Owners of Jayco 28bhbe

[DIS]

We just brought home our new 2016 Jayco 28bhbe and are currently towing with Ford F-150 with toe package. Looking to buy new Tow vehicle and curious as to what other 28bhbe owners are towing with. We have big plans for this TT. Ontario to Florida first after a few local trips of course. The current tv was ok, but hoping for a smoother ride.

[wallacemf]

We have a 2013 28BHBE, I towed it with our 2102 F150 S'crew 4x4 5.0 for three years. The payload on the truck was 1625# and we used every bit of it. It was never very comfortable towing it, it always felt like the trailer was driving the truck.

Last year we finally upgraded to a 2015 F250 FX4 crew 6.2 with the camper package and snowplow package, huge difference. Payload is 2775#, the truck barely drops when the trailer is hooked up. It feels much more stable.

Of course, the empty ride on the truck is quite rough because it is so sprung....the price you pay.

[SouthCo]

I'll be towing ours with a 2500 GMC Duramax diesel. We hope to have our new 28BHBE within a few weeks. Not saying that you need a diesel but I bought my truck before buying our first camper.

[Northern Jay]

We tow with a Silverado 3500HD 6.0 gasser. Great combo and handles real nice. 3754lb pay load. Climbs the hills just fine. No lack of power at all. We are in B.C. so we do have some good climbs.
Happy Camping .

[need-a-vacation]

DIS,

Welcome and congrats on the new rig!!!

As mentioned, payload can be a challenge towing a 28 BHBE with a 1500/150 truck. A lot of variables come into play, as the total passenger weight, cargo (coolers, bikes, firewood, etc), any accessories added to the truck (truck topper, step bars, bed liner, etc), the wdh, and the tt tw (travel trailer tongue weight) all count toward the payload of the tv (tow vehicle). There is a yellow sticker in the drivers door jamb stating the payload for that particular truck you are looking at.

Considering how far you plan on traveling, and the length of the 28 you may want to consider a longer wheel base like a crew cab standard bed (6.5') and probably a 2500/3500. Gas vs diesel is a tough call!!!

Get a good wdh with integrated sway control if you haven't yet. A Reese Dual Cam, Reese SC, and the Equal-I-Zer 4 way system are all very good.

Good luck deciding!!!

[DIS]

Thanks everyone, general consensus seems to buy a 3/4 ton.

[olyelr]

Originally Posted by DIS

Thanks everyone, general consensus seems to buy a 3/4 ton.

Yeah. You can get by with a half ton, but it is really quite border line. We originally towed ours with a '15 Yukon (half ton), which performed flawless in my opinion, but I recently upgraded my personal vehicle to a 3/4 ton so that is what we will be using from here on out.

[SouthCo]

Saw ours today and the yellow sticker said 7201 lbs. A bit more than the listed weight on Jayco's site. That's about 1000 lbs tongue before I add a single item. I know this is due to options but just putting it out there that these are heavy for their size of 33.5'. As a comparison our 2014 264BH at 29' only weighs 4778 lbs. I wouldn't have subjected my 1500 to this weight with the hills I encounter.... It could do it but I wouldn't be able to take the high rpms to get up them... Let us know what you decide...

[sugarray]

I upgraded last year from a 2011 F150 Supercrew 6.5' bed with an Ecoboost to a 2015 Ram 2500 MegaCab with 6.4 Hemi and 4.10 gearing. Much more stable and handles the load without blinking!!

Moving up will make your towing much less stressful.

[DIS]

Thanks for all the replies, decided on the F 250 for sure. Now to go gas or diesel 🤔

[need-a-vacation]

With the distances you plan on towing I would probably go with the diesel myself. But it is a tough choice! Depending on what you plan on loading in the bed you could add an auxiliary fuel tank to the diesel, increasing the range between fuel stops.

But a lot of gas can be purchased for the price difference!!! Lol

Good luck deciding!!!

[Camper_bob]

I used to tow my BHBE with a 2012 GMC 1500; moved up to RAM 2500 6.4 4x4 with 3.73 rear end (should have held out for the 4.10, but it is what it is and I still love it).

Something else to consider in the gas vs diesel decision: How will you use the truck when you're NOT towing? How much will you be towing?

I use my truck for a daily driver, and my commute is 7 miles, nothing over 55 mph. I rarely go on the highway from week to week in my normal driving pattern. We tow the trailer about once or twice a month during our peak camping season (probably 6-10 times per year, nowhere more than 3 hours away and mostly flat land) and we have yet to go on a "long" trip in the 2+ years we've owned our trailer. (though we're trying to get one together for this fall). So with my usage pattern, a diesel doesn't make sense. If I had a longer commute, that might be something. If we were towing every weekend, and/or had a few long trips that might be something. Diesels get great mileage loaded or unloaded next to a comparably equipped truck with a gas motor. But it would take decades for me to make up the difference, especially when you consider the added maintenance I would have to do because of all the short drives. That being said, I've always believed that you shouldn't buy a diesel for the value proposition, you should buy it because it's the best tool for the job you intend to use it for; if you tow heavy, long and often, the diesel is the better tool.

