Looking at a new Eagle 321 RSTS

43tutor · 10-27-2016, 02:39 PM

New the forum as of today.
My wife and I have been removed from the RV lifestyle but are getting back in. We've owned 2 other brands (travel trailers) but have not owned a Jayco. I've been researching the brand and it seems like Jayco owners are generally happy with their units.
We've been searching for a few months and recently ran across a 2015 Eagle 321 RSTS. According to the dealer the unit has never been titled and still has the full factory warranty. This unit meets all our criteria we are looking for in a unit but I'm somewhat skeptical why this unit has not sold. I've only seen the trailer through photos at this point . We are planning a trip to go see it this weekend. I will inspect the trailer from top to bottom, inside out looking for any issues. Any advice from the group?
Tow vehicle is a 96 F250, 7.3 diesel, 2WD, with towing capacity of 20K pounds combined GVWR. The trailer's dry weight is 10400, truck (will full tanks) is 6500, new hitch 250, all our camping gear is 500 pounds, and the wife and I, total GVWR less than 18K. I should be good and really don't want to pull anything bigger.
Thanks in advance.

clubhouse · 10-27-2016, 04:18 PM

I would probably insist on new tires being included in the deal. MY 2015 RV tires could be as much as 3 years old already. That is a beautiful 5er, but its heavy, and I would want so assurance it has new & high quality tires.

**norty1** · 10-27-2016, 04:58 PM

I would also be concerned about the tires. Another concern would be the tongue weight of the loaded fifth wheel.

I had a 96 F350 with the 7.3 psd and it was not up to the 2800lb tongue wt of my current rig.

jwmercer · 10-27-2016, 05:59 PM

We have a 2016 321 RSTS and just love it. We pull with a F350 6.7 Turbo diesel and Reese Elite 18K. We are very happy with the unit.

Camping Grandpa · 10-27-2016, 07:22 PM

We have a new 16 321rsts and love it so far.
Watch your weights though. Our dry weight is 10700 and with our junk, propane, and half tank of fresh water we cross the scales at 11700. My king pin is around 2300 and that actually Max's out the 3/4 ton. Having air bags really helps too.
I tow with a 14 Silverado 2500 HD duramax and the truck hardly notices the rv. My old truck was a 99 F250 super duty with the 7.3 diesel and although it was a great truck I really noticed the old 5er at 10000 loaded. The tranny, hp, and torque of the old ford was no match for the duramax/Allison.
I agree on the tire suggestion. They've sat for this long and that's not good for them. Also check the slide gaskets to make sure they've been maintained and treated. If the 5er has sat with slides open they may be dry.

The 321 is a very comfy coach for a couple. I'm curious too as to why it never sold. What's he asking for it? Could be that he's not flexible. Our 16 had a list of $62000 plus freight to the west coast and I paid just over $45k out the door. No reason not to expect 30% off list plus depreciation for the age.

It's a great coach and I expect you'll love it.

JeremiahM · 10-27-2016, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 43tutor

New the forum as of today.
My wife and I have been removed from the RV lifestyle but are getting back in. We've owned 2 other brands (travel trailers) but have not owned a Jayco. I've been researching the brand and it seems like Jayco owners are generally happy with their units.
We've been searching for a few months and recently ran across a 2015 Eagle 321 RSTS. According to the dealer the unit has never been titled and still has the full factory warranty. This unit meets all our criteria we are looking for in a unit but I'm somewhat skeptical why this unit has not sold. I've only seen the trailer through photos at this point . We are planning a trip to go see it this weekend. I will inspect the trailer from top to bottom, inside out looking for any issues. Any advice from the group?
Tow vehicle is a 96 F250, 7.3 diesel, 2WD, with towing capacity of 20K pounds combined GVWR. The trailer's dry weight is 10400, truck (will full tanks) is 6500, new hitch 250, all our camping gear is 500 pounds, and the wife and I, total GVWR less than 18K. I should be good and really don't want to pull anything bigger.
Thanks in advance.

Obs ford's were only 16k gcvwr, however my old 96 would have still towed what your looking at no issues, but I also had big injectors and T4 turbo to match, otherwise the 7.3 was a turd as for power, but I loved it and would still do it. Having said that legally you'll be overweight, again, it'll do it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by norty1

I would also be concerned about the tires. Another concern would be the tongue weight of the loaded fifth wheel.

I had a 06 F350 with the 7.3 psd and it was not up to the 2800lb tongue wt of my current rig.

7.3 stopped mid 03, and 6.0 began

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Nodaker · 10-28-2016, 09:27 AM

On a 2015 you may want to check the 'outrigger brackets' on the frame under the kitchen slide. The brackets on early models tended to be too light and were subject to bending. We had some issues with the kitchen slide - one of the rubber gaskets got caught in the Schwintek slide gears and jammed the slide and the outrigger bracket under the kitchen slide bent. I don't know if the bending contributed to the slide jamming or if it's different. After we unjammed the slide and removed the gasket it worked for the rest of the trip. Unit is in for warranty repairs now. I tried to attach a picture of the bent bracket, later brackets have been reinforced so, again, check the bracket under the kitchen slide.

