Difference Between Eagle & HT

[cfarley351]

Originally Posted by SirCampsalot

We are long time RVers and sold our Open Range last March so we are RVless. We really like the Eagle 319MLOK and recently found the HT 30.5CKST which we also like. We are wanting to go see both in person. The Jayco website does not really describe or illustrate the build of the two. Are they built the same as far as chassis, walls, roofs and the such? Or please educate me on the differences.

We have the 2018 Eagle HT 29.5 BHDS and we love it. We wanted the bunkhouse so if out grandkids wanted to go out with us there would be plenty of room for them to sleep without tying up the living area which has a love seat and dining table that will also convert to beds if needed. We did get some of the options, fireplace, bedroom a/c -50amp upgrade, upgraded tires, roof solar prep, etc. I have no idea if the frame is the same as the 319MLOK but they look the same on the outside.

I would not pull this with a half ton. We pull it with a Silverado 2500HD Duramax with allison transmission and we've gone up and down some of the steppest mountains in Colorado and Nevada with no problems.

[NanaStacie]

We have a 2018 28.5 HT. We considered a Eagle 31.5 RLTS but we chose the smaller HT . It wasn’t lack of truck or money that caused us to go with an HT. It was the ability to can get it into places bigger rigs have difficult accessing like the National Parks . Yes, HT do not have as much storage or as nice finishes, but for the money , it met our needs well. We will be staying in it for 2 months to escape MN winters so we will see how it goes. I think it really depends on how you like to camp, how much time your in it, and how much money you want to spend. If I was going full time or traveling more I would have opted for bigger. We have auto leveling and that was a must for us. It has ample room for the 2 of us. We have a great dealership and have had a few hiccups initially, but none in our second year with it. We pull it with a Chevy Silverado 3/4 ton diesel. We were told the frames, slides, axles and main structures did not differ much. It was about storage and finishes. I feel like it is a solid 5th wheel NOT a “less than” version like others have stated. Hope this helps you

[backpack1953]

We were looking at buying the HT at first but like many have said on this thread they were lower weight (gross & dry), less storage, and less space. We wound up going with the Eagle 321RSTS. We have had multiple warranty issues with it but it looks like we have gotten them all about worked out. There are several people on this site that haven't had many issues with theirs. I guess ours was a "Friday build".

[Driver]

Hello Sir,we just bought a 280 RBOK Eagle HT 2019,and I can tell you that the differences in the new Eagle and the new Eagle Ht are anything but significant,from the docking station to the suspension it is the same. I looked it over and from 2019 on it is the same unit, btw our new Ht weights 9995 lbs gross,so no half ton truck would be legal towing it.Have a great day!

[DrFredZonker]

Originally Posted by Mopar_Earl

HT's are stripped down. Lot of the standard items on Eagle are options on HT. Some options aren't available on the HT's. Look at the standards and options lists between the too. The HT's tend to have lower GVW and CCC.


Earl

The original post makes it sound like there is an "Eagle" and there is an "HT". According to our decals, we have an "Eagle HT" 30.5ckts. The features on our model are a combination of the two in the brochure leaning to having all of the options (which we thought were standard because they were included and there were no additional charges)


I think they call 'em what ever they want to when it is time to put the decals on.

[Mopar_Earl]

Originally Posted by DrFredZonker

The original post makes it sound like there is an "Eagle" and there is an "HT". According to our decals, we have an "Eagle HT" 30.5ckts. The features on our model are a combination of the two in the brochure leaning to having all of the options (which we thought were standard because they were included and there were no additional charges)


I think they call 'em what ever they want to when it is time to put the decals on.

For 5th wheels there is an Eagle and Eagle HT. Two different models. They are different. They have different floor plans, different lengths, different weights. HT's as said, are lighter, less storage, less CCC and less GVW. If you take a look at the brochures, you can see the difference. Eagles aren't half ton friendly like the HT's. Though half ton friendly is a far stretch. HT have less options and some of the items standard on Eagle are options on HT. Some options aren't available on HT's. Be there is two lines. Eagle and Eagle HT. Eagle HT was too small, too light and not enough CCC for us. So we went for full Eagle to get the floor plan, options/standards and CCC we need.


