Towing a Jay Flight 154bh

[Jc85]

Hello all. I'm thinking of buying a Jay Flight 154bh and towing it with my 2017 Nissan Frontier.

The truck has a 4.0l v6 motor and the tow rating according to the spec sheet is 6400lbs. Curb weight on the truck is 4200lbs, gvwr is 5700lbs. Max tongue load is 650lbs and the gcwr is 11,200lbs.

The trailer has a dry weight of 2500lb, dry hitch weight of 280lb and a gvwr of close to 3300lbs.

So let's say the truck weight plus people, gas and some light camping gear (chairs, small BBQ, etc.) Is 5000lbs.

Round the trailer weight up to 3000 for water in the tank, propane and a battery.

That's 8000/11,200 gcwr and a tongue weight of maybe 450/650.

Any thoughts?

[Midnightmoon]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your soon to be new Jayco.

Based upon that 3300# GVWR, your tongue weight should come in somewhere between 400#-500# (12%-15% of your trailer GVWR) when loaded for travel. It appears to be well within the capability of your Frontier as long as you don't add an excessive amount of cargo to your tow vehicle.

Anyway, best of luck in your decision and again welcome to JOF.

[29BHS ECO]

You might also check the wind resistance chart for your truck. Wind resistance can really be tought on a TV.

[kennyr]

I have the same camper 2016 model. I pull it with a Ford Escape with 3.0 V6, towing capacity 3500lbs. We take it out about once a month, we live in Florida and even towed it to Georgia with some hilly terrain, no problems. One thing we don"t do is keep water in fresh water tank! Really enjoy this camper and intend on using it for a long time! Easy to pull and fits in really small spaces. Enjoy yours!!!

[Al97]

I tow my 2018 154BH with a Jeep Cherokee with tow package rated at 4500 lbs towing.

I took the trailer to a CAT scale right after buying it to get the unloaded dry weight and the true curb weight of my TV.
Here are the results for the trailer:
Weight: 2760 lbs. total

Tongue wgt: 340 lbs. (Dealer adds battery and fills propane tank so that adds to the factory tongue wgt. value).

Your TV has a GCWR of 11,200 lbs. so you won't have any problems with exceeding max weights on your TV.

You will most likely load your trailer to close to the max wgt of 3250lbs. when all is said and done so your final tongue wgt. should be set to between 325lbs. and 390lbs.
I use a 400 lb bathroom scale to check the tongue wgt. Check it on the ball socket location, not the trailer jack location.

Some wgt. relationships I've measured:

Full fresh water tank: 133 lbs of total weight added to trailer with 38 lbs. of that added to tongue wgt.

Balancing weight ratio's (approx. based upon my scale):
Every 3.5 lb. added in dinette storage compartment adds 1 lb. on tongue. This area is in front of the wheels.

Every 5 lb. added in rear bunk storage compartment (towards the rear) subtracts 1 lb. from tongue. This area is behind the wheels.

Something else I saw was that the axle is rated for 3500 lbs. while the trailer is rated for 3250 lbs. So the axle isn't the limiting factor.

Adding a second AGM battery next to existing battery will add 50 lbs. to total trailer wgt. with 38 lb. of that on tongue.

Taking your setup to a CAT scale is very instructive, I recommend it. You will get the actual curb wgt. of your TV and the trailer and tongue wgt.

Your first weigh trip will be two weighs: The TV with one person and full gas tank; then that same TV with trailer attached.

[RogerR]

I would highly recommend have a Weight Distribution Hitch to keep the weight on the front tires for safety.

My favorite would be the Andersen because on the built in sway control, light weight, ease of use and safety while hitching/unhitching.

[Midnightmoon]

X2 on the Anderson. It would be a great hitch for that application.

[mharrison]

Originally Posted by RogerR

I would highly recommend have a Weight Distribution Hitch to keep the weight on the front tires for safety.

My favorite would be the Andersen because on the built in sway control, light weight, ease of use and safety while hitching/unhitching.

