X254 owner's roll call.

[kraigf]

Just picked up an X254. I think the layout is perfect for our family. It doesn't appear to be a very popular model. They did stop making it.

I found one thread, but there wasn't a lot of useful information.

I'm hoping to hear from others that have owned the X254, and what there experience has been so far. Any advice?

[stateboy]

Finally! Someone else with a X254. I never see any posts on this model. I did join a group on this forum that caters to this model but there really has not been any activity in the way of threads or posts by that group since last year. I just picked up a brand new 2016 last month from a dealership out of East Lansing, MI. From what I could tell, it looks like they only had that model in 2015 and 2016 before it was discontinued. The 2016 gained 2" in height and a few hundred pounds with a frame/suspension change from what I could learn. I recently saw a 2012 model 254 (no "X" designator) for sale that was a different layout without a slide from what I could tell.

I agree with your assessment that it will be perfect for our family too (we have 3, 7 & 8 year olds). We have ours in storage and plan on taking it out in May. We'll be looking to see what modifications or accessories we'll be adding to ours. I'll bring it to the driveway before then to test out plumbing and electrical. I just picked up bed rails at IKEA for $12 each to keep kids from falling out of bed. I'm working on a ladder idea next for the two bunks next. We'll have to chat and the camp season progresses. What year us yours?

Jerry

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[kraigf]

Originally Posted by 36fire412

Finally! Someone else with a X254. I never see any posts on this model. I did join a group on this forum that caters to this model but there really has not been any activity in the way of threads or posts by that group since last year. I just picked up a brand new 2016 last month from a dealership out of East Lansing, MI. From what I could tell, it looks like they only had that model in 2015 and 2016 before it was discontinued. The 2016 gained 2" in height and a few hundred pounds with a frame/suspension change from what I could learn. I recently saw a 2012 model 254 (no "X" designator) for sale that was a different layout without a slide from what I could tell.

I agree with your assessment that it will be perfect for our family too (we have 3, 7 & 8 year olds). We have ours in storage and plan on taking it out in May. We'll be looking to see what modifications or accessories we'll be adding to ours. I'll bring it to the driveway before then to test out plumbing and electrical. I just picked up bed rails at IKEA for $12 each to keep kids from falling out of bed. I'm working on a ladder idea next for the two bunks next. We'll have to chat and the camp season progresses. What year us yours?

Jerry

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

We have a 2016. I was actually looking for a 2105, because I thought they had more cargo capacity. They do if they are bone stock, but the standard package makes them equal. You'd actually have to request to not have the standard package from the factory to get the weight down.

I didn't know the 2016 was any taller. Good to know. If height is a concern of yours, you can always "flip the axle". Apparently it's not too difficult, and it's dirt cheap.

I actually wanted a 2012-2013 Outback 210RS originally, but it's been too difficult to find in good condition. I didn't even know this layout existed until months of searching for that model.

I think it will be a great fit, but I'd still love ot be 3 feet shorter with the 210RS.

I'm not sure how I'll solve the ladder situation yet. My number one goal right now is to see at what outside temperature we can still camp in comfortably. We like to camp early and late season.

[stateboy]

I like the outside paint on the 2016 a little better than the 2015. The added frame and or suspension weight probably took away from the payload on the 2016. I think I read where the "beefier" suspension added two inches to the 2016 height (10'2" verses 10'). I'm not concerned about the added height at this point since neither height will fit into my conventional garage. I added a couple of screen shots below from my phone that came from the Jayco website for 2015-2016 side-by-side comparisons (although, they don't show a full comparison).

I haven't owned it long enough to look underneath and realize the axle could be flipped. I don't have any desire to do so but who knows after a few outings. It may be advantageous to lower the steps that way.

I looked up the Outback 210RS you were looking for. Nice camper. We also looked to go used after going to the Grand Rapids, MI RV Show. The new ones were nice but I thought I might be able to shave $3-7,000 if I dropped back a few years from new on a nicely maintained used one. The show gave me information on what I wanted/didn't want in a camper. I stumbled on to the X254 by accident when looking for quad bunk units without the 33' length. There was no such beast at the show that I saw to compare to the X254.

I was ready to go the longer length to get my quad bunk area but my wife was not having it. I'm glad she talked me out if it. I was thrilled to find the X254 that still gave me the quad bunk and at a shorter length (still longer than you wanted but it towed nicely from the dealership 135 miles away).

They actually had two X254s at the dealership just a week or two before I discovered the one they had left. Both were 2016s. I got 40% off list ($16k instead of $26k) and they were happy to get it off their lot. Some of the used ones I came across at the dealerships were similarly priced so I was very happy with my find. They also threw in a weight distribution hitch, outside patio mat, leveling blocks, tire chocks and chemicals and toilet paper for the water tanks. Plus the two year Jayco warranty.

I priced out two ladders that I would make myself for the quad bunks. If I were to go oak, about $75-80. If I were to go PVC, about $60-65. That's for both. It's also a rough estimate from a trip I made to Lowe's the other day. Pricing may vary depending if I missed something. The $12 IKEA bed rails I mentioned were cheaper than I could do nicely myself so, in this case, I bought rather than build.

