1st day with our '17 28.5RSTS

[SeventyGTX]

Traded in our '16 Wildcat 262RGX for a '17 28.5RSTS and brought it home late yesterday. Got it in Boise Id, nearly 400 miles away so went off a lot of large pics the dealer had on his site as well as the salesmans communication. So, just wanted to post up about some things that need attention.

First off, even though this is a '17 model, I honestly do not think it had ever been used or was possibly a demo the dealer bought. The dealer I got it from is not a Jayco dealer. There is absolutely no wear or signs of use anywhere. Also, the Furrion info paper was still stuck on the head unit sticking out through the cabinet door and it was a PITA to remove which is why I think it may have been a demo unit. Also the loose clear plastic was still on the face like would see on a new one.

Anyway, the issues I see so far are mainly fit/assembly issues...

Creaking overhang when loading on my Andersen hitch - My Wildcat never did this and know there is nothing to fix it. It is what it is.

Outside cargo doors are very ill fitting and rubber seal falling out of one, but I will deal with that

Keys hard to use - will shoot some graphite in the locks

Fading cap - realize that is my problem and will deal with it down the road

Swivel/rocker chairs - What were they thinking having swivel chairs right
next to each other? They were so awkward to manuver, I turned them
upside down, drilled 1/4" holes in the swivel plates and bolted them
together. Now they are rocker/recliners only.

Cabinet hardware out of alignment - Several male/female latches were off
by quiet a bit, so I raised or lowered the male side to fit where it belongs.

Bedroom slide wires hanging down when the slide is extended. - I started
another thread on this and still dealing with it.

I spent most of my first day dealing with some of these while the wife was making it homey. Oh, and the main reason I picked up this Jayco, is because I recently found Nevada has a 10k GVWR towing limit with a Class C license. Our Wildcat was 11,870. So was looking for a similar unit under 10k, which this is at 9950. The surprising thing is it has much more room with the three slides compared to two we had, plus it's nearly two feet longer.

I was nervous driving nearly 400 miles trading in our immaculate Wildcat thinking I would be disappointed. But this thing is so sharp looking (fading cap nothwithstanding) and roomy inside, we are really happy with it. The AC and heater alone made it worth it, they are MUCH quieter than our Wildcat was. As the saying goes, happy wife/happy life. I will deal with the assembly issues and I am LEGAL to tow this thing.

[JFlightRisk]

Congratulations on the Jayco! It sounds like you've got a good handle on taking care of the issues you've found, and will have them on the run very soon. Happy camping!

[Jim Smyth]

We use ours quite a bit and found thse two swivel rockers hard to deal with. I removed one of them and rearranged the inside. I slid the kitchen table over a bit are re did the 2 chair locations for more room at the kitchen table. This also gave me plenty of room for one swivel rocker and I bought a separate end table thats now on the other side of the rocker with a power center and drink holders. Works for us and is now way more friendly to use.

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by Jim Smyth

We use ours quite a bit and found thse two swivel rockers hard to deal with. I removed one of them and rearranged the inside. I slid the kitchen table over a bit are re did the 2 chair locations for more room at the kitchen table. This also gave me plenty of room for one swivel rocker and I bought a separate end table thats now on the other side of the rocker with a power center and drink holders. Works for us and is now way more friendly to use.

They are also HEAVY! I have no idea why there are tiedown straps behind them. I'm sure not going to bother using them because I doubt they are going to move without going through the Rubicon with it. Later on down the road we may look for theater seating to replace them with, but it's not high on the list. Once I got rid of the stupid swiveling, they are much easier to manage.

Another thing I found this morning that disappointed me, is the so-called "Climate Shield". We get very cold here in the high desert and had the furnace on most of the day yesterday and turned it off around 6pm last night. This morning woke up to 19 degrees outside, and it's 25 in the rig without the furnace on. Not a huge deal, as we don't camp in cold weather. But I hope the AC doesn't struggle too badly in the heat.

[TxLoser]

The climate shield thing is a lot of marketing I think. I’ve not seen a unit at my dealer that didn’t have it. Maybe it’s just a sticker. I’ve had two units now with the sticker, they’ll get plenty cold without some heat at night. Usually set the furnace in the mid 50’s at night and then bump it up in the AM when we get up. During the day supplement with some other source. Electric fire place, or a space heater work well. Cooling, there’s no issues with two AC units.

