Redhawk 24B

[2naEagle]

OK people I think I have lost my mind.

The wife wanted a small motorhome. So I put some money down on a Jayco Redhawk 24B.

Now What?

I read up on some of the love and hate on it. Looks like it will work pretty good for just the two of us.

Now I've never had a motorhome (trailers of some kind forever). Do any of you pull a car of some kind? What all do I need and how hard is it to set up? I have a 2019 ford Explorer now will it work for the time being? Any other info would be appreciated.
Looked at etrailer, oh my over $3000 for just the parts.

[Grumpy]

What engine do you have? Only the 3.5 is flat towable from what I've seen.

Base plate is around $500, Towbar is $1,100- $1,500, plus wiring and if you're handy you can probably do your own install.

[RetiredOne]

There's 2 of us (and the dog) and this rig works out perfect for us. Once the slide goes out, there's plenty of space. Flip the front chairs around, and you have extra seating.

My only other experience with a camper was decades ago with a pop-up.

I don't tow a toad. Main reason we went with the 24B is so we wouldn't have to pull anything. I can get this rig into just about any parking lot. We normally play tourist, and check out an area. Then later in the afternoon, pull into the campground and set up. Next day, onward to other new adventures.

Parking it long term in a campground isn't in the plans. It's our mobile base of operations.

[Jayco 24B]

Sometimes we do pull with Master Tow dolly. The set up for flat towing was to expensive and it would be dedicated to the car and then when you change cars you need to set up again.
But I agree with RetiredOne on parking almost everywhere without any problems.

[2naEagle]

Thanks everyone. We rented a car and going to drive down to RV One in St Augustine, FL tomorrow should pick it up Thursday. Going to stay one night at Stagecoach and head home Friday if all goes well.

[2naEagle]

Picked up the new 24b. Everything went well. First night a Stagecoach RV Park St. Augustine, FL.

[sturgissteele]

Awesome! Congrats! Looks great, 2naEagle.

[norty1]

There are not many 2 rv families! Looking forward to your report on the new Class C.

[2naEagle]

Originally Posted by norty1

There are not many 2 rv families! Looking forward to your report on the new Class C.

LOL I was wondering if anyone would notice.

Big Brother


Little Sister

[RetiredOne]

Now, if you only could tow Big Brother with Little Sister, you and wifey can have your own rigs...

[2naEagle]

Big Brother meets Little Sister for the first time.

[2naEagle]

Originally Posted by norty1

There are not many 2 rv families! Looking forward to your report on the new Class C.

It is a lot easier to back up the long driveway at home. Also you kind of forget about all the little things you don't have.

[Al1]

I was 79 when I bought my Redhawk 26XD and decided that I do not want the hassle of towing a car. I had sold my Class A because it was getting me too uptight about driving it.

Now we do 3 things to avoid a tow. First we spent last summer driving in Canada with our friends who have a 5th Wheel - they had the pickup that we used to day trip. Second we have rented a car for a day or two. Third, we have an automatic leveler so it's no big thing to unhook and go off for the day trip. Now, my DW doesn't like to do #3, which is the only downside.

[Florida Ranger]

I have Enterprise Rental Car on speed dial, to me it is cheaper and less headaches..

[gymracer]

We have a Seneca 35 GS. We have a 15 Mini Cooper S hardtop. When started looking into how to take the Mini we had 3 choices, flat tow it is manual, dolly, or open trailer. I went with an open trailer be as it was cheaper than the other 2 and could be used for other things. Towing it was not a problem as we often tow our 24' enclosed race trailer.

[VKC]

RVT has a section on toads already set up. Check it out. I’m trying to decide between renting a vehicle or buying a toad.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by 2naEagle

OK people I think I have lost my mind.

The wife wanted a small motorhome. So I put some money down on a Jayco Redhawk 24B.

Now What?

I read up on some of the love and hate on it. Looks like it will work pretty good for just the two of us.

Now I've never had a motorhome (trailers of some kind forever). Do any of you pull a car of some kind? What all do I need and how hard is it to set up? I have a 2019 ford Explorer now will it work for the time being? Any other info would be appreciated.
Looked at etrailer, oh my over $3000 for just the parts.

Congrats! We have a 2020 25R. We love it but always wish for more wardrobe storage and a walk around bed would be nice. I dumped a Ton of money in the suspension to get it to handle fairly decent.

Whatever you do don’t Dolly tow! I did it for years until my back and knees got so bad I couldn’t do it anymore! It’s a big pain in Ascot! Hooking up, unhooking it, checking the tension on the straps, storing it at home, storing it at an RV park! spend the money on a good flat tow set up. Please Learn from my mistakes!

[2naEagle]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

Congrats! We have a 2020 25R. We love it but always wish for more wardrobe storage and a walk around bed would be nice. I dumped a Ton of money in the suspension to get it to handle fairly decent.

Whatever you do don’t Dolly tow! I did it for years until my back and knees got so bad I couldn’t do it anymore! It’s a big pain in Ascot! Hooking up, unhooking it, checking the tension on the straps, storing it at home, storing it at an RV park! spend the money on a good flat tow set up. Please Learn from my mistakes!

Thanks for the info. Learning from others is what is the best about this place. I have a dolly borrowed now and you are correct. I have everything for the flat tow just have to find time to get it all on.

[drmike961]

Full disclosure, after 1 -1/2 years with this 2019 POS I am at my wits end. I have fixed countless issues, likely around 20-30, far more than my trailer. The things that I cannot fix such as my fridge are "normal" to run at 56 degrees. My AC buddy thinks he found the problem in less than a minute, yet repetitive inspections by my trusted local dealer tells me its at 32 and operating normally. It absolutely is not any where near 32 on electric. The slide is a non stop problem despite following all of the correct protocols since day one. Now the rig is losing engine coolant and damned if I can't figure out where it is coming from. I am down an inch in the reservoir. There is no sign of a leak at the cap, any of the hoses, or the water pump that I can see and nothing on the ground. The smell of coolant is all of a sudden terrible when near the coach and under the hood when warm. I have not driven it long enough to see the temp gauge rise more than at about 60% and that is where it stays at idle as well so I suspect that the leak is small at the moment. I am sure that I will manage to get stranded this weekend though. According to my manual I need ford orange coolant but I can't see that as possible. I am not a Ford guy but my GM dexcool is orange. My Ford RV coolant is bright yellow. Now I don't even know what to buy to carry with me on the last few short trips before I spend the entire off season driving this turd to Lord knows where to have it inspected. I hope they are more qualified than my local dealer was with my fridge. I should never have sold my trailer. This purchase was not a blessing, it was garbage pure and simple. Any help on the antifreeze would be much appreciated in the mean time.

[VKC]

I would let another repairman take a look. I’m in north Louisiana and have a great small company that can do warranty repair