Dutchmen vs Jayco

[BWilson]

Well, the wife and I went to the RV show and found two that we like, the Dutchmen 35 BH and the Jayco 325 BHS. I don't mean to start an oil war or anything but I am new to the RV world and would welcome some opinions, suggestions, or just some ideas of what to look for and compare.



Thanks for the input.



Brad

 

[KMeek]

I have had 3 different brands of RV's and currently have a 1998 Jayco 255BH. It is by far the nicest RV I have had. I would generally rate Jayco in the top 1/3 of all RV's for quality. I have never owned a Dutchman but have always considered them probably in the bottom half of all RV's. My opinion has always been that they do not look as nice on the outside and are considerably cheaper appearing inside. I have never seriously considered a Dutchman and think they are cheaply made. I have always considered a Dutchamn as an "entry level" RV because of their price and quality--a good beginner RV but not for those that are more interested in quality and longevity.

 

[Paul Somers]

Not bashing anyone but I would choose the Jayco every time.

 

[RustyJC]

Dutchmen isn't even in the same league as Jayco. No comparison - go for the Jayco!



Rusty

 

[MABurns]

I own a 325BHS and love it. It is our 2nd Jayco and like the others I too think Jayco quality is very good. Don't know about the Dutchmen but was not impressed with their "look" when we where shopping.



Couple of things about the 325 BHS that I would do different is get the 2d dinete option instead of 3 bunks. Bunks are great but on a rainy day 6 people can't eat at just one dinete. Plus it would give the kids a place to sit and play draw etc... .



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Good luck.

 

[Barry]

Let me tell you a story of one of our members. He and his wife bought a NEW Dutchman 5er from Fun Time RV in Cleburne, Texas. They have had the unit for 2 years and the front end started to leak and have water damage. When the unit was inspected it was discovered that the unit had been DAMAGED prior to delivery to the buyer. The unit had been shodily repaired and filled in with bondo. Even when the dealer and the mfg. has been caught red handed, they continue to duck and weave and smoke and mirrors. I would not buy a Dutchman on a bet. "If it's Dutch, it a'int much!"



Buy the Jayco. I just recieved a 2000 Jayco Designer 2930 5er with 2 slides. What a neat unit! It is heads and shoulders above a Dutchman.

 

[TPilaske]

No offense to anyone, but I personally think the Jayco's are garbage. I have a Dutchmen 30RL-H5. The quality of the wood interior far surpasses Jaycos whatever imitation garbage is that they use. Not impressed with anything Jayco produces. I would go with the Dutchmen. Of course my next rig is going to be a Monaco Coach, and neither Jayco or Dutchmen come close to those!



Tony

 

[KMeek]

Everyone has there own opinion on such things but the wood for the cabinet doors and refrigerator door in my Jayco is oak--not oak veneer but real oak. The cabinets are veneer but the doors are not. We always receive compliments on how nice the "real" cabinet doors look. I would be very surprised if the Dutchman held its value for resale as well as a Jayco. When we looked at the Jayco, Dutchman and Fleetwood products we felt that that the fleetwood products were better than the Dutchman.

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by TPilaske

No offense to anyone, but I personally think the Jayco's are garbage!

Yep - THAT statement shouldn't offend anyone at all! :-laf



Rusty

 

[dodger22]

When I bought our Golden Falcon 5'er just over 2 years ago the dealer had a Jayco Designer 2-3 years old on the lot which had been brought in by the owner for repair. The side walls had delaminated in 3 places due to water getting in from the roof to wall joint. I don't know if this was due to shoddy workmanship or poor design.



The owner could get no satisfaction from Jayco nor the selling dealer to fix it. That alone is enough for me not to ever consider a Jayco!

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by dodger22

When I bought our Golden Falcon 5'er just over 2 years ago the dealer had a Jayco Designer 2-3 years old on the lot which had been brought in by the owner for repair. The side walls had delaminated in 3 places due to water getting in from the roof to wall joint. I don't know if this was due to shoddy workmanship or poor design.



The owner could get no satisfaction from Jayco nor the selling dealer to fix it. That alone is enough for me not to ever consider a Jayco!

Are you aware that Jayco has a 2 year bumper-to-hitch warranty and a 5 year structural warranty? If this trailer was 2-3 years old, the repair should have clearly been under warranty. You might also want to do an Internet search and check out Jayco's customer support reputation - it's among the best in the RV industry. I'd be willing to bet cash money that there's more to this story than what you heard!



Rusty

Moderator, iRV2.com

 

[MABurns]

but I personally think the Jayco's are garbage

I am sure he based that on 8 years of ownership and first hand information.



Opinions are like a#@&oles, everyone has one.

