Dutchmen vs Jayco

[BWilson]

Jayco Eagle. Which is better, Eagle or Designer?

 

[MABurns]

Designer is higher end but you can not get certain floorplans in the Designer. BHS is Eagle only.

 

[Partyat33]

Never had any problems with my Jayco Eagle. I read so much about all the problems with trailers, its amazing. JAYCO all the way.





Dennis

 

[WOT]

Everyone has horror stories about a manufacturer. My advice is find a nice dealer & whatever you buy go over the roof & all the seams & make sure it looks good. A little hole or missed calk in the roof can make for a big problem. 30 minutes spent on the roof looking at the calk job & the rubber can save a lot of hastle later.



I sure wish that RVs had lemon laws. It would make the manufacturers spend a little more time inspecting their finished product.



WOT

 

[Paul Somers]

The designer is the top end Jayco. I was not putting down the Eagle in my commit. Have friends that have an Eagle and it is a good unit. The Eagle isn't aluminum like the designer is. Some people prefer the wood construction. I think the Teaton is wood and it is top of the top.

 

[Turbo Thom]

Man I better be careful here.



The wife and I have been looking for a new fiver. We have a Wanderer 31. 5 and it has been just great for us. But not enough water for dry camping and a few other things I wanted. We looked at the Jayco Designer and the new, 03's have a greater water cap. but the front will not fit my Onan generator.



We looked at 3 main ones very hard but last week ordered a Teton 33 footer. It has all the things we wanted and now I'm broke.



Anybody want a Wanderer. Got one for sale.

 

[SteveH]

Look behind the cabinets at the wiring and plumbing on both the Dutchman and Jayco and you'll readily see where the Jayco is miles ahead of the Dutchman. Get on the roof and look at where the vents and air connects to the roof and again you'll see the difference. Go with the Jayco and you'll not be disappointed.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Steve H.

 

[Bug Out]

Had a Jayco

I owned a Jayco Eagle 30' 5th, double slide. Bought it new. Was a great unit. Any problems, Manteca,Ca trailer bent over backwards to fix. No questions asked



The wife had bigger plans. . We wound up buying a Alpenlite 37' 3X slide 5th.



Its a top of the line unit, no comparision to Jayco. But I'd buy a Jayco in a second if I wanted another 5th.



JMHO.

 

[msimmons]

Having shopped very carefuly for our '99 TT, I came to the conclusion that Jayco offered the most bang for the buck. Have now had our Eagle 302FK for three trouble free years. If I were in the market for a new RV, it would be another Jayco.

 

[Briar Hopper]

Sunnybrooks are in about that same price range, with superb quality. No dispute on the Jayco quality, I was very close to buying one used, but went with a new Salem by Forest River. I like it, but still wish I could have gotten a Jayco or Sunnybrook.

 

[MxerChris]

OK gonna put my 2 cents in here, I've had both the Jayco and the Dutchman, my exprience is that the Dutchman's quality was somewhat inferior, cabinets and such. Mine had developed a soft spot in the floor near the foward door that I could never no matter how hard I tried find the leak that was causing it, man I caulked up everything in sight. My Jayco Eagle is so much nicer, fit and finish, interior, windows etc... ..... IMHO, all that aluminum construction is OK I suppose if your really needing to go light and are going to pull it with your Chebby or your Ferd, but when your pulling it with a Bad A$$ Ram Dually with a Cummins do you really care how much it weighs?

 

[Steve M]

I'm about a pen stroke away from buying a '99 Jayco 293RKS (31ft) with bedroom slide and a good list of other options. It's been used but is in very good shape. The dealer wants $15k. Our Jayco Quest 237A (25ft) has been 100% flawless and the Leland Engineering chassis is solid as a rock. I almost hate to let it go but the 293RKS has got it all!

What do you lubricate the slide rams with? The 293 has it's living/dinette slide ram underneath and the bedroom ram is under the bed but inside the trailer. They're both dry as a popcorn fart and sound dry when you operate them.

 

[BWilson]

The only thing I didn't like in the Dutchmen was the cabinets. Other than that, the construction seemed sound. As for the wood versus aluminum, I'm not concerned about the weight, just the long term durability. I see wood joists getting smashed to pieces going down the over over time... ... .

 

[msimmons]

Originally posted by BWilson

The only thing I didn't like in the Dutchmen was the cabinets. Other than that, the construction seemed sound. As for the wood versus aluminum, I'm not concerned about the weight, just the long term durability. I see wood joists getting smashed to pieces going down the over over time... ... .

Actually, your fear is unfounded. Wood construction has been used in RV's since the very beginning of the industry and you see many 20 and 30 year old RV's on the road all the time. Prior to buying our '99 Jayco I researched this topic at length and determined that wood construction is in fact quite durable and not subject to long term degradation.

