Jayco Readhawk SE 27N

[Rzrbrn]

Getting ready to begin negotiations on a 2019 Redhawk SE 27N. No slides (which is what I prefer), wheel base 191"/length30'3" (363") = 52.9, TPO roof, Chevy Vortec V8 6.0L engine. Tongue weight = 500 lbs. Towing Capacity 5000lbs. GVWR = 14,200lbs. GCWR = 20,000 lbs. UVW= 11,300 lbs. CCC=2,580. 4K Onan propane generator. 13,500 BTU AC. 30 amp.

Only alternative for us is a Winnebago Spirit 25B (also no slides).

Steadfastly do not want slides.

I have never owned a MH and we currently have a Casita TT pulled by a Tundra, our first and only RV. Wife and I are retired and spend 3 to 6 months a year traveling. We prefer BLM primitive campgrounds, State campgrounds, Forest service boondocking, Federal campgrounds, rest stops and Walmarts only when necessary, try not to go into cities towing the trailer. We like Upper MI to WA and the upper Rockies. We usually camp 2 to 7 days, then move on. We cook outside. No pets. No campfires. Sometimes we have a total of 4 adults camping for up to 10 days at a time (when sons visit 21x per year).

I would much prefer a fiberglass roof, but it is what it is.

Any thoughts in general? Anybody own a Readhawk SE 27N?

Specifically, should I get an alignment right away? I am considering a Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain tow bar and related accessories. I have a Jeep Liberty CRD turbo diesel, but may get something else, such as a Jeep Wrangler. Probably will tow 4 down.

[Oregonpharme]

I had a similarly sized Class C with the 460 Ford engine. I live in Oregon, travel the mountains in the Northwest and Western Canada, and pulled a Jeep Cherokee, or a four sled snowmobile trailer My experience was that I had such a long rear overhang that towing in the mountains led to the Jeep whipping the motorhome around on the corners and rough roads, and it was downright dangerous in ice and snow with the sleds. Worked like a champ for power, just handling issues from the leverage of the overhand pushing the front end around when towing.

The coach unit itself was fantastic for the family (kids were little then). Plenty of room, good sleeping arrangements, and easy to get around in traffic. Never had any problems with the rubber roof either, just did the twice a year roof cleaning and treatment, and made sure none of the sealant was cracked.

[oldecmech]

Looks like a very good choice for what you intend to use it for. I had not seen that floor plan before. We have a Redhawk 26XD and have been pleased with it.

I think the front-end alignment issue only applies to the Ford E350/450 class C motorhome chassis. I would drive it some and then, if you think it needs it, have it done. Jayco paid for my alignment under warranty.

You might want to checkout www.jaycoowners.com. Lots of good info there.

Good luck and enjoy the new rig.

I noticed you indicated propane generator. You might recheck as all gas engine Jayco I have seen have gasoline powered generators.

[Rzrbrn]

I started this thread prematurely it seems. Please let me explain.

The first time we inspected this coach we were underwhelmed to the point that we cut the visit short. Not appealing inside, too many obvious design issues. We left after about 20 minutes and made the 2 hour trip back home. After thinking about it for a few days, we felt the unit needed another, closer inspection so we went back for another, more in-depth look, thinking we could over come the initial issues we had with the coach.

However, ultimately we said no thanks, and won't buy this unit.

Positives: Chevy 4500 chassis and 6.0L engine. Perfect floor plan for us. We do not want slides, if at all possible. Great folding table, will set 4 adults. Asking price of $62K for this new unit is very appealing. Has a couch. Has the Jayco fiberglass "cup" on the bed over the cab, best design possible, fewer seams to leak. 750 lb weight limit for the front cap.

Negatives: TPO roof, prefer fiberglass, but not a deal breaker. Wife had a real problem with the rear cabinets on each side of the bed: long reach, unless you stand on top of the box that covers the pass thru storage, which had a very high step up which also made it difficult to then reach inside (hard to describe sorry). The other top cabinets were hard to access, but for this second inspection we had brought a small folding stool for the wife to stand on. Very low quality vinyl used on the cushions. Dinette seats had no access doors. When picking up the cushions to access the area under the bench the naked plywood was roughly cut and full of splinters. The area under the sofa is very difficult to access. A number of enclosed areas were completely inaccessible, for no apparent reason, possibly because it would require extra time and money to put in a door.

The chassis has a very long overhang behind the rear wheels, with the ratio of coach length to wheel base being about 52.9, with not much ground clearance. But a real big problem is that the black and gray valves hang well behind the rear wheels and are slung very close to the ground. We have been in many parking lots, gas station entry and exit situations, camp sites, etc, where the valves would be scraped off.

And yes, it is a gas generator will fuel coming from the gas tank. I have a problem with this design: How to know how much fuel is in the tank. Either the generator cannot be fully utilized or the trip itself would have to be cut short for fear of running out of gas. The generator does cut off when the tank is less than 1/3 full. So the choice is to not have air or keep the tank over 1/3 full. This is a terrible design, but seems to be used by many manufacturers of motorhomes.

The shower has a curtain, but the shower base has only a very low lip and the curtain is sure to bellow out when showering and water will get on the floor.

The Onan general is positioned up front, and will be susceptible to heat from the engine, and probably will cause the generator to shut down when the engine is running and the outside temperature is hot. So driving in the south in the summer with the coach AC on could be a problematic.

All in all the unit was depressing to be in, with many design flaws.

But, but, but...the price is right...