New 2013 Jayco White Hawk 30DSRE Owners

[newbold1]

If it helps to know...

We loaded our trailer with all the stuff it will be hauling minus luggage for an actual trip. Basically, just missing clothes and some food items. Otherwise, all the other equipment we intend to haul was in there. This was with a full tank of water, two batteries, full propane, still had a bunch of junk in my bed, and a tonneau cover. Then we towed the trailer to where we store it. That was a short 15 mile drive with traffic lights for part of the distance. Stopping, going, and cruising all seemed very easy. I wasn't sluggish and even kept pace with traffic when starting from a stop. After seeing how it was when more fully loaded up I really feel like it is going to travel fine. I think I just need to make sure that we don't start loading up a bunch of junk that isn't necessary in order to keep the weight reasonable. Otherwise, it seems good to go.

[newbold1]

I weigh 145 lbs and my wife weighs 140 lbs. The other two adults are my daughter and her boyfriend and they weigh less than us. We are small... LOL

[newbold1]

By the way... my wife doesn't mind the weight being posted... we have both lost a lot of weight in the past year so she is happier with her number today. LOL Still working on a few more pounds though.

[Raugustin]

My appologise....I am 6' 2" and 240#.....I can't remember ever being 150#, if I was I wouldn't have a problem with the GVWR. You probably won't travel with a full tank of water, so there is close to 400# of weight you won't be hauling...just remeber that what weight you put in the trailer only represents 10% added to the TV. If you've got trailer capacity put the weight there and try to increase the tongue weight to 12% -13%% for more stability. Do you have anti-sway control in the TV?

[Raugustin]

I was looking at your pic's....very nice combo! Do you have towing mirrors? If not can you see OK with the stock mirrors.
I was looking at the CIPA slide on mirrors but they don't have them for my truck yet...they are apparently in production.
I am beginning to wonder if I even need them....any comments would be appreciated.

[newbold1]

Yes, I think pretty much I will load things in the trailer and put near nothing directly in the truck. I think that will help. The truck does have the anti-sway feature. I've got a weight distribution hitch and two anti-sway bars on that as well. My mirrors aren't huge towing mirrors like on the F250 but they are pretty big and have the parabolic mirror thing inside the main mirror. I can actually see pretty good. First time backing the trailer into a spot I managed it in a single attempt and was pretty spot on. I was happy about that because I was unsure how it would go having gone from a 20' trailer to a 34' trailer.

No apology needed. I'm only 5'4" so 145 lbs is actually supposed to still be a little bit overweight. But, a year ago I was 185 lbs so I am not complaining. The camping thing has helped us to live healthier and to be more active. Better than just sitting around watching tv and eating junk like we used to do most of the time.

[Raugustin]

By the way congrats on the weight loss. I bought a Sherline tongue weight scale, something you may want to think about...it cost me $150 in Canada but I've seem them for $89 in the US. This will let you dial in and adjust your tongue weight so you will know exactly what's loaded on your TV. I think I'll try adding the glue on parabolic mirrors on my standard mirrors first to see if they are good enough.
Cheers,

Ron

[newbold1]

Thanks Ron!

The parabolic mirror is worth a try. I think if that wasn't already there on my mirror it would have been more difficult to get a good visual along side me. Since I have that though it seems good enough and the huge towing mirrors would likely be overkill and an unnecessary additional expense.

I think I will look for the scale. Seems like a good investment and would give me some peace of mind knowing for sure that I am not overloading my rear axle. I feel pretty confident that as long as I am not getting crazy with loading up the trailer I will probably be within all my weight limits but the scale would make that a certainty instead of a close enough guess.

Good luck with your 30DSRE! I think we will be enjoying these travel trailers. I can't wait to take that first trip and see how it goes. My very first trip is going to take me over Mount Eagle Mountain just north of Chattanooga and it has 6% or more grades. So... this will be a trial by fire test I suppose to see how well this truck / trailer combination works out. Of course, it really better work well because at this point what is done is done... I have the truck... I have the trailer.

[glcamp]

I just noticed today that Jayco is now listing the Glacier Package for the White Hawk. I sent Jayco a message and asked what all that would do for the R values. This is what they sent me, not sure that I am totally convinced that the R values are correct.

Thank you for your e-mail and for your interest in a White Hawk by Jayco.

For this option the floor will have a layer of bubble foil insulation added for a total R value of R22. The roof will have increased insulation for a total R value of R26. The front wall, sidewalls and rear wall will remain the same.

Jayco Sales
Judy

[Raugustin]

Originally Posted by glcamp

I just noticed today that Jayco is now listing the Glacier Package for the White Hawk. I sent Jayco a message and asked what all that would do for the R values. This is what they sent me, not sure that I am totally convinced that the R values are correct.

Thank you for your e-mail and for your interest in a White Hawk by Jayco.

For this option the floor will have a layer of bubble foil insulation added for a total R value of R22. The roof will have increased insulation for a total R value of R26. The front wall, sidewalls and rear wall will remain the same.