Earl

[DrFredZonker]

Hello Earl

I never posted before and was just having fun with the new experience.
We are in no way experts as to Jacyo or - any other 5th wheels - on what they have.

We bought the "Eagle HT" in a panic after the northern California's Camp Fire burned down our house. The dealer only had 15 or so new units on the lot and 40+ people looking for a place to live. We agreed to a purchase without the luxury of shopping around. After the sale checking showed us that the dealer did not seem to take advantage of us price wise. Also, we have had excellent service for a few warranty items. The service department even came to us to fix it and we did not have to haul it into the service bay.

We are regular campers and have camped for the last 15 years out of our Lance 10 10 camper; so the Jayco feels rather roomy. We haul it with a Ford F 250 6.0L. King Ranch Longbed.

Now that we are back in a house, we have have the Jayco to go camping for fun and there is no going back to the Lance camper....although the Lance is nice, well built and still looks new.


Fred

[daveobieone]

We have the Eagle HT 24.5 Fifth Wheel, which is actually 29.5 feet long.

We down-sized from a huge Heartland Big Horn (about 39 feet), which weighed close to 14,000 pounds loaded. It was a handful for our Ram/Cummins 2500. The diesel could pull it fine...it was one event when I had to try and STOP all that mass in a hurry that convinced me we needed to look for a smaller, lighter RV. I'm guessing the Big Horn would be more similar to the full-sized Eagle.

We went with the Eagle HT, and I must say, the stress level when driving is much less now. Sometimes I nearly forget that the fifth wheel is back there. We often do 500 mile days with the Eagle HT that we could have never pulled off dragging the heavy Big Horn behind us. The mileage is also noticeably better, mostly because the HT sits lower, and has less wind resistance. We just got back from a 5000 mile trip to the Rockies, and our average mileage was 12.7. The best we could ever get pulling the Big Horn with the same truck was 10.5.

Because it sits lower, the HT does give up a noticeable amount of storage space, below the floor, and the ceiling is lower in the bedroom. That's not enough to cause us a problem.

I don't feel like we've given up much in the way of "deluxe" features. The counter tops in the kitchen are nice Corian. The woodwork and cabinets are VERY nicely done. We do have an 8 CF electric/propane fridge, but that's what we wanted because we do a lot of "dry-camping", with no hook-ups. (I did add 600 watts of solar to the roof, and a second battery)

Our HT has dual grey tanks (which might have been an option) so we can hold 64 gallons of grey, and 32 of black. FW tank is 42 on ours. We have a rack on the rear trailer hitch that we carry another 25 gallons of fresh water in to the site with. The combination of the two is about enough for a week.

Ours is set-up for 50 amp, with the wiring for a second A/C unit, but we've never felt the need to add it. The 15,000 BTU single, ducted unit cools the whole trailer down just fine.

The shorter length of our HT has allowed us to access sites in campgrounds that we could have never done in the 10 foot longer Big Horn.

All in all, I wouldn't want to go back to a big heavy TT unless we were full-timing, which we may do someday. But we will likely go Class C or A when that happens. The kind of camping we do requires pretty long drives to get to the places we really love. The lowered stress of the travel days, and the better mileage more than makes up for the space limitations of the HT.

We all have different priorities however, and yours may require the added space of the full-sized, heavier Eagle.

Dave O.

[GHen]

We have a loaded 2017 291 RSTS Eagle. Too bad they don’t make Eagles that small anymore. Short enough for most campsites, big enough to have nearly twice the capacity for water and waste for longer Boondocking trips. Tows perfectly, and so far no warranty issues, none, knock on wood.

We have been living in it for that last few months looking for a new home in a warmer climate. We move in on Oct 1st. It’s been very comfortable, could have used a washer dryer for little stuff between laundromat days. Only need to dump tanks once a week and with the 4 door fridge, enough room for a weeks food. Wouldn’t want one any bigger.

[daveobieone]

Looks like there are still a few new old stock 291 RSTS hanging around at some dealers.

Then again, there's always the used market.

Really looks like that is a good compromise between the bigger Eagles and the Eagle HT models.

Dave O.