 

[TPilaske]

Ooops! I almost forgot - your not allowed to have your OWN OPINION on this site!

 

[PHaller]

I'm going to wade in here. I'm on my third Jayco. I can't say enough about their customer service. IMHO, they set the gold standard in cutomer satisfaction. I like very much my current 5er <Jayco 3710 designer series> but if for any reason I bought another, I would look first at Jayco!

-Paul R. Haller-

 

[BWilson]

Easy there, I am looking for opinions; however, an opinion in this case should also have some reasoning behind it. On that note, when I compared the Jayco to the Dutchmen, here is what I liked/ disliked:



Jayco dislikes:

fiberfill insulation, curtains (or not much more than) doors between the frojnt and rear rooms and the main area, stove (looked much less quality than in others), wood construction for sidewalls, frame- smaller and lighter than most others, 18 inch centers for all beams, regular plywood (not exterior), tubular frame (I hear trapped water and rust), small wastewater tanks, flimsy dinette legs.



Jayco likes:

Reputation, floorplans, cabinetry (full roller glides), windows (open fully), higher cargo capacity



Dutchmen likes:

foam core insulation, welded aluminum structure, real doors throughout, floorplan (very roomy with two bathrooms), steel I beam frame, 5 inch roof trusses (aluminum), 16" centers for all beams, exterior grade plywood, large holding tanks.



Dutchmen dislikes:

Reputation, cabinents (looked nice but had nylon guides).



Both models are equally priced and the warranties are the same. What else should I be comparing? They both have rack and pinion slides, are about the same length.



Any further opinions, with reason would be a great help. Thanks to all who have replied so far.

 

[Steve M]

We looked at 5th wheels at every dealership and RV show in our area for a couple of years before buying our Jayco. We have used it quite a bit in the past two years with no trouble at all with anything. The box steel chassis is the main attraction for me. It has less flex than an I-beam chassis. Here's the website for the chassis.

http://www.lelandengineering.com/

Since we're all allowed to express our opinions, my friend's brother's sister-in-law's husband's dad bought a new Dutchmen 5th wheel from Wescrewembad RV sales. He was towing it home with his new Chevy Duramax/Allison when alluva sudden while going downhill at 35mph the Duramax blew up! He stopped as quickly as he could and raised to hood to see what exploded when he noticed that the trailer had fallen apart and all that was left was the I-beam chassis back there twisting and playing the ol' sawblade musical. He's since seen the err of his ways and bought a TUNDRA!!! with i-max V8 that he uses to tow his 40ft King of the Road 5th wheel. He was struggling horribly until he installed his K&N air-filter. Now he pulls 7% grades at 72mph in O/D. And he's getting 23mpg! I am learning from his mistakes and will soon follow suit.

 

[TowPro]

go to NADA Guides look at what each one of them is worth 1 or 2 years old. I did not check, but I think you will be amazed how well the Jayco holds up over the dutchman in Resale value



I was compairing a 5th ave to my Terry, it was a close desision until I looked at NADA. the 5th ave lost almost 1/3 of its value in the 1st year where the Terry value did not go down much at all.

 

[Big MAK]

My 1994 32' Jayco 5ver was brand spankin' new. Leaked like a sieve, and neither the dealer nor Jayco would fix it. When it rained water ran in from everywhere. When you leaned against the wall; water ran out the seams in the paneling.



Long story short; after a few months fighting I took the hit and traded on a Hitchhiker -- excellent trailer. The dealer tore apart the Jayco I traded and fixed it quite well. New walls, new ceiling, etc. The new buyer got a new trailer. Too bad Jayco wouldn't fix their trailer.



I recently sold my 36' Hitchhiker and am considering buying a smaller (28' or so) Jayco next year. It looks like Jayco 'woke up' from their bad ways of the early and mid 90's. Here's to hoping they've brought some quality back into their program.



ohhh; and can't forget; great story Steve :--)

 

[BWilson]

Ok, the news is quite overwhelming. Evcn if it is a good trailer the re sale would kill me. There is still some things I think look kind of cheap on the Jayco. What about a Kountry or Mountain Aire???? I haven't found a dealer near me yet (their website seems a little hard to use) so I can't compare the prices but the construction and the floorplans and the resale seem a lot better.



Your thoughts?????



I'm beginnning to put the Dutchmen in like the Bayliner category. Seems like a good boat but the hardware and the resale stink... .....

 

[Paul Somers]

One last commit. Need to know if we're talking Jayco Eagle or Designer. World of difference here. The Designer is aluminum construction not wood. The Duchman is a Thor product. I know they also make Airstream but a Duchman isn't an Airstream.