacting KZ, they called, asked me to confirm the model of fridge, and proposed an appointment time with a local dealer. I dropped the trailer off, came back a week later (they were done 2 days later) and asked what the bill was...$0. I pushed back (assuming I should pay for either the new fridge or the installation labor), still nothing. KZ had apparently taken care of everything.

Don't know if that's the usual practice, but it's my experience. Everything else being equal, or even if its not equal, I'd recommend KZ.

Lynnmor wrote:
I have a KZ. If you go thru my library on Photobucket it might help you decide.

My KZ

There are upgrades and repairs shown to make this 2011 261rks useable.

I had all the problems you had, plus some. We are camping now & I'm
looking at my couch one end caved in (poor quality)O well another project when we get home, this is getting old.

2011 K-Z SD250
Rich

JBarca wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
I have a KZ. If you go thru my library on Photobucket it might help you decide.

My KZ

There are upgrades and repairs shown to make this 2011 261rks useable.

Lynnmor,

Is that hanger flex that leads to main frame rails cracks I'm seeing in your pics?

Seeing the cross members to stiffen up the hangers I'm putting 2 and 2 together to come up with the traditional frame cracks.

What ever happened to your wet insulation under the camper was a hand full and then some.

I see the indicator on the axle stud end, it bent?

I can see your handy. Nice truck too

I could write a book on the issues with this trailer, that's why I posted the photos so that folks can judge for themselves.

The cracks are where the factory cross-members, that support the water tank, are welded inside the frame rails. As the spring hangers twist the weak so-called I-beam the cross-members tend to push-pull at the attachment point causing the metal fatigue and then cracks. The trusses I added are to minimize the flexing of the incredibly weak frame rails.

If you saw my video, you saw the water loss from the fresh water tank. KZ replaced my tank with one made exactly the same and expected a different result. They then installed one with a gravity fill port so that the vent would be above the water level. That fix stopped the water loss, however they used the wrong type of hose and it didn't seal to the tank causing all that wet insulation. Just like everything else, I fixed that too.

My axle was bent from new. You could see the alignment problem from 50 feet away. I took it back to my dealer, Family Camping Outlet, and they said there was nothing wrong. I called Al-Ko and they would not return my calls. I sent the bent axle back to KZ and they sent it to Al-Ko where they confirmed it was bent but refused to replace it. I replaced the whole dang mess, below the frame, on my dime.

I have a tool & die shop so I can measure and do whatever needs to be done. When someone buys a new RV, there should be no need to have this much trouble and expense.

Where I messed up was believing those glowing reports about this brand of RV. I should have done a lot more checking on my own before buying.

Thanks for the compliment on the truck. I bought both the truck and trailer about the same time in preparation for retirement. The truck has been a pleasure with only a minor brake problem. The trailer is nothing less than a nightmare.

Lynnmor wrote:
I have a KZ. If you go thru my library on Photobucket it might help you decide.

My KZ

There are upgrades and repairs shown to make this 2011 261rks useable.

Lynnmor,

Is that hanger flex that leads to main frame rails cracks I'm seeing in your pics?

Seeing the cross members to stiffen up the hangers I'm putting 2 and 2 together to come up with the traditional frame cracks.

What ever happened to your wet insulation under the camper was a hand full and then some.

I see the indicator on the axle stud end, it bent?

I can see your handy. Nice truck too

we will someday go for 28bhs, might take a few years, or some new hybrids come full circle as bh hybrids. say 25 bh htt, front tent, side tent, rear perpendicular bunks, couch, and small dinette slide.