going crazy trying to decide on next Jayco

[bonnie]

Hi
Love this site!
And love looking at Jayco campers- too much, according to my husband. We're (I'm) trying to decide on a 22fb or a 24fbs.
Our last one was a designer (over 31 feet), and before that a small 26 foot wo a slide. Husband likes big- I like small.
But we both agree we want one that is easy to tow without us buying a bigger truck (have F150)
So . . . here's the thing; I 'think' I can take out the booth in a 22fb and make more moving around room.
Anyone tried that? We have free standing tables in our other campers and really prefer them, but the 22fb comes with a side booth.
You can get a FS table in the 24fbs, but it costs more. We both love that big bathroom in both of these floor plans.

What to do, what to do . . . help me decide.

thanks
Bonnie

[David472]

If you want a little more moving around room, and don't mind a slide, I would go for the 24fbs.
We have the 22fb, and after a couple years of camping in it, we are now thinking of maybe changing to one with a bit more room, without getting too big. We are concerned about camp site limitations in state or provincial parks. It's not an easy choice to make.
If you were to remove the dinette benches, there may be an impact on the resale value in the future.

[Terry]

Welcome to the forum Bonnie! If you have a second come on over and introduce yourself in the new member area! Good luck on your search....fun times!

[Denise]

Welcome to the JOF Bonnie! Have you considered a Whitehawk? You can go a little bigger with lower weight. Happy shopping!

[BlueHaul]

Hi Bonnie! My wife and I just bought a 24FBS and we were able to negotiate the table and chairs option as opposed to the booth dinette for the same price. It gives us more seating room, though as you know, we lose one sleeping area and the storage under the bench seats. We're waiting for it to be delivered next month. We looked at the 22FB as well, but in the end decided that we preferred having the slide and the extra floorspace it gives. The difference between the two isn't noticeable in length, but there sure is a weight difference - a little north of 700 pounds. It sounds like you and your husband are a lot like my wife and I. She also wanted to go small and I wanted to go bigger (26RLS). In the end, the 24FBS was a good compromise for us. I would say that you should first crunch the numbers on weight and make sure that you're well within your truck's capability for the 24FBS, then if you're good there you can negotiate on the size. All things being equal, I don't regret ordering the 24FBS. The rear bathroom is very nice indeed, and the extra hanging storage back there will come in handy! We noticed a lack of drawer space though. . . .not sure where we'll put things like socks. . . .but there are definitely worse problems to have! :hihi:

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Crabman]

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with the trailer quest!

[bonnie]

thanks
it helps to hear from others
we used to have a ford f150 (pulled our old Jayco 26 foot with no slide)
now we must look for a truck/camper combo that will work. don't want to go big with truck either.
I see you tow with a 250- guess weight of 24FBS will not be an issue
we travel to the NC mountains a lot, so we'll be towing up to 3000 elevations- do you think an f150 v8 5.0 would do the job (with the 24fbs)?
just another thing to think about

[Steve210]

Would you consider a fifth wheel? Jayco has the Eagle HT series that are supposedly all half-ton towable. We've got a 26.5 RKS with two slides and a UVW of under 7,000 pounds, but there is a shorter model under 6,000 lbs. We pull with a 2500 Diesel, so I cant speak to the half-ton claim.

[David472]

Originally Posted by bonnie

thanks
it helps to hear from others
we used to have a ford f150 (pulled our old Jayco 26 foot with no slide)
now we must look for a truck/camper combo that will work. don't want to go big with truck either.
I see you tow with a 250- guess weight of 24FBS will not be an issue
we travel to the NC mountains a lot, so we'll be towing up to 3000 elevations- do you think an f150 v8 5.0 would do the job (with the 24fbs)?
just another thing to think about

Hi Bonnie,
We towed our 22FB with a Chev 1500. It had a 4.8L v8 with a 3.42 rear end. The rated towing capacity of the truck was 5500 lbs, and the loaded weight of our TT was 5600 lbs. We had no trouble at 1000 feet above sea level in rolling hills. The real limitation for this truck was the rear end gear ratio. The optional 3.73 ratio would have boosted its rated capacity to 7500 lbs. In short, a F150 with 5.0 L v8 will easily tow the trailers you mentioned, as long as you check to see it has a rear end ratio to handle the weight of the TT you choose. Also, the newer trucks with the 6 speed transmission will help climb those hills.
Have a look here for the towing capacity ratings of the various models;
http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

[BlueHaul]

Hi Bonnie,

Originally Posted by bonnie

...so we'll be towing up to 3000 elevations- do you think an f150 v8 5.0 would do the job (with the 24fbs)?

Were you looking for a 2012 F-150? I LOVE the Trailer Life magazine's towing guides. I find that they're a real help to get a sense of towing ratings. As was previously said, the rear end gearing makes a world of difference in the ratings. For example, according to Trailer Life, a 2012 F-150 regular cab, short bed, 2wheel drive with the 5.0 is rated at 7,900 pounds if it has a 3.31:1 gear. That same truck will be rated at 10,000 pounds if it has a 3.73:1 gear. I'd say that if you're looking for a brand new truck and you'd like to stay in the half-ton range, make sure you're buying a truck with a tow package installed, and get those 3.73 gears. A fully loaded 24FBS is listed on Jayco's site at 7,500 pounds. So even with the 3.31 gears you could do it, but the 3.73 gears will offer peace of mind.

But even if you find (or already have) an F-150, it's certainly not unheard of to re-gear the truck.

Originally Posted by bonnie

...we travel to the NC mountains a lot...

Most important part of getting a truck and trailer combination - once all the math is done and you know you've got a truck that can safely and reliably tow what you've hitched behind it - you get to enjoy what a beautiful country we live in! If you get to enjoy yourselves in NASCAR country, even better! :hihi:

[apachepup24fbs]

Our 24fbs is not to big not to small. We have owned two class C and this is our second travel trailer. We looked at all the options and for our needs this works. Love the slide and the bed and bath. We have taken the 24fbs 2011 to the Badlands,Mount Rushmore and it tows great. We pull the travel trailer with a 2010 Silverado 1500 4X4 Z71 off road with tow package and six speed transmission. The 3.08 rear end no problems. Sometimes forget its there. We also get better gas mileage when not pulling. Life is Good!

Ranger.

2010 Silverado 1500 off road Z71 4X4
5.3V8 tow package and six speed transmission
2011 Jayco JayFlight 24fbs
Equal-i-zer 10,000 hitch