New family to the RV world from Fla!

[Jmooney]

Welcome from Colorado

[jestoy7]

Originally Posted by MIFL19H

What year is your Odyssey? Ours is a 2012 Touring and while we don't tow with ours we load it up pretty good sometimes and I am considering putting Timbrens on it as well its time for new rear shocks. Just something to think about when loading up the Van then adding the trailer to it.

We purchased both our Campers straight from Orlando RV and have been happy with them (went back to our same salesman 3 yrs later) as far as the sales side. Both times they beat the quote I got from RV Direct Online (same company/owners) and I worked direct with them in Orlando, and negotiated in person and through email, actually closed the deal on our 1st Camper with Matt Strollo. I never had to use them for Service so can not speak to that side of their business and from reading some reviews I hope we don't have to. I can fix almost anything so would only be for major things and would most likely go to a different Jayco dealer.

Is the local dealer you mention in St Augustine?

Hey thanks a lot for the info and the good word on your experience with Orlando RV. Yes, the local dealership I started the process with was in St. Augustine, but they were almost $3,500 more than our quote with RV Direct, then when I passed the RV Direct quote, they came down but still about $2,000 more. The RV Direct sales rep over the phone was not pushy, very easy to deal with and Orlando RV is only about another hour from where we are in Jax anyways. I just hope it isn't one of those things where it's been a good experience so far but we are still waiting for our delivery...finger crossed.

Regarding the Odyssey, I just installed a bunch of stuff so it can tow our camper and among the goodies were Air Lift 1000's. I read about both Timbrens and Air Lifts (Amazon, eTrailer.com reviews, this forum, Odyclub) and they really seem mixed reviews, with a slight more positive to Air Lift.

They were easy to install and I have them at 5-psi right now and they ride just like stock. Took the family and mother-in-law out for dinner last night and put the van through its paces on different condition roads. No problem, just like stock.

I did the one air fitting for both sides and the stem is hidden under the plastic cover of the left rear. You can't see it from walking up to it, yet very easy to get to and fill.

What kind of campers do you have? Any questions on the mods to my Odyssey, let me know.

[wags999]

From what I found, your Odyssey has a towing capacity of 3500 lbs with two adults on board. Your trailer is 3310 dry weight...I could not find the load capacity of your Odyssey. But you may want to check on how much weight your van can carry. Your trailer will be about 350 - 400 lbs possibly more loaded, hitch weight. They also say when towing you need a trans cooler and power steering cooler.

There are two important part to towing, ,tow capacity and load capacity of your vehicle. With you and DW and two kids and all the stuff loaded, in either the trailer or the van you may be over weight and overload the vehicles capacity. I'm sure it will drag it down the road, but doing it safely is what is important.

If you load anything in your TT, say propane and a few gallons of water you will be over the towing capacity of your vehicle. Better to check before than have a major problem down the road. I would start by looking at your book that came with the vehicle. All I found was cargo cu ft capacity, no weight, not a good indications. There were warnings on many sights to not overload your vehicle when towing. JMHO ..

Welcome to the forum and to RVing...beginning of a great adventure for you and your family ! Good Luck.

[jestoy7]

Originally Posted by wags999

From what I found, your Odyssey has a towing capacity of 3500 lbs with two adults on board. Your trailer is 3310 dry weight...I could not find the load capacity of your Odyssey. But you may want to check on how much weight your van can carry. Your trailer will be about 350 - 400 lbs possibly more loaded, hitch weight. They also say when towing you need a trans cooler and power steering cooler.

There are two important part to towing, ,tow capacity and load capacity of your vehicle. With you and DW and two kids and all the stuff loaded, in either the trailer or the van you may be over weight and overload the vehicles capacity. I'm sure it will drag it down the road, but doing it safely is what is important.

If you load anything in your TT, say propane and a few gallons of water you will be over the towing capacity of your vehicle. Better to check before than have a major problem down the road. I would start by looking at your book that came with the vehicle. All I found was cargo cu ft capacity, no weight, not a good indications. There were warnings on many sights to not overload your vehicle when towing. JMHO ..

Welcome to the forum and to RVing...beginning of a great adventure for you and your family ! Good Luck.

