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Old 03-07-2017, 12:34 PM   #1
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Eagle TT v Whitehawk

Hi Everyone,
I don't post often, but read extensively since so much good information is shared on this site. I am considering moving from owning a 2013 27dsrl whitehawk to a 2017 306rkds eagle. I would appreciate any thoughts about whether this is a step up or a lateral move - options that need to be must haves and so forth. I had a 2017 31 foot whitehawk on my short list for awhile as well but am leaning towards the Eagle.
Thanks!
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Old 03-07-2017, 01:18 PM   #2
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We went from a White Hawk 28DSBH to a Eagle 284BHBE. At the time it seemed like all we got was a larger shower, but overall I have to say that the Eagle feels more substantial in every way. The Eagle weighs 1500lbs heavier empty vs empty. The ceiling is higher, the floors are much stiffer. When towing I felt my 1 ton diesel was overkill for the WH, but I wouldn't tow the BHBE with anything less than a 3/4 ton. We love our Eagle and would have done the upgrade again.
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Old 03-07-2017, 01:28 PM   #3
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I agree with milw156. When we walked around from whitehawk to jay flight to eagle, the eagle just felt more solid. One year and 5000 miles later, we are still very happy with it. It is a great match for our 3/4 ton gasser.
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Old 03-07-2017, 02:38 PM   #4
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I don't think it would be a lateral move since the Eagle is the top of the line Jayco TT. However, a move from your current WH to a new WH wouldn't necessarily be a lateral move either. The new WH's now have plywood floors which stiffen up the feel quite a bit over the luan/foam sandwich floors of older WH's. I think the ceiling heights are the same in the WH's and Eagles too. I guess you really need to physically get inside both and see.
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Old 03-07-2017, 07:05 PM   #5
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To start with we love our 2013 27DSRL and I expect it to be the last trailer we will own.

The Eagle is for sure a step up, much more weight requiring a 3/4 ton truck.

What are you unhappy about your Whitehawk? Your choice of floor plan is also totally different. Also, only 32.5 gal black tank on Eagle
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Old 03-07-2017, 09:19 PM   #6
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I just bought my White Hawk in August after 2 years of research and looking... looking... looking... I could have afforded anything I wanted. I looked at the Eagle TTs very closely, and compared them to the White Hawks objectively. Did I mention that I did a lot of looking? I could not justify the extra money for the trailer to say Eagle on it rather than White Hawk. Structurally they are just about the same. The Eagle does have a little higher ceilings and a few niceties that I really didn't need. They both come with the same appliances, etc. They're plumbed and wired the same. The new White Hawks have the same floor (structurally) as the Eagles and they are heavier than past years models because of that.

Now... those are my opinions based on what I could find out about the two, and just my opinions. So I ended up with a White Hawk and I gotta say I'm very happy with it. I wish you the best with whatever decision you make. They're both fine trailers.
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Old 03-07-2017, 11:23 PM   #7
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A few years back we were thinking about a new TT. We looked at the Whitehawk and Eagle. The two things that jumped out were the smaller awning and water tanks capacity on the Whitehawk. IIRC, the awning was pretty small too, actually smaller than our old trailer. Since we spent a huge amount of time outside under the awning, that was a deal breaker for us.

We went with a 2013 284 BHS travel trailer. Unfortunately it turned out I wasn't happy with it. (Too tall for the bed for one reason.) It was a nice unit, just a poor fit for us. We traded it a year ago for a 2016 Eagle HT 29.5 FBDS fifth wheel and are LOVING IT!!
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Old 03-11-2017, 07:02 PM   #8
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Hi and thank you to everyone for your comments! I just had a chance to come face to face with the Eagle 306rkds......and love it! Now talking turkey, will let everyone know if I finalize the deal.
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Old 03-12-2017, 04:48 PM   #9
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I also did a ton of research as we were upgrading from a keystone passport and i chose the eagle over the other brands.


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Old 03-15-2017, 12:45 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whitehawkgirl View Post
Hi and thank you to everyone for your comments! I just had a chance to come face to face with the Eagle 306rkds......and love it! Now talking turkey, will let everyone know if I finalize the deal.

Well did you do it, get it?
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Old 03-15-2017, 09:28 AM   #11
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We had a small camper while looking so we were in no rush when we carefully compared the Whitehawk and Eagle with similar rear bunk models. The Eagle was approximately 500lbs heavier and had more cargo carrying capacity which equated to a sturdier build. If you are keeping your trailer longer than 5 years, I think you will appreciate some of the features of the Eagle. I can not remember whether the Whitehawks have aluminum framing, but it was a feature that we wanted for durability which was in our Eagle construction. Aluminum framing with fibreglass will hold up better after years of bouncing down the road than a stick frame. We also wanted a front fiberglass cap to reduce risk of water infiltration as the front joint, which bear the brunt of road wind force, are prone to leaking and I have had family and friends with water infiltration at this point and it ruins a camping trip. When we purchased, the Eagle had larger freshwater and grey and black tanks which was key for us we often camp without services. It also had all LED lights which would have cost us a couple of hundred dollars to swap all of them out for camping on battery power.

Anybody who says an Eagle 284BHBE cannot safely and comfortably towed with a half-ton, has not towed one with a properly equipped "half-ton". I am one of many who have been safely and comfortably towing this trailer with a properly equipped F150 for years. When it is time for a new truck, I will probably replace it with another F150 unless I can talk DW into a diesel, because who wouldn't want over twice the torque for climbing hills while towing. I do agree with some of the previous posts that this TT is probably not towable with a Fiat/Ram 1500 because they generally have about half the available payload of similarly equipped Ford, Chevy and Toyota "half-tons", but fortunately not all half-tons are the same. You need a diesel dual rear wheel 350/3500 if safety no matter what the cost is necessary to tow.

You did not mention whether you have a Tow Vehicle or will be purchasing one. Either way, you will want to make sure the TV you have or will be purchasing can tow the Eagle or Whitehawk. Assuming you are looking at the Whitehawk 31RLKS with a dry weight of 7435 and the Eagle 306RKDS with a dry weight of 7635, the extra 200 lbs is not going to make the difference for the need between a “half-ton” or a one-ton TV. Either trailer as delivered will probably be a few hundred pounds heavier, depending on what options you add, and light-to moderate packing of camping gear will add 800-1000lbs of camping gear, without water in your freshwater tanks. The biggest challenge with TT’s is the available payload of the TV and you will want to make sure that you have at least 12-15% of the TT weight in available payload after you subtract all the passengers and stuff in your truck.

As an example, if your TV has 2000lbs of available payload, and your TT loaded for camping is 8600 lbs, you should have tongue weight of at least 12% or 1030lbs. This means you would have 970 lbs remaining for all the stuff you want to put in the box of the truck as well as passengers and stuff, including pets, in the cab of the truck. A truck capper with 200lbs of firewood and a 100lb cooler of ice and drinks in the box of the truck can be the difference of whether you are over or underweight on a lot of TV’s, whether they are half-tons or ¾ tons. Many diesel ¾ tons from a few years ago have less available payload than some current half-tons, depending on how they are equipped so you have to look at numbers, weights and ratings of the truck you are considering. The recent discussion on Payload highlights this problem that many RVers face:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f37/payload-question-44311.html



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Old 03-19-2017, 09:23 PM   #12
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Similar experience with our Eagle 284. Came from a jay flight 27bhs and the extras make all the difference. New gmc 1500 handles it perfectly with extra leaf.


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