Need help picking a Travel Trailer (Aljo

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gpool77

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Joined
Mar 6, 2007
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I need some help from you old pros.  I'm dying to buy a travel trailer for my family.  We have three kids (8,5,2) and plan on doing a bunch of 2-7 day camping trips.  I'm looking at a "2003 Jayco Jayflight 27BH" and a "2006 Aljo 247 LTD".  Both are priced about the same and seem to have the same floorplan.  I would appreciate any comments or experiences with both.  Here is the only thing I've discoved so far:

-  The Aljo weighs about 650# less than the Jayco.  Will this be important when towing with my 1/2 ton suburban? Comments?

THanks for everyone's help.  We're anxious to jump in but don't want to make a bad decision.

Greg
 
We had a 1999 Aljo 5th wheel and it was pretty much trouble free, even though an Aljo is an "entry level" unit.  We liked it and never had any problems.

However, I suggest that you begin by determining the tow capacity of your vehicle and then working from that point.  You really need to determine what your vehicle is capable of for the safety of your family (and the rest of us on the road too).  I am sure that a number of folks on this forum will jump in and give lots of good information about towing capacities, but to be helpful they will need to know the year and make of the vehicle, engine size, rear axel ratio etc.  Once you know those things it is possible to look up the towing capacity and then determine the maximum trailer weight you should consider.

Anyway, good luck and good hunting!  Hope you find a great deal  and have a wonderful time.  ;D
 
The Aljo weighs about 650# less than the Jayco.  Will this be important when towing with my 1/2 ton suburban? Comments?

Yes, critically so.  Your Suburban doesn't have all that much tow capacity compared to the size trailer you want/need, so you need to start with its tow capacity and use that to limit your choices.  Somewhere in your Suburban owner manual, or maybe on the door post or glove box will be either a GCWR or a Max Towing rating. Get those numbers if you can. If not, tell us the year, engine, transmission and rear axle for the Burb and we can probably figure it out for you.
 
Alright, this is what I found:  7000 lbs GVW Rating.  3.73 ratio rear axle.  And it does have the Transmission Oil Cooler.

Jayco 27BH = GVW of 7500
Aljo 247ltd  = GVW of 7100

hmmm... this looks like it cuts me out of anything that large.  Do you guys have any suggestions for a trailer I could pull and sleep me, the wife, and three little ones?
 
Take a look at the Jayco 254.  Click HERE.

The Jayco is what is called a hybrid, a cross between a tent trailer and a travel trailer.  The slide out beds give you the sleeping capacity of a falr larger TT or 5er, essential for a raft of kids.    They are about 2000 lbs lighter. 

BTW if you tow in the mountain or Pacific cost west, that 7000 lbs should be 20% less or about 5600 lbs.  The Jayco 232 should fit that bill nicely.  If you tow back east, make that rating reduction 10% or 6300 lbs.  The 254 fits that bill. 

Jayco is not the only hybrid maker around.  Browse around the net or hit a RV show near you.



 
Here is another place you might look into.  Forest River makes a number of ultra-light trailers.  Some are Hybrids, and some are not, the have models with bunk beds and triple bunk beds (see the Flagstaff 23LB).  The most of the weights are well within the capacities of your vehicle.  Select a brand from the list (Flagstaff, Surveyor etc) then select the link for floor plans.  the floor plan sheet has the specifications including weights, water capacity etc....

http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?nav=rec

(Sorry I haven't figured out how to put a link in the posting - but copy the text above and put it in your browser window to get there.  ;D )
 
After doing some more calculating, for my vehicle with a GVWR of 7,400 and a GCWR of 13,000 -- it looks like I could handle a trailer up to 7,877 (- safety factor).
 
Alright, this is what I found:  7000 lbs GVW Rating.  3.73 ratio rear axle.  And it does have the Transmission Oil Cooler.

The Suburban's GVWR is not its tow rating - GVWR is the max weight the Burb can actually carry onboard, passengers, gear and trailer TONGUE weight.  Towing capacity is different.  I checked the tow rating of a typical 2005 Suburban 1500 (half ton) with 5.3L engine in Trailer Life magazine's tow ratings and it shows 8400 for 2WD and 8100 for 4WD.

So if your Suburban is an 05 (or probably any close to that year), you might barely be able to handle the trailer you are looking at. I say "barely" because you have to subtract the weight of everything carried in the Burb from the max tow capacity. We also recommend a 10% safety margin on half tons with small block gas engines - they rarely perform well when loaded to the max.
 
Thanks, Gary.  I may err on the conservative side and just go with something lighter.
 
I may err on the conservative side and just go with something lighter.

That is a very wise attitude. Something in the 6500 lb range would be a good choice but 7000 should be OK. The Aljo is probably close enough, though, especially if you make it a practice to keep the weight down when loading it up. Your attitude towards weight & safety makes a practical difference.
 
I don't think I'd have trouble pulling the Aljo at 3925 or even the jayco 27bh at 4655... but I don't want to be limited to where I go by the weight. 
 
but I don't want to be limited to where I go by the weight.

I'm unsure what you mean by that.  You began by saying you think either is OK, then back off with a weight concern?

Our rule of thumb is that you will generally be fine, i.e. not limited,  if you stay with a trailer GVWR that is 10% under the max tow rating of the tow vehicle. That allows you to fully load the trailer and have some unplanned for passengers & gear and still be safe and sound. The exception is travel in the high western mountain areas, where a non-turbo engine has trouble breathing and underperforms. There we suggest staying 20% under the max rating. The Aljo is close enough to that, but the Jayco is not.

Do not even think about the trailer dry weights - they are a fiction anyway.  Use the trailer GVWR (max weight) in your estimates and you will be OK.
 

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