Jayco Sales
Judy

GLACIER PACKAGE
standard glacier Package: Provides thermal protection by combining the most-protected underbelly in the industry with the highest-BTU output furnace in its class. The enclosed underbelly, tucked and foamed inside the I-beam rails, features blown heat and triple-insulated holding tanks.
The glacier Package features the following r-values.
Value uniT area
R-5 All vertical walls R-15 Behind front cap R-27 Roof
R-29 Main floor
R-14 Slide floor
R-22 Bedroom floor R-14 Inside open pinbox
TyPe oF insulaTion
Block foam
Double R-7 insulation
Double R-7 insulation + R-14 foil Double R-7 insulation + R-14 foil R-14 foil
R-7 insulation + R-14 foil
R-111 bedroom floor Flexfoil and fiberglass insulation

[newbold1]

I wonder what the R values are normally. I am expecting the coldest weather I would be dealing with is probably going to be about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and that would be a very rare event. Probably 95%+ of my camping will be in temperatures that are well above freezing... probably hot really. But, once in a rare occurrence we might want to take a winter trip, mostly in the southern states.

[glcamp]

On another post a while back someone, cannot remember who, found out they were R8 in the ceiling, R5 in the walls and R7 in the floor.

Gary

[FoxFanRay]

We also have this model TT and we love it! We are towing with an F-150 Eco-boost with the Max-Tow package. Some of the truck's weight specs are:
Trailer - 11,200#
Hitch - 1,150#
GCWR - 17,100#
Load - 1,919#
Since our trailer is rated at 8,200#, we have a nice cushion. The little Eco-boost puts out tremendous torque for the size of the motor (420 lbs/ft at 2800 RPM). We've only towed about 600 miles so far, but the truck and trailer seem to be a great match. Plenty of power, 11mpg towing, 18/23 not towing. Very pleased with this setup, and VERY pleased with our White Hawk!

[newbold1]

Just completed a 1,300 mile round-trip from Hendersonville, TN to central Florida. My truck pulled the trailer very well. I went through Mount Eagle Mountain which has a few miles of 6% grades and it was no problem at all. I never felt underpowered. Temp gauges for engine and transmission never moved from the usual cool zones where they are during my day-to-day driving routine.

The noticeable differences towing this trailer were primarily the decrease in average mpg which I found hovered between about 9-10 mpg and the fact that getting up to speed from a stop was expectedly slower than when there is no load. Otherwise, there were a lot of times during the trip that I sort of forgot I had a 34' trailer behind me.

The temperatures were around freezing several nights. I was happy to find that the gas heat easily kept the trailer comfortable. In fact, it became hot in there at times. The electric fireplace added more heat to the entertainment area as needed. The low insulation ratings seemed not to create any issues. The floor was a bit colder than say in a normal house but I suppose that is to be expected.

All in all we had a really good trip and this first adventure in the new trailer worked out great. We are already looking forward to the next trip.

[Raugustin]

Can anyone tell me if the 30 DSRE has self-adjusting brakes?

[FoxFanRay]

Since the owner's manual discusses having the brakes adjusted after the first 1000 miles, I would say the brakes are not self-adjusting.

[Raugustin]

Thanks Ray,

I actually received a email from Jayco advising that the DSRE requires the brakes to be adjusted (manually) after the first 200 miles a every 3000 miles after that.

Ron

[canuckowner]

... hmmm... I assume this would be the same with my Jayflight? I have never adjusted brakes and am wondering how that is done? To be honest, I was complaining last year about not feeling much brake from the trailer even with my controller set to the max. Maybe this is the problem?

[canuckowner]

Originally Posted by canuckowner

... hmmm... I assume this would be the same with my Jayflight? I have never adjusted brakes and am wondering how that is done? To be honest, I was complaining last year about not feeling much brake from the trailer even with my controller set to the max. Maybe this is the problem?

I have found answers to my questions elsewhere on the Forum... looks like I have a project to do once I bring the TT out of storage this spring. Learn something new everyday by checking into JOF!

[Raugustin]

I went on Dexter's web-site they also confirm the frequencies on adjusting the brakes. I have attached a you-tube link that shows how it's done....thank God for you-tube! I also attached a link that takes you to Dexter's site which has some neat videos that illustrate how to properly grease the E-Z Lube axles without blowing out the seals and has some other neat videos to make your suspension better.



E-Z LUBE - What is the E-Z Lube option?

The E-Z Lube option was designed specifically for the marine application where the axles are constantly being immersed in water. This feature provides a convenient method for purging the water from the hub cavity without having to pull the hub every time. The hubs should be removed every 12 months or 12,000 miles to inspect the bearings and it is imperative to replace the seal at this time to assure that the grease does not leak out the back onto the brake linings rendering the brakes non-functional

http://www.dexteraxle.com/video_gallery


BRAKES - How often should I adjust my brakes?
Dexter recommends that manual adjust brakes be adjusted . . . 1) After the first 200 miles of operation when the brake shoes and drums have "seated". 2) At 3,000 mile intervals. 3) Or as use or performance requires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tf1Bc526zE

Enjoy

Ron