Designer 35RLTS and Jayco Talk...Thanks Frank!!

[sanderson_66]

Since there does not currently seem to be a Jayco owners forum, Moderator Frank has graciously allowed this thread. It will be for discussing Jayco related questions and comments. Anything not Jayco related will be deleted. Sounds more than fair to me. Thank-you Frank!

[ewagnr]

Thanks to all for the replies and suggestions. I will look soon to determine if I dare change the suspension myself. I figured it would involve supporting the entire rig high enough to allow the axles to drop down. When younger I often crawled under cars for various repairs or maintenance, but don't anymore. Not sure if I want to be under 12K supported by whatever I find in the garage.

We don't look forward to the dealer removing (destroying?) cabinetry to install the oven, but Dawn is quite set on that. I will convey to her the positive comments on the convection operation. I think her main concern is the reliance on electricity, not the shortcoming of the convection oven. At first I was 100% set on a gas oven, but I am reconsidering...

Eric

[NewRV5ver]

To my surprise I found that there is a Jayco owner forum after all.....it was found on Yahoo news groups......jaycoownersclub@yahoogroups.com

You have to join to receive emails or participate in discussion but it has useful information.

[sanderson_66]

ewagnr...Congratulations on the pick up!! An RLTS we looked at on our dealers lot in January had the conv/micro oven. I commented to him "where's the gas oven"? He informed us of the deletion of the gas oven when conv/micro was selected. The wife and I couldn't come to an agreement...He special ordered ours with conv/micro and gas oven. It was worth it to us to give up the drawers. The wife and I both like to cook and wanted to be sure we covered all the bases. Also, I'm almost positive we will need to raise the suspension too. When I say we...I mean the tech at dealer!! Enjoy your beautifull new trailer!!

[2QAYL]

Congratulations on the new trailer, ewagnr. Just a note on the convection/microwave oven. It works very well in pure convection mode as well as 1/2 time or pure microwave. Janice baked me a loaf of bread (I need non-wheat flour bread that can be hard to find sometimes) on our recent trip and it did a far better job on convection than our conventional ovens at home. Perhaps consider giving it a try before installing the conventional oven at the expense of the drawers. Our experience is that the conventional oven installed by Jayco (Dometic??) is not as good as the Apollo convection/microwave unit.

Dave

[BCCDAL]

ewagnr;
One thing to keep in mind is to install a oven they have to rip out the drawers under the range top. I don't think I would want the dealer doing the job. My wife didn't like the convection oven either until she started using it and now she loves it.
O

[Showme_5vr]

SyN check www.colawrvsalvage.com not too far from the Oklahoma state line.

[cruz]

ewagnr

The entire trailer needs to be lifted off the ground about 3 to 4 inches to accommodate the suspension change, and a way to support and then lower the axles. If you are able to do that, then yes, it's a fairly straight forward process (just 8 to 10 bolts per side.) Just remember the shocks will be too short ... but MorRyde told me the shocks weren't required, so I don't have shocks anymore, and don't miss them at all !

A side note: I pull mine with a Chevy 2500HD D/A and don't seem to have any issue with uneven surfaces pushing the truck around. DW even comments on how smooth it tows even in high wind conditions !

CRUZ

[CHV_FRK]

I only knew they ommitted it b/c we bought our unit off the lot. It was mentioned in the other post a while back. The convection oven works great once you get used to it. Be careful with aluminum foil. Make sure it will not get close to the walls when rotating. It will arc and cause burn marks. Another issue with the convection microwave/oven is the stove vent exhausts to the interior. I have configured mine to vent to the exterior. I have the pics and had done a writeup but my laptop crashed. Also Photobucket doesn't seem to be working for me. I'll get it posted again soon, have just been busy.

[ewagnr]

eaherrmann wrote:
Eric,
Happy to hear you've received your 5vr. :C We pick ours up tomorrow. We noticed very early in the research process that Jayco omits the range when you select the convection oven.

Well we certainly wouldn't have gotten the convection if we had known that. The dealer must realize they are at fault for not making us aware, and hopefully will make it right. Is the range delete specified in literature, or were you aware only by salesman's statement?

Eric

[eaherrmann]

Eric,
Happy to hear you've received your 5vr. :C We pick ours up tomorrow. We noticed very early in the research process that Jayco omits the range when you select the convection oven. 😞 Over all we're not impressed with the "customer" service we've been getting via long distance and I'll be darned if I take ours off the lot without the truck/trailer setup being right the first time.:W I would suggest that you make an appointment to get it done right. FIL did our PIA this past Tue and only found 1 or 2 very minor aesthetic issues, we'll see come tomorrow.

Good luck & Happy Camping.......And the pictures will be coming when?

BTW...does the jack have a "shear" pin? May want to verify.

[ewagnr]

Dawn and I took delivery of our RLTS yesterday from Buffalo RV. Never towed anything larger than utility trailers before, so getting it into our suburban driveway was a task I hadn't looked forward to, but it didn't go too badly. Nice towing rig but it sure can push around a 1-ton dually over uneven pavement!

As noted previously, the back end stab jacks do hang low. Also I think we're not level enough. Had them install a Reese Signature 18K (underbed rails) and two guys worked on it all day. When we finally hooked up the default height of the hitch was too low, and by then the guys were in no mood to split hairs, so they moved the hitch up two holes, as high as the Reese will go. That, combined with the MorRyde suspension at it's low setting, and I am too low in the back. Is this suspension change something I can do in my driveway? Haven't gone out this morning to look things over yet.

One major problem with the unit itself is we didn't get an oven! Apparently Jayco substitutes a cooktop when you order the convection microwave upgrade. Isn't that thoughtful of them. Nothing we saw in any literature indicated this, and as we plan to live in this trailer for 4-5 months every year, we let the dealer know that a range WILL be installed. The only question is who pays for it. I assume and hope that is between Jayco and Buffalo RV. Mark, one of the ownership group, doesn't think Jayco will cover it, but he seemed to be accepting responsibility. I'll let you know how this one turns out.

Only other big problem was a stripped gear on the rear stab jack motor. The tech said it worked fine the day before when he went through everything. I suspect the guy doing our walkthrough may have stripped it by hitting the wrong direction when he was demoing it for us. I seem to recall a slight grinding noise when he first tried it, and from then on the motor spun, but the long rod wasn't turning. After the tech removed the motor, you could see that the gear is pretty fine, not too beefy at all. As there is no auto-shutdown or slip clutch I would suggest care when retracting... when it stops going up, shut down! Also when extending, I plan to stop on moderate contact and finish seating the feet with the hand crank.

Eric

[M_GO_BLUE1]

I was only told about the Vin # inside one of the cabinets and outside on the frame of the trailer...never knew if it was raised or not...

T5racing it for registration makes no sense since you have been the only owner since the unit was built...

[CHV_FRK]

L&MMusic,
HA!! Like some sort of grave stone rubbing? If they are so insistant on having an additional number they should know where they are. I would assume that there is a number on the frame, but I doubt it's the same number.

[L_MMusic]

I forget if we talked about this before.

Is there a raised VIN anywhere on the rig? I was just told by Harrisburg PA DOT that I need to trace it for registration. I could only find the one on the label near the propane tanks (which isn't raised).

Thanks.

PS Yes, kitchen side is slower...I also thought due to weight.

[SyN]

Thank U M Go Blue.