Jayco Tour

While we were waiting on the paint shop to finish with the Diamondshield removal and replacement, we had time to tour around. One of our stops was the Jayco factory in Middlebury, IN. We toured on a day when fifth wheels were being made.

Most of the plants start early. They want to be done by early to mid-afternoon. The plants are not air-conditioned and it gets too warm. Components are often made in a nearby building or even by a different contractor, and are assembled in the plants, station by station. We enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm of a couple on our tour whose unit was in the production line. Sorry, photos were not allowed.

My cousin had the memoir written by Bertha Bontrager Rhodes, Grace for the Journey: My story of family, faith, and RVs. She and her husband, Lloyd, were the founders of Jayco. One vignette from her book stands out in my mind. She recounted how customers came one day exclaiming about how the janitor they had met one Saturday on the lot knew so much about the company. The janitor was very knowledgeable about RVs and the company. That janitor was Lloyd.