Towing a 2018 Jay Flight 28BHS with a 5.0 F150

[Kravchenko]

My tow vehicle is a 2014 F150, 5.0 V8, Heavy Duty Payload (2228 lbs payload), quad cab, 4x4. Towing capacity us about 9200 lbs. My previous trailer was same size and weight as the SLX 267BHS, which is our minimum requirements for a new TT. Truck would tow this with 650 lbs in the bed and cross winds without issue.

The 28BHS is listed as 6540 lbs dry and has a GVWR of 8750 lbs. I would never tow with anything in the tanks. I really think this thing would be about 7500 lbs ready to go. I know I am within the capacities of my truck, even with my 3 kids, wife and 40 lbs dog. I would take care to use a good weight distribution hitch with sway control and set it up properly.

Is this still too much for my truck? Anyone have experience with something like this? We seasonal camp and live in the prairies. However, I want my truck to be able to handle this trailer in the Canadian Shield if we do not do the seasonal thing one year. If I didn't seasonal camp, my wife would have to bring our van with the boat. She would load the van up with all the gear. Kids and bikes with me in the truck.

[Demiles]

Based on the numbers it appears you would be just fine. But there’s always a chance that a different trailer could indeed cause problems. It not always the total mass of the trailer that could cause problems, it’s how the weight is distributed in the trailer. If it’s well designed and not end heavy (forward and aft weight close to the CG) then it will tow well. Unfortunately there’s really no way to definitively tell unless you hitch up and tow it.

[ALJO]

A firm side wind on the prairies can play with the trailer and has definitely effect on the TV. Half tons more than the 3/4 ton. As long as you have a proper WDH with 2 sway bars, you can keep control of your combo.

[GrumpyDad]

Agree that it's all about how the load is distributed through the trailer and truck bed. Best bet is take that rig to the CAT scales when it's fully loaded and do your adjustments there to make sure 1) you have sufficient tongue weight and 2) you have sufficient weight on your steering axle.
There's a longer thread about how to do the CAT scale thing if you don't know. If you can't find it let us know and we'll dig it up.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by GrumpyDad

snip...... If you can't find it let us know and we'll dig it up.

Excavation complete:

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...v-tt-3871.html

Bob

[Demiles]

Yes a trip to the scale is a must to get the weight distribution correct for hitch weight. I referring to a trailer with high rotational inertia by poor design. So if you divide a trailer in two sections at the CG, the closer the weight forward and aft (primarily aft) is to the CG the lower the rotational inertia. I believe this happens more then people realize which is why two trailers of the same length, weight, and tongue weight can have completely different towing characteristics. I like to see trailers with the kitchen, water tank and slide right over the axles which is how my 28RBS is designed and it tows very well.

[need-a-vacation]

Does your current tt have a front pass through storage? If so, just how much do you store in it? Have you ever weighed your current set up to find out how much weigh has been added?

Number wise, I am going to guess you will be ok. Possibly the one limiting factor in your case will be the receiver hitch tw rating. But that depends on just how much you load in the fron pass through.

The big factor is what cab/ bed combo is your truck? Towing a ~33’ roiling brick can play heck when suddenly encountering cross wind gusts. The longer the wheelbase the better! Having a good wdh with integrated sway control can help.

Make sure you get the correct rated wd bars for your loaded tw. I would suggest 1200lb bars, unless you load a lot of heavier items in the pass through. But then you’re back to the limitation of the receiver hitch again as well!!! Which is probably ~1100, maybe 1200lbs.

The Reese Dual Cam, Reese SC, and the Equal-I-Zer 4 way system are all very good for the money!!! The Reese models (trunnion systems) do offer a little more fine tuning for the hitch head tilt. But the Equal-I-Zer is still made in the U.S. last I knew. The DC is a little more finicky to set up.

One other thing to consider is if you still have P rated tires on the truck. A set of LT’s may be in order due to the higher tw. Otherwise you may have the P rated “wiggle” due to the softer sidewalls.

Good luck deciding!!!

