Matteo's 2008 Jayco Select 14HW

Matteo · 02-14-2020, 05:13 PM

Hey Everyone,

I came from the Jeep world where I kept a Jeep build thread and thought I would do the same for our new to us trailer. And hopefully this is the place to do it!

So to start, I grew up camping with my parents and siblings in a massive canvas tent before my parents wanted to be off the floor. They purchased a mid 90's Flagstaff PUP. It was so awesome! fast forward a few years, my wife and I just bought a used 2008 Jayco Select 14HW from auction. I like to watch Copart in Calgary where I am from and there are always a few good items from time to time. This trailer popped up and I won the bidding. It really was a gamble as all I could see was the exterior while it was collapsed. Such as these:

Once I picked it up, I was shocked to see in the front compartment, there was still someone else's gear inside! Wow! there was a lot of stuff, I found everything from nice camp chairs, boots, clothing, liquor, and fantastic fridge food..... yes, there was still stuff in the fridge. pulled up my rubber gloves and protective mask to help the smell and emptied that rotten, fowl smelling stuff out of the fridge.

Next thing we found once we opened it up was that the interior was in fantastic shape. Everything looked great, no sign of rodents or badly worn materials.

It was well taken care of except for one small thing.... last person had to of been a smoker....So now I go to work with the smell extraction, I've stripped everything I can(seat covers, couch/futon material, curtains, the roof boarder curtains) and then we plan to replace the mattresses (and potentially the seat foam).

This is where we continue with new things to come.

Matteo · 02-14-2020, 05:14 PM

For now, this will me my tow rig.

2017 GMC Acadia SLT-2 until we find something with a little more power and capacity.

Now down't worry, I only pulled the trailer off the driveway to take a picture and them park it in the garage. didn't bother with the safety chains at that moment. haha.

Right now it seems pretty level but once we put a few things in the back of the SUV and the trailer, it will most likely sag a bit. I am currently looking for a replacement weight distribution hitch setup. (Any one use the Anderson Chain setup??) The trailer has the saddles and load bars, but no hitch was with it. Darn I know.

Matteo · 02-14-2020, 05:15 PM

First modification I did was removing the shore power cord and installing a Kohree RV 125V 30 AMP Power Plug Twist Lock Inlet. The cord that was already in the trailer had a damaged end and I was planning to replace it. I went a step further and made it cleaner and I would like it.

The original cord hole, I plan to turn into a vented hole as I plan to relocate my battery's under the seat inside (AGM batteries).

While at home, when I want to just cool the fridge and have lights on, I bought this dogbone adapter which worked great so far. The previous owner had a adapter that plugged the 30amp cord into a 15 amp socket but I don't want to drag that heavy cord out if I don't need to. this adapter with a light weight (with suitable gauge wire for 15 amp service) will do just fine. I also like the LED light on the 30 amp plug to show there is power.

bankr63 · 02-15-2020, 05:41 PM

One piece of good news. That is at least a 2009 model. The plastic fascia on the back didn't start until that year - 2008's still had diamond plate on the rear end. So the MY is at least a 2009. 2008 models also had the anniversary sticker (45?) on the sidewall.

ETA: also a quick tip. I cleaned all of the soft surfaces on mine after a few years (they also hold the smell of campfire pretty well). The cost of professional cleaning seemed way high, so I called head office and talked to a guy who cut me a deal based on the square footage of material; probably a quarter of the rate if I went through their schedule of costs. Was well worth a few minutes on the phone.

**JFlightRisk** · 02-15-2020, 08:33 PM

It looks very nice. Our last pop up was a Fleetwood/Coleman high side, 14' box, and it opened up to just shy of 27' long. Thanks for the pics. You're going to love it.

Colorado · 02-15-2020, 09:32 PM

Nice pop up. I would definitely look at the brakes (adjust them) and wiring at the axles both sides, bearings (properly pack) and the date on the tires. I went from a Load C on my pop up to a Load E, they track better, handle rough roads and pot holes better too.

Matteo · 02-18-2020, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bankr63

One piece of good news. That is at least a 2009 model. The plastic fascia on the back didn't start until that year - 2008's still had diamond plate on the rear end. So the MY is at least a 2009. 2008 models also had the anniversary sticker (45?) on the sidewall.

ETA: also a quick tip. I cleaned all of the soft surfaces on mine after a few years (they also hold the smell of campfire pretty well). The cost of professional cleaning seemed way high, so I called head office and talked to a guy who cut me a deal based on the square footage of material; probably a quarter of the rate if I went through their schedule of costs. Was well worth a few minutes on the phone.

Thanks bankr63!

Looking into more of the brochures, I now see that this definitely looks to be a 2009. I will have to double check the VIN as the paperwork shows a 8 in position 10 which means 2008...

Thanks on the smoke tip. Its pretty muted but still there and I have a few things to try before we bring in any professionals. haha. I like to think of myself as resourceful and handy.

Matteo · 02-18-2020, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colorado

Nice pop up. I would definitely look at the brakes (adjust them) and wiring at the axles both sides, bearings (properly pack) and the date on the tires. I went from a Load C on my pop up to a Load E, they track better, handle rough roads and pot holes better too.

Already working on the full inspection.

I just finished clearing the lines of water that was left inside and removing all the interior, I can now lift it up on the hoist and do my underside inspections and maintenance.

Matteo · 02-26-2020, 10:14 AM

So in our home, the wife and I really prefer the whiter light (~5000K) for living spaces so I went ahead and installed new LED lights that really brightened up the space. I have replaced the 4 dome lights along with the portable bunk fan/light units. Just need to find replacment options for the flourescent above the sink. Definite improvement though!

