2020 Eagle HT w/16” Wheels, Owners Read!!

Nathan S. · 10-12-2019, 02:04 PM

I have been communicating with another owner on this forum that has the same year and model trailer as mine. We have been exchanging experiences and issues. He identified one to me that he had and I confirmed I have the same problem.

If you have the 16” wheel and tire upgrade, AND your leaf springs have not been moved to the lower hole to raise the trailer. You are probably experiencing tire rub to the sub floor of your trailer! There is only about 1 1/2” to 2” of clearance between the tire and trailer. There is a sheet metal shield up in the well that is stapled to the sub floor. All but a couple of those staple have fallen out of mine. The tire has started to burn/grind into the wood where the sheet metal attaches to the floor.

Fortunately none of those staples ended up in my tires, cause I think the vibration causes them to loosen and then you hit a bump and the tire pulls them out.

Fortunately I have a good dealer to work with. Already have an appointment for the MORryde inspection. Guess I have a pretty good warranty complaint also.

So for safety reasons, do an inspection.

JaycoMLOK · 10-12-2019, 07:51 PM

Checked mine- lower hole and 3" tire clearance.

Nathan S. · 10-12-2019, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaycoMLOK

Checked mine- lower hole and 3" tire clearance.

I took delivery of mine in May, I know it was early production. Hopefully they figured it out. I would just keep an eye on those staples. I know it’s a pain cause you have to take the tires off, but if a problem comes up or an opportunity presents itself, back them up with screws.

Shokyle1 · 10-14-2019, 07:12 PM

I have a 2018 29.5 bhds eagle ht and I noticed the same problem. Took it into the dealer and this was one of the items on my list. Hoping they will set the trailer to the lower holes if not it will be something I do my self this winter.

Drbuley · 10-17-2019, 06:57 AM

I have 2020 295bhds, i was wondering about this as well. When i picked up from dealer it was raining. Not till i got home did i notice slide side aluminum sheet was all damaged at front of tandem wheels. Brought back to dealer and they did half ass flattening of that metal and added a few staples. My camper is in upper hole on leaf springs and i was thinking same thing that clearance was very tight. Are the lower holes the correct ones to be using if the tires are 16 incher or is it optional based upon setup of truck/camper setup. If the lower holes are supposed to be used when upgraded tires are installed, then i to have to have these adjusted.

Nathan S. · 10-17-2019, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drbuley

I have 2020 295bhds, i was wondering about this as well. When i picked up from dealer it was raining. Not till i got home did i notice slide side aluminum sheet was all damaged at front of tandem wheels. Brought back to dealer and they did half ass flattening of that metal and added a few staples. My camper is in upper hole on leaf springs and i was thinking same thing that clearance was very tight. Are the lower holes the correct ones to be using if the tires are 16 incher or is it optional based upon setup of truck/camper setup. If the lower holes are supposed to be used when upgraded tires are installed, then i to have to have these adjusted.

I don’t see any other way of correcting the issue other than moving the springs to the lower hole. Another forum member did it and it solved his problem. There another post in this thread where his was delivered correctly and he seems to be satisfied with his clearance. I am getting tire damage because of it. I think one of the staples is in my right rear tire. I can’t find it, but it has a slow leak and gets down to about 50psi after a couple days. Trailer is just sitting now, appointment is on the 26th to take it in. I don’t see how they can claim the springs are in the right position. I will post the results after the service. Jayco should say, “sorry, missed that one, we’ll fix it”

Drbuley · 10-18-2019, 08:09 AM

I called local dealer after reading this post(waste of time) as they said suspension was set up at factory and suggested i call factory. Called factory who was no more helpful and took my info and advised they would refer to tech for followup. No call back mind you as of yet. I asked them about touch up paint and was referred back to dealer. I cannot express how frustrating it is that simple questions are so difficult to be answered. This is not 1920s. Factory paints a cap and does not provide ability to get touch up paint and refers to body shop for color match!!!!! Simple wheel setup question for what is a factory installed upgrade is not able to be readilly answered..... geez what did i get myself into by buying Jayco product

Nathan S. · 10-18-2019, 10:42 AM

Well, if you haven’t got any damage, I’m sure you’ll get push back. In that case move the springs to the lower hole and you should be good to go. I’ve got wheel well damage and a slow leak tire. My approach is just go straight to the dealer and show them. My appointment is next weekend.

