Josh's 154bh

[ALJO]

Seems you got things under control and ready for the great adventure.

[TheJoshSweeney]

ALJO - I sure hope so! I might have to be taking the trailer to Utah here in a couple weeks for a XC ski camp/race.

I think I’ll just route the battery cables inside, throw a lithium on it and then call that good until after that trip.

I had planned on putting a composting toilet in it but I may just bail on that idea until I run out of other things to spend money on.

[deepsea5]

Originally Posted by TheJoshSweeney

ALJO - I sure hope so! I might have to be taking the trailer to Utah here in a couple weeks for a XC ski camp/race.

I think I’ll just route the battery cables inside, throw a lithium on it and then call that good until after that trip.

I had planned on putting a composting toilet in it but I may just bail on that idea until I run out of other things to spend money on.

A shakedown cruise sounds like a good idea. Give the existing toilet a try. You might discover you don't actually need to swap it for a composting toilet.

[TheJoshSweeney]

deepsea5 - Ya thats what I am thinking. Being in a wheelchair can make hooking things up with hoses and what not a little difficult but I guess emptying both tanks is a pain and one is already set up.

[TheJoshSweeney]

I routed the battery wires inside today. Didn't really have a choice anymore because of mounting the propane tanks and not having any more room on the tongue. Just speeding things up, but its all good.

I wanted to use the pre existing holes that wire to under the right seat but the interior hole was too far to the right and I was having an extremely difficult time trying to get to that hole from the one under the front of the trailer. So I decided to just use that same hole under the front of the trailer and drill a new hole inside that would almost be straight up.

From there, I used some of the leftover wiring from when I moved the outlet to find my way from one hole to the other.

Then I used some zip ties and electrical tape to pull the battery wires up and into the trailer. Well I actually ended up having to cut the zip ties off for it to fit and just used the electrical tape and took my time so it wouldnt come apart in the wall and take longer than I wanted.

Now I just need to get the battery mount and cable ends and install it and then go buy the battery.

[David Sinclair]

Originally Posted by TheJoshSweeney

Hi Everyone,

Proud new owner of a Jayco Jay Flight SLX 7 154 BH!

If there is one thing I have learned when it comes to these types of purchases, its that having a place to share your love for them and to ask for help is extremely helpful.

Plans for this trailer are pretty minimal, I plan to treat it as a luxury tent essentially.

First thing on the list though is to swap out the 10 gallon fresh tank for a 20 gallon one. Can anyone confirm that this is the tank I would want to get? It sure looks the part.

https://www.icondirect.com/jayco-fre...0-gal-0260385/

Second will be to look into swapping out for a compost toilet.

Third is to increase the solar panels as well as the battery bank so off grid will be easier to do. It came with a 100 watt panel and a 30 amp controller but I am thinking ill need closer to 400 watts to be able to continue to run everything without issues.

I am looking forward to sharing experiences and hearing from you all!

Welcome aboard, I have one as well and I enjoy it. I am just about to add solar.

[Raven614]

I also have the 154. Mine is a 2018. I’ve done a few things to it but not as much as you have. The pictures you have are great so just wanted to thank you for sharing. I’m gonna move that outlet!
Just took mine winter camping and it’s easy to heat. The windows get some humidity but it wasn’t bad.
I just run a simple ball hitch I wondered if I need more then that but I’ve never had trouble towing it.

[TheJoshSweeney]

Originally Posted by David Sinclair

Welcome aboard, I have one as well and I enjoy it. I am just about to add solar.

When I get my other 190 panel added ill be sure to have them add pics of how they are mounted on the roof so if you have the same configuration with vents and what not you can get a good idea of how it should be done.

Mine has all the go solar stuff which seems alright, not super high end but gets the job done.

[TheJoshSweeney]

Originally Posted by Raven614

I also have the 154. Mine is a 2018. I’ve done a few things to it but not as much as you have. The pictures you have are great so just wanted to thank you for sharing. I’m gonna move that outlet!
Just took mine winter camping and it’s easy to heat. The windows get some humidity but it wasn’t bad.
I just run a simple ball hitch I wondered if I need more then that but I’ve never had trouble towing it.

That's awesome! I am excited to take mine to utah in 3 weeks to see what winter in a travel trailer is really like ha ha.

I wish mine had that front window like yours does!

I decided I am just going to add the curt friction sway bar setup to the trailer. Its only 60$ or so on Amazon and I had my truck moving around enough without a trailer going 80 in southern Idaho, I dont really want to find out what my trailer will do without it. I figure it will more or less be for the high speed freeway cruises and then i can just pop it off and throw it in the back for around town.

[TheJoshSweeney]

Alright so I got some more done.

Battery has been installed and secured. Used a stick of 1x1 and cut the three sides and then got a battery hold down kit from amazon and slapped that on. Easy peasy.

I also figured out a Full XL mattress fits the front area perfectly and in anticipation of rarely using the table I decided to throw it in. I have kind of figured out a way to lift it up and secure it against the front wall if I wanted to create somewhat of a dinette inside but I am already not a huge fan of that table. The folding leg closest to the front if pushed too close to the wall hits the lip and will collapse under. Ask me how I figured that out. With 2 kids under 5 thats bound to happen more than once and lead to an injury so I will probably figure something out but I am not in a big rush.

