2006 Jayco Jay Flight 27.5 BHS and double towing a boat

[solarcamper]

Hi, are there any other owners of a 2006 Jayco Jay Flight 27.5 BHS that already double tow a trailer behind? I am looking into options looking to assess realistically how much total weight and tongue weight I can put behind the 5th wheel. I am getting the hitch installed by a dealer who adds steal tubing across the frame in the install but I am curious if others already double tow with this particular model and year.

Thanks.

[healthi]

Welcome to the Jayco Forum! I'm confused by the title and what you are asking in your post..... Are you pulling a 5th wheel and towing the boat; or are you pulling the 27bhs and towing a boat; or are you pulling the 5th wheel and towing the 27bhs?

I know that in California you are allowed to tow a trailer behind a 5th wheel, but I think there is a limit to how many feet maximum for truck/trailer(s) combo. You are not allowed to pull a travel trailer while towing anything behind it though.

[solarcamper]

Sorry about that, I will clarify.
The 2006 Jayco 27.5 BH is the 5th wheel.
I would like to tow a boat behind it.
I am curious if there are any others with experience with that model and double towing. I know were we live and camp double towing is allowed, I just wanted to be sure of any considerations with that camper frame and double towing.

[healthi]

In the 90's we towed a boat a couple of times behind our 5th wheel. It was an Aljo and I can't remember the model or length. But I do remember getting the technical info regarding towing behind the 5th wheel straight from the Aljo manufacturer. We had a Ford 250 diesel so we had plenty of tow power.

Check with Jayco to see if they can give you some insight. http://www.jayco.com/php/about/contact.us.php or 574-825-5861


As for considerations, just keep in mind you will be quite a bit longer. Plan ahead for gas stops (anticipate negotiating the gas islands). You may want to plan on stops at stations that have islands that run horizontal to the station itself or better yet, that may have rv exclusive islands. Also, turning corners on city streets will be a challenge on the first few turns until you get the hang of it. You'd want to avoid narrower side streets.

How cool is that to have a boat on campouts! Enjoy!

[taviking22]

I do not have your year/model of 5ver (see sig.), but I do tandem tow a boat without problems. My hitch installer added reinforcing cross-member beams from the ball hitch to the trailer's frame. I'm estimating that the tongue weight of the boat trailer is about 175#s.

I did talk to my RV dealer about tandem towing, and he suggested that if there were a problem with the trailer's frame, Jayco could cancel any warranty claims. I have pulled tandem over 1500 miles on all kinds of road conditions and terrain. There has been no change in the 5ver: doors and windows open and close and fit their frames just like when we drove it off the dealer lot when new, and there is no floor warping or soft spots, etc.

The tracking of the boat behind the 5ver is very good. I have towed this setup on both interstates and 2 lane roads. Of course, you will always want to avoid any situations that require you to back up! :eek:

Good luck! Happy Holidays!

[blutech]

Hello, ran across your posting, and thought I'd reply. We have the exact same camper (2006 Jayco Jay Flight 27.5 BHS fifth whl) and we pull a 19ft Larson I/O behind it (weighs about 2700lbs.). We had the hitch on the camper put on by a hitch place in CB Iowa. We pull the whole setup with a 2008 Ford Diesel. The only thing I'd say to be ware of is, plan your refueling stops carefully. It's a real challenge trying to back it all up. We normally try to hit truck stops off the interstate, easier to pull through w/o having to worry about backing up.

Hope that helps,

[healthi]

I know that in California you are allowed to tow a trailer behind a 5th wheel, but I think there is a limit to how many feet maximum for truck/trailer(s) combo. You are not allowed to pull a travel trailer while towing anything behind it though.

Wow this is an old thread! It took a while, but I finally heard back from the CHP Commercial Vehicle Section regarding the current law for those of you pulling a trailer behind a travel trailer in Calif... Sorry, meant to post this update last year.

It is legal to tow this combination however, you must have a Class A license. Also, there are more regulations to consider if your tow combination is longer than 40 feet. I vaguely remember something about 65' max, but not certain.

The Calif Vehicle Codes that will help are:
12804.9 What DDL you need to drive the combo's want
15278 Endorcements for trailer doubles

I have no further info on the current laws otherwise, and if you would like more info, please contact the CHP commercial vehicle folks at (916) 843-3400

Happy towing! :)

[clutch]

Our 32ft Montana Mountaineer also had a Lippert frame and we had a hitch made for it. We pulled a small flat trailer with two 4x4 Yamaha quads and later a Rhino behind it. It was right at 2,000 lbs. We never had a problem. One of the reasons we bought our tt is that we couldn't go into Oregon or Washington with a doubble tow. I can now carry our Rhino in the truck bed so we can leave the extra truck and trailer at home.