Which One??

mountainlivin · 04-24-2013, 02:50 PM

Hi all,, New here, we are seriously looking at Cougar fifth wheels. The models we are considering are the 327RES and the 280RLS. After looking at posts by owners of the 327, many are pulling with 3/4 ton trucks. We have a 2006 F250 crew cab swb 6.0 so it doesn't appear we will have a problem pulling. We are going from a Jayco 31 bhds TT. So this will be a change. Wanted a quality fifth wheel without having to upgrade truck also. Any suggestions or recommendations? Thanks, Don

Cougarfamily · 04-24-2013, 04:39 PM

According to the specs I have, our hitch weights are only 15 pounds apart, and the 329 RES weighs 1,000 more. We pull our with the '05 F-250 shown below. Have had no problems towing our 5er. IMHO, you should also do just fine.

And welcome to the group from neighbors to the south.

Jim Dow · 04-24-2013, 07:53 PM

We just purchased a Montana High Country which we are pulling with a Ford F250 Super Duty. We recently towed it on our first 500 mile round trip with absolutely no trouble. In fact, the High Country towed better than our ski boat.

I added a combination auxillary fuel tank/tool box and hoist to the truck bed. I can say that the fuel tank alleviates some anxiety about having to look for fuel at certain gas stations. We just refuel at rest stops and look for fuel without the High County attached.

SteveC7010 · 04-25-2013, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainlivin

Hi all,, New here, we are seriously looking at Cougar fifth wheels. The models we are considering are the 327RES and the 280RLS. After looking at posts by owners of the 327, many are pulling with 3/4 ton trucks. We have a 2006 F250 crew cab swb 6.0 so it doesn't appear we will have a problem pulling. We are going from a Jayco 31 bhds TT. So this will be a change. Wanted a quality fifth wheel without having to upgrade truck also. Any suggestions or recommendations? Thanks, Don

My 326MKS has pretty much the same GVWR and pin weight as the two trailers you are considering. So far, it has pulled just fine with the F250.

The two trailers have almost identical features but laid out a bit differently. Since they are both Cougars, I'd expect to find the same appliances, furniture, cabinetry, etc. in both. What it all boils down to is floor plan and length of the rig. In both cases, that's pretty much a buyer's decision.

Is there something specific in one of the floor plans that you're concerned about?

mountainlivin · 04-25-2013, 05:56 AM

Like most men, whatever floor plan makes the wife happy.

DJ85 · 04-25-2013, 06:31 AM

I have to agree with ever makes the wife happy.

I tow our res327 with a f-250 only thing I did was put some air bags on the rear. No problems pulling

inspecterbake · 04-25-2013, 07:14 AM

X2

mountainlivin · 04-25-2013, 07:50 AM

One concern we have is it looks like the 327 has the air mattress sofa ,while the 280 ,doesn't. Haven't heard good things about the air mattress. Have you had problems?

**JRTJH** · 04-25-2013, 08:00 AM

We've have the air mattress sofa for going on the 3rd year. No problems at all and have had adult children, in-laws (and some outlaws) sleep on it a number of times. Ours is a standard 6" double bed size, not the unique shaped one that some models use. That makes replacement as simple as going to the nearest WalMart. The odd shaped ones, I've heard are difficult to find and expensive to replace. So far, ours holds air well, I've got no complaints and those that sleep on it say it's comfortable. In other RV's, we had convertible dinettes and jack-knife sofas. This air bed appears to be much more comfortable for sleeping than they were.

DJ85 · 04-25-2013, 09:42 AM

You might want to take a look at the community site for res327 owners. I started a discussion on likes and dislikes on the site. You can get there by clicking on the Community icon at the top of the pagen then click on social groups this will give you a whole lot of choices for different camper that people own. Click on the owner of res327 and scoll down to the likes and dislikes that might give you some more reference for what you are looking for. Good Luck we sure like ours alot and we spent a lot of time looking around before purchasing so we know what your going through.

nano · 04-26-2013, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainlivin

One concern we have is it looks like the 327 has the air mattress sofa ,while the 280 ,doesn't. Haven't heard good things about the air mattress. Have you had problems?

When we purchased our 333mks, we were told by our sales guy that Cougar went with a regular sofa bed in our 5ev because they are going to get away from the air mattresses due to people having problems with them.

However, I like the 327 over the 280, so I would probably end up replacing the recliners with a sofa bed or something, if there is room, so that I wouldn't have to depend on the air mattress.

nano · 04-26-2013, 06:42 AM

Also, if it's important to you, it doesn't look like you would be able to get to the fridge or bathroom with the slides in in the 280.

I also wouldn't like walking in the entry door onto carpet (if the floorplan I'm looking at is accurate).

mountainlivin · 04-26-2013, 06:47 AM

We are probably leaning towards the 327 for the reasons you mentioned. The wife prefers more hard flooring in the entry and kitchen area. Do have another floor plan to look at before we decide to pull the trigger.

5mary6 · 04-26-2013, 01:57 PM

I was told the same thing by our dealer. We went with the 333MKS for a whole bunch of personal reasons in addition to the extras. The regular bed in the sofa is much better than the air mattress IMHO..The dealer said they got so many people bringing the bed back after they popped the air beds and saying it was warranty issues. That's why they went back to the regular bed.

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