Hey Wags, thanks for the concern. I too, had the same concern before buying this floorplan. Looking at pictures of the yellow stickers for 17 XFD that are on the lots right now, 3500 lbs with a 350 TW is the ballpark that I'm expecting. I also expect our van and TT to be loaded with other items for camping (prolly not water though as we are going to try to stick to sites that have hookups for the first year or so). So I did a lot of research (both online and with experienced drivers that tow), I decided to give it a go. I read different RV forums (JOF, Airstream, Forest River) also read the Odyssey and other minivan forums to get a comprehensive idea. People are going over the 3500 towing capacity and reporting good results with the proper equipment. I also read some articles from Andy at Canam RV in Canada where they RV dealership makes custom hitches and show people that it is mainly about having the proper equipment. The Odyssey shares the same platform and drivetrain to the Pilot (4500 lbs) and Ridgeline (5000lbs) yet it has the least towing capacity. It's true the Odyssey might have more body weight but it also has lowest center of gravity, long wheelbase and good aero. So here is what I just installed:

Transmission Cooler
Class III Hitch receiver
Tekonsha P2 Brake controller
Air Lift 1000lbs air bags
4 pin harness
7 pin and brake controller harness

I also have this but won't install until I take delivery of the TT: Eaz-Lift 6,000 lbs weight distribution hitch with sway control

I expect the Odyssey to be slow, I also expect it to get poor MPGs, but if it tows my camper well, the van just broke 46,000 miles and is in great shape. To pick up the trailer I'm bringing my uncle that has a lot of towing experience and his truck to tag along.I'll have him drive it off the lot and out of Orlando with my car and see what he thinks. Then we'll swap somewhere and I'll start practicing with the kids back at home safe.

Worst case, if the van has a hard time or doesn't feel right to me (I'm a real experienced driver with track experience just not towing experience), I'm not playing games with my family and I'll sell the van and buy a more capable vehicle that serves towing and daily driving duties. Again, I'd hate to do that with how convenient this Odyssey is.

I'm very open to information and appreciate the input!

[namusmc65]

Quite honestly, I think you are pushing the limit with your tow vehicle. I believe your tongue weight will be a lot more than you are projecting, especially when you are loaded down and have the hitch installed. Not something I would want to do. Wear and tear on the vehicle, not to mention the safety of my family, which is most important. Yes, people haul more than that, and most of the time they get away with it. But the couple of times that they don't..........not worth it to me.

[Inthewind]

Something definitely worth sharing to a

R.V. Safe Toilet Paper Brands | Road Work Play

[jestoy7]

Originally Posted by namusmc65

Quite honestly, I think you are pushing the limit with your tow vehicle. I believe your tongue weight will be a lot more than you are projecting, especially when you are loaded down and have the hitch installed. Not something I would want to do. Wear and tear on the vehicle, not to mention the safety of my family, which is most important. Yes, people haul more than that, and most of the time they get away with it. But the couple of times that they don't..........not worth it to me.

Hey Joe, I share your sentiment. Here's how I looked at it.

Regarding the tongue weight here are a few numbers I crunched:

-The average 17 XFD on a lot today has a yellow sticker from Jayco around 3,440-3,500 - giving me a range of TW from 340 (10% of the low) to 525 (15% of the highest I saw)
-If I load up our trailer with an extra 400 lbs of stuff - we are looking at 40 to 60 lbs more in TW.

With that in mind, I did the Eaz-Lift 6,000 lbs wdh with 600lbs in TW capacity. (I read that you don't want to go too high either). I also did the Air Lift 1000 bags in the rear to keep the Odyssey level with all this extra stuff, too.

Regarding the wear and tear: So my Odyssey shares the exact same motor and transmission (including same gear ratios) to the Honda Pilot. Same unibody construction, longer wheelbase, lower center of gravity, better weight distribution. The Odyssey does weigh 400 lbs more. However, the Pilot is rated for 4,500 lbs. Minivans in general have never had a tow rating increase since they were first introduced into the market back in the 80's, yet they now have better specs than older vehicles with higher ratings. I'm adding a bigger tranny cooler than the OEM to aid the drivetrain.

The first few times I take the camper out on the road, I won't have my family in the vehicle. We'll know more then.

[jestoy7]

Originally Posted by Inthewind

Something definitely worth sharing to a

R.V. Safe Toilet Paper Brands | Road Work Play

Nice! Thanks.

[MIFL19H]

Re: St Aug Dealer

Like you I am all about Small Business and really wanted to buy from them but they would have been at least $4500 more on our Camper plus I had Jayco do a few little mods that they may have been reluctant to ask for. I worked with them on a potential deal on a Lance (prior to upgrading our TV) and another Jayco so knew what they would come down to. With that said they were very accommodating of me climbing all over their trailers and I liked dealing with them and as for Service feel they would be better being a smaller family owned company. If I need service I will see about taking mine to them.

Re: Orlando RV

If you want a name of a good Salesmen to work with there for delivery etc PM me and I will send you one.

