Unusual Aspect of Jayco Factory

[chasfenwick]

At gatherings of neighbors and friends, occasionally the subject of RV's in general and Jayco in particular will come up. With a straight face, I explain the Amish background of the Middlebury area and the craftsmanship that may arise from that. I go on to explain that the Jayco factory is modern in most respects but that there is one concession that they make to the Amish faith. They require that all materials be transported into the factory buildings on horse drawn wagons. . . . Silence. . . . At that point, about half of my audience expresses disbelief but the other half think that this might actually be the case!!

[RedHorse1]

I understand they also tow the completed trailers to the state line with horses too.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

I understand they also tow the completed trailers to the state line with horses too.

Found it interesting how they connected the hitch to the horse....

[ryder]

There is a wealth of knowledge on this forums, wonderful insites.

[bedrck46]

Originally Posted by wags999

Found it interesting how they connected the hitch to the horse....

They Shove a ball into the receiver and hitch up

[Murff]

I also heard that there is a set quota of what is to be constructed on a given day and once the quota is accomplished, the employees, Amish or otherwise, gets to go home.

Could explain why they go so fast the quality control is such an issue.

Murff

[schrederman]

A set quota but they can go over that number. They aren't paid by the hour but by the number of completed units for that day. They hurry because of that and yes... quality suffers. However, I believe mine was made on Wednesday afternoon when everyone was in a good mood. I've had no problems so far... except for my DVD player, which must have been made on Monday morning's hangover shift. Replaced quickly under warranty... and the Ranier tires... which were probably made on Friday when it was time to get off. They're gone too.

So far 31 nights spent in it since August, and we're happy. Oh, and the burlap sack full of rocks and hay got replaced with an actual mattress after the first night.

[Cirrob]

Originally Posted by schrederman

A set quota but they can go over that number. They aren't paid by the hour but by the number of completed units for that day. They hurry because of that and yes... quality suffers. However, I believe mine was made on Wednesday afternoon when everyone was in a good mood. I've had no problems so far... except for my DVD player, which must have been made on Monday morning's hangover shift. Replaced quickly under warranty... and the Ranier tires... which were probably made on Friday when it was time to get off. They're gone too.

So far 31 nights spent in it since August, and we're happy. Oh, and the burlap sack full of rocks and hay got replaced with an actual mattress after the first night.

LOL! So did ours. One Night is all it took.

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[Dustdevil]

Piecework is a good way to motivate employees, but it has its pitfalls. The way to reduce the shoddy workmanship which can sometimes accompany such organizational tools is to connect warranty work, and the cost of that, with the output. In other words, reduce the output by some percentage of the work that had to be done twice as a warranty, and they would likely find a real sweet spot.

[soperman3]

Originally Posted by schrederman

A set quota but they can go over that number. They aren't paid by the hour but by the number of completed units for that day. They hurry because of that and yes... quality suffers. However, I believe mine was made on Wednesday afternoon when everyone was in a good mood. I've had no problems so far... except for my DVD player, which must have been made on Monday morning's hangover shift. Replaced quickly under warranty... and the Ranier tires... which were probably made on Friday when it was time to get off. They're gone too.

So far 31 nights spent in it since August, and we're happy. Oh, and the burlap sack full of rocks and hay got replaced with an actual mattress after the first night.

😁 workers must have been hungover the entire week ours was built. Very disappointed in our new '16 Alante.

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[schrederman]

Originally Posted by soperman3

😁 workers must have been hungover the entire week ours was built. Very disappointed in our new '16 Alante.

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I really enjoy our camper... and so I really hate seeing this kind of post. Maybe that isn't worded well... I hate to hear that good folks paid their money to enjoy their campers, and are disappointed enough that they feel the need to write such a post. Sorry you're having problems. This industry really is a crap shoot. It seems you have to be extremely lucky, or handy, or extremely wealthy with a lot of patience... Thankfully I have the handy part, so I don't have to be patient waiting for a dealer's service department. RV builders really need to get their act together. Even Airstream and the other higher-end manufacturers have problems.

[soperman3]

I'm hopeful that the number of issues we've encountered will even out over time as all-in-all, we are pleased with the comfort of our 26xer. We'll get an appointment with our dealer as soon as possible when we get back to Vermont and get things squared away for our next venture to Maine in late June. Do wish I was more "handy" though 😌

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[chasfenwick]

Originally Posted by schrederman

. . . Even Airstream and the other higher-end manufacturers have problems.