**norty1** · 10-28-2016, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremiahM

Obs ford's were only 16k gcvwr, however my old 96 would have still towed what your looking at no issues, but I also had big injectors and T4 turbo to match, otherwise the 7.3 was a turd as for power, but I loved it and would still do it. Having said that legally you'll be overweight, again, it'll do it.

7.3 stopped mid 03, and 6.0 began

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Sorry, mine was a 96 not 06.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

P&K · 10-30-2016, 08:33 PM

We bought a 2015 this spring and absolutely love it. Sadly it is now closed up until May. We did have some warranty issues when we first got it and will be taking it back for some minor issues that could wait until camping season was over.

The layout is wonderful though Kim would prefer more room on his side of the bed (closet side). That was rectified in the 2016 model when they removed the bathroom door entry to the bed room.

The fresh, gray and black tanks are larger than most other brands. An important feature for us since we boon dock a few times a year.

Camping Grandpa · 10-30-2016, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P&K

We bought a 2015 this spring and absolutely love it. Sadly it is now closed up until May. We did have some warranty issues when we first got it and will be taking it back for some minor issues that could wait until camping season was over.

The layout is wonderful though Kim would prefer more room on his side of the bed (closet side). That was rectified in the 2016 model when they removed the bathroom door entry to the bed room.

The fresh, gray and black tanks are larger than most other brands. An important feature for us since we boon dock a few times a year.

Congrats!
The 321 is a great layout. We love ours.

**norty1** · 10-31-2016, 05:44 AM

Ours and the 321 have a pocket door there. How did they get around the privacy issue?

Dan · 10-31-2016, 06:08 PM

Hard to say why it didn't sell. I think these units sit on the lot, a zillion people walk through and like what they see, but for whatever reason nobody ends up buying it. Sorta like the pretty girl who doesn't get asked out. We bought a 2015 model this spring and have no regrets..but I second the bracket thing mentioned earlier, we had two or three broken that were replaced under warranty. Also, we did get a lot taken off msrp with the fact it was 2015 definitely contributing to that.

43tutor · 11-01-2016, 06:37 PM

Follow-up. We did not go see the coach this past weekend. The day after I posted the dealer called and said they pulled the trailer off the lot for repairs. I was skeptical and quizzed them and he finally told me there is an issue with one of the slide-outs. They are waiting on repair parts to arrive. This makes sense since some of the replies above mentioned about the slide-out brackets. I will investigate.
Thanks for the good advice. I will definitely check out all the items mentioned once I get a chance to see the trailer. Asking price for the 5th wheel is approximately $37K
Good point about the king pin weight and my F250 in one of the replies. I did weigh my truck the other day and it comes in at 6340 pounds (full tanks, me & wife in the truck), 3620 front axle, 2720 rear axle. 6340 truck, 200 hitch (verified with Pullrite), 1995 (king pin weight according to Jayco specs) = 8535 pounds. I've decoded my VIN on a Ford truck website.
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Front 3965 lbs max (shown on driver's door decal)
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Rear 5600 lbs max (shown on driver's door decal)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Cap 8800 lbs max (shown on driver's door decal)
Gross Combined Wt Rating 20,000 lbs (Ford truck website)
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 12,500 (Ford truck website)
My thinking = 8800 GVWR - 3620(front)=5180 lbs - 2720(rear) = 2460 king pin max.
Valid concern about the king pin weight once all camping gear and fluids are loaded. I will need to verify the king pin weight.
Thanks to all.

Nodaker · 11-14-2016, 10:49 AM

In follow up, my dealer installed reinforced brackets under the kitchen slide on my 2015 321rsts. Attached picture shows the much stronger brackets and shows how much the new brackets raised the outer edge of the floor from the original bent bracket. We're pleased with the service of our dealer and remain overall very happy with our 321rsts. The floorplan is a nice layout for long-term travel for 2 and occasional shorter-term including the grandkids.

bdreinv · 11-14-2016, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 43tutor

New the forum as of today.
My wife and I have been removed from the RV lifestyle but are getting back in. We've owned 2 other brands (travel trailers) but have not owned a Jayco. I've been researching the brand and it seems like Jayco owners are generally happy with their units.
We've been searching for a few months and recently ran across a 2015 Eagle 321 RSTS. According to the dealer the unit has never been titled and still has the full factory warranty. This unit meets all our criteria we are looking for in a unit but I'm somewhat skeptical why this unit has not sold. I've only seen the trailer through photos at this point . We are planning a trip to go see it this weekend. I will inspect the trailer from top to bottom, inside out looking for any issues. Any advice from the group?
Tow vehicle is a 96 F250, 7.3 diesel, 2WD, with towing capacity of 20K pounds combined GVWR. The trailer's dry weight is 10400, truck (will full tanks) is 6500, new hitch 250, all our camping gear is 500 pounds, and the wife and I, total GVWR less than 18K. I should be good and really don't want to pull anything bigger.
Thanks in advance.

We have same camper 2016 tow with 06 Ram 3500 no issues tows nice.If you dry camp and need ac, those 15000 ac units need 2900 watts each too start them.Honda 3000 wont work, we use two Honda 2000.Other wise we love the camper!Prewired for Solar is nice roof jack is for up to 30 amp controller.

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