[Kravchenko]

Ok, good call on the hitch rating. Max tongue weight of 1050 lbs with weight distribution. I have LT tires as part of the HD payload package. The rear axel is rated for 4800 lbs as well.

What does Jayco include in the dry hitch weight? I am guessing they do not include propane or batteries? I think this trailer will be real close to my hitch weight max when loaded up.

[Kravchenko]

So, let's say that the dry tongue weight is actually 795 lbs. Add 2x 30lb propane tanks for 108 lbs. Add 2 of 6v deep cycle batteries for 124 lbs. That is up to 1027 lbs. Add the weight distribution hitch at something like 100 lbs and I am over my max tongue weight for my receiver hitch.

Now, when the WD hitch is set, does it actually take some of that tongue weight "away"? How much? I guess I could swap out my receiver as it is the only limiting factor for this trailer. Or just get the SLX 267BHS and not sweat it.

[need-a-vacation]

Krav,

The propane tanks and battery are not included in the “brochure” dry tw as you guessed (from everything I have found out). 2-30lb tanks and a battery add ~160lbs to the tw.

Look to see if your factory hitch can be replaced (I would hope so!!!). A nice square tube receiver hitch from Curt or Reese/Draw Tite shouldn’t be hard to install if possible. Taking my time, replacing the factory hitch on our ‘10 Chevy 1500 took me maybe an hour by myself. Just go with the most stout model you can get for your truck. And spend some time to make sure you find the best price!!!

[Kravchenko]

Yeah, it will not be an unreasonable amount of money to upgrade my receiver. Before I go that far, I have to decide if I want a trailer that is over 33 feet. Where we camp, things can get pretty tight past 30 feet as the seasonal camp ground was developed when a 25 ft trailer was huge.

[need-a-vacation]

A wdh does not remove weight, just just redistributes it. In regards to tw, the “gross” tw is what should be used.

As for how to adjust the wdh, it depends on what Ford suggests for your truck. It used to be to return 100% of the lost weight back to the front axle, then 50%, now I believe it is 25% for the new F150’s. All depends on the year of the truck. Can’t recall which year it has changed.

Example:

Truck only front axle weight: 3000lbs.
Truck front axle with tt hooked up, no wd bars installed: 2600lbs.
If 100% is to be returned, once wd bars are installed and the hitch is adjusted correctly, the trucks front axle will again weigh 3000lbs.

If 50%, the fa would weigh 2800lbs, 25% would be 2700lbs. The percentage is based on the weight “lost” off the front axle when the tt (no wd bars) is hooked up.

[Demiles]

My 2007 28RBS has a dry tongue rating of 770lbs but things climb up quickly. I was able to adjust my trailer loading to reduce tongue weight from over 1100lbs to 940lbs. The front through bin and under bed storage is very lightly loaded, only one 30lb propane bottle is used at anytime. That 940lbs is with a full tank of water too so on the return trip home it’s either I adjust the hitch to reduce tension or pack things forward. I’ve been dropping the frame brackets down a hole on my Equalizer before heading home, it only takes a few minutes.
Too many people get hung up on leveling the TV with the WD hitch. As said above follow the instructions given by the truck manufacturer and if you do the truck probably isn’t going to be level. Use a scale to weigh the combo and check the distributed weights and drive it. Most trucks these days use progressive springs so let sit down on the heavy springs so they take the weight. My Silverado 2500 would sit down 1 3/4in, the XD down 2 1/8in. With WD applied while recovering 50-60%

[Kravchenko]

Hi everyone,

We went out sans kids and took a real good look at a few Jaycos. Price, features and availability taken into account, we have decided on a 2018 Jay Flight SLX 287BHS.

The sticker after factory accessories were added puts this trailer at 6165 lbs, for whatever that is worth.

GVWR is 7500lbs
Dry hitch at 660 lbs

Questions:

1) Taking into account my truck's hitch having a WD tongue max of 1030 lbs, do I need a new hitch for the truck?

2) I want to work a WD system into the deal. They carry one that looks good: Blue Ox SwayPro. Am I good with the 10,000 lb GVWR and 1,000 lb tongue weight model? That is model BXW1000. Next up is 15000 lbs, 1500 lbs...

