Community Forums

Avenger61 · 02-12-2020, 12:21 PM

We are thinking about buying a used 2016 Redhawk 26XD and I’m looking for any pros or cons to owning one. We have owned several travel trailers, pop ups and hybrids but this will be our first class C. I’m hoping I can find some good advice to help us make a decision. Thanks

oldecmech · 02-12-2020, 07:20 PM

We have a Redhawk 26XD. We find it to be a convenient size and good floor plan for the two of us plus two dogs. The Ford E450 has plenty of power. We had problems with wandering, constant steering corrections while highway driving. That was easily corrected with a front-end alignment and resetting the caster to +5 degrees.

We found that we needed to come up with a toad to pull behind the motorhome. That ended up being an extra expense. Towbar, baseplate, light wiring, etc, for my wife's Chevrolet Equinox came to about $2K.

We have traveled from Arkansas to Maine, Alabama, Florida gulf coast and lots of local state parks in ours with no major issues.

Good luck with your decision.

JaytheDJ · 02-13-2020, 03:25 AM

Not the same model but we love our Redhawk 25R. First time owners of an RV and have been enjoying the adventure.
I agree with oldecmech about the wander but will add that Helwig sway-bars front and rear made a huge difference for us as far as handling goes.
As long as you're handy and stay on top of maintenance you should have many years of enjoyment and memories! Good luck

eaglelmc · 02-23-2020, 02:04 PM

My wife and I bought a 2019 26xd last March, have made a few trips around West Virginia in 2019, and have not had any issues thus far, we are planning trips to Georgia, Florida, and Ohio this year, we have Honda pcx150 scooter which we haul on the rear bumber. We noticed our gas mileage is between 8.0 and 8.5 mpg. Happy camping!

mre · 05-10-2020, 07:36 PM

I thought J-Ride was supposed to improve handling.

JaytheDJ · 05-14-2020, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mre

I thought J-Ride was supposed to improve handling.

I'd hate to drive a Class C without it!

In all seriousness, the additional Helwig helper springs installed as part of the JRide package on my rig were not even setup properly. Once I corrected this, the ride improved.

mre · 05-14-2020, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaytheDJ

I'd hate to drive a Class C without it!

In all seriousness, the additional Helwig helper springs installed as part of the JRide package on my rig were not even setup properly. Once I corrected this, the ride improved.

What was setup incorrectly that you had to correct? We're look at Class C's for purchase in s couple if years and Jayco is on our list.

Thanks

JaytheDJ · 05-15-2020, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mre

What was setup incorrectly that you had to correct? We're look at Class C's for purchase in s couple if years and Jayco is on our list.

Thanks

The Hellwig helper springs were basically "installed", not adjusted, meaning they weren't taking any additional load off of the factory leaf pack. After reading through some other forums I took the time to tighten the nuts holding the U bolts until there was approx 2" of spacing instead of the 6" or so when just "installed". Definitely helped tighten up the body movements. Search some other forums, or even here for more detailed information regarding this.
I will say the biggest improvement came from the Helwig anti-sway bars replacing the factory ones.

We love our Jayco and wouldn't pick any other brand the best bang for the buck. I think the majority of Class C's have some handling challenges which you can also read about on the forums.