 

[Turbo Thom]

And also remember as Teton says " wood has an R value also". Aluminum tubing has none. That my not be a big point to some but to others it is when when you are looking at the best " bang for the buck". My Wanderer Deluxe is wood framing and I am very impressed. When I sell it that will be a "push point" for the unit. The Teton we ordered is wood also and not as heavy as the Carriage of the same length. Really, the only reason we didn't order the Jayco Designer is my Onan would not fit in the front of the trailer where the space is provided. I would have had to buy a new generator. And I feel the Teton is a superior unit to all the others we look at. Others had some things better. But over all this one is for us. This will be our last fiver to buy.



Good luck on what ever you get.



. . Preston. .

 

[milto]

Have Dutchmen 30ft rearliving room 2002 5th. Bought it before the 2002 where released so am on the 2nd year of use. Have hauled it over 7000 miles lived a winter in it and am very happy. Is it perfect, no,but was everything correctable,yes.



Looked at a Jayco and I'm sure we would have been very happy in a Jayco. The deceiding factor for us was the construction and weight. We wanted an aluminum construction not wood and as light as was possible for a highrise 5th. The price and quality were very comparable. Both mfg's have good reputation and good coverage in the USA.



I don't think you can buy any RV that can't be improved on and depending on your expertise how much. I think you will find unless someone has had a great deal of trouble with the RV they bought, you are going to support the mfg you choose. We are humans!!



Good luck and enjoy what ever you buy!!

 

[John Berger]

Montana

Thought I would post some specs and cutaways on the Montana. I have the 2955rl (32. 5 ft). I've put close to 2500 miles on it and am very happy to this point. These 5'vers are tough to beat for the price. Anyway, enjoy. I had to type the key myself to save space for the picture. The only other 5'vers I considered were the Jayco's. I've seen them at campsites I've been at and I like what I've seen from the outside. Pricewise, they were the only other thing in the ball park for us. I just kind of had my heart set on the Montana and it literally fell out of the sky for us.



STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

ROOF



1. One-piece EPDM Rubber Roof Membrane with 12 Year Warranty

2. Aluminum Radius Roof Transition Molding

3. 3/8" Structured Roof Decking with 25-Year Warranty

4. 5" Welded Aluminum Truss Rafters

5. Fiberglass Insulation

6. Ceiling Decking

7. Vinyl Ceiling

8. Insulated, Foam-Core Air Conditioning Duct



SIDEWALLS

9. Gel-Coated Filon Fiberglass

10. 1/8" Luan Board

11. Second Layer 1/8" Luan Board with Seams Staggered

12. Solid Block Insulation Foam

13. Interior Decorating Board

14. 2" Welded Aluminum Wall Studs

15. Electro-Galvanized Sheet (EGS)

16. Radius Corner Blocks

17. Extended Hitchpin (FW)

 

[John Berger]

Montana floor cutaway

FLOOR



1. 10" Steel I-Beam (FW, 325,335)

2. 3" Welded Aluminum Floor Joists on 16" centers

3. 3" Large Capacity Heat Duct

4. Full Radius Wrap Aluminum Enclosure

5. DARCO Waterproof Underbelly

6. Fiberglass Insulation

7. 5/8" Seamless, Structurewood Floor Decking with

25-Year Warranty

8. Carpet Pad

9. 28-Ounce Residential Grade Carpeting with Stain Protectant

10. Aluminum Wheel Well

 

[BillZ]

Artic Fox

Brad,



You probably are more confused than ever after all these comments. AND I have one more to throw in. We looked at Jayco and I think they are a fine rig. Then we found the Arctic Fox and were simply overwhelmed by the quality and workmanship. But as someone mentioned you most likely will have problems with whatever you buy - so having a good dealer is important. But having a good manufacturer is even more important. Northwood (makers of Arctic Fox have a plant on both the East and West coasts) and are they wonderful! We had several small problems and they could not have been nicer.



SO - here's another one to add to your list for consideration - Arctic Fox by Northwood.



Good Luck - and let us all know what you get - after all this discussion it should be interesting to see what you do. Probably decide the heck with this I'm moteling it.



Bill

 

[The patriot]

Originally posted by Steve M

I'm about a pen stroke away from buying a '99 Jayco 293RKS (31ft) with bedroom slide and a good list of other options. It's been used but is in very good shape. The dealer wants $15k. Our Jayco Quest 237A (25ft) has been 100% flawless and the Leland Engineering chassis is solid as a rock. I almost hate to let it go but the 293RKS has got it all!

What do you lubricate the slide rams with? The 293 has it's living/dinette slide ram underneath and the bedroom ram is under the bed but inside the trailer. They're both dry as a popcorn fart and sound dry when you operate them.

Steve, I just got a new 02 leftover Wilderness Yukon 31' slide out for just a little more, and it has all the options except for the optional B/R entry door.

It's an aluminum frame construction, smooth side fiberglass exterior with styrafoam sandwiched between.

I'm real happy with the deal we got. I should be picking it up on Wednesday.

Eric