As far as cooler/cold weather camping, we put about 2,500 miles last camping season on a 2010 Jayco M-1007 pop-up I bought in Dec. 2016. We hit some low to mid 40s for overnight temps on some of those nights and the inside was plenty warm (we even had electric blankets we never turned on). I say that since that was with the canvas ends (and no underbelly cover). I would guess a hard shell like ours would perform even better. I do not have the factory option underbelly cover (for added insulation) but I am happy I don't. I figure it will be a lot easier to access items on the underside when needed and not have to patch up a repair when I'm done.

We also used a 1,500 watt electric heater (on the low 750 watt setting) in lieu of the propane furnace on some nights so that could be another option to supplement the furnace if necessary. I used the 750 watt setting since I had two of them that came with the pop-up. Trying to run both at 1,500 watts exceeded the breaker. Running both at 750 watts was too warm so we found that one at 750 watts (low) was fine. We kept those when we sold the pop-up so I'll see if I need those this year.

Jerry

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[DROBC]

Hello everybody! I'm really interested in buying a 2016 X254, if anyone has one for sale or knows of any for sale by owner or dealer. Thanks very much.

[BigT]

I have a 2015 x254. My only issue is that it is so low to the ground that it doesn't have much clearance when backing into my driveway. Has anyone raises the suspension with a lift kit? We really like the set up for the most part.

[kraigf]

Here's a few of the improvements I've made. Keep in mind I greatly value function over form And being able to get it back to factory form after we are done with it.

I made some bed rails out of 1x3 pine, and pocket screws. If you don't have a pocket screw kit, you can just predill the bottom screws at an angle. I'm pretty sure they are 1 1/4 screws pocket screws. They worked perfect for the bottom two screw that went into the side rail of the factory bed. Didn't poke through. The riser are 8" tall, and I'd say that's the MINIMUM height. My boys ar 7 and 8, and I'm not too worried about them rolling out. Just enough to keep them in if they have a nightmare. If I made them again, I think I'd go to 10". I'd say 12" is the minimum for very young kids.

I removed the cabinet doors in the front. Honestly, they'll only serve as finger pinchers. I screwed a 2x2 INSIDE the cabinet for a step for them to get up. They step on the bottom bed first, then use the 2x2 to get up to their bed. I'm very happy with the function, and when the time comes it will be very easy to remove. I did plunge the first screw a little to deeply, and it dimpled out that cheap cabinet framing a little bit. Watch out for that.

It also removes weight. Weight that I can now use for useful things. I also took the bathroom door off, and I removed the cabinet in the slide out bunk. The bathroom door might go back on at some point as my kids get older, but I'd prefer a curtain for weight. We'll see what happens.

We put a new 6" foam mattress in the back for the king. We originally put the factory mattress on top of that one, but I think we'll try just the 6" mattress for a while. Comfort is king, so I'll do whatever it takes to get a comfortable bed. The extra mattress cut off too much headroom if we can help it. Removing the cabinet helped a bunch with that also. I don't think it's a very useful cabinet, and we'd be better served by a couple lightweight corner shelves. I'd rather have a window out the back like on the Outback design, but beggars can't be choosers.

I also picked up these for the bottom of the table. Best purchase I've made so far. Really improves the function.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm working on increasing our battery capacity at the moment. We'll be doing a lot of boondocking.

Overall I'm very happy with it. It is probably the perfect camper for us. I think I'd rather have an 2012-2013 Outback 23RS in mint condition, but this works too.

[kraigf]

Originally Posted by BigT

I have a 2015 x254. My only issue is that it is so low to the ground that it doesn't have much clearance when backing into my driveway. Has anyone raises the suspension with a lift kit? We really like the set up for the most part.

Go on YouTube and search for flipping the axle on a RV.

[stateboy]

I like your ideas. I think we're on the same page with similar improvement areas.

I already purchased the bedrails listed below (three of them) from IKEA at $12 each. I also bought PVC to make some ladders for each side similar to the picture below. I may consider what you did with the king bed cabinets. Right now, I'm not sure what we'll store in them. I also upgraded the thermostat to something that has a digital readout (Honeywell 5100 series - see pic). I picked it up near new for $20 on Ebay.

We have our maiden voyage set for two weeks from tomorrow for four nights 30 miles away at a state campground we stayed at last year. I'm sure that trip will bring about additional ideas and improvements.

[stateboy]

Here are pics of the improvements in place. The little ladder is for my 3 year old who can't quite climb into the lower bunk just yet. Total cost on all three ladders with 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC and cement was about $33. I stood a couple rungs up on the taller ladders, bounced slightly and got off. Other than a little sway or bend in the ladder (not at the rung) my 220 pounds tells me my 8, 7 and 3 year olds should be just fine.

[DROBC]

Originally Posted by DROBC

Hello everybody! I'm really interested in buying a 2016 X254, if anyone has one for sale or knows of any for sale by owner or dealer. Thanks very much.

Still looking,if anyone has seen one for sale, thanks.

[DROBC]

Found it!

[stateboy]

Originally Posted by DROBC

Found it!