Re: Odyssey

What year is your Ody?

Nice on the Air Lift 1000's, for towing that makes more sense. I just installed Air Lift 5000's in my F250 this past weekend.

How did you get the Coil Springs out to install the Bags?

As others have stated you are pushing it towing with the Ody but the camper you are getting is fairly light but you are doing the right research and getting the right equipment to give it a shot. Sounds like you will make the right decision in the long run.

I once saw a Sienna towing an X19H which is the Hybrid we had and I would not have towed it with anything less than my Expedition EL or an F150.

Re: Campers we had/have...

Had a '12 X19H Hybrid for 3 yrs, fun trailer and will miss the Tents. Like you this was our starter trailer to see how we liked it and the rest is history.

We sold the X19 in June of last year and ordered a '16 28BHBE in November, not looking forward to Towing it coming from a small Hybrid but long story short had to get a new TV so moved up to a 3/4 Ton and moved up to the 28BHBE, will enjoy the space and slide. We pick it up on 3/19.

[jestoy7]

Originally Posted by MIFL19H

Re: St Aug Dealer

Like you I am all about Small Business and really wanted to buy from them but they would have been at least $4500 more on our Camper plus I had Jayco do a few little mods that they may have been reluctant to ask for. I worked with them on a potential deal on a Lance (prior to upgrading our TV) and another Jayco so knew what they would come down to. With that said they were very accommodating of me climbing all over their trailers and I liked dealing with them and as for Service feel they would be better being a smaller family owned company. If I need service I will see about taking mine to them.

I get the sense they will be a good place to service my camper, I sure hope so. As a banker by profession, I don't know why a dealer would treat a customer with worse service because they bought their model elsewhere. I can understand the disappointment of a lost sale, but the potential revenue from repeat service and building loyalty will be worth it on the next time that client shops. For example, to me right now $2,000 difference wasn't worth it, but maybe on my next trailer after having been a customer of theirs, it is.

Originally Posted by MIFL19H

Re: Orlando RV

If you want a name of a good Salesmen to work with there for delivery etc PM me and I will send you one.

I'm using one of their phone reps for my order and I already placed it back in mid February. So I think the only Orlando person I'll deal with is their finance person?

Originally Posted by MIFL19H

Re: Odyssey

What year is your Ody?

Nice on the Air Lift 1000's, for towing that makes more sense. I just installed Air Lift 5000's in my F250 this past weekend.

How did you get the Coil Springs out to install the Bags?

As others have stated you are pushing it towing with the Ody but the camper you are getting is fairly light but you are doing the right research and getting the right equipment to give it a shot. Sounds like you will make the right decision in the long run.

I once saw a Sienna towing an X19H which is the Hybrid we had and I would not have towed it with anything less than my Expedition EL or an F150.

My Odyssey is a 2012 with 46,000 miles.

Yeah, this is the most camper I would tow with it. We were looking at a 16XRB first (around 2800 lbs) and when my wife saw the 3rd bed, we splurged for it for the long term. I don't think this is going to kill the van or us, but I am taking every precaution possible. We haven't owned an RV yet so to splurge on a hybrid (with all the goodies that have to go along with it) and swap out our family car in the same year, not fiscally responsible with our budget. But it is realistic to take her out on trips for the rest of this year a little more next year and assess our arrangement then.

If I feel the van endangers us, I will be the first to go car shopping. Btw, I like the look of the Explorers. How do you like it with the Eco Boost? 9,200 towing capacity is more than we need. My wife really likes the new Escalade and I also like the Denali for a slightly cheaper alternative. In our ideal world, the van gets us through our 9 month old being rear-facing (the van's sliding doors are a real convenience) and then we can maybe shop for a gently used SUV.

Originally Posted by MIFL19H

Re: Campers we had/have...

Had a '12 X19H Hybrid for 3 yrs, fun trailer and will miss the Tents. Like you this was our starter trailer to see how we liked it and the rest is history.

We sold the X19 in June of last year and ordered a '16 28BHBE in November, not looking forward to Towing it coming from a small Hybrid but long story short had to get a new TV so moved up to a 3/4 Ton and moved up to the 28BHBE, will enjoy the space and slide. We pick it up on 3/19.

That's awesome! Congrats on the upgrade to both TT and TW.

[jestoy7]

Originally Posted by MIFL19H

How did you get the Coil Springs out to install the Bags?

The install was easy on the Odyssey. Jack up the control arm at the bottom of the strut (after its on jackstands). When you have good pressure on the suspension, undo the bolt and lower the jack slowly. The spring will come loose and then you can push the control arm further down to give you all the room.

eTrailer.com has an amazing library of Youtube videos that prepped me for all the things I installed this weekend. I highly recommend them, and I bought my stuff from them even when it was a few dollars more than amazon to show my support.