Matteo · 02-26-2020, 10:16 AM

I also finally remembered to take some exterior pictures while I had it set up. (trying to limit the up time while it's so cold and snowy out)

Matteo · 02-28-2020, 11:54 AM

Went ahead and ordered new foam for all seats and couch cushions. Looking forward to having this whole thing back together soon enough!

LuckyDuck · 02-28-2020, 12:25 PM

Nice work so far! One tip: We bought a house whose previous owner was a smoker. Did a ton of research and found a product called Vamoose that really worked (along with a lot of other remediation.) I sprayed it into the furnace return ducting and it neutralized the residue. My brother used it in a used car and it eliminated the awful smoke odor. Company is out of Texas: https://www.vamooseproducts.com/ . Also, the Anderson WDH works well. You’d love it.

Matteo · 02-28-2020, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Nice work so far! One tip: We bought a house whose previous owner was a smoker. Did a ton of research and found a product called Vamoose that really worked (along with a lot of other remediation.) I sprayed it into the furnace return ducting and it neutralized the residue. My brother used it in a used car and it eliminated the awful smoke odor. Company is out of Texas: https://www.vamooseproducts.com/ . Also, the Anderson WDH works well. You’d love it.

Thanks for the tip on the Odor eliminator.

I’ll keep an eye of for a deal on the Anderson hitch. I like the light weight of it.

For now I picked up a second hand Blue Ox SwayPro hitch. Haven’t towed with it yet but hope to soon enough. Need the snow to go away!

LuckyDuck · 02-28-2020, 04:17 PM

You’re welcome. BTW, Vamoose works well for skunk spray on the underside of sports cars. Don’t ask

wiscampsin · 02-28-2020, 04:40 PM

You're doing a great job of getting your Jayco Select 14HW ready to get out there and enjoy it. We had a 2004 Fleetwood HW camper with a similar floorplan and it was great having that open feeling once getting it all set up. I suggest you google the Reflectix mod as it might be something to consider. Keep up the great work!

Matteo · 03-03-2020, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiscampsin

You're doing a great job of getting your Jayco Select 14HW ready to get out there and enjoy it. We had a 2004 Fleetwood HW camper with a similar floorplan and it was great having that open feeling once getting it all set up. I suggest you google the Reflectix mod as it might be something to consider. Keep up the great work!

Thanks! Still lots to do but enjoying it at the same time.

I will definitely consider that mod. I have seen it extensively on YouTube lately.

spark of insanity · 03-04-2020, 02:13 PM

After getting back from a 3 week trip out east with a pop up I realized one thing. I hate pop ups. Especially if it is raining and you have to lower that thing in the rain then wait for a nice sunny day to pop the mother up and dry it out or else you get dry rot. The next thing to go wrong is the motor to lift it up. I could not wait to sell that thing and get a TT. A jayco 18ft was first because after all the issues no one wanted anything to do with camping. Then I brought this baby home and all bets were off. Everyone wanted to go camping except for one thing. It slept three. So I with heavy heart I sold it for a 21 foot coachman because there was no jayco to be had that had the features I wanted. This one had all the bells and whistles. I love my TT. Did a fab job out west for weeks. Good luck. I will be thinking of you bringing that baby up or down in bad weather. While I will stay nice and dry.

Hollander Mutthaulers · 03-04-2020, 06:44 PM

Congratulations on your new rig! Looks like a real beauty, perhaps a diamond in the rough? : )

Thanks for sharing your mods and all the photos; I'v taken some notes. The enjoyment and satisfaction of making a trailer exactly as you want it is a close second to actually using it.

We had a popup for a year after 50 years of tenting. We travel a lot and rarely stay in one place for more than a night. The popup was really nice and roomy and simple to tow, but too much to set up and take down every day so we got a small hybrid with some of the great tent and popup features, like sleeping in fresh air. We still think a popup is a perfect camper for a young family spending a week or two at a lake.

Best wishes for great times getting your trailer just right and for adventures and happy travels and memories using it if the snow ever thaws up there. ; )

joe w · 03-04-2020, 07:52 PM

Looks like a you got a great deal, good luck. Regarding hitches we have a Husky Centerline TS that we use to tow our Jayco 212QB and have been very happy with how it performs.(2019 Ram classic with tow package) Towed all the way out West to WY, CO, SD. Went threw some pretty peppy windstorms and we experienced no sway. The speed limit in SD is 80 on I90 and we maintained right at about 62MPH which meant we were passed by the semi's quite often. We could feel the push from their "bow wave" however no issue with stability. I highly recommend the hitch.

Matteo · 03-04-2020, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spark of insanity

After getting back from a 3 week trip out east with a pop up I realized one thing. I hate pop ups. Especially if it is raining and you have to lower that thing in the rain then wait for a nice sunny day to pop the mother up and dry it out or else you get dry rot. The next thing to go wrong is the motor to lift it up. I could not wait to sell that thing and get a TT. A jayco 18ft was first because after all the issues no one wanted anything to do with camping. Then I brought this baby home and all bets were off. Everyone wanted to go camping except for one thing. It slept three. So I with heavy heart I sold it for a 21 foot coachman because there was no jayco to be had that had the features I wanted. This one had all the bells and whistles. I love my TT. Did a fab job out west for weeks. Good luck. I will be thinking of you bringing that baby up or down in bad weather. While I will stay nice and dry.

Thanks for that great tid bit of personal experience. I will be sure to store it away for..... actually, I probably won't.

Enjoy your TT.

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