Jayco Jayflight SLX

[AAV8R]

Looking into getting one of these trailers. I've got a Tundra with the tow package rated at 8200#. Never towed before or owned a trailer so any input or trailer recommendations would be appreciated! Thanks y'all!

Jack

[AAV8R]

The wife isn't gonna do a used unfortunately. Hey on a different note what kind of hitch would you guys recommend?

[ttavasc]

If you are going to be considering some larger units like the 23MB then verifying your Tundra's payload capacity is very important. The 23MB could have a tongue weight upwards of 800lbs or more. I haven't seen your payload figure - if you can get that off the drvier's door sticker then folks can provide much better input for you regarding potential units. Look for the yellow sticket with the phrase "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XYZ kg or ABC lbs." and post the value from that.

[TurnThePage]

Buying used is not a bad thing. RV assembly in general often lacks in quality workmanship. One of the places that can really bite you is water damage from rain, etc. Make sure there is none now and do preventive maintenance soon to ensure there will be none later. That applies to new RVs too. Jayco is high on my list for my next one. I think you're wise to keep the trailer fairly small initially but bear in mind your entire family could be stuck in it for a long time if the weather is bad. I've learned that kids and dogs are able to occupy incredible amounts of space.

[russkerri]

AAV8R wrote:
Just checked out my local Jayco dealer and I'm impressed. Tempted by a used 2015 Jay Flight 23MB in good shape for $13K. The only problem I see is the lack of full
-blown warranty buying a used unit. Thoughts?

Jaycos have a 2 year manufacturer's warranty. You might ask the dealer how long that goes on the model you are looking at.

Ours only had a 90 day warranty from the dealer, which gave us a chance to try everything out.

[AAV8R]

Just checked out my local Jayco dealer and I'm impressed. Tempted by a used 2015 Jay Flight 23MB in good shape for $13K. The only problem I see is the lack of full
-blown warranty buying a used unit. Thoughts?

[AAV8R]

Excellent thanks for the input ttavasc. I'll look at the Star Crafts. Thinking maybe that 23' might be better since we might want to bring other folks with us.

[ttavasc]

It looks like the Jayco 184BH model is listed as "dealer stock only" on Jayco's website and appears to be replaced with the 174BH. Looking at the specs for both of those I see the 174BH is heavier with less cargo capacity. You might consider the Baja edition as I think that the GVWR goes up from 3500 to 3750 increasing the cargo capacity by 250lbs. At least it did for our 195RB.

While the 195RB floor plan isn't a good fit for your situation the trailer is essentially the same size and weight. It tows very nicely with our RAM 1500 and Andersen hitch. Our loaded tongue weight is around 450lbs, just over 12% of loaded trailer weight, so that's a real-world number if you want to do some payload calculations for the Tundra.

You might also look at the StarCraft AR-ONE (http://www.starcraftrv.com). Jayco owns StarCraft and the AR-ONE line is essentially the Jay Flight SLX 7-foot wide line with a some different floor plans. The optional "Extreme Package" is their equivalent of the Baja Edition. These have the 2-year warranty as well.

We've been quite happy with our Jayco and it's our first trailer as well. There have been a couple of minor issues all covered under warranty, but nothing major. The 2-year warranty was a plus as it gives us 2 full camping seasons to figure things out. We've already put over 6200 towing miles in with it including two longer trips from the PNW to southern Utah and Nevada.

[AAV8R]

Thanks again everyone. Good thing our dachshund is a mini! Any other brand recommendations?

[jessjosh61]

Jayco generally makes a good trailer. We owned one before we bought our current trailer.

Some of the SLX models appear to be stripped down Jay Flight campers. The SLX 287BHSW appears identical to the Jay Flight 28BHBE, but the GVWR on the SLX is 7,500 compared to 9,250 for the Jay Flight. They are probably putting lighter duty axles on the SLX to meet the desired price point. That extra weight capacity on the Jay Flight helps to accommodate the bigger tanks and more cargo carrying capacity making that a more desirable product line.

Personally I would look for a Jay Flight model that has a GVWR that fits your truck.

[bobndot]

The SLX models are more narrow than other Jayco models as well as having small tanks. If you plan to use campgrounds with hookups there will be no problems. Some state and federal campgrounds no not have hookups, that could be a bit of an issue. However they are lighter. Also notice the interior height is only 73". That might be a problem for the dachshund , might want to look for a dog lower to the floor.

[wecamp04]

We've had two jayco tt only had few little odds ends taken care of by dealer we liked both of ours.

[AAV8R]

Yes it's overwhelming to say the least! Thanks for the input. 🙂

[Lula85]

A few things that we very important in our search for a trailer, in addition to how much we could pull and the truck's payload...

1. Size of water tanks (especially if you plan to dry camp!)
2. Size of fridge
3. Storage - both inside and out of trailer
4. Construction Materials used (wood frame v aluminum frame, etc)

Once you figure out the price point, weight you're aiming for, and how many it can sleep, it helps to have a few other things to check off that list to narrow down the search. SO many options out there!

[AAV8R]

Thanks guys for the help. I like the look of the 184BH. It's intimidating when you're starting out and know nothing about this stuff!