[Catmike2]

Welcome Fellow Floridians,

I know you are getting a lot out of this Forum - we did too. We bought our trailer from RV Dicect too. Funny, we couldn't get the young hot shot salesman to budge at the Orlando Store so we used RV Direct which is operated by the same people and saved $6,000.

Welcome.... It's a fun hobby if we plan....


Mike and Cathy

[MIFL19H]

Originally Posted by jestoy7

The install was easy on the Odyssey. Jack up the control arm at the bottom of the strut (after its on jackstands). When you have good pressure on the suspension, undo the bolt and lower the jack slowly. The spring will come loose and then you can push the control arm further down to give you all the room.

eTrailer.com has an amazing library of Youtube videos that prepped me for all the things I installed this weekend. I highly recommend them, and I bought my stuff from them even when it was a few dollars more than amazon to show my support.

Thanks for the info...

Ours is a 2012 Touring with 50K miles on it, I know from experience on our last Ody, a 2005, the Rear Shocks are ready for replacement, not sure if this is something you considered upgrading as well. They are easy to do...

I have not taken the time to research the Ody install yet on Bags/Timbrens as all my focus has been on my F250 and the Camper. Once all gets settled after I get the new camper home I will move on to the Ody upgrades.

Good Luck with your new Camper... we pick ours up from Orlando next Saturday 3/19.

[jestoy7]

So we picked up Homer on Friday! Our camper's name is Homer, as in Homer and the Odyssey (our van).

The folks at Orlando RV were great. I inspected it the week before, we drew up a list of minor items that needed to be done, and yesterday it was ready to go. We did our PDI, setup the towing mirrors and WDH and were on our way.

This was my first time towing a travel trailer and I was also skeptical on our van's capability. So we left our kids home and brought my uncle (an experienced tower himself) and his Tacoma, to have as a backup in case the Honda couldn't do it safely. The plan was for him to take me out of the small streets of Orlando and once on the highway, make a driver switch. Meanwhile my wife was driving the Tacoma just in case. I actually took the plunge and just to the camper straight from the dealership all the way home.

The van did well on the 3 hour trip. Didn't hunt for gears, except maybe 2 times on long slight uphills. Temps were rock solid despite a 90 degree temp reading outside. MPGs while towing were 11.2 vs 25 without towing. It was breezy and I could feel it. It had no problem getting to 65 mph, but I did have to floor it on the on-ramps to get up to speed. When larger semis drove by it didn't affect the trailer like I thought it might (my WDH also has a friction sway). We got hit by a lot of rain on the last 45 minutes, so I just slowed down to 55-60 and took it easy. Brakes were great, I adjusted the Tekonsha to a "guess-timate" while we were getting to leave and I think I lucked out and got it close. I could feel it brake with the van. Backing it into the house wasn't terrible, but my uncle was there for pointers, I need to practice on with him to be real comfortable. I've got a lot of hazards.

These two months that we waited on our Jayco, we have been really considering alternatives to the van, in the event it wasn't going to do the job safely. I think we are pretty set on changing it for a full size SUV (leaning towards a 2015+ GM sister), but we might wait a few months while all of our camping is going to be done a few hours from home (in flat Florida) for the rest of the year. I wish the Expedition wasn't 15 year old architecture...

Now our Jayco is safe and sound. I had a little issue with it as soon as I got home, and I posted it on this thread:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...sue-35352.html

We love it! Our toddler is so excited to go camping with it. He's been wanting to eat meals and hang out in it all day today. Camp driveway is pretty interesting, specially seeing the neighbors rubber neck...Our first camping trip is a month away. We really planned on the 12 week lead time, but we lucked out and got it sooner.

Can't say enough about RV One (my sales rep) and Orlando RV (their closest dealer to me), they were timely, courteous and knowledgeable.

Thank you again to everyone on the forum. The help in each step of the process (shopping, buying, mods, needs list, PDI tips, towing, setting camp, etc). Is invaluable. I've also made a new friend with MIFL19H, and can't wait to meet him and his family sometime this year.

Now it's my turn to pass along what I've picked up. Up next will be modifications to the camper, camping trips and the tow vehicle upgrade later on.

[SRJ]

I tow a 2016 Jayco 17XFD with 2013 Honda Pilot (AWD). Just got it in Jan of this year. Only 2 trips. Pilot tows great.
SJones
TV 2013 Honda Pilot
TT 2016 Jayco Jay 17XFD