New Jay Series 1206 owner with questions

[rebelgtp]

Hey guys new to the forum and to campers in general. We just got an older (mid 90's) 1206 and I have some questions that you guys maybe able to help me with.

First off what is the weight limitation for loading up the camper? We would like to kind of keep some stuff loaded in there at all times so if the mood strikes us we can head for the hills at a moments notice without much packing. We like to camp quite a bit in the summer and sometimes the trips are not planned in advance.

Second are there any kind of known problems with these little campers I should keep my eyes out for? We have never had any sort of camper ourselves really so this is all new territory.

Third are there any normal modifications or upgrades that people normally do to the campers? Like ways to expand storage or allow for more ground clearance or anything? Or maybe a way to beef up the electrical system?

I guess that is it for now. I am trying to trouble shoot an electrical problem at the moment. Seems that I am not getting power to my over head lights or my sink pump and I am currently plugged into AC power while we clean up the trailer and try and get things ready for our first trip.

[Webcompanion]

hello rebelgtp, I own a 1995 version of the Jayco 1206 now for 2 years and we love it. We just got back home a couple days ago after 7 nights in the Allegany mountains. I am now looking more myself into the weight ratings of the PUP and how heavy I really am once loaded up. We've taken 4 trips, each about 4-5 hours driving each way with no problems until this last trip. I had a tire blow out on the expressway which was not too fun. Honestly I don't know how old the tires were or if I was going too fast (many say 65 mph is max speed and I had periods of over 65 mph). Also I know I was at correct tire pressure so I can't blame being under-inflated. I did learn today that I need to check the DOT code stamped on the tires, it goes DOT xxwwyy where "xx" is a plant code, "ww" is a week # of the year the tire was manufactured and "yy" is the year the tire was made.

Common problems: I would say sagging canvas roofs is one, the other is the center seam if you have the aluminum 2-piece roof. There are various ways to deal with these but if you ignore them and have leaks into your PUP while camping it's a big bummer I can tell you first hand!

Mods or upgrades: well LED lighting is popular. I also added more electrical outlets to mine as well as internal and external 12V cig outlets. I added a sound system for indoor and outdoor (marine speakers). For height increase some flip their axle but I can't comment on how good or bad that is. Another mod I did on my fridge was the 12V computer fan mod in the exhaust port. There's lots of other things out there, you'll find plenty to keep you busy on this forum.

One other point to make, there is the 90's era version of the 1206 and then at some point Jayco made a 1206 more recently with a 3rd slide out. Mine is the old school design with only the 2 bunks that slide out. Just something to remember if you're googling for specs and stuff like that.

When I find out more about loading I'll let you know here. This is my #1 concern at this point as I don't want another tire blow out.

[Rapidly]

Webcompanion, I take it you blew a trailer tire, not the tow vehicle? What was that like? I didn't know 65 mph was recommended max for OE; our 1006 popup is a 2010 model and we pull it above that all the time. Anyone know if there's a good safe tire upgrade for higher speeds?

[29BHS ECO]

Most trailer tires have the 65 mph rating, that is probably embossed on the tire with the dot & inflation info. Larry. ps If you have the 2 pcs al roof, you might check out "exterabond" since there is a recommended service interval for removing and resealing the cap between the 2 pcs of roofing.

[29BHS ECO]

rebelgtp-- Your 12V problem might be a stuck micro switch that kills 12v power when the roof is down. It is located ( mine was) in the rubber gasket above the drivers side rear lift leg. Just a thought. Larry

[Webcompanion]

@Larry good call on the stuck micro switch killing the power. On my 1995 model 1206 the micro switch is located on the driver side middle portion of the roof, near the vent for the fridge. rebelgtp let us know if you need any more help with that problem. Are all the fuses on the power panel looking OK too?

@Rapidly - yes it was the trailer tire that blew out. I was on the very bumpy Michigan expressway 2 lanes from the shoulder and probably going about 70 mph. There was a sudden pop without warning and immediately I could see smoke coming from the driver side rear area out my side mirror. Not much traffic and I was able to get to the shoulder fairly quickly. There was plenty of noise after the blowout so it was obvious something was wrong, the trailer still was tracking relatively OK, it didn't cause my tow vehicle to sway or anything too scary. I used my vehicle's jack to raise the pop-up at the frame. It probably took a total of about 15 minutes to change up everything.

What I've learned is my old tire blew out probably due to a combination of being an older than recommended tire and going too fast. I can't read the DOT code on my shredded tire but the DOT code on my surviving tire shows DOT 2804 meaning it was manufactured on the 28th week of 2004... also bad news and I will be changing that tire out too. From my reading on several sites most pop-up owners will only keep tires that are 5 or 6 years old maximum before putting on new ones, regardless of how good the tread wear looks. My small trailer tires are not that expensive compared to vehicle tires, so this is cheap insurance to change them out every 5 or so years.

[Webcompanion]

Just some additional info on tires and loading here that I learned on my PUP... there is a label in my PUP behind the door underneath my sink that has the trailer VIN and the loading figures. My 1995 Jayco 1206 has a dry weight (per the label) of 1685 lbs and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 2460 lbs. I have not taken an actual weight yet. PUP also specified load class C tire which is good for up to 1,100 lbs per tire @ 50 psi. I think that is cutting it a bit close and actually under rated if I'm at max GVWR of 2460 lbs (since 1,100 lbs x 2 tires = max load 2,200 lbs). Therefore when I buy new tires I'm going to get load class D which rate max load at 1,330 lbs per tire @ 70 psi.

[Heady]

Web, good call. Also remember your dry weight is most likely the weight of the camper from the factory, then you need to add all of the items the dealer added (LP tank, battery, any accessories, etc) then all of the gear you added. Good call on the class D tires and get that puppy to a weigh station so you know what your dealing with.