Jayco Pop Up Camper

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TXLX100

TXLX100

10 Year
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Threads
47
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2,971
Location
Colorado
I'm posting to see if anyone around here has a newer Jayco pop up and what you think of it. My friend that sells RVs has a 2001 Jayco Qwest 8' and is going to sell cheap to me if I want it. My family had a Jayco in the late 80s and 90s and it seemed to be a decent trailer.

If I end up with this one my friend is selling, I realize I'll probably have to put new tires on it and replace or repack the wheel bearings. We'll be using it for extra bed space for kids at a lake house and maybe a few trips around Texas.
 
I see an awful lot of pop-ups and I see a lot of junk and a few drool deals. Your friend might have a really good deal for you, though, but I don't trust used car salesmen and used RV salesmen are no different.

NTSA considers any tires over four years old to be dead on the ground. Replace them. It is doubtful that the bearings have rolled enough to even think about but, grease never hurts applied in the right place.

Check for dry rot. Use a sharp, thin nail or knife. If it was stored out of doors the sun has probably destroyed the caulking and water probably got through. Also, kids like to play on top of these when they are closed and that causes problems. Some owners will use them for storage platforms. Last week a guy called who was thinking of buying one owned buy a goat herder. Those "kids" were in and out of the pop-up and I, well, I didn't know what to say that would have mattered.

Expect the up and down system to need maintenance at the bare minimum. Inspect it thoroughly. Lubricate EVERYTHING possible and check all pulleys and wire rope for wear. Do the obvious if you see any signs of wear. Oil the entire length of the wire rope. Check the eye bolts for stretching. That's a common cause of failure.

This might not be not a problem, but maybe so; at any rate you want to re-seal the top. Check the fabric for mold and rot. It is probably a two tone made from "Bunk Ends" (that's what the material is called because it is made for this purpose. Even better, the manufacturer is ABC Company) The bug screens might need to be replaced and my shop charges $80 per window + if we have to deal with broken parts or dry rot.

Does the entry door work as it is supposed to? Try it a few times. Check the LPG valve. Does the water pump work? It won't soon enough but they don't cost much.

Lastly, and most important to me if I were going to buy something that had a 13 year old mattresses : Recover them and sanitize the foam and sanitize the curtains.

And one other thing : Bug bomb it. Throw a tarp over it and toss a bug bomb under it before you work on it or use it. Your family won't hate you later for not having done that.
 
Good advice. We never really had any problems with our old Jayco, but it was well taken care of.

Are the eye bolts easily seen on the lifting mechanism? I thought they were hidden with the crank gear and cable?

Yes my buddy is an RV dealer and I trust him enough to send him referrals as much as I can. I don't think he has really looked at it and is just going to sell it to me for what he paid for it. We are going to go through it tomorrow and make sure it pops, A/C works and check condition of the rest. I'll be sure to check the seams and the roof well. If it needs an AC, I probably won't buy it as it will double the price and I don't really NEED a camper right now (but I will NEED A/C when I do!)
 
mschliebs said:
NTSA considers any tires over four years old to be dead on the ground. Replace them. It is doubtful that the bearings have rolled enough to even think about but, grease never hurts applied in the right place.
Click to expand...

hoser said:
4 years seems low. Any more info on that?
Click to expand...

Tires every 2 years along with bearing service.

Most pop tires are rated at 55 mph. I pull...lets just say I pull much faster. Around ~$125 for new set of C rated tires are worth the piece of mind. The most popular pop up failures are low tire pressure, old tires, overloaded, and dry bearing.

Our Jayco Qwest 10' is several years old and has held up very well. Did a spring over to gain a little more clearance. Dont rip down washboard roads but not afraid to take it off road within reason.
 
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Interesting...

Found this PDF that says industry standard is ST tires are rated for 65mph.... if going 66-75mph, you should increase inflation by 10psi cold.

Also,

"Why Use An "ST" Tire
"ST" tires feature materials and construction to meet the higher load requirements and demands of trailering.
The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable "P" or "LT" tire.
The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements.
"ST" tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and ozone cracking."

I'm using 33" LT tires on my 2000 lb trailer that is stored indoors. I wonder when I should think about replacing my tires.

Sorry to derail thread.... please carry on.
 
hoser said:
Interesting...

Found this PDF that says industry standard is ST tires are rated for 65mph.... if going 66-75mph, you should increase inflation by 10psi cold.

Also,

"Why Use An "ST" Tire
"ST" tires feature materials and construction to meet the higher load requirements and demands of trailering.
The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable "P" or "LT" tire.
The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements.
"ST" tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and ozone cracking."

I'm using 33" LT tires on my 2000 lb trailer that is stored indoors. I wonder when I should think about replacing my tires.

Sorry to derail thread.... please carry on.
Click to expand...