Looks like something I should get. My 195RB is in storage right now, I'm sure the 4" drop/rise is the kit I'll need with my 2002 Chevy 4x4. What kit did you get to match the trailer frame bracket size?

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Jc85

snip.......Any thoughts?

I would confirm your TV's "actual" available cargo capacity...., good to work with a real number prior to selecting a TT.

Take your Frontier TV to a CAT scale under "loaded" conditions (full fuel, with passengers, cargo, etc.) and weigh it. Subtract the CAT weight from your TV's specified GVWR......., the remaining weight is what you have available for a TT's "loaded" tongue weight and WDH weight (if you utilize one).

Also check your TV's OEM receiver hitch for it's maximum "weight carrying" (without WDH) and "weight distribution" (with WDH) weight limits.

Once you have a new TT take your TV/TT combo to a CAT scale under "loaded" conditions and confirm your weights. If you "don't" use a WDH it will only take two passes across the CAT......, if you utilize a WDH will require three passes across the CAT (reference link below).

CAT Scale weigh-in utilizing a WDH: https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...v-tt-3871.html

WDH: Weight Distribution Hitch

Bob

[AnacortesArmyGuy]

Originally Posted by RogerR

I would highly recommend have a Weight Distribution Hitch to keep the weight on the front tires for safety.

My favorite would be the Andersen because on the built in sway control, light weight, ease of use and safety while hitching/unhitching.

New member here, who is looking at either the 154BH or the 195RB. Just sold our T@G teardrop, which followed our Jayco tent trailer from years ago. Regarding the use of a weight distribution hitch, I'll just add to this discussion that there is at least one vehicle out there that the manufacturer states to absolutely not use any type of weight distribution hitch, much to the surprise to several RV lot salesmen. We're Subaru fans, and traded in our 2016 Crosstrek for a new 2019 Subaru Ascent, rated at 5000 lbs tow capacity and 500 lbs on the hitch. Subaru specifically states not to use one. The car has electronic sway control built in, and from other Ascent owners who tow trailers of various sizes they speak very highly of its towing ability. So for some of us, at least Ascent owners, a WD hitch is not an option.

[RogerR]

Originally Posted by AnacortesArmyGuy

New member here, who is looking at either the 154BH or the 195RB. Just sold our T@G teardrop, which followed our Jayco tent trailer from years ago. Regarding the use of a weight distribution hitch, I'll just add to this discussion that there is at least one vehicle out there that the manufacturer states to absolutely not use any type of weight distribution hitch, much to the surprise to several RV lot salesmen. We're Subaru fans, and traded in our 2016 Crosstrek for a new 2019 Subaru Ascent, rated at 5000 lbs tow capacity and 500 lbs on the hitch. Subaru specifically states not to use one. The car has electronic sway control built in, and from other Ascent owners who tow trailers of various sizes they speak very highly of its towing ability. So for some of us, at least Ascent owners, a WD hitch is not an option.

I would not suggest the 195RB if you have a max tongue of 500 as you could easily go over the 500 lbs if fully loaded or slightly overloaded. )3750 X 13% = 487 just no room for error.

[bfinigan]

Did you check why they said not to use WD hitch? Jeep said the same thing about my Wrangler. Turns out they equipped it with a Class 2 non-WD rated hitch. I replaced it with a draw tite Class 3 which is not only WD rated but has a higher tongue weight rating.

[AnacortesArmyGuy]

Really nothing to check. The Ascent comes with a factory hitch rated at 5000 lbs tow weight and 500lbs tongue weight. Can't upgrade it to a more robust hitch as the OEM hitch is an integral part to the vehicle's structure. If you remove it it has to be replaced with a separate frame piece referred to as a crash bar. Believe it's primarily because it's unibody construction (though there are unibody vehicles that can use a WD hitch I believe) and Subaru's engineers, and no doubt it's lawyers. Besides, putting on a more robust hitch does not necessarily increase a TV's towing capability. Lots of things go into that equation. As a rule I am unwilling to exceed any manufacturer's guidance for it's vehicle's use - it's not worth the risk to me or others on the road.