Sounds like you have your hands full, but at the same time, all stuff you can sort out. Best of luck.

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by TxLoser

The climate shield thing is a lot of marketing I think. I’ve not seen a unit at my dealer that didn’t have it. Maybe it’s just a sticker. I’ve had two units now with the sticker, they’ll get plenty cold without some heat at night. Usually set the furnace in the mid 50’s at night and then bump it up in the AM when we get up. During the day supplement with some other source. Electric fire place, or a space heater work well. Cooling, there’s no issues with two AC units.

Sounds like you have your hands full, but at the same time, all stuff you can sort out. Best of luck.

Thanks, I had the furnace on 55 but you could hear it roaring inside the house and our bedroom window is only about 15 feet from it. So decided to turn it off so we wouldn't have to hear it all night.

We only have the one AC unit. I wouldn't be able to get it under my cover with two. Plus I heard the bedroom one is not the whisper quiet model. So far we really like that feature. We may be living in it for a while after we sell this house and move to the deep south and would probably appreciate two AC units.

[Jim Smyth]

You must have a 30 amp unit like I do. Thats a mistake if I had to do it over again I would have gotten the 50 amp. Ya that heater setup has issues like I explained before. But it should have kept you warm if it stayed running. There are mods for sealing up those vents in the ceiling and also in the floor. They dont do a good job at the factory so its in your best interest to seal up where AC and heat are leaking into the ceiling and belly. Also go under your unit. If it was anything like ours you could literally stick your hand inside and around that plastic bottom. I used 2 cans of Black expanding foam to get it more air tite. We also supplement with ceramic space heaters if it isnt going below freezing. If its below freezing you need to use the regular heat because a portion of it keeps the belly warm to keep things from freezing and exploding.



As far as AC last summer we went out west and had some smoking hot days. With one AC it didnt keep up. So I bought a second Coleman Low Prolfile Mach AC unit and installed it myself on the forward vent over the bedroom. Was quite the project where I ran my own wiring to the garage and installed a plug on the side of the trailer. I used a extension cord into the 20 amp plug on the pedestal and my front AC is on its own power so I dont need to upgrade the whole trailer to 50 amp which I understand is a real PITA.


So many mods so little time..........

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by Jim Smyth

You must have a 30 amp unit like I do. Thats a mistake if I had to do it over again I would have gotten the 50 amp. Ya that heater setup has issues like I explained before. But it should have kept you warm if it stayed running. There are mods for sealing up those vents in the ceiling and also in the floor. They dont do a good job at the factory so its in your best interest to seal up where AC and heat are leaking into the ceiling and belly. Also go under your unit. If it was anything like ours you could literally stick your hand inside and around that plastic bottom. I used 2 cans of Black expanding foam to get it more air tite. We also supplement with ceramic space heaters if it isnt going below freezing. If its below freezing you need to use the regular heat because a portion of it keeps the belly warm to keep things from freezing and exploding.



As far as AC last summer we went out west and had some smoking hot days. With one AC it didnt keep up. So I bought a second Coleman Low Prolfile Mach AC unit and installed it myself on the forward vent over the bedroom. Was quite the project where I ran my own wiring to the garage and installed a plug on the side of the trailer. I used a extension cord into the 20 amp plug on the pedestal and my front AC is on its own power so I dont need to upgrade the whole trailer to 50 amp which I understand is a real PITA.


So many mods so little time..........

Jim, it is a 50 amp unit with 50 amp plug and monster anaconda power cord just like our Wildcat was. Although I use a 30 amp adapter and cord which is MUCH easier than wrestling that heavy 50 amp snake. It is set up for a second AC, but does not have it, again just like other fiver.

I have no doubt it would have kept us warm. I turned it on around 6:30 when it was 25 degrees inside and by 9 it was 70 in there. I may look into a 2nd AC unit as we may be living in this a while with this house sells. Then tentatively we are headed to southern Alabama, hot and humid so it may be a necessity.

I saw in the other thread you asked for a pic of the wires in the bedroom slide, here ya go....

[triplebvalp]

[QUOTE=SeventyGTX;821349]

Creaking overhang when loading on my Andersen hitch - My Wildcat never did this and know there is nothing to fix it. It is what it is.

QUOTE]

SeventyGTX;821349, you might want to take a look at this thread concerning the creaking:

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ate-61943.html

[Jim Smyth]

I am sure I have the same wires however I havent seen them hanging like that. Let us know how the fix goes.