I would be interested in ST tires with a higher speed rating for the Popup but I dont see them available in 12" that the popup comes with. Even with a lift 14" where ST tires are available will not fit.:frown:
 
I checked out the camper today and it didn't look too bad. The canvas was a bit dirty and will need to be cleaned, good shape other than that. The roof looks good from below, couldn't see the top as it was already popped, but it does have some hail damage. There was a little bit of seepage evident on the front roof wood, but it looked like water creeping up when towing. I'd like to add a squash gasket to tye roof if i buy it, i think that will take care of any water issues when its closed. It could use new caulk and sealer in some areas. Floor felt solid. It will need 3 tires and a wheel (spare). We'll need to go at least 70mph. Looks like I can get 3 Loadstars with a wheel for $130 online. It's super light so it should be fine.

They didn't have it plugged in, so I still don't know about the AC unit, may still be a deal breaker if it doesn't work. Boss lady is okay with getting it, so long as she can replace the covers / curtains, etc... To which I have no concern.
 
Last edited:
LandCruiserPhil said:
Tires every 2 years along with bearing service.

Most pop tires are rated at 55 mph. I pull...lets just say I pull much faster. Around ~$125 for new set of C rated tires are worth the piece of mind. The most popular pop up failures are low tire pressure, old tires, overloaded, and dry bearing.

Our Jayco Qwest 10' is several years old and has held up very well. Did a spring over to gain a little more clearance. Dont rip down washboard roads but not afraid to take it off road within reason.
Click to expand...

I noticed the cabling underneath in the rear, are you not worried about snagging that off road? If we end up with one, it likely won't go down more than a dirt road.
 
TXLX100 said:
I noticed the cabling underneath in the rear, are you not worried about snagging that off road? If we end up with one, it likely won't go down more than a dirt road.
Click to expand...

Never been a problem mostly because not a lot you can do offroad with it. I do carry a couple short pieces of 2x8 to be used as bridging ladders if I need to cross a ditch or deep water rut.

I do prefer the cables underneath rather then enclosed if you ever need to address them.

Picture was taken after the lift. Any higher the corner jacks would be short and the 1st step into the trailer would need addressing.

IMG_0642.webp
 
Looks good, how did you lift it? I don't know that I would do that, but you never know...

I found out today, they have to replace the power converter in the one I'm looking at before I'll know if the AC works.
 
Thanks for sharing your build. Did you only have to do the new spring seats and shackles to achieve your lift, same springs? What size tires were you able to use? I guess I would need to decide before I buy tires if I am going to lift it or not.

Your thread brought back some memories for me from when I was a kid. We went all over the country in a 1988 Jayco popup before getting a 5th wheel. I know I don't want a big trailer right now for a few reasons, so hopefully a pop up will get me traveling again. It can be easily towed with both of my vehicles, so I can take the LX if the family is coming or my pickup if its just me

I know a few mods will be in order if I get this one, lift possibly, trash existing foam for beds, new covers and curtains (wife), some sort of collapsible vertical storage around the sink and stove, maybe add a battery setup, maybe add a hitch adapter to carry a cooler, if it will hold the weight. Here is the one I'm looking at

image.webp

image.webp
 
Same springs and shackles, just weld new perches on top of the axle.
The prevailing wisdom is to replace u-bolts when you do something like this, mine were okay better safe than sorry.

I don't remember the tire size off hand, I suggest you follow the order I did, SOA, then swap out the small hubs, and decide on tire size.
 
I had a 10x jayco qwest.

nice pop up. I owned it for 2-3 years. sold it 3 years ago when I got my motorhome. I should have kept it as it was nice to tow and made a great place to stay when parked for 1-2 weeks. I did not like daily popping it. I had it down to 20 mins full set up. But still in the rain or such it got old. But over all I felt the quality was good.

I might have done a couple mods to mine, but the most important one was hinges on the seat storage.

I lived in mine for 4 months one winter in northern BC... another story. Lots of wine!
 
Thanks for sharing brownbear. Good point about the underseat storage, I will add some hinges to those. If I end up with this one, I have plans to mod one of the small cabinets to fit a thetford porta John so the wife doesn't have to trek in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I'm sure if we go camping a few times a year, we'll want a bigger camper, but for what I will be paying for this one, I can sell it for whatever I put in it.

My mother moved into our family lake house full time recently so we don't go there as much. (And no water in the lake). I have been struggling staying at our house in the city on the weekends. We need to get away soon!
 
if you mod it to have a toilet go all the way and use a real rv toilet and put a holding tank underneath and a fresh water tank with a pump.

Those small portables can be a pain, I would not want to left one out of the storage area full to the brim. The idea of a real rv toilet

I went to lots of rv parks with full hook ups and having that available would be good. My sink used to dump overboard but that is a bit tacky at swanky park with a concrete pad.
 
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