New Cougar 294RLS

[sacmarata]

Hey y'all. Just bought my first TT 2 weeks ago and keep asking myself "What have I done?" LOL!

This thing is awesome and it's already paying off in dividends. Been on 2 weekend trips and already the kids are on the cell phones less and we are all spending more time together.

Been lurking on here for a while (no choice...some weird glitch wouldn't let me login). I've read a lot of the stickies and beginners threads and now that I've pulled the trigger I've been looking through the modifications threads, but since I can't do all the modifications at once and have a 4 day weekend trip planned to Lookout Mt, I was wondering, what is the one modification you can't live without.

The mods I've already done are:
Hinged door to water heater
Fishing pole holder in storage area
Various plastic drawers/shelving and baskets
3/4 socket drill adapter for leveling jacks

[Ron3rd]

Good quality foam mattress topper can make a big difference and is a popular mod.

[sacmarata]

Now lets hear more of those "Cant live without" mods.

[sacmarata]

Unfortunately Ford is doing all they can to destroy diesel credibility. Its a shame because some of their engines were great and others didnt require much to make them great. Im not a brand basher but Ford has a lot of PR to do to make up for their diesel shortcomings.

The same issues happen with gas trucks, it just costs a lot less to repair when it happens.

Thats why I love my old mechanically tuned 12 valve Cummins. The thing is bulletproof and exceeds expectations for towing. I only wish it had 4 full doors.

[Hawkeye02]

We had 3 Ford 350 diesels prior to buying this GMC.... First one was a bad lemon and they took it back and we got another 350 ford...that one was alright so when it was time to trade ,we traded it for another 350. That one was nothing but trouble as well. I will also add that our vehicles are not abused in any way. Oil changed right on schedule, tires rotated,etc. we only towed a 31 ft. 5th wheel with 2 slides and was not near the towing rate. Having problems with those just left a bad taste.

[sacmarata]

Hawkeye02, the simple answer is YES. The truck will pull the camper alright.
The tough part is what is your definition of alright. If alright means there are no immediate breakdowns and the truck can physically move the trailer down the interstate, then you are good to go.

My definition of alright and most other folks is quite a bit different. I want my trucks gross weight and payload to be as much as practical to better fight any sway that may occur. I also want enough HP, torque and transmission to keep me locked up in overdrive to: Keep me and my family up to Interstate speed more often and prevent premature wear of internal components and just generally enjoy the trip to and from a WHOLE LOT MORE than the white knuckle driving an underpowered gasser may create.

My Chevy is built for towing. It's got heavy duty chassis and springs, 4 wheel disc, a huge MODIFIED 6.0 liter gas engine and a specialized option on the transmission that changes shift points and lockup settings. IT BARELY CUTS THE MUSTARD and I'm certain will be worn plum out in a couple years.

Theres loads of folks that will tell you otherwise and loads of folks that have done it because just good enough is enough for them.

My 5.9L Cummins 12 valve has 324K carefree miles of pulling 7,000lbs+ while getting better fuel mileage and always staying at Interstate speeds. Thats my version of good enough. I'm simply not a fan of using gas for towing.

Just my $.02
I hope this helps.

[Hawkeye02]

We are looking at a 28 RLS Cougar Ultra Lite . Shipping weight is 6239. We just bought a 2014 GMC Sierra crew cab with a 5.3 L, and a 4.32 . The gmc booklet says it is rated for 9500 and has a 355 hp and a ft. Torque of 383. Will the truck pull the camper alright? We will have a sway bar,etc hitch.

[Community Alumni]

The one mod I can't live without was simply replacing my furnace thermostat. The stock one had a swing of +/- 4 degrees so you would end up freezing then burning up. Didn't make for a good sleep. I swapped it out with a simple digital thermostat and it works great.

[sacmarata]

Hawkeye02 wrote:
What are you towing the Cougar with?

So far two short trips with the Chevy 6.0 gasser. It will "tow" it but I don't like just getting by, especially when my families safety is on the line.

I'll probably start using my 12valve Dodge Cummins. I'm tired of crawling up hills and not having torque converter lockup.

The Dodge will handle it just fine even with my larger 285 tires.

[Hawkeye02]

What are you towing the Cougar with?

[Bull_Rider]

We've had a 2006 Cougar 294RLS since it was new. Love the RV. We've been all across the country, and up and down the west coast about a dozen times.

We've done too many mods to count. We could afford to upgrade, but this RV suits us to a "T".

Send me a PM if you want more. Enjoy your Cougar....

[BubbaChris]

True mod I've done - the fence post stinky slinky storage unit

Minor mod I'm really happy with - Using hanging shoe pockets in the wardrobes by the bed since we really don't pack hanging clothing.

Congrats on the trailer!

[Murphsmom]

One thing we just did in our 2013 25RLSWE was to go to the service department at our dealer and beg another shelf with the veggie drawers from a fridge that was being scrap piled. We always find that we take more fresh produce than those two little drawers will accommodate.

[samhain7]

I still love tent camping too. I still do solo wilderness trips on my own into Algonquin Park in Canada...
But climate change (I assume) had made our last two years of family tent camping difficult. Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings. A few trips we had to leave early....etc. When you have young children and 60kmh winds and downpours at 2:00AM, it isn't nice.
Anyway, I did not mod my last trailer and my new one seems to already have everything. So, all I can give you is that we could not live without our big outdoor carpet which we put under the awning...

[sacmarata]

Thought it was in my sig, sorry. It's a 2005 Keystone Cougar 294RLS. Pretty sure it's 32' with the bike rack slid in.
I've noticed it has a lot of standard features considered to be upgrades on a lot of older ones we looked at as well.

funny thing, we started out looking at an 8 person tent to have more room and ended up with this thing! LOL!!!

I do still love tent camping.