Great! Did you get it locally and did you pick up the 2015 or 2016 model?

[DROBC]

I found a lightly used 2016 X254, about 13 hrs away from home. Worth the drive though! Any must do mods you can recommend?

[stateboy]

If you have kids, ladders or something to that effect (as seen here in this thread) are a must if you have kids needing access to the top bunks. Everything else mentioned here is personal preference. I'll also get a pic of a cover I made for the stove top my wife asked for. We rarely use the stove top so this cover I made from scrap wood in my shed worked great to create more counter top space. My wife painted it to look nice. I'll get and post a pic

[stateboy]

Originally Posted by DROBC

I found a lightly used 2016 X254, about 13 hrs away from home. Worth the drive though! Any must do mods you can recommend?

Here's that recent mod for the stove top made with wood in the shed to add counter space. My wife took it from there to dress it up. Ebay shows about $36 for a stove top cover.

[DROBC]

Originally Posted by DROBC

Found it!

New to us X254

[stateboy]

Originally Posted by DROBC

New to us X254

It looks great! We just finished our 10th trip this season after picking it up brand new as a leftover at a dealer this past February. We got nearly 2,400 miles (over 3,800 km) on it this year. I keep track for maintenance and tire wear purposes. You'll have fun with it.

[pmarq2008]

Hi All, I am not sure why I have not run across this page yet. My family (3 Kids (Ages 12,10 and 7) and wife) and I are proud owners of an X254. Its greate to see others with this model. We purchased it brand new in the spring of 2016. We have loved the floor layout as the quad bunks was very important to us. We have come from a line of Hybrid campers where I was getting sick of the leaks one of which replace a complete front floor. I did have an issue with it (Which im curious if others have) that I managed to get covered with warranty just outside of the warranty. The rear wall on passenger side started to separate from the side wall up about 3 feet. The said either the screws broke or the stripped out. It wasnt a good thing to notice when you are in the middle of a 3000 mile camping vacation.

The other thing with the slide that I am seeing not and this might be just due to may lack of maintenance on that part as im not sure exactly what to do is the slide seems to be harder and harder to get out almost to the point where it wont go out all the way. I had found a couple of other posts that the slide is to heavy for the motor which has lead to the motor failing. Has anyone else had this?

The Last one, Have any of you seen where it seems as though the floor is getting soft at what looks like the seams? We have soft parts of the floor that are about 4 feet apart and run width wise dependent on the higher traffic walking areas. With our previous camper leak issues I immediately went to thinking we have a leak some where but the soft part is only about a 2-3 inch wide area along what to me seems like a seam in the floor.

Other than these couple of things we have enjoyed this camper very much. We have tossed around the idea of semi remodeling the rear by the bed to instead of having the big U shaped couch to having a what i call Normal dinnet table and find a futon type couch like our old floor plan had.

Looking forward to hear from you and your experiences.

The Marquettes

[stateboy]

Originally Posted by pmarq2008

Hi All, I am not sure why I have not run across this page yet. My family (3 Kids (Ages 12,10 and 7) and wife) and I are proud owners of an X254. Its greate to see others with this model. We purchased it brand new in the spring of 2016. We have loved the floor layout as the quad bunks was very important to us. We have come from a line of Hybrid campers where I was getting sick of the leaks one of which replace a complete front floor. I did have an issue with it (Which im curious if others have) that I managed to get covered with warranty just outside of the warranty. The rear wall on passenger side started to separate from the side wall up about 3 feet. The said either the screws broke or the stripped out. It wasnt a good thing to notice when you are in the middle of a 3000 mile camping vacation.



The other thing with the slide that I am seeing not and this might be just due to may lack of maintenance on that part as im not sure exactly what to do is the slide seems to be harder and harder to get out almost to the point where it wont go out all the way. I had found a couple of other posts that the slide is to heavy for the motor which has lead to the motor failing. Has anyone else had this?



The Last one, Have any of you seen where it seems as though the floor is getting soft at what looks like the seams? We have soft parts of the floor that are about 4 feet apart and run width wise dependent on the higher traffic walking areas. With our previous camper leak issues I immediately went to thinking we have a leak some where but the soft part is only about a 2-3 inch wide area along what to me seems like a seam in the floor.



Other than these couple of things we have enjoyed this camper very much. We have tossed around the idea of semi remodeling the rear by the bed to instead of having the big U shaped couch to having a what i call Normal dinnet table and find a futon type couch like our old floor plan had.



Looking forward to hear from you and your experiences.



The Marquettes

Hey pmark2000, I haven't been too sussessful in getting responses from others in this group. Perhaps, it's because the newness has worn off or they moved on to another model. We picked ours up new in February 2018 as a leftover model at a dealership. We're still under warranty till Feb. 2020.

We've had no wall separation or slide out problems but have noticed some soft floors at times. It's almost as if you have to find the sweet spot to find it over and over. I am monitoring it as this camping season progresses so I can make it a warranty issue if it worsens. There's no apparent water damage or water issues so we'll see.

We love ours with 10, 9 and 4 year olds. We put about 2,500 miles on it last year in our first year of ownership. I expect to have around 4,500 miles on it this year.