I had a jayflight which was decent quality. I now own another brand. I've heard of problems with the tpo roofs, leaks, and cabinet construction in the Jayfeather series but I wouldn't not buy a jayfeather because of hearsay. it all comes down to the condition of the rig you're looking at. being proactive about leaks and seals will keep you a "happy camper"
Current Rig: 2011 Salem 29QBDS Towed with a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
Past RV's:
08 Jayco 30BHS, 02 Dutchmen 30FK, 77 Coachmen Leprechaun MMH
Past TV's:
06 Ford F-350 Diesel 4x4,02 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4,01 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, 94 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4
mike77leprechaun wrote: I had a jayflight which was decent quality. I now own another brand. I've heard of problems with the tpo roofs, leaks, and cabinet construction in the Jayfeather series but I wouldn't not buy a jayfeather because of hearsay. it all comes down to the condition of the rig you're looking at. being proactive about leaks and seals will keep you a "happy camper"
Desert Captain wrote: ...
A good indication of the quality of construction is to compare the "Dry" weight with its GVWR which will tell you just how much it can carry (aka "CCC"). A TT with a small CCC would make me wonder why it can only load "X" number of pounds compared to a competitor the same size that can carry two or three times that number.
Your analogy doesn't hold water. (A) You put a 500 lbs house on 750 lbs axle you have 250 lbs CCC. (B) If you put the exact same house, 500 lbs, on a 1000 lbs axle you have 500 lbs CCC. So according to you Trailer B is better quality? Even though it is exactly the same? All it really has is a higher CCC. You could even turn it around and put a 500 lbs piece of******(with leaks, junk appliances, broken window seals and a bent frame) on 1000 lbs axle and according to you, it would be better then trailer A. Enough Said about CCC vs. Quality.
You might want to go back and read my entire post. If a TT is designed and built such that it can carry very little that definitely is an indication of corners being cut. This trailer will be easily overloaded and systems will be stressed. While newer construction techniques are allowing manufacturers to build lighter and lighter TT's only the higher end models are holding the line on quality which you will, and should pay for.
You analogy leaves me a little puzzled as your trailer with 1000# axels is a sturdier rig to begin with, proving my point (thank you very much). I did address many other items that go into building a quality TT but then you would need to read the whole post which will negate your "piece of **** analogy". TT's are built to do a job just like a pick up truck. Part of that job in both cases is to haul cargo. TT's and trucks with limited cargo/payload have to work harder to do the same job and when overloaded (easily done with limited capacity) will suffer the effect of premature wear. CCC is just one of many items that can indicate the level of quality (or lack thereof), of a TT and it should not be taken alone (or out of context).
How exactly is my lightweight TT "working harder" to carry x lbs.? As long as I am not overloading it, there's no problem. The suspension, frame, flooring, etc. are designed to carry the weight that I load. Sure, it might not be as much weight that others can carry, but it certainly meets the needs of my family. It's 30+' long, and handled a 2000+ mile, 2 week trip with no problems. I'd challenge anyone to find "premature wear" on my 5+ year old trailer due to it being an ultralight and having a lower CC. In fact, it's held up an awful lot better than non-ultralight's I've seen.
Desert Captain wrote: ...
A good indication of the quality of construction is to compare the "Dry" weight with its GVWR which will tell you just how much it can carry (aka "CCC"). A TT with a small CCC would make me wonder why it can only load "X" number of pounds compared to a competitor the same size that can carry two or three times that number.
Your analogy doesn't hold water. (A) You put a 500 lbs house on 750 lbs axle you have 250 lbs CCC. (B) If you put the exact same house, 500 lbs, on a 1000 lbs axle you have 500 lbs CCC. So according to you Trailer B is better quality? Even though it is exactly the same? All it really has is a higher CCC. You could even turn it around and put a 500 lbs piece of******(with leaks, junk appliances, broken window seals and a bent frame) on 1000 lbs axle and according to you, it would be better then trailer A. Enough Said about CCC vs. Quality.
You might want to go back and read my entire post. If a TT is designed and built such that it can carry very little that definitely is an indication of corners being cut. This trailer will be easily overloaded and systems will be stressed. While newer construction techniques are allowing manufacturers to build lighter and lighter TT's only the higher end models are holding the line on quality which you will, and should pay for.
You analogy leaves me a little puzzled as your trailer with 1000# axels is a sturdier rig to begin with, proving my point (thank you very much). I did address many other items that go into building a quality TT but then you would need to read the whole post which will negate your "piece of **** analogy". TT's are built to do a job just like a pick up truck. Part of that job in both cases is to haul cargo. TT's and trucks with limited cargo/payload have to work harder to do the same job and when overloaded (easily done with limited capacity) will suffer the effect of premature wear. CCC is just one of many items that can indicate the level of quality (or lack thereof), of a TT and it should not be taken alone (or out of context).
How exactly is my lightweight TT "working harder" to carry x lbs.? As long as I am not overloading it, there's no problem. The suspension, frame, flooring, etc. are designed to carry the weight that I load. Sure, it might not be as much weight that others can carry, but it certainly meets the needs of my family. It's 30+' long, and handled a 2000+ mile, 2 week trip with no problems. I'd challenge anyone to find "premature wear" on my 5+ year old trailer due to it being an ultralight and having a lower CC. In fact, it's held up an awful lot better than non-ultralight's I've seen.
As you noted as long as you don't overload (as in exceed the CCC), there is no problem. A 2K mile 2 week trip with no problems is what it is suppose to do (and much more). I'm not picking on Jayco or any other "uber light" TT manufacturer. My point is that when you encounter a super lightweight trailer it has to represent a compromise. If I was towing 30' of trailer I would look for the lightest model that met my needs and live with the requisite reduced CCC. It's just easier to overload a low CCC trailer than one with a larger capacity. Though you don't, someone with your trailer who loads it in excess of the CCC is going to wear it out a lot faster than you do.
For the record we are towing with very similar TV's and I assume you love your F-150 as much as I love mine. Our 20" TT is a "lightweight" as well with a dry weight of 3600# but a GVWR of 5600#. Despite having 2000# of CCC I still very lightly load the TT with most of the heavy stuff going into the back of the TV under the Leer. This allows me to place the heavy stuff (two Honda 2000's, firewood, beer etc.), forward of the rear wheels and stay well under its GVWR. With the Reese HD WDH we tow with a zero bubble.
I plead guilty to a little felony thread drift here but getting back to the OP....just be aware of the compromises that come with lightweight TT's. Nothing wrong with them as long as they and your TV mate up well in terms of what you will actually need to be loading. Half tons are a popular choice for towing lightweight 30' TT's but some run out of payload quickly. If all else fails and you need more CCC you can always buy a bigger truck and/or trailer. As always .... opinions and YMMV
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as your trailer with 1000# axels is a sturdier rig to begin with, proving my point (thank you very much). I did address many other items that go into building a quality TT but then you would need to read the whole post which will negate your "piece of **** analogy". TT's are built to do a job just like a pick up truck. Part of that job in both cases is to haul cargo. TT's and trucks with limited cargo/payload have to work harder to do the same job and when overloaded (easily done with limited capacity) will suffer the effect of premature wear. CCC is just one of many items that can indicate the level of quality (or lack thereof), of a TT and it should not be taken alone (or out of context). 
