Going to buy a 2012 Jayco X20E

[Baseball32]

Any concerns about a 2012 Jayco X20E. I am moving up from a 2003 Viking pop up camper. Buying from a dealer which has been around as long as I can remember. Only had one owner. Looks very sound and smells new.

[RedHorse1]

What will you be towing with?

[Baseball32]

I have a Ford F150 extended cab w/ a V8. Towing package was included. It is wired for a brake system by the factory. What type of brake control should I install? I am new to this. How hard would it be to do it myself?

[RedHorse1]

I think I bought a Progidy controller and a wiring adapter for my Ford. Hadda look around to locate the factory plug under the dash. After that it was plug-n-play. I used Velcro to secure it to the lower dash area. The new 350 has a controller built in. Someone with a 150 will probably chime in on a location to search for your plug in for it. The Expe's was to the right side of the steering column.

[Baseball32]

That's what I though about the wiring. What do you think I need for a hitch? I didn't use anything when pulling the pop up. But we are talking about a little more weight and swaying.

[RedHorse1]

Yeah, that's a good question. I would expect a WDH with sway control would be in order. The x20e is pretty light but I'd still think it'd be a good idea. Towing without for short distances would probably be ok.
I'm hoping some more experienced voices will chime in on the topic.
We pulled an x23b with an '03 expedition 5.4. The TT was around 4500# and we had about 600# on the tongue. We used a Fastway e2 hitch which did a good job. the 23b was about the max our Expe could manage but it did an adequate job.
BTW, welcome to the Jayco family and to JOF.

[John K.]

We bought a used 2012 Jayco Feather Ultralite x20e last August and have traveled about 2,600 miles with it with no problems. Here's a long list of quick impressions: I like that it can sleep 8 but is not palatial if I'm on my own; overhead lights get very hot; there is an electrical outlet near the rear tent but, for people in the front tent, they have to use an outlet that is near the bottom of a dining area wall; there are no overhead lights near the front tent; always have your trailer keys with you as my wife's been locked out twice and we still aren't sure how that happened; the bathroom mirror is placed too high; the front tent mattress when stored juts into the living area; the gray and black tank gauges have not registered correctly but the tanks might just need a good cleaning; we put 3M Command removable hooks on the wall to the left of the entry way for keys, dog leashes, flashlights, etc. and it has come in very handy; the former owner velcro-ed a plexiglass piece on the bottom half of the screen door to prevent his dogs from tearing the screen; opening both tents creates great ventilation; unfortunately, there's very little counter space so we store dirty dishes in the oven until washed at the end of the day (don't forget reminder signs on oven knobs); the dining table is heavy and bulky but can be taken outdoors for use although we leave it at home and bring along a few tv trays and a table much easier to handle; I'm 6'1" and have to stretch to get keys in the locks for the front tent so bring a portable step stool if needed; the rear tent is perfect for those who want more privacy; there's not much room to work on the water heater or fiddle with bypass pipes but that might be the case with all similar RVs; the cap to the fresh water tank inlet is not lockable, inviting mischief; the exterior door to the water heater innards is kept closed with a flimsy metal tab; the air conditioner and water pump are very noisy; small, portable fans work well and are quieter; windows are well placed for ventilation but some require Herculean muscle to open and close; the manual awning can be handled by one person but really needs 2; the awning needs a protective cover when rolled up because it gets soaked when retracted and needs to air out after every rain; the exterior door swings open fast so hold onto it; there's a lot of plastic that feels "cheap," including the locking piece on the door to the sewer hose storage area, but helps keep mpg up; you might want to remove the divider separating the front passenger-side storage area from the under-seat storage area to the immediate right of the entry door to allow for better storage efficiency; the former owner recommended memory foam mattress pads, and they are more comfortable; the microwave and stereo lose their clock settings when electricity is disconnected so we bring along battery clocks; we use an electric kettle to heat water for washing dishes, making coffee, boiled corn, etc. and then don't have to use the water heater; we have a knock-off version of the "Ninja" cooking system to avoid propane use; that cooking system has been used indoors but with the outdoor electrical outlets we can use it outside also; the former owner added a folding stove top covering but we added cutting boards with rubber feet on top of that for better use; put bubble wrap around the microwave plate to protect it in transit; the microwave is placed almost dangerously high for anyone shorter than 6' because of lifting out hot food/liquid; someone has posted that they're putting shelves in the closet space they have, and that would a great adaptation for our trailer; several cabinets are at ground level and are difficult to put/take things in/out.

However, we knew most of these things when we bought, so we adjust. We do enjoy the trailer. Good luck with yours.

[Murff]

You might consider the Andersen hitch for ease and convenience. Check out this video:

https://youtu.be/HRoQ_yQZQwQ

Murff

[DocBrown]

Welcome and congratulations!

First, after plowing through JohnK's list, I'll say that many of his concerns are common to a lot of RVs. I'm not sure why one would not use the water heater and propane, but that's a very personal decision. Opening the awning is easily a one person job. JohnK, I'm not sure why you need 2 people, maybe there is something not right about your awning?

Counter space is indeed an issue in the X20E. We very rarely cook inside so we put a cutting board with an anti-slide bottom over the stove. It stays there all the time. Many RVers use these to add counter space.

I also agree that the overhead lights are hot (again, common to many RVs). Sitting on the couch with the light on above us baked us. I replaced all the bulbs with inexpensive LEDs from an E-bay vendor. It cost me just over $23 to replace all 15 interior bulbs and now, no more hot light fixtures. The bulbs are about 2 years old now and are all working great.

One glaring omission is the lack of at least one kitchen drawer. We tried several different ways to store utensils and cooking tools in the pantry but all were pretty clunky. I solved it by putting in my own drawers. My wife loves these.

Other wise we're on our 3rd season with the X20E, which is our second hybrid, and we love this trailer. Our favorite feature is probably the slide. Only goes out about a foot but it makes an amazing difference in floor space.

[John K.]

Baseball32: Hope your travel trailer decision has been helped by the posts on the forum. Specifically, DocBrown had several good suggestions in response to my posting. I wanted to comment again not to be argumentative but to give more detail about our approach in case others might want to use those ideas. DocBrown wrote:

"I'm not sure why one would not use the water heater and propane, but that's a very personal decision." Yes, it all depends on the individuals' preferences. If we're paying for electricity already at a camp site, we see no reason to also have to pay for propane. We use electric kettles to quickly heat water rather than wait for our 6-gallon water heater to get hot. We shower and wash up at the camp grounds. And by not using the water heater, we don't have to empty it before going on the road again (otherwise we're hauling up to 50 lb of water unnecessarily).

"Opening the awning is easily a one person job." One person can do it, but it's easier and faster with two.

"I also agree that the overhead lights are hot (again, common to many RVs). I replaced all the bulbs with inexpensive LEDs from an E-bay vendor.” Great idea; I plan to do the same.

"One glaring omission is the lack of at least one kitchen drawer. I solved it by putting in my own drawers." The custom drawers are a great idea; just like at home. We decided to store silverware, utensils and cooking tools in baskets that easily fit in the cabinets under the stove and kitchen sink. When needed, we pull out the baskets and set them behind the stove and can quickly see which are spoons, forks, etc. because they're in the baskets handle down.

Happy camping, everyone.

[29BHS ECO]

baseball 32 Before buying a WDH I would check the tongue weight on the tt and the 150's limit's. You may just need an inexpensive friction sway control. Larry