3) Without negotiation, I was told this trailer is 30499 plus tax CANADIAN. I am in Manitoba, and my dealer options are limited. This trailer gets advertised in Ontario for about 28,000. Think I have some more wiggle room? Think I can work a deal for the hitch to be included at a deep discount?

[Diggerdan17]

Originally Posted by Kravchenko

Hi everyone,

We went out sans kids and took a real good look at a few Jaycos. Price, features and availability taken into account, we have decided on a 2018 Jay Flight SLX 287BHS.

The sticker after factory accessories were added puts this trailer at 6165 lbs, for whatever that is worth.

GVWR is 7500lbs
Dry hitch at 660 lbs

Questions:

1) Taking into account my truck's hitch having a WD tongue max of 1030 lbs, do I need a new hitch for the truck?

2) I want to work a WD system into the deal. They carry one that looks good: Blue Ox SwayPro. Am I good with the 10,000 lb GVWR and 1,000 lb tongue weight model? That is model BXW1000. Next up is 15000 lbs, 1500 lbs...

3) Without negotiation, I was told this trailer is 30499 plus tax CANADIAN. I am in Manitoba, and my dealer options are limited. This trailer gets advertised in Ontario for about 28,000. Think I have some more wiggle room? Think I can work a deal for the hitch to be included at a deep discount?

I would say you could negotiate an out the door price of $30499, that would include all taxes, fees, battery, propane tanks ect....

Don't be afraid to call a store in Ontario and tell them your serious about that specific model( find one on there website) and ask them to give you an out the door price. If you can get a couple quotes from different dealers it gives you a great negotiating starting point with your local dealer.


Another thing to consider is having a good relationship with your dealer for future service and warranty. You WILL have issues with a new trailer and if you don't buy from them they may not service your unit in a timely matter( they all ask if you bought trailer from them when you book warrant work)

I saved a few grand by driving 700 km to another dealer, my local dealer found out and told me not to bother bringing the trailer to him for ANY warranty or service work.


Good luck on your purchase!

[Kravchenko]

I emailed the only other dealer in Manitoba. They are offering a better price for sure. 2k less. I would rather buy from more local, but 2k is 2k.

[ALJO]

Buy used from a couple of years old privately and save???? An other plus is that all the warranty work is fixed and maybe it has some upgrades done. Your Factory Equipped Hitch is OK.

[Kravchenko]

Originally Posted by ALJO

Buy used from a couple of years old privately and save???? An other plus is that all the warranty work is fixed and maybe it has some upgrades done. Your Factory Equipped Hitch is OK.

Every time I look at a used trailer around here, they have major problems. Leaks that were allowed to go and I do not have the time or skill to fix. Mouse infestations.

Just not interested in buying some one's problem.

[Kravchenko]

Originally Posted by Diggerdan17

I would say you could negotiate an out the door price of $30499, that would include all taxes, fees, battery, propane tanks ect....

Don't be afraid to call a store in Ontario and tell them your serious about that specific model( find one on there website) and ask them to give you an out the door price. If you can get a couple quotes from different dealers it gives you a great negotiating starting point with your local dealer.


Another thing to consider is having a good relationship with your dealer for future service and warranty. You WILL have issues with a new trailer and if you don't buy from them they may not service your unit in a timely matter( they all ask if you bought trailer from them when you book warrant work)

I saved a few grand by driving 700 km to another dealer, my local dealer found out and told me not to bother bringing the trailer to him for ANY warranty or service work.


Good luck on your purchase!

We bought. Got the trailer and the Blue Ox SwayPro for 28999 plus tax. Technically, the paper work shows 28004 for the trailer and 995 for the hitch (installed too, but it seems easy to install). Pretty happy.

[Diggerdan17]

Originally Posted by Kravchenko

We bought. Got the trailer and the Blue Ox SwayPro for 28999 plus tax. Technically, the paper work shows 28004 for the trailer and 995 for the hitch (installed too, but it seems easy to install). Pretty happy.

That's awsome! Now we need some pictures!

Congratulations on your new trailer, I hope you enjoy it as much as we are enjoying ours.