Packerbacker_TX · 10-18-2019, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan S.

I have been communicating with another owner on this forum that has the same year and model trailer as mine. We have been exchanging experiences and issues. He identified one to me that he had and I confirmed I have the same problem.

If you have the 16” wheel and tire upgrade, AND your leaf springs have not been moved to the lower hole to raise the trailer. You are probably experiencing tire rub to the sub floor of your trailer! There is only about 1 1/2” to 2” of clearance between the tire and trailer. There is a sheet metal shield up in the well that is stapled to the sub floor. All but a couple of those staple have fallen out of mine. The tire has started to burn/grind into the wood where the sheet metal attaches to the floor.

Fortunately none of those staples ended up in my tires, cause I think the vibration causes them to loosen and then you hit a bump and the tire pulls them out.

Fortunately I have a good dealer to work with. Already have an appointment for the MORryde inspection. Guess I have a pretty good warranty complaint also.

So for safety reasons, do an inspection.

That's interesting, because I have 16" wheels and I've had a couple slide out issues with mine on the kitchen side. I was told one of the motors burned out or a cable was pinched. On our last camping trip, I looked under the wheel well and found the slide out wires split in half due to the tire rubbing on it. My next thought was "lazy engineers". I had to clean it up and splice the wires back to get the slide to work. Now I'm wondering if the tire rubbed the wire because there isn't enough clearance in the wheel well. I'll have to get under there, measure and look to see where the spring sits. - Thanks!

Nathan S. · 11-09-2019, 05:44 PM

Received the trailer back from the dealer today. Jayco completely covered the repairs and movement of the springs to the lower shackle hole. When I talked to the technician he said this was a total miss at the factory. With any tire size upgrade on the HT’s you have to have the springs in the lower holes. He also said they should not use staples. He put screws in mine for the repair.

So back up and running, time for some mods

DBuley · 11-12-2019, 03:57 PM

So i finally got email back from jayco regarding the spring mount hole location. Fella said he didnt know as thry come from lippert. Gave me lipperts number. I called and spoke to lippert fella yesterday who said they sell jayco components.... hence the name. He advised that LCI sells jayco frames axles and other parts, but they dont install anything. He did say that you could use either pre-drilled hole to adjust as needed for clearance or ride hight and moving from upper to lower hole will change hight by 1 inch. He seemed as confused as I was that Jayco doesnt seem to know anything about the camper that they build. Moral of story i guess is that either hole wil work and it comes down to clearance concern for each camper

Nature Ist · 11-12-2019, 05:22 PM

If you read Nathan's post it is obvious that the 16" wheel option mandates the springs be installed in the lower holes. I am another buyer who was shipped a unit with springs mounted in the upper hole: The tires impacted the underside of the wheel well and caused damage to both the tire and the wheel well.
As for Jayco not knowing what they are doing: I cannot begin to list the numerous problems I have found and experienced. The dealers are also at a loss because they cannot get good directives from Jayco!
Just today, while putting my unit away for the winter, I removed the wheels and repaired the wheel well under both slides: they used staples to install the sheetmetal over the tires, and I had to replace them all with screws.
If I have the time this winter, I plan to write a lengthy list of issues that Jayco (or the dealer) should have prevented or caught before it ever got to me. Many of the issues are safety related. While we love the camper, (HT 30.5 CKTS) especially the Modern Farmhouse interior, I would have to reconsider my choice if I knew when I bought it what I know now. This is our second Jayco, we had a 2007 for 11 seasons, and there is such a huge and disappointing downturn in quality and workmanship from then to now!

DBuley · 11-12-2019, 05:55 PM

It is my plan to move them to the lower holes in the spring as it is all buttoned up for winter. I agree that the lack of information from Jayco to a dealer is horrible. Worse yet is thier(Jayco) customer service ppl dont have information about the product they build and sell. I too was sold on modern farmhouse color scheme. I as well had the passenger side damage to that aluminum flashing stapled to underside. Dealer tried half assed to straighten when they should have pulled it and replaced it. I guess i will have to pull and replace that myself.....

