Howdy,
Well I have no knowledge about the Dutchman, but we own the exact Jayco model you are considering ( 2006 31BHS).
Feature wise we love it. We have 4 girls and it's great for each one to have their own bunk without using the dinette or sofa. The fold-up bunks with the large doors are great. We can bring an unbelievable amount of crap, including a Honda Ruckus scooter in there.
The downside: When you're living there's not a ton of storage for clothes. We usually pack our clothes in the stuff above the queen bed, but the kid's duffelbags appear to go everywhere. Also there is not much pantry space. We ended up putting some storage drawers where the tv would go near the dinette.
AND THE THING IS BUILT LIKE CRAP !!! Although from what I've heard/experienced it is an industrywide phenomenon. RV's are built to be LIGHT, not necessarily STRONG. We've had stupid stuff like wood screws in particle board ( duh! ) and staples holding the queen bedframe together ( double duh ! ). The blackwater tank valve has never worked right. The brakes failed immediately ( turns out it was the fault of the company that supplied Jayco with the frame and axles ) because the bearings were overpacked.
But to put things in a better light Jayco, and especially my dealer - All Valley RV in Acton, CA - have been great. All problems ( except the black tank valve ) were fixed and haven't needed repair since. The two year warranty is nice assurance.
We took the thing for 6 months of "shakedown" trips before taking it on a 2.5 week trip to Seattle and back.
Now as to your tow vehicle: This thing weighs almost 8000 lbs DRY. I'd say we're closer to 9000 with all of our junk, more if the tanks are full. If your car has an 8k max rating it's too small. Plus a 1500 truck is probably too light. Our rig is a 2002 Ford Excursion V10. It's basically a F250 Superduty with an enclosed back and lighter rear springs. Our tow capacity is I think 10500 lbs. It has no problem with hills but mostly it weighs enough to stand up to the trailer's weight.
I know exactly what you are going through having room for 4 kids. Mine are 14, 7, 5, and 2.5 and it's quite a challenge. I would not use your truck to haul this trailer. I would suggest either getting a larger truck or looking for a smaller trailer. I've seen some that have 4 bunks in the front and a queen slide out the back in a 25 foot length. But there is no side slide out and you'd be sleeping in a glorified bunk bed. Unfortunately the RV industry has not seen fit to accomodate families of our size. Using the dinette or sofa as regular sleeping accomodations is not an option. Class-A's are ridiculous in their waste's of space. I think there is one 5th wheel that has a bunkhouse but I can't remember where I saw it. You have to look it trailers that say they sleep 10 and subtract the 4 they put on the dinette and sofa. You may even consider a toy hauler. They are more spartan inside but many have 2 queen bunks that drop down in the back and have a traditional set-up for the parents up front.
Wow did I rant there or what ????
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions about the Jayflight 32BHS. My email is
[email protected]
I sincerely hope I helped.
Dan Walker