Jay Flight 174BH little review and simple mods

[silverta16]

I have a 184BH with the side A/C unit and love it. It's not quite as good as a roof unit but it allows it to fit in my carport, and my Honda EU2200 generator will run the A/C on just the eco idle with the generator mounted in the bed of my truck. If the temp gets 90-95 plus we use reflective window shades to help it cool. The bunk area does stay hot so we run a small fan to direct the flow backwards.

Note these campers have a special 3000lb axle not the common 3500lb axle. If you have a brake failure or bearing failure don't expect to be able to find anything on the road. Plan accordingly, order spares ahead of time and keep with you with tools and grease. The electric brake assemblies run almost $100 each side for this special 3000lb axle, where if they'd just used the 3500lb axle you can find them on Amazon for $30 a side, as well as at every trailer and tractor supply type farm store. Bearings are an odd size also order spares and keep with you. One bearing is common the other is a total off the wall size.

If I keep the camper long term I may upgrade the axle and add larger black and gray tanks. Just because you like small towable campers doesn't mean they have to build them with such useless size holding tanks. I really like the 154BH's but they have half size holding tanks of what we currently have now. My full size Silverado with a V8 runs away with this camper and it sleeps 4 comfortably. It also is small enough to go anywhere and back anywhere.

 

[rigger4343]

I have a 184BH with the side A/C unit and love it. It's not quite as good as a roof unit but it allows it to fit in my carport, and my Honda EU2200 generator will run the A/C on just the eco idle with the generator mounted in the bed of my truck. If the temp gets 90-95 plus we use reflective window shades to help it cool. The bunk area does stay hot so we run a small fan to direct the flow backwards.

Note these campers have a special 3000lb axle not the common 3500lb axle. If you have a brake failure or bearing failure don't expect to be able to find anything on the road. Plan accordingly, order spares ahead of time and keep with you with tools and grease. The electric brake assemblies run almost $100 each side for this special 3000lb axle, where if they'd just used the 3500lb axle you can find them on Amazon for $30 a side, as well as at every trailer and tractor supply type farm store. Bearings are an odd size also order spares and keep with you. One bearing is common the other is a total off the wall size.

If I keep the camper long term I may upgrade the axle and add larger black and gray tanks. Just because you like small towable campers doesn't mean they have to build them with such useless size holding tanks. I really like the 154BH's but they have half size holding tanks of what we currently have now. My full size Silverado with a V8 runs away with this camper and it sleeps 4 comfortably. It also is small enough to go anywhere and back anywhere.

You got me curious so while bored and waiting on this hurricane to get here, I went outside and took a look at my axle. Mine still has the tags on it and it is rated at a 3500 pounds. I wonder if yours just happens to be different?

 

[YamRZ350]

Rigger, just wanted to say thanks for sharing. Very helpful to see your projects, as im new to all of this.

 

[LADYk]

Love the 13 dollar light mod and it goes well with the TT. Could you please post the Amazon link for them? I cannot find them. Even after searching and searching. Thanks

 

[rigger4343]

Love the 13 dollar light mod and it goes well with the TT. Could you please post the Amazon link for them? I cannot find them. Even after searching and searching. Thanks

Here you go. I think these are the ones I used.....

https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Driv...qid=1570752985&sprefix=led+dri,aps,168&sr=8-7

 

[LADYk]

Thank for the light link!!!

I am waaaaay past having basic computer skills but this site is the most confusing site I have ever been on. It confuses me so badly not sure why.

I am trying to reply to the gentlemen who posted the link for the lights. Thank you! Great mod and may help me at night when trying to back in.

 

[JFlightRisk]

I am trying to reply to the gentlemen who posted the link for the lights. Thank you! Great mod and may help me at night when trying to back in.

I can help with that. If you wish to send him a PM, click on his name from any of his posts. A drop down will appear, and the first line will be 'Send a PM to rigger4343'. That will take you directly to where you can send him a personal message. Hope this clarifies how to navigate it.

 

[rigger4343]

I am waaaaay past having basic computer skills but this site is the most confusing site I have ever been on. It confuses me so badly not sure why.

I am trying to reply to the gentlemen who posted the link for the lights. Thank you! Great mod and may help me at night when trying to back in.

You are welcome!

