New SLX 175RD BAJA

2018SLXBAJA · 03-22-2018, 08:56 AM

I recently purchased my very first travel trailer and settled on the 175RD BAJA which has flipped axles, sealed underbelly, and a bigger fresh water tank. My tow vehicle is a 2012 Ford F150 5.0, I'm curious what your guys thoughts are on weight distribution and stabilizing hitches? The camper's GVWR is about 3750 which is much lower than what the truck can handle. The dealership seems to think it s must have but i'm on the fence about it.

I've purchased most of the hoses needed, a water pressure regulator and a water filter. Is there anything else I'm missing for the maiden voyage?

Also I'm already considering upgrading the mattress it comes with but it sits on a pretty flimsy piece of plywood. I was thinking about replacing with 1/2 or 3/4 plywood and installing gas shocks to hold the bed up to get into the storage compartment. Has anyone done this?

Lastly has anyone used solar to charge batteries on these ultra light trailers? I'm curious what all I need to get started

**Midnightmoon** · 03-22-2018, 10:06 AM

Congratulations on your new trailer. I also have a Baja edition, in my case being a 22BHM. I love the ground clearance it provides.

When shopping for hitches, be aware of the level hitch height of the Baja edition trailers. Mine is very high (over 28") and requires quite a bit of rise in my hitch setup to tow level even with my relatively high 3/4 ton Ram. Make sure that you check out the amount of rise you will need from your receiver before selecting a hitch and make sure the hitch you choose can accommodate it.

ttavasc · 03-22-2018, 11:11 AM

Congrats on the new camper! We have a 195RB Baja with the same GVWR as the 175RD and are using an Andersen No-Sway hitch. Given these smaller units tend to have lower cargo capacity - ours is only 735lbs from factory - you will most likely run close to the 3750 GVWR when loaded. On longer trips we are usually about 3680-3700 loaded trailer weight with about 425lb tongue weight. I can tell the difference in steering without weight distribution - it's a bit lighter so I would certainly recommend an appropriately sized wdh, ideally with integrated sway control - to ensure you have adequate weight on the front axle when towing. It will make the experience better and safer. Also, ours seems to tow better with just a slight nose down on the tongue - we have it set to be about 1.5" lower at the tongue than the back.

As for the mattress - we added a 3" gel foam mattress topper and padded mattress cover to mitigate the poor quality mattress. For us that has worked fine. I did not replace the plywood under the mattress but did have to replace the hinges that attached the plywood to the 2x2 support on the wall. The original hinges were so narrow that the screws barely made it into the edge of the plywood and were starting to pull out. After replacing the hinges I did add gas struts for lifting - it's a mod that a lot of folks have done and you can find numerous threads detailing that.

RogerR · 03-22-2018, 01:47 PM

X2 on the Andersen hitch. really like the sway control! 6,000 miles, some in high winds, really helps.

Lots of information on mattresses and gas shocks, reinforcing of bed. Try the search engine, kind of finicky but you can get it to work you will find tons of posts on mattresses and bed reinforcement.

I had the dealer do the shocks but I added 2x2 reinforcements to the bed to make it stronger.

Forgot to mention, Andersen announced a re-design of their hitch. I have the original and can upgrade for $200. Not sure I will spend that as I like what I have. Make sure if you get an Andersen you pay the appropriate price for a old model or the new model.

**Midnightmoon** · 03-22-2018, 02:04 PM

X3 on the Anderson. Very impressed with the way it works and how simple it is.

OregonPerson · 03-24-2018, 10:51 PM

Pretty much did same things as the others have stated including the Andersen WDH which does well with the lighter travel trailers and tongue weights.

Regarding the search tool. I use the Jayco forum custom google search engine https://cse.google.com/cse/publicurl...95:_douuy_o5dq probably 80% of the time.

2nOZ · 03-25-2018, 05:47 AM

Congratulations on the new trailer!

RogerR · 03-25-2018, 09:08 AM

Oops, The Andersen upgrade is $100 (maybe plus shipping) for the older models. Great idea if you have one that scronks on bumps and turns. Movable plate sounds good also.

Paullin · 03-25-2018, 11:43 AM

Congrats! We have a 2017 Jayco 175RD but not the Baja edition.

We really love this trailer. Strongly recommend a WDH with good sway control. We use a Fastway e2 which uses trunnion bars instead of chains and provides 2 point sway control.

2018SLXBAJA · 03-26-2018, 11:33 AM

Thank you everyone for your input. I towed the trailer about 400 miles this weekend without a WD hitch and it did surprisingly well but I will still get one soon. Everything seemed to work great except the radio, for some reason the speaker above the dinette wasn't working, I pulled it to check the connections and it was solid. So maybe an issue at the radio head unit or faulty speaker? Also I was told the black hose would fit in the rear bumper but it doesn't due to the connections, do I need to take the connections off or am I missing something?

Defiantly need to upgrade the mattress and add the bed lift kit so if anyone has recommendations there it would be appreciated.

