Stonghold VBL

msherw · 11-19-2020, 05:58 PM

Has anyone really studied the floor, wall, and roof construction of our Jayco motorhomes? In doing so I became aware that Jayco has spent a lot of engineering time/money to assure our road homes will last. While I didn't fully appreciate the construction, I knew it was superior to a lot of other manufacturing processes.

Not offering anything here but some enlightenment and appreciation of the quality we all spent money to acquire. I am amazed at the build with welded aluminum tube frameing. They installed aluminum panels for the various interior items to be affixed. Inside this wall/floor/roof you find it filled with high density foam for sound deadening and R value insulation. While I was shopping for our Redhawk, the dealer never mentioned any of this. Now I appreciate what I purchased.

Just enjoy the technology of our motor homes.

https://www.jayco.com/blog/jayco-dif...nd-lamination/

CAG · 11-19-2020, 06:05 PM

Actually I have found the construction to be inferior to some including my previous 5th wheel toy hauler. While no RV is up to the standards that it should be, quality has gone down since Thor bought out many of the brands.

DrSmart · 11-19-2020, 07:07 PM

We have a few items to be taken care of by the dealer while under warranty but have been very happy with our North Point. We've had several RV trailers over 40 years. The quality of materials, fit and finish is excellent for the price point. The Stronghold VBL is a good example.

msherw · 11-20-2020, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAG

Actually I have found the construction to be inferior to some including my previous 5th wheel toy hauler. While no RV is up to the standards that it should be, quality has gone down since Thor bought out many of the brands.

When Thor bought Airstream the quality remained about the same but the prices went sky-high. Not sure about the other brands. But Jayco retains #1 sales of RVs.

Also aren't toy haulers built heavy duty to withstand the additional weight you add to the rear end? That may explain why you saw better construction.

I was simply sharing the build quality of the Jayco motorhomes as discussed in their literature. I am impressed. Time will tell if they hold up and hold their value.

CAG · 11-20-2020, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Also aren't toy haulers built heavy duty to withstand the additional weight you add to the rear end? That may explain why you saw better construction.

Could be but Heartland enjoyed a solid reputation prior to Thor. Since then that has changed, just from feedback after the change and the customer service went downhill in a hurry after the change.

There are two books that I used for research prior to this purchase. Motorhome Comparison Guide, and Travel Trailer & Fifth Wheel Comparison Guide. They have some great information on the history of most all of the brands, their success and the downfall of many after buyouts.

SloPoke · 11-20-2020, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msherw

Has anyone really studied the floor, wall, and roof construction of our Jayco motorhomes? In doing so I became aware that Jayco has spent a lot of engineering time/money to assure our road homes will last. While I didn't fully appreciate the construction, I knew it was superior to a lot of other manufacturing processes.

Not offering anything here but some enlightenment and appreciation of the quality we all spent money to acquire. I am amazed at the build with welded aluminum tube frameing. They installed aluminum panels for the various interior items to be affixed. Inside this wall/floor/roof you find it filled with high density foam for sound deadening and R value insulation. While I was shopping for our Redhawk, the dealer never mentioned any of this. Now I appreciate what I purchased.

Just enjoy the technology of our motor homes.

https://www.jayco.com/blog/jayco-dif...nd-lamination/

As an engineer, I researched this early on. First off - the frame is made of square tube aluminum that is the thinnest wall made. You will not find the aluminum framing as you might think as in a house wall... they only use the 1.5x1.5inch tube around the perimiter of the entire side wall. not around the windows or in many cases.. not for any long distances.

As far as the backing material for attachment of the valences or cabinets... it is 28ga sheet metal (about the thickness of three sheets of copy paper) and a common reason why screws are pulling out of the valences.

msherw · 11-21-2020, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SloPoke

As an engineer, I researched this early on. First off - the frame is made of square tube aluminum that is the thinnest wall made. You will not find the aluminum framing as you might think as in a house wall... they only use the 1.5x1.5inch tube around the perimiter of the entire side wall. not around the windows or in many cases.. not for any long distances.

As far as the backing material for attachment of the valences or cabinets... it is 28ga sheet metal (about the thickness of three sheets of copy paper) and a common reason why screws are pulling out of the valences.

I was just giving everyone an idea of the 'better' but maybe not 'best' construction Jayco uses. Your input welcome. There are a lot of very poor builds out there today. I think Jayco is much better - and I see you own one as well.

DrSmart · 11-21-2020, 01:31 PM

A lot of materials and appliances are identical across most major brands. A lot of issues fall on those manufacturers. When it comes to assembly at the plant, I believe that the crew building the unit makes a difference. Just like building a house. There could be 3 crews in a development. If your lucky, you get the better craftsmen. They do their best to construct the unit based on the provided materials and design and are expected to do it in a timely manner. There are no computer controlled robotics. There are a lot parts that go into building an RV.

So far we've been fortunate with our current unit but do realize that over time, I'll likely be crawling under, climbing over or maneuvering inside the belly to make repairs. Doesn't matter how much you spend on a new unit. A low end TT might have zero problems while a top of the line Class A could be a lemon.

sbarlag · 11-21-2020, 03:12 PM

As a sales person, I have the opportunity to visit many manufacturers, and I'd put Jayco's engineering and construction up against anyone. One short example is in their 5th wheels. They don't accept the fact that there has to be a "pre-crack" on the ODS. They insert a steel tube in that location to strengthen the usually weakest part of the overhang. That's just one small example,,,I could go on and on.

SloPoke · 11-21-2020, 05:58 PM

I just spent nearly the entire day repairing our Seneca where the front cap started to separate from the sidewall. Jayco did put a 1.5x1.5inch aluminum frame in the side wall for the screws of the seam metal trim plate to screw into. 3 out of 4 screws pulled out of the frame and the sidewall trim was bulging out about an inch.

I pulled the painted trim off of the trim plate and removed every screw (1.5inch self tapping metal screw that Jayco happened to miss about half of the frame member on when they built it.

I drilled new holes and doubled the size of the stripped out ones with larger sheet metal screws and did my best to re-attach the front cap along the drivers side (right behind the cab door)

It is put back together, but needs to be sealed up with the correct clear caulking.

Jayco should have put a plate along the frame member they placed along... so that they might hit the thing with the screws they put it together with. but really if they hit the aluminum frame member, at .055 thickness it really should be expected to be falling apart about this time anyways...

You may also like: