Jayco Offers New Floor Plans
Jayco has introduced new floor plans for its Type C Redhawk and Type A Precept motorhome lines.
The 2015 23XM Redhawk is built on a Ford E-450 chassis with a 305-horsepower Triton V-10 gas engine. Features of the 26-foot motorhome include a rear-slide queen bed; an over-cab bunk; a booth dinette with laminate top; a three-burner range with a 9,000-Btu SuperBurner and piezo igniter; an 8-cubic-foot refrigerator; and a convection-microwave oven.
Standard features of the Customer Value Package include champagne-colored fiberglass sidewalls; frameless windows; a front-molded, seamless fiberglass cap; an electric patio awning; and a rear backup camera and monitor. Three interior décor choices are available.
The 2015 35UP Precept is built on a Ford F-53 chassis with a 362-horsepower Triton V-10 gas engine. Features of the 36-foot motorhome include a queen-size bed with storage underneath; six-way-powered swivel driver and passenger seats; LED lighting throughout; and solid-surface countertops and honey maple residential cabinetry. This floor plan has a three-burner range with a 9,000-Btu SuperBurner and piezo igniter; a convection microwave oven; and an 8-cubic-foot refrigerator with raised-wood panel doors (or an optional 12-cubic-foot refrigerator). Two interior décor options are available.
The 35UP also features hydraulic auto-leveling jacks, a tankless water heater, frameless windows, and backup and side-view cameras and monitor, as well as the JRide handling system, which includes Bilstein shocks, a stabilizer bar, Hellwig helper springs, and rubber isolation body mounts.
For more information, visit www.jayco.com or call (574) 825-5861.
Investment Firm Buys Born Free
Dodgen Industries Inc., manufacturer of Born Free Type C motorhomes, has been sold to a Des Moines, Iowa, investment firm. HBF Investments purchased Dodgen for an undisclosed amount in a deal that closed January 14, 2015, according to RVBusiness.com.
“For many months, we have been seeking out investors to help provide the necessary capital to ramp up our production and sales efforts and take Born Free to the next level,” Brandon Dodgen, who formerly was Born Free general manager, wrote in a letter that was posted online in a Born Free owners forum. HBF, he said, “saw the potential of our products and had a strong desire to be involved in the RV industry.”
Jeff Butler, former director of engineering for Forest River subsidiary Dynamax, is the new president of Born Free. Brandon Dodgen is staying on as product manager; he said the company also is retaining its other employees.
Dodgen Industries was established in 1947 as a farm machinery manufacturer by John N. Dodgen and his brothers. Born Free Motorcoach, the company’s motorhome operation and an FMCA commercial member, began designing and building Born Free motorhomes in 1969.
Larry Girard Passes Away
Larry Girard, a successful businessman, leading supplier to the RV industry, and an FMCA commercial member, died January 4, 2015. He was 74.
Mr. Girard joined awnings supplier A&E Systems in 1973 as company president, and six years later he purchased the company. Under his guidance, A&E diversified and grew from an $8 million company in 1979 to a $100 million company in 1990, the year Mr. Girard retired. Later, Mr. Girard encouraged his wife, Marcia, to start a new awning company, Girard Systems, which diversified into the water heater business.
Before entering the RV industry, Mr. Girard, a Quebec native, was an engineer with Controls Research and Honeywell and worked on the Apollo spaceflight program. He is survived by his wife, five daughters, and 10 grandchildren.
Freightliner Launches Line Of Tag Axles
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. has introduced UltraSteer, a line of fully integrated and precision-tuned tag axles. Designed for premium RVs, UltraSteer is compatible with both disc and drum brakes, and it offers luxury motorhome manufacturers more flexibility with floor plans.
“UltraSteer provides full control and precise maneuvering in all conditions — as well as increased safety, the elimination of tire wear, and lower maintenance,” said Tony Sippel, Freightliner’s director of sales and marketing.
With UltraSteer, the wheels on the tag axle follow the ideal turning path of the front suspension, with forward-mounted tie rods enabling the inside wheel to have optimal turning range. The result, according to a Freightliner press release, is a 17 percent reduction in the curb-to-curb turning radius — a 140 percent advantage over typical steer tag axles — as well as a 20 percent tighter turning angle than the nearest competitor. In addition, the Freightliner release says UltraSteer’s outboard-mounted shocks are more reactive to roll input, which enhances ride and handling, and its wide-track suspension arms provide increased lateral stiffness, also improving handling and safety in sudden maneuvers.
According to the company press release, UltraSteer will be available on select Freightliner chassis beginning in early 2015.