Flagstaff vs Jayco Qwest

[northernlights]

We live in Northern Alberta (Canada) where there are no TT dealers, so we are looking for some advice before we travel 400 miles to nearest city with some selection.

We have a line on a "barely used" 2005 Flagstaff 227 for $8600 Canadian, and a 2002 Jayco Qwest 10B for $8500.  We have a Windstar V6 3.8L van for towing.

We have three young kids, so space is a priority.  However, we would like some advice on the quality and reliability of these two trailers.

Pricing aside, are there any advantages of one of these brands over the other?

Thanks!

[mike4947]

Well without the trailer towing package your "tow rating" is 2000 pounds and both the trailers will gross out more than that in camping trim.

The Flagstaff is a 12 foot box and the Jayco is a 10 foot box. The 2 foot does make a lot of difference in space inside the trailer.

[northernlights]

If I look at the Jayco website, a 2003 Qwest 'unloaded vehicle weight' is 1465 lbs.  How much should I allow for gear, liquids, and so on?  I would have thought my towing capacity of 2000 lbs would have been sufficient.

Thanks for the help!

Jim.

[mike4947]

Well the problem is the dry weight listed is never correct. It doesn't include things like AC, awnings, racks, spare tire, furnace, water heater, or anything else the factoiry calls an option and the dealer installs like propane tanks and battery. Not to mention everything we tend to pack in the trailer and that the 2000 pounds includes passengers, fuel and optionsd on the Van as well.
 
You really have to use the gross weight rating and get a true weight on the TV and it's GCWR to get an acurate figure on what you can tow.
FOr what it's worth adding a aux trans cooler is never a bad isea to keep the trans from overheating with the increased load of a trailer.

[ilovecamping]

We have never owned a Jayco so I can't help you there but we just purchased a Flagstaff this year.  We love it and have had it out 3 times already.  Flagstaff seems to give you more for your dollar.  I am not sure of the model you are looking at but we tow with a full size GMC van and we had to add things to keep the back end up on it.  I would say it is probably too heavy for your TV but I am no expert.