Picking up NEW Eagle HT 30.5 CKTS This Week

[Highlander]

Taking delivery of our new HT 30.5 CKTS model this week. Ordered back in January but this damn virus has obviously delayed things.

Looking for any advice for PDI. This will be our 3rd rig from the same dealer so I feel like we are in good hands and they haven't let us down on the previous two. I've always had the mindset that part of ownership is going to be dealing with repairs and some you should plan to do yourself if you don't want to be without your rig for weeks while it's in the shop.

This will be our first 5er. Upgraded from a 2015 Whitehawk. We pull with 2018 RAM 2500 TD, pretty much stock truck. We have already been warned by the dealer we may need to add air bags to the rear. We'll just wait and see how much tail sag we have. We are getting the PullRite 2315 Slider hitch as part of our deal.

[Shokyle1]

Nice hitch but it does take up about 300 lbs of your payload.

[Nathan S.]

If you have 16” wheel upgrade, make sure the leaf springs are on the lower shackle hole. You WILL get tire rub if not. Other than that do a thorough PDI. Most of my other issues were minor. Enjoy the floor plan, we love it.

[AndyO]

Congratulations on the new unit! What is the payload capacity and other specs from the yellow sticker in the driver's door? Airbags won't solve an over capacity issue.

[Nature Ist]

Nathan S. is absolutely correct about the suspension shackle mount position. Hopefully, you got the 16" upgrade, which you will find makes it easier to get a level ride when hooked up. One of the issues with the HT, even with the 16" upgrade, is that they do not have a lot of hitch height. All three truck manufactures have been increasing the bed height in recent years. It can be hard to get the desired bedrail clearance and a level trailer. You'll want the suspension as high as it will go for this reason and, as Nathan mentions, so you don't get tire rub on the wheel well, particularly on the kitchen slide side.
That brings up another thing to be aware of: the kitchen slide, bedroom slide, propane tanks, water heater, and battery compartment is all on the same side. This creates a load imbalance. You will likely see the difference, even when empty, by comparing the wheel clearance to the underside/top of tire on each side. You may find you will want to add a suspension enhancement to compensate for the load imbalance. Your unit should be prepped for shocks, so they will be easy to add. My 2020 HT 30.5 CKTS was built in the first run of the model year, so I did not get the shock prep. I installed Sumos instead of shocks, and I was able to increase the clearance on the kitchen slide side. Nathan and I had some lengthy discussions about this, he installed shocks, and we both feel we have a much nicer ride.
You should check the specific details of your trucks towing and payload ratings, there are variables such as axle gear ratios, cab configurations etc that affect the numbers.
With the 11,000 lb gross of your HT, you should be ok. If you have some rear end drop on your Ram, it may help get a level trailer ride, as long as it doesn't point your headlights into oncoming traffic at night! I believe you have the rear coil suspension rather than leaf springs (?) and if so, there have been some Ram owners that found adding rear suspension aids a benefit overcoming the sag they experienced while well within the tow and cargo carrying specs. Check your towing and payload ratings. Your pin weight will be just over 1900 lbs if you are fully loaded. Don't mistake Jayco's dry hitch weight spec. of 1540 as realistic for what you will be pulling.

I happened to be one of the buyers whose unit was assembled at a point when quality and attention to detail was at a low point. I had numerous issues, both small and large, but we are very happy with our unit, it was the best layout and design for us.
For your PDI, just take the time to go through every single function...run the AC and make sure you feel cold air, check the fan speeds, run the water pump, make sure the refer starts on gas, same with the heater, test the brakes, operate the slides. Take a look at the Lippert (and other) you-tube videos on the Schwintek slide operation very carefully and follow the rule to always run the slide all the way out without pausing and hold the switch for a couple of seconds after the motors stop, do the same when retracting. If you know these details before your PDI, it will help you question the inevitable incorrect dealer instructions. I corrected my dealer on my walk-through on a couple of erroneous instructions.
There is a lot to know on these units, but they are also very enjoyable. Learn every square inch of it and you will have years of enjoyment!

[Highlander]

Thanks for the insight. Any chance you could post a picture of what to look for on the shackles?

[Nature Ist]

This is a picture of the kitchen slide side suspension with the SumoSpring installed. If you look at the left side you will see the spring hangers on the frame has two holes. The spring should be bolted through the lower hole, which raises the trailer.
Both the front and rear hangers have the adjustment holes, the center hanger with the equalizer does not have any adjustment. The holes are about 2" apart, this will result in about 1" of trailer lift overall

[Highlander]

Excellent! Thanks so much. So the SumoSprings are timbrens? Did you install yourself?

[Nature Ist]

The SumoSprings are essentially the same as Timbrens. I did install them myself, if you ever go that route I can give you a lot of detail about the process. You can also ask Nathan S. about his shocks and how he feels about them.