New Jayco owner

[05hemi]

I just purchased a new 2012 Jayco Eagle Super Lite 29 RES, and Im going to pick it up tomorrow. This is my 1st camper, is there anything that I should know good/ bad about this camper, or how it pulls???? Ive researched online and have been looking at different lots for about 3 months and this is the one that fit us best( minus the outdoor kitchen) Any comments or help would be appreciated.

 

[Crabman]

Welcome to the forum 05hemi. How well it pulls may depend on what tow vehicle, sway control, and weight distribution hitch you have.

 

[05hemi]

Thank you. I'll be pulling it with a 2005 Dodge Quad Cab 4X4 SLT with the Big Horn package. The hitch, bars, and sway control is DrawTite.

 

[Crabman]

Is that a 1500 or 2500 truck?

Specs on your trailer for our members to ponder:

Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs) 7,100
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs) 905
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs) 9,200
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs) 2,100
Measurements
Exterior Length 33' 11"

 

[Rustic Eagle]

snip.......I'll be pulling it with a 2005 Dodge Quad Cab 4X4 SLT with the Big Horn package. The hitch, bars, and sway control is DrawTite.

05hemi,

Welcome to the Jayco forums.

As Lee mentioned, knowing whether your '05' Hemi is a 1500 or 2500 may have an impact on towing the Eagle Super Lite 29RES. The 29RES may be labeled a Super Lite, but a 33ft long TT in the "loaded weight" range of 8,000lbs to 9,000lbs is a heavy TT.

Below are some weights to noodle over until we find out your TV model (1500 or 2500), and the respective TV model weight limits and TV receiver weight limits.

Since we don't tow an empty TT to the campground, we need to focus on potential "loaded" weights. As Lee noted, the UVW of the 29RES is 7,100lbs...., Ship Weight 7,350lbs (approx.), off the RV Dealer lot (battery, hitch, etc.) about 7,475lbs. Add a conservative 800lbs for TT cargo (not including fresh water, etc.) we are at a loaded TT weight of 8,275lbs. Please note that we all have our own loading habits, so your actual weight may be a "little" less, or 100's of pounds more. The GVWR of the 29RES is a hefty 9,200lbs.

Ok, your loaded tongue weight should be 13% to 15% of the loaded TT weight. At 8,275lbs the loaded tongue weight should be 1,076lbs to 1,241lbs. The minimum weight rating for your WDH should be 1,200lbs for towing the 29RES.

You mentioned a Draw-Tite sway control, if this is the manual friction sway control bar you will find that the manufacture recommends that two friction sway control bars be installed on TT's 25ft or longer. But, in lieu of the two friction bars you would be wiser to look into an Equal-i-zer WDH brand or Reese HP Dual Cam WDH brand because the sway control is integrated into the WDH, and are more effective at sway control.

One of the disadvantages of 1/2 ton trucks is it's low cargo capacities. In many cases a 1/2 ton can tow the weight of a loaded TT, but do to the low cargo capacity it falls short in accommodating the added heavier loaded TT tongue weights.

Hope this gives you a little insight.

Bob

 

[05hemi]

I'm sorry I forgot to put in that its a 1500.

 

[Rustic Eagle]

snip...... its a 1500.

Great info.

Do you know the following weight limits of your TV:

* GVWR
* GVCWR
* Cargo Capacity
* Tow Rating
* OEM Receiver weight limits in WD mode (should be a tag on the receiver)

Thanks in advance,

Bob

 

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome to the forum 05hemi and congrats on your 2012 Jayco Eagle Super Lite 29 RES.

 

[05hemi]

The gvwr is 9200#, cargo cap. is 2100#, and I have a class 4 receiver

 

[05hemi]

The tow capacity of my tv is 8700# and I've seen also a rating of 9200#, so I'm not sure. Called Dodge and they used my vin to check and said I should be good....

 

[05hemi]

And,if it helps, all the parks we camp at have water supply/hook UPS. We fully intended on filling/hooking up at the sites and not hauling water.

 

[Denise-JAY]

Welcome to the Jayco Owners Forum Hemo05! Congrats!

 

[Rustic Eagle]

The tow capacity of my tv is 8700# and I've seen also a rating of 9200#, so I'm not sure.....snip

05hemi,

I'm at a loss as well

. The info that I was able to find on a search (based on your TV data) stated a Tow Rating of 8,000lb to 8,300lbs. At any rate, I'm sure that your Dodge contact advised you that the published Tow Rating (whatever it is) is decreased by the combined weights of the TV's options, passengers, and cargo.

The best advice I can offer at this point is, once you have your new TV/TT loaded for camping visit your local CAT scale when you have an opportunity. This visit will give you real world weight information and will also insure that your WDH is adjusted correctly.

After your visit to the CAT scale save the weight certificates and compare them to your TV's weight limits once they are confirmed. The following "Towing and Tow Vehicles" sticky will walk you through the CAT scale weighing process: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?t=3871

Your Class IV receiver in WD (weight distribution) mode is rated for 12,000lbs maximum trailer weight and 1,200lbs maximum tongue weight...., so you should be fine with the 29RES.

If you should have any more detailed questions in respect to towing your TT with your TV, feel free to post over in the "Towing and Tow Vehicles" section of this forum for increased Q&A visibility.

Enjoy your new TT and feel free to post some pics of your first camping trip.

Bob

 

[05hemi]

Thanks so much for the info! The forum is a great sight, with a tremendous amount of info. Definately recommending to everyone I know! Thanks again.

 

[05hemi]

New camper is home!!

 

[Rustic Eagle]