DBuley · 11-28-2019, 12:04 PM

I still wonder.... friend of mine went to RV dealer to pick up his 2020 TT... had him check tires and axle placement on 2020 HT if any on lot with upgrade tires. He sent some pics of one he found and it too has axle mounted in upper holes near frame. I wonder if your dealer sure that when having larger tire package if supposed to go in lower holes as none are still coming in with that lower hole configuration?

Nathan S. · 11-28-2019, 01:07 PM

I truly think it’s an assembly line and process issue. The guy that’s installing the axles and suspension to the frame doesn’t know what size tires and wheels that are going to be installed. There are no custom order options to be done to the trailer at that point in the process. To be honest I would think that every HT trailer has the same frame, axles, brakes etc. At some point it goes into a specific floor plan set up. After some initial installations this is when they first look at a costume build sheet like 50A, fireplace, pin box, steps etc. Do they put the wheels on here? It may still be on blocks or a dolly. So is the guy that’s putting on the wheels just missing it? Maybe it’s a floor plan specific problem because I am definitely drivers side heavy. I measured my suspension and I’m sitting 5/8” lower on the left side vs the right. I have one of the heavier models, does that factor into this? Some of the lighter versions may never have a problem. There are a lot of variables in this. When my service guy says they should be on the lower hole tells me he’s seen this before. Does Jayco rely on the dealer and it’s a prep and inspection issue and they missed it? Can’t tell you.

I can say I am much happier with the clearance now. I took it out on a short trip after the mod. Not a mark or hint of tire rub. Now just to clarify I’m sure it was only bottoming out on bumps, not all the time. But I am going to go further and put shocks on the trailer. Mostly to help sway and bounce, but also to help the suspension handle rough roads. I don’t think the shocks are going to do much to level the trailer, but with them being installed between the axles by the equalizer I know it’s going to help the suspension. And make me feel more comfortable.

Nathan S. · 11-28-2019, 02:11 PM

Something else to make note of. I took the trailer in for a recall and warranty work, the spring issue, water pump switch and some incorrect speaker wiring. The trailer sat there for a week before going into the shop waiting on warranty claim approvals from the factory. Dealers will never start on their nickel until they know they are going to get paid. I would have to say Jayco wouldn’t have approved the money if they didn’t think it was a valid complaint and defect.

DBuley · 11-28-2019, 02:35 PM

What is weight of your camper? I have 295bhds. Loaded to max is 11k. My only worry is when fully loaded and i make sharp turns backing up, will i put too much stress on those spring hangers if i move to the lower holes....

Nathan S. · 11-28-2019, 03:03 PM

I don’t see how it would change any ratios or cause any more stress. All your doing is moving the axles down a bit. It made about 1” difference. You called LCI and they said you could use either.

I looked at your model we are about the same weight. My kitchen is in a slide on the left side with the batteries, propane, pantries and everything else. Your weight distribution is different than mine. If I would have to guess your heavier on the right side. But you might be a bit more balanced. If your unsure, go make some measurements, then just watch it. I just measured from the top of the spring bracket between the U bolts to the frame. I never rubbed on the right side just the left. If you never rub and your comfortable with it, go with it. But as you being a heavy HT like me, I’ll bet you get some rub.

DBuley · 11-28-2019, 03:51 PM

I think mine is better balanced as kitchen on one side and slide with couch and dinette opposite. I agree that moving to lower hole will only raise about inch. It is kinda a pain and that is the reluctance. I bought the bottle jack to do it, just dont want issues down the road.

Nature Ist · 11-29-2019, 08:27 AM

I would not continue towing an HT with 16" upgrade unless the springs are in the lower set of holes on the frame. Your concern over the spring hangers twisting is legitimate, I also have that concern. Apparently, it has not been an issue. Some have welded gussets into the hangers, which I would do if I ever have any other welding done on the camper.
I have also considered simply adding a large diameter spacer with another set of bolts through the upper hole to help stiffen the hangers.
Nathan S. and I are both researching options for adding shocks or Sumo springs to help balance the load on the springs and to reduce shock to the trailer. Those options may also reduce stress on the spring hangers.

You may also like: