Puma Unleashed

Thanks for all the help.

One of the options that has listed is 50 Amp service w/2nd A/C prep So I guess it would be worth it to go ahead and get the 2nd ac. When I get ready to buy I will look at Bill Plemmons also. It is about the same distance to me as Country Roads in Lexington.

We have used ours in the middle of summer in both San Antonio and Arlington. The single AC won't keep it 70 in there, but the only time that it even got up towards 80 inside is when people were going in and out a lot. We found that if we closed the door to the garage and then opened the main AC vent in the living room it kept it comfortable inside. Nice and cool at night.

Ours has the built in Onan 4000, which is I believe what they came with if ordered from the factory. Not sure that going to a 5500 would be of any help, since the trailer is still only wired for 30 amps input into the electrical system. There is a fairly good chance that if you added the 5500 and then tried to run 2 ACs you would still be tripping the main breaker or doing some other electrical damage. Not sure on this, confirm with someone who knows more about these then I do.

Our local dealer has told us that they can add a second AC for about $1000. This AC would be run with a normal 20 amp cord that we can plug into the 20a outlet on the post while at RV parks. This would bypass the 30A main feed line and definitely allow the second AC to run. He also said that when boondocking we could plug this into one of the exterior outlets on the camper and the 4000 genny would "probably" run it without tripping anything, as long as we were careful about microwave, hair dryer, etc...

Ours has the Rocky Mountain package, which I was told means more/better insulation. That may be complete BS from a guy trying to sell a camper, but it does have the sticker on the side saying that it has that package. Maybe that is why, but so far it has never gotten hot enough in the camper for us to decide to spend the grand.

Sorry about being long winded, hope it helps!!

maskins wrote:
Is one AC unit enough to cool the entire trailer?
Have any of you added the on-board generator? This is an option I think I would want but they told me $5,000 installed. Seems high but I haven't shopped around. We are just starting to look.

One A/C for a 37' RV really isn't enough unless it's a mild day out. If it's hot, you'll want/need that second one to maintain temps inside.

A brand new Onan 5500 off of Amazon will run you $4,584. So $5000 doesn't sound that bad. Yes you can buy a portable generator for less, the down side is you need to set it up each time you take a trip. There is value in having it a button away. I did the portable generator, but when I bought our Raptor and Winnebago they both had the Onan and glad I don't have to move my Yamaha around. There is value to an on-board generator at resale time too. But really comes down to your style of camping and if you want to part with the money.

The only other comment for you is look at the storage inside, I didn't see much storage for the master bedroom compared to some others I've been in. Just food for thought.

I have a 2012 356QLB as well and can't complain. I would say in this case I got more than I paid for. Not sure if that has ever happened before.....
I've had a couple very small problems but how many people that own a camper haven't? :)

Bill Plemmons up here in Raleigh has a 2015. Maybe you could work a deal and get them to add the generator cheaper. $5000 "seems" quite high.

As for the AC, if its possible to add, I'd do it. Rather have too much versus not enough.

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like a good product.

Is one AC unit enough to cool the entire trailer?
Have any of you added the on-board generator? This is an option I think I would want but they told me $5,000 installed. Seems high but I haven't shopped around. We are just starting to look.

We have a 2012 356QLB. Absolutely love it. All the features we need, without all the expensive "frills". Only gripe at all is that if going down lots of gravel roads, the staples they used to hold the interior paneling will pull out, allowing an ugly gap to show. A quick squirt of liquid nails in the gap and some air brads to hold it while the glue dries fixes the issue, but I don't have all the seams done yet, just doing them as needed. Overall we are having a great time with this trailer.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Pumas. Our first camper ever was a 2004 Puma TT. It was the cheapest camper we ever owned yet we still talk about more trips as a family in that TT than any other. Heck, I still remember when we sold it after four years of ownership. The wife and I watched it being driven off. :(

I think you'll be very happy with one. Like YGuy said, they're only 96" wide. Plus, they are still aluminum sided. But they're well made yet without some of the fancy things the higher priced toy haulers have. In my opinion, too many of the higher priced toy haulers are more focused on putting fancy upgrades into their product but they still show little effort in quality control. The more stuff you have on them, the more that's likely to break.

Forest River has their own forum. They also have a section for toy haulers and in there, a section for Palomino owners.

Palomino Toy Haulers

One downside is all the Puma's are 96" wide vs the 102" for many other haulers. This means you can not load two ATVs side by side, and other issues. It's not an issue if you don't need the space. I can't say they've had a lot of issues posted on here. But if you put the word Puma in the search box and click the "Search only in Toy Haulers" you can read some past threads - if you haven't already done that.

We have a Puma 253FBS, which is not a toy hauler. We feel that they are not perfect, but above average. I believe that Forest River still offers a low cost second year warranty--if the dealer doesn't tell you about it, call FR support.