With my usage pattern, I would destroy a modern diesel. Not only that, the money doesn't make sense. It would be like me buying a thoroughbred race horse and putting it out on fallow pasture for the rest of its life.

Also consider future upgrade plans. If you plan to go to a 5er, you might want to take a closer look at a 1T and/or going with a diesel. The DW has spoken and our next camper will be a MH, and the 28BHBE is more than enough for our current family including any potential growth, so I'm not worried in the least about not having enough truck for my next rig.

Just about any 3/4T gasser on the market today will handle the 28BHBE like a champ. And I can tell you that it's nice to go from being right on the margin to having plenty of capacity available. I sleep A LOT better at night these days.

[Nevadajaycoowner]

We have a 28bhbe from last fall. We tow with a 2014 chevy silverado 1/2 ton with 6" lift that has a load level sway controller hitch system and it tows like a champ. My wife is not intimadated by driving it either which makes it easy for me to switch drivers.

[Roaddane]

Check my sig for my set up.

The 3500 w/diesel literally doesn't know the trailer is back there. I accelerate thru intersections with the traffic, no fuss. The exhaust brake slows everything down quickly, I only have to lightly use the brakes.

No trailer, my dash says 9-10L/100km on the highway. I've only towed the 28bhbe about 500km so far, and averaged about 20-21L/100km with about 25% city/stop n go.

I've test drove a couple F350 diesels. Liked the quick acceleration, but found the steering vague, you had to crank the wheel a lot to get it to turn.

After towing with your F150, you'll find any truck, that's not a 1/2 ton, will be a huge improvement.

[gav upton]

hmmm gas vs diesel, that is a real tough call, We started out with a Suburban 1500 XL when we upgraded to the 2016 28BHBE, I can tell you the SUB wouldn't pull it for toffee, it would almost stall going up any sort of incline, terrible gas mileage, and not very safe!
So I made the call and went and got a 2005 ford excursion, 6.0 powerstroke diesel, I had all the work done to bullet proof the engine because the 6.0 is riddled with problems, spent nearly an extra 6K on the engine, exhaust and lift kit running 35 tires, Man I can honestly say it was the best decision I HAVE EVER MADE, the excursion just powers up steep inclines and pulls great, I also have a sway control system, the excursion is basically an F250 with a full roof. Am so glad I went diesel I will never look back.
Good luck with your choices and happy glamping

[Paintinfool3]

People talk about diesels as every day drivers as a bad thing ...mine I drive daily some days 7 miles to work... some 20 but I don't have any problems ....I love it

[IceOnFire]

We were towing our 28BHBE with an F-150 until we upgraded to an F-250 last Friday. Boy what a difference in towing performance! We will be embarking on a 1000 mile trip in 2 weeks across elevated terrains, so we were definitely under the gun for an upgrade.

[protege-five]

[QUOTE=need-a-vacation;409474]DIS,

Welcome and congrats on the new rig!!!

As mentioned, payload can be a challenge towing a 28 BHBE with a 1500/150 truck. A lot of variables come into play, as the total passenger weight, cargo (coolers, bikes, firewood, etc), any accessories added to the truck (truck topper, step bars, bed liner, etc), the wdh, and the tt tw (travel trailer tongue weight) all count toward the payload of the tv (tow vehicle). There is a yellow sticker in the drivers door jamb stating the payload for that particular truck you are looking at.

Considering how far you plan on traveling, and the length of the 28 you may want to consider a longer wheel base like a crew cab standard bed (6.5') and probably a 2500/3500. Gas vs diesel is a tough call!!!

Get a good wdh with integrated sway control if you haven't yet. A Reese Dual Cam, Reese SC, and the Equal-I-Zer 4 way system are all very good.

Good luck deciding!!![/QUOT

Speaking of the Weight Distribution System, for a 28BHBE with the aluminium skin what size of the bars? Equilizer or Blue Ox 1000 pounds-1200 pounds or 1400 pounds?[/B][/B][/B]

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by protege-five

Speaking of the Weight Distribution System, for a 28BHBE with the aluminium skin what size of the bars? Equilizer or Blue Ox 1000 pounds-1200 pounds or 1400 pounds?[/B][/B][/B]

I'm currently shopping the Blue Ox Sway Pro BWX1503. That's the 1500/15000 model for underslung couplers. The documentation says for tongue weights from 1000 to 1500, and I'm right in there.

I currently have 1000 lb bars, and they're not enough.

Most of what I've read is that you want your TW to land right in the middle of the available range. And I know from experience that being at or over the maximum isn't working out too well.