I also decided to buy the Curt friction bar for the trailer for the freeway speeds and I also got the longer hitch since I realized that the kit came with a tab to weld onto the side of whatever hitch you have. Hopefully the trailer is perfect at that height or I might be a tad annoyed. It should be close enough. I also like how easy it is to pop on and off. I am also wondering if I will need to worry about having to remove it when backing up because of how long it is, I will need to hit a parking lot with a friend to find out...

[deepsea5]

Originally Posted by TheJoshSweeney

Alright so I got some more done.

Battery has been installed and secured. Used a stick of 1x1 and cut the three sides and then got a battery hold down kit from amazon and slapped that on. Easy peasy.

I also figured out a Full XL mattress fits the front area perfectly and in anticipation of rarely using the table I decided to throw it in. I have kind of figured out a way to lift it up and secure it against the front wall if I wanted to create somewhat of a dinette inside but I am already not a huge fan of that table. The folding leg closest to the front if pushed too close to the wall hits the lip and will collapse under. Ask me how I figured that out. With 2 kids under 5 thats bound to happen more than once and lead to an injury so I will probably figure something out but I am not in a big rush.

I also decided to buy the Curt friction bar for the trailer for the freeway speeds and I also got the longer hitch since I realized that the kit came with a tab to weld onto the side of whatever hitch you have. Hopefully the trailer is perfect at that height or I might be a tad annoyed. It should be close enough. I also like how easy it is to pop on and off. I am also wondering if I will need to worry about having to remove it when backing up because of how long it is, I will need to hit a parking lot with a friend to find out...

Your Curt friction bar setup looks interesting. I was originally going to use a WDH setup, but leaning towards a Timbren suspension bump stop upgrade for the 4Runner and a trailer sway friction setup.
This is on the advice of the Toyota dealership we bought the 4Runner from.

[TheJoshSweeney]

Deepsea5 - ya I actually saw this on another 154bh that was pulled by a 4Runner but I’m using an F150 crew cab 6.5 bed so I’m not so worried about it, I just wanted something to keep it from going all over the place in high winds when I’m doing 80 on the freeway... yes that’s the speed limit, I’m not breaking the law.

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by TheJoshSweeney

I just wanted something to keep it from going all over the place in high winds when I’m doing 80 on the freeway... yes that’s the speed limit, I’m not breaking the law.

Josh be careful, the ST tires on your camper are probably only rated for 65mph. Great mods BTW!
I lived in Boise for 8 years, wonderful place.

[TheJoshSweeney]

Originally Posted by TCNashville

Josh be careful, the ST tires on your camper are probably only rated for 65mph. Great mods BTW!
I lived in Boise for 8 years, wonderful place.

Just went out and checked and I have the Goodyear Endurance ST205/75r14 and while I couldn’t find the speed rating on the tire, a couple reviews I read said it was N rated which is 87 mph... I’ll let the drive feel determine my speed but thanks for looking out for me! I hadn’t even thought about it to be honest.

I’m loving it here!

Edit - just found it on the tire cause I was sure it had to be on there. Says 105/101N

[TCNashville]

Ok good, the Endurance tire is one of the best out there.

[TheJoshSweeney]

TCNashville - Good! I am glad to hear it, sure looks like a nice tire. Thanks again for looking out for me.

[TheJoshSweeney]

With the maiden voyage a week away its time to start buttoning things up and getting to the creature comforts.

I decided I didn't want my tanks freezing because, well, why would I? So I splurged and ordered a couple tank heaters off Amazon. Not wanting to wait until those where here to have to finish buttoning up the front half of the undercarriage I decided to install the switch and run the wire to the back for the install and finished putting the 4mm Coroplast up. Instead of trying to do it in one sheet which is not only very expensive and a pain to do I decided to just do one big 4x8 sheet over the right side where nothing runs and then do a smaller strip along the left where everything is. That way if something did need addressing its just dropping that left side screws and accessing all of the electrical and plumbing. I was happy I was also able to get most of the propane lines underneath. Only ones I couldnt was where it came out from under the frame in the front and in the middle on the left.

Closing up the rear should be a little more challenging with the tanks and drain lines in place but I think I can figure it out, hopefully tonight after I get the pads installed.

I also decided to have a little fun with the dealers name...

[TheJoshSweeney]

I guess I forgot to include before, I had also added 2" of foam board insulation, like you would put in your garage door underneath because it was crazy to me that there was 2.5" of space with nothing, but I didnt do the full 2.5" so that there would be an air barrier for heat to reflect off that reflective side.

[deepsea5]

Lookin' good!! Thanks for sharing your mods with us. Looking forward to hear how the shakedown cruise goes.

[TheJoshSweeney]

Originally Posted by deepsea5

Lookin' good!! Thanks for sharing your mods with us. Looking forward to hear how the shakedown cruise goes.

No Problem!

Ill be sure to keep y'all posted...