CoCanCarv · 03-26-2018, 07:59 PM

I removed my head unit and what a mess exposed wire at the terminations so I got the soldering iron out and some heat shrink and all is good. Also you may want to check your settings. You will need to remove the fittings on the hose to put it in the bumper, I also drilled two holes in the caps and added wing nut screws to keep the caps from popping ofF, I lost my first hose on my first trip this way. I am one that can sleep on just about anything but I have put my mattress on top of a cheap air mattress and it work great and adds little weight to my SLX 175RD. On cold Colorado nights I sometimes use a hot blow dryer to fill it up and man is it nice on the back after a day of fly fishing. One of the first mods I did was remove the old spring loaded T-stat and added a digital silent stat because that thing sounding like a bomb going off at 2 in the morning. My unit sits on my land in South Park from the start of next month into late October. have fun and enjoy yours.

Kozmo · 03-29-2018, 10:38 AM

My wife and I sat on the bed of our 195rb and heard a nice cracking sound. We are both on the heavy side but that plywood is ridiculously thin. I added another layer right over the top of the old. That made the bed heavier so bed lifts were a must. An excellent addition. Our trailer pulls fine just hitched to the truck.

2018SLXBAJA · 04-02-2018, 08:32 AM

I removed the headunit and the connectors were loose so I plug them back in and the rear speaker started working but now one of the speakers in the awning is intermittent.

I tried doing my own bed lift kit by purchasing 120lb 18 inch gas lift struts but I think there to long or to powerful. Could anyone tell me what the length or weight is they used?

Lastly I've been shopping around for the right hitch and I think I've settled on the Fastway e2 weight distribution with 2 point sway control but I'm not sure what weight I need? It comes in 600-1200lbs in 200 lb increments

ttavasc · 04-02-2018, 09:15 AM

For the bed lifts in our 195RB with the walk-around queen I believe I used 90lb 18" struts. I did have to replace the hinges on the plywood sheet where it attaches to the wall as the original hinges were too narrow and barely caught any of the plywood.

As for the hitch - the GVWR on the 175RD is 3750 - at the high end of tongue weight range - 15% of GVWR - that would be just over 550lbs. So I think the 600lb bars would be the right choice. We normally run about 12% of loaded trailer weight which is around 425-440lbs.

2018SLXBAJA · 04-02-2018, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttavasc

For the bed lifts in our 195RB with the walk-around queen I believe I used 90lb 18" struts. I did have to replace the hinges on the plywood sheet where it attaches to the wall as the original hinges were too narrow and barely caught any of the plywood.

As for the hitch - the GVWR on the 175RD is 3750 - at the high end of tongue weight range - 15% of GVWR - that would be just over 550lbs. So I think the 600lb bars would be the right choice. We normally run about 12% of loaded trailer weight which is around 425-440lbs.

What would happen if I went with an 800 pound? The 800 and 1000 seem to be easier and cheaper to find.

Paullin · 04-02-2018, 03:56 PM

We use the 600lb. WDH with our 175RD. I've heard over sizing might cause frame damage.

BTW: our stinky hose will fit in the bumper if we put the fitting "ears" diagonally in the square bumper.

2018SLXBAJA · 04-03-2018, 08:51 AM

I'm find a lot of 1000lb hitches on the local classifieds really cheap. Is it possible to set it up without as much tension as you would under a 600lb? When you say frame damage are you talking on the tow vehicle or the trailer?

BudMor · 04-03-2018, 09:10 AM

Stick with a 600-800. The bars on a 1000 will be to heavy for the small frame on the 175RD and can lead to bent stuff specially if you are going to take it off the beaten path. I have a 195Rb and use no WDS. Pulls just fine with no issues what so ever.

RogerR · 04-03-2018, 09:59 AM

Make life simpler, get real sway control and easy on/off/setup.

Buy an Andersen hitch.

Lots of posts agree that it is a great hitch for the 195rb size trailer.

I love mine!

It is the third hitch I have owned.

2018SLXBAJA · 06-19-2018, 02:48 PM

We've spent about 20 nights in the camper in the last 3 months with hardly any issues. The speakers in the Solera Awning work intermittent but that sounds pretty common. I was just wonder if anyone had ways to provide additional stabilization for the camper? It has 4 jacks in each corner but it still seems to sway as you walk though it, maybe it will always be like that since its a light camper.

We've recently purchased mountain bikes and a generator so now we need more cargo room. Has anyone added the 2' hitch attachment to the rear bumper? I see Curt makes one that slides over or under the bumper an essentially clamps to the bumper giving you a 2' receiver with a make tongue weight of around 350lbs. than I could add a small cargo rack for the generator and attach a bike rack to the cargo rack?

Lastly how do you guys drain/ flush the tanks? Lately I've been opening the black valve and filing a 5 gallon bucket with water and dumping it down the toilet while its draining. Once its empty I'll add 5 gallons plus the deodorizing tablets. Once a month or so I will completely fill the black tank with clean water and open the valve. Is that enough of a flush?

We typically use the camper Friday-Sunday so I will drain everything Sunday night including the fresh water tank and hot water tank. Is that normal?

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