Our first RV was a new 2010 Airstream 23-ft. TT. 2 years. Our second was a new 2014 Jayco Melbourne 29D. 3 years. Our third is a 2017 Jayco Precept 31UL. 5 months. Looking back over the accumulated experience, I have to say that I don't see Airstream as high end. There were plenty of problems. Especially when one considers how simple the 23-ft. TT was as compared with the inherent complexities of the motorhomes. Not to mention the outrageous "cult" pricing of anything that says "Airstream" on it.

[Berg]

Originally Posted by Murff

I also heard that there is a set quota of what is to be constructed on a given day and once the quota is accomplished, the employees, Amish or otherwise, gets to go home.

Could explain why they go so fast the quality control is such an issue.

Murff

True. We just did the tour last week. They come in a 5:00 AM and leave when the quota is reached. It was 12 when we went through and 13 the following week I believe.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by Dustdevil

Piecework is a good way to motivate employees, but it has its pitfalls. The way to reduce the shoddy workmanship which can sometimes accompany such organizational tools is to connect warranty work, and the cost of that, with the output. In other words, reduce the output by some percentage of the work that had to be done twice as a warranty, and they would likely find a real sweet spot.

That is exactly what Jayco does. Yes they pay by the work completed...not unusual in construction.. most home builders do the same thing, pay by the job not by the hour. And if you noticed they have a team at the end of the run that goes over the unit to make sure it's done correctly. Also they do track warranty work and back charge when appropriate.

I wonder how many of our stick and brick homes would hold up if we dragged them down the road at 65 MPH for 1000's of miles?

[skiingviking]

After doing some upgrading mods on my current Jayco, I'm convinced that these Amish or otherwise also must care much about animal rights.....because the "Beaver or woodchuck" that gnawed the hole behind my old analog thermostat was not completely shredded!

[adaigle]

We have had a tent trailer, Travel Trailer, Class C and Class A. The last three being Jayco's. It didn't take me long to realize that if I got anymore stressed out over the quality of my RV's that I was going to give myself a heart attack !!! So I gave up complaining. I use to get pretty upset. When I find something wrong now, I just call my dealer and they fix it !!! Ran into a new Jayco Class C owner at my dealership last Spring. He had just purchased a Greyhawk two weeks earlier. He was real upset at all the problems he was having with the quality of his unit. I had a good chat with him and told him what I had decided to do ! Dealership Manager thanked me later. Apparently I had really calmed him down. It always helps when your dealer is real nice and do whatever it takes to fix the problem. Lots of people get mad at the Dealerships but they don't make them. I just cannot understand why they can't make them right the first time ??? Purchased a used 2015 Precept 35UP, 12000 miles a month ago. Other then a few small things, all is well so far. Was able to get "Bumper to Bumper" warranty for 5 years. My dealer is 3 miles from my home. My dealer's does what ever it takes to keep his cutomers happy.

[JRD]

Originally Posted by Murff

I also heard that there is a set quota of what is to be constructed on a given day and once the quota is accomplished, the employees, Amish or otherwise, gets to go home.

Could explain why they go so fast the quality control is such an issue.

Murff

You're right, and after taking the factory tour I almost decided against Jayco. Guys literally running all over and around the trailer like ants. Looked like a TV game show.

Bought a 2016 White Hawk 24RKS anyway. Just minor problems including several fit and finish issues that could have been easily avoided by taking more time to build. Annoying but we like the trailer after two long trips and 10K miles.

Not sure which TT manufacturer if any would have better build quality at any price point... opinions?

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by chasfenwick

At gatherings of neighbors and friends, occasionally the subject of RV's in general and Jayco in particular will come up. With a straight face, I explain the Amish background of the Middlebury area and the craftsmanship that may arise from that. I go on to explain that the Jayco factory is modern in most respects but that there is one concession that they make to the Amish faith. They require that all materials be transported into the factory buildings on horse drawn wagons. . . . Silence. . . . At that point, about half of my audience expresses disbelief but the other half think that this might actually be the case!!

They are also delivered to the state border by a team of horses...

[bdreinv]

Originally Posted by chasfenwick

At gatherings of neighbors and friends, occasionally the subject of RV's in general and Jayco in particular will come up. With a straight face, I explain the Amish background of the Middlebury area and the craftsmanship that may arise from that. I go on to explain that the Jayco factory is modern in most respects but that there is one concession that they make to the Amish faith. They require that all materials be transported into the factory buildings on horse drawn wagons. . . . Silence. . . . At that point, about half of my audience expresses disbelief but the other half think that this might actually be the case!!

I think maybe it was the horses who built my camper! lol