New Member With Entegra Odyssey (redhawk 26xd)

[Try2paz]

Hello Jayco guys!

Hopefully I'm welcome here =) I've got a 2018 Entegra Coach Odyssey 26D..It's built by Jayco and is essentially the 26XD with a few upgrades.

We just got it and look forward to using the heck out of it with my two little girls. We got it last Wednesday and then took off for Yosemite this weekend.

The coach is great but I do have a few questions I'm hopeful the Jayco family can assist with.

Bike racks..I see options for both the 2" receiver and ladder rack. Ideally we will be using this to haul a car / boat so tying up the receiver isn't appealing. Has anyone had good success with the ladder rack bike holders?

Cabinets squeak..I've rented Class C's before and the cabinets etc creek on bumpy roads..(we're in California the highest taxed state with the worst roads).

Any fixes / thoughts?

We're going to be towing a Malibu LSV boat, the RV has a rating of 7500.. while this came with Hellwig helper springs we plan on doing the extra heavy rear sway bar, air bags, and shocks.

Does anyone have the part / link handy for the bilstein shocks?


Have a great Monday everyone thanks for looking!

Untitled by Nathan Hall, on Flickr

Untitled by Nathan Hall, on Flickr

Untitled by Nathan Hall, on Flickr

Untitled by Nathan Hall, on Flickr

[drk98]

Congrats on the new MH!

There are some hitch adapters that will let you use the 2" receiver to tow something as well bikes via a second 2" raised receiver. Clearance could be an issue depending on how many bikes you want to carry though. I see people carry bikes via the ladder that that wouldn't be my first choice.

You'll want to take a look at the Koni shocks instead of the Bilstein ones. The Bilstein ones get a lot of press but the Koni's are a lot better for the RV application.

Squeaky cabinets are part of the gig in my opinion but careful packing and placing towels, paper plates, etc. between items can help cut down on the noise.

[Try2paz]

Are you talking about the Koni FSD, I've seen them mentioned a few times around the net.

thank you! we're very excited

[drk98]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

Are you talking about the Koni FSD, I've seen them mentioned a few times around the net.

thank you! we're very excited

Correct! I have them on the rear and can't wait to get the front installed. It made a huge difference.

[norty1]

Welcome to JOF. We also have some gals here and I'm sure they welcome your input.
Nice looking rig!

[pconroy]

Now those are some cute kids! Congratulations. I think I put an extra 100K miles on our van when I figured out that it was the best way to get 'em all down for a nap.

Squeaks - seem to be hit or miss. We have our share of rattles, but the squeaks have been minimal. See if you can narrow down the culprit cabinet.

Rattles we control with padding. Squeaks probably involve tighten some screws.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

Are you talking about the Koni FSD, I've seen them mentioned a few times around the net.

Best shock around, a little pricey, but well worth the money.

[Try2paz]

Well adding the FSD to the list.

Ok next up is Big foot system over the Lippert. I spoke with Big foot today and we're going to use my rig as a test subject =). I'm excited to be working with Big foot they are family owned, wireless, and lifetime warranty on the cylinders.

The Entegra and Jayco's all come with hydraulic prep..essentially the mounting plates are on the rig. Big foot is going to use mine to build a new mounting system for the big foot to mount to a Lippert base plate. Pictures / updates to follow.

Next dilemma the cab over bunk. As you can imagine with two little ones and many more in the family overall that area is a hot spot. The problem is no safety net or ladder.

I'm still amazed this thing didnt come with a ladder..

So what is everyone using or should I just go with the generic one from Amazon? looking for something kid friendly.

Then that brings me to the safety net. I've looked all over the net and didnt find much.

Option 1: Crib bed rail - i dont think this will work as they are intended to fold flat and slide under the bed

Option 2: truck bed net from side to side ... problem is if a kids swats down the top of the next the net will fold

option 3: baby gate.. buy a giant baby gate and attach it to the walls

option 4: https://www.organizedobie.com/Custom-Nets
I like this option the most but it doesnt cover enough territory only 40 inches out of 7 feet isnt going to cut it.

thoughts?

[MontanaBBQ]

We've had good luck using one of these:

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp...an/S64664.html

In conjunction with one of these:

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp...an/S80630.html

We load our two adult cruiser bikes on the hitch carrier and two kids bikes on the ladder rack.

This setup has allowed us to tow our raft trailer at the same time when needed.

We carried the bikes over 8000 miles this season without incident. I'd recommend using plenty of straps to secure the bikes and a anti-rattle type hitch pin. I did consider a four bike carrier for the hitch, but they looked to extend out further than I wanted on our Greyhawk 31FS.

Attached is a picture of the bikes.

[MontanaBBQ]

Our Greyhawk came with a bunk ladder - maybe yours is just missing? You might ask your dealer.

If you have to buy one, we used one of these for years in our Jay Feather x213:

https://www.strombergcarlson.com/rv-...dders-for-rvs/

Sorry, no good ideas for a safety rail that would work on the overhead bunk. You might check out another brand of class C - Coachmen Leprechaun or Forest River Sunseeker - for ideas. I recall seeing a factory installed net system in one of those when we were shopping. Maybe it would be something you could buy and retrofit.

- Doug

[drk98]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

Well adding the FSD to the list.

Ok next up is Big foot system over the Lippert. I spoke with Big foot today and we're going to use my rig as a test subject =). I'm excited to be working with Big foot they are family owned, wireless, and lifetime warranty on the cylinders.

The Entegra and Jayco's all come with hydraulic prep..essentially the mounting plates are on the rig. Big foot is going to use mine to build a new mounting system for the big foot to mount to a Lippert base plate. Pictures / updates to follow.

Next dilemma the cab over bunk. As you can imagine with two little ones and many more in the family overall that area is a hot spot. The problem is no safety net or ladder.

I'm still amazed this thing didnt come with a ladder..

So what is everyone using or should I just go with the generic one from Amazon? looking for something kid friendly.

Then that brings me to the safety net. I've looked all over the net and didnt find much.

Option 1: Crib bed rail - i dont think this will work as they are intended to fold flat and slide under the bed

Option 2: truck bed net from side to side ... problem is if a kids swats down the top of the next the net will fold

option 3: baby gate.. buy a giant baby gate and attach it to the walls

option 4: https://www.organizedobie.com/Custom-Nets
I like this option the most but it doesnt cover enough territory only 40 inches out of 7 feet isnt going to cut it.

thoughts?

We asked the dealer to get us a ladder but instead of getting the one Jayco uses for the Greyhawk they ordered a generic one that was too long. I was able to cut off a few inches at the bottom and reattach the feet and it works perfectly.

Our kids are a little older but I did build a simple wooden "fence" of sorts to put near the head of the bed where they sleep. It is enough for what we need but probably not for your age of kids.

[Try2paz]

Got the ladder bike rack ordered! Thank you that solves that problem.

[Try2paz]

What do you guys do for media when not hooked to cable? Putting a dvd in seems old school.. plus my girls usually damage them as flying disk at there age.

So far the few rv parks I’ve been in have horrible WiFi so any streaming device is out.

Anyone hooked up a portable nas / media server?

[drk98]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

What do you guys do for media when not hooked to cable? Putting a dvd in seems old school.. plus my girls usually damage them as flying disk at there age.

So far the few rv parks I’ve been in have horrible WiFi so any streaming device is out.

Anyone hooked up a portable nas / media server?

We have a DVD player that the kids use some. They also have Kindle fires and now that Amazon lets you download content to the device we tend to use that more.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

What do you guys do for media when not hooked to cable? Putting a dvd in seems old school.. plus my girls usually damage them as flying disk at there age.

So far the few rv parks I’ve been in have horrible WiFi so any streaming device is out.

Anyone hooked up a portable nas / media server?

I don't do it but I've read from others they use Kodi on a Raspberry Pi as a great media server.

We're still doing Blu-ray DVDs.

[WaltW]

Try2paz. look at lee-cloths to hold the munchkins in. You'll find them in marine stores like West Marine. Used to keep crew in their bunks when sailboat is heeled over. Not sure where you would find attachment points.

[MontanaBBQ]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

What do you guys do for media when not hooked to cable? Putting a dvd in seems old school.. plus my girls usually damage them as flying disk at there age.

So far the few rv parks I’ve been in have horrible WiFi so any streaming device is out.

Anyone hooked up a portable nas / media server?

We have had great success with this:

https://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-Wire.../dp/B016ZWS9ZE

We plug a samsung USB SSD drive into the RAVpower File Hub. It took some time, but I copied all of our dvd's onto the USB drive. Both of our kids have iPads, but they are older 16gb models that won't hold more than a couple movies. With the RAVPower File Hub, we are only limited by the amount of memory of the USB drive (512gb). The RAVPower will stream wireless to multiple devices at the same time, so the kids can watch different movies at the same time. I don't know how it works, but it doesn't require WiFi do that it - it creates it's own wireless signal within the space of the vehicle. It will stream content to a TV also, but that requires a Google Chromecast. I haven't had occasion to try that yet. Honestly, for our purposes it's been an amazing device for the $40 asking price - we even use it in the car sometimes. Much cheaper than upgrading to iPads with more storage.

We have a Verizon MiFi hotspot for internet access. We never rely on campground WiFi, because it never seems to work. I have a Wilson Sleek cradle and roof mounted cellular antenna to boost the signal when needed. Of course the Verizon MiFi isn't great for streaming movies unless you have a great data plan with your cellular carrier. Streaming will use up your data plan in no time.

We also use a good old Sony DVD/Blue ray player. I wired it directly to the front TV and power it with the inverter plug. When they desire something new, we'll stop at a Redbox kiosk and rent a movie or two. We'll return them down the road a day later. We've also been known to buy from the $5 DVD bin at Walmart while traveling.

[Try2paz]

That rav power looks like the ticket matched with Rokus! I wonder if it also works with Apple TV? I’m a MacBook user so airdropping movies would be nice.

Well next week we’re heading up the coast to the trinadad. When I get back I should be ready for my first oil change.

I’m going to do the Koni fsd shocks at the same time. The big foot system won’t be ready.

[Try2paz]

Hey folks just got back from a nice road trip up the CA coast..

Next step is shocks... I spoke with Koni today and they have not verified the 2018 yet. Do you know if the the 2018 e450 chassis is considered a F53?

Order a FiveStar tune today as well during cyber Monday! Will post results shortly.

[drk98]

Originally Posted by Try2paz

Hey folks just got back from a nice road trip up the CA coast..

Next step is shocks... I spoke with Koni today and they have not verified the 2018 yet. Do you know if the the 2018 e450 chassis is considered a F53?

Order a FiveStar tune today as well during cyber Monday! Will post results shortly.

The F53 is the chassis for the class A and not what you have.

Your e450 is probably a 2017 Ford Chassis even though Jayco calls it a 2018.