They do help me when backing in a site at night. The way I have them pointed, they light the sides and where I am fixing to back the trailer into. Like when you pull up to a site and then you have to turn and back the trailer into a spot. Still a good idea to have a someone spot you but they help a lot.

 

[Carolv]

Where did you get the factory drawings? I’m looking for the 174bh specs. I love your shower install I am hoping to do the same on my 174bh. Thanks for all your mod postings.

 

[ttavasc]

Where did you get the factory drawings? I’m looking for the 174bh specs. I love your shower install I am hoping to do the same on my 174bh. Thanks for all your mod postings.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your 174BH!

After our 195RB was out of factory warranty I emailed Jayco Customer Service via the Contact Us link on their web site and requested copies of the schematics and drawings to use in my ongoing maintenance activities. Within a couple of days they responded with a full set of drawings and schematics.

 

[rigger4343]

Thats what I did. They sent me back drawings the same day. Seems like they are almost spot on to what is actually in the walls.

 

[Tiguan Tow r]

Send an email to service@jayco.com with year, model, vin # and specific drawings you require. They provided the ones I needed with in a couple of days of making my request. Great service.

 

[Sroot]

Another thing I discovered from arriving in the dark was that the large front storage compartment needed some lighting!

Just added a little rocker switch and couple of white LED lights up high. It was just the right amount of light for that area.

I am curious about how you ran the wiring into the storage area.

 

[rigger4343]

I am curious about how you ran the wiring into the storage area.

My TT has a 12v circuit running right through the storage area to a little C02 detector. Since the little LED lights draw almost nothing, I just pulled power from that.

 

[Sroot]

My TT has a 12v circuit running right through the storage area to a little C02 detector. Since the little LED lights draw almost nothing, I just pulled power from that.

Ah. I didn't see any exposed wiring in mine and I was hesitant to start pulling panels off of a new trailer.

 

[rigger4343]

Ah. I didn't see any exposed wiring in mine and I was hesitant to start pulling panels off of a new trailer.

If you do not have power in there, if you are comfortable drilling a small hole through the floor, you could just run a circuit straight from the battery and fuse it at the battery. I ran power from the battery to under my steps for lighting right there and it would be easy to have run it up into that storage area.

 

[rigger4343]

Well a couple of weeks ago I broke down to the idea of installing a little TV in the trailer. In the past I have always thought I would never have a TV in the trailer and when we camp, camping is what we do! Not watch TV. I figured it was time to put one in and make it something that would be used only if we were stuck inside due to bad weather or something of that nature.

I decided on getting a little 22'' flat screen and wall mount from Harbor Freight. Mounted the wall mount to a stud, power and TV hook up were already there so the hardest part about this project was just taking the TV out of the box!

It is not a smart TV so I ordered the correct cable for my cell and now I can use an HDMI port on the TV to watch anything off of my cell. I have unlimited data so as long as I have a decent signal, it works to watch something off of Netflix.

The TV speakers are typical for a little TV and are not bad but not that great either. I can blue tooth my cell to the stereo in the camper so if we are watching a movie on the TV, we can listen to the sound through the stereo.

Overall it all worked well, was an easy project and did not cost much at all. TV was $80. Wall mount was $20. The cord was about $13.

 

[silverta16]

How do you Bluetooth the TV to the onboard stereo? I would love to do the same thing. I was trying to figure out how to run a cable from the RCA plugs to the stereo on the other side of the camper.

 

[rigger4343]

How do you Bluetooth the TV to the onboard stereo? I would love to do the same thing. I was trying to figure out how to run a cable from the RCA plugs to the stereo on the other side of the camper.

I did not mean I blue toothed the TV to my stereo. I connected my cell to the stereo by Bluetooth. So then if I have my cell connected to the TV by the HDMI cable and I want to watch a movie on Netflix, then the movie sound comes though the stereo.

So the TV picture comes through the cable and the sound goes to the stereo by Bluetooth.

As far as running cable to the stereo from where I have my TV mounted, I don't see an easy way to that in my trailer. I am sure if I really wanted to, maybe I could get something fished up the wall and across the ceiling but I think that would be more than I would want to do.

Now that I think about it, it would probably be much easier to just mount a little sound bar above the TV or mounted to the bottom of the TV wall mount.

I think you just gave me a new project idea !!!

 

[DarryfromOntary]

I wanna try that in my 195rb, would love the sound out the trailer speakers.