Cougar Half Ton

x96mnn · 12-30-2012, 02:58 PM

Was just looking at the Keystone 2013 line up and notice they have a new half ton