2015 Jayco Sport Aframe (12HMD) issues

[SpringsAFrame]

We bought our first camper (2015 aframe) over the winter and just completed our first real trip in it. Now that we're familiarizing ourselves with the trailer, we're noticing all sorts of things...

A few things include:

1) screws all over are no longer secured. Specifically concerning (afraid of potential water damage) are the ones that are unsecured near the outside corners where the hinges are in the front/back of the trailer.

2) strange shiny spot in middle of roof. Initially thought it's just something to do with the clear coat wearing in all spots but there. The trailer came from Minnesota, so maybe snow sat on that spot regularly? But when the top is folded down, half of the shiny spot is covered by the other side of the roof, so that blows that hypothesis. Anyone know what this could be from?

3) Most importantly, we just noticed the front wall is bowed out about an inch in the middle. You can actually see light coming in between the wall and the floor. How the heck would be push that back into place and secure it??

And pretty much everything (all corners/edges inside and out) everywhere needs to be recaulked.

We also found evidence that water had dripped down the inside walls in all 4 corners. Fortunately the drip lines on the walls cleaned off just fine, but the boards underneath are a little stained. Hoping this was just an isolated incident that happened with the previous owners (since we've cleaned it, it hasn't reappeared), but it's still concerning.

Is all this normal for a trailer that's only a couple years old? Or for these Jayco Aframes? Like I said, we have no previous experience to pull from, but we expected better overall quality for sure.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[afortin731]

Originally Posted by SpringsAFrame

We bought our first camper (2015 aframe) over the winter and just completed our first real trip in it. Now that we're familiarizing ourselves with the trailer, we're noticing all sorts of things...

A few things include:

1) screws all over are no longer secured. Specifically concerning (afraid of potential water damage) are the ones that are unsecured near the outside corners where the hinges are in the front/back of the trailer.

2) strange shiny spot in middle of roof. Initially thought it's just something to do with the clear coat wearing in all spots but there. The trailer came from Minnesota, so maybe snow sat on that spot regularly? But when the top is folded down, half of the shiny spot is covered by the other side of the roof, so that blows that hypothesis. Anyone know what this could be from?

3) Most importantly, we just noticed the front wall is bowed out about an inch in the middle. You can actually see light coming in between the wall and the floor. How the heck would be push that back into place and secure it??

And pretty much everything (all corners/edges inside and out) everywhere needs to be recaulked.

We also found evidence that water had dripped down the inside walls in all 4 corners. Fortunately the drip lines on the walls cleaned off just fine, but the boards underneath are a little stained. Hoping this was just an isolated incident that happened with the previous owners (since we've cleaned it, it hasn't reappeared), but it's still concerning.

Is all this normal for a trailer that's only a couple years old? Or for these Jayco Aframes? Like I said, we have no previous experience to pull from, but we expected better overall quality for sure.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I also recently purchased a 2015 Jayco 12HMD, and have noticed a lot of the same issues that you are dealing with. I too didn't see these when I was purchasing the unit(the main issue the warped front wall).
I just noticed the issue and like you wanted to see if others were having an issue and what they found helpful with fixing it. Have you fix the front wall issue and if so could you share with me what you did? Thanks

[SpringsAFrame]

Originally Posted by afortin731

I also recently purchased a 2015 Jayco 12HMD, and have noticed a lot of the same issues that you are dealing with. I too didn't see these when I was for purchasing the unit(the main issue the warped front wall).
I just noticed the issue and like you wanted to see if others were having an issue and what they found helpful with fixing it. Have you fix the front wall issue and if so could you share with me what you did? Thanks

Sorry you've also had similar issues, though I guess I'm glad we're not the only ones. We did fix the front wall about a month ago. We haven't actually used it since, but I'm happy with the results! We're bring it home on Sunday to work on a couple other things, so I'll try to take a couple photos of the fixed wall then. Does yours have the storage deck on the front like ours? That was important in how we fixed it. Basically we did the following.

First we pushed the wall back into place using a jack (one board against the outer front wall, one board against the front deck rail, with the jack in between). We cut, primed, and painted a piece of 1/8 inch angle aluminum (intended on using angle iron, but the store didn't have it), then bolted that into the desk platform and screwed it into the wall. The tied down loops had to be removed from the deck first and replaced afterwards. We applied a ton of caulk as we were assembling, as well as afterwards along all edges. I also caulked the bottom edge on the inside of the camper, where the wall meets the floor.

Let me know if you have any questions about our process! And like I said, if you're interested I can post some pics later this weekend. Good luck!

[Sundancer330]

I have a 2016 12HFD but have not had any of these problems. I would just add some screws to the trim that holds the cover over the hinge front and back and caulk the ends with OSI QUAD Sealant, this is what Jayco used, available at Home Depot. That shiny spot on the fiberglass is a new one, does it look raised or bubbled like it is stressed and starting to delaminate. You may want to seal the skylights and fan as this has been a problem area for some due to leaks. I used Eternabond tape on mine soon after purchase so this would not happen and after three summers all has been dry. Here is a picture of the larger skylight.

[SpringsAFrame]

Originally Posted by Sundancer330

I have a 2016 12HFD but have not had any of these problems. I would just add some screws to the trim that holds the cover over the hinge front and back and caulk the ends with OSI QUAD Sealant, this is what Jayco used, available at Home Depot. That shiny spot on the fiberglass is a new one, does it look raised or bubbled like it is stressed and starting to delaminate. You may want to seal the skylights and fan as this has been a problem area for some due to leaks. I used Eternabond tape on mine soon after purchase so this would not happen and after three summers all has been dry. Here is a picture of the larger skylight.

Thanks for the feedback. We did end up replacing the popped screws last month. And I recaulked all the interior spots that had cracked/etc. Hubby replaced all the sink plumbing as well... the previous owner had done quite a number on that. Now the sink actually drains! We're finally getting this thing in good shape!

Isn't that shiny spot weird? It doesn't appear to be raised or bubbled. My project this weekend is to reseal/caulk (Dicor) around the skylights/fan. That eternabond tape on yours has a nice clean look. Hoping I can keep neat lines with the dicor...

[Sundancer330]

Another thing Jayco did a bad job on was the a/c drains. I noticed mine was not draining out of the tubes below the screen on the exterior but next to the tire. I pulled the screen and found they did not use the drain tub kit supplied with the a/c but just installed some 1/4" tubing and bent it 90 degrees which pinched it closed causing the condensate pan to overflow onto the floor and run out where ever it could. I went to the local marine supply store and bought a through hull fitting and drilled a hole through the bottom of the pan and used marine sealant to install the fitting, now it drains great out the bottom and not all over the floor. I would think twice about using Dicor sealant around the skylights, its very hard to work with and will be very messy. I called Jayco to find out what they used and they told me everything on that trailer was OSI QUAD sealant no Dicor, its available in many colors at Depot and Menards or just buy the tape and be done with it, its supposed to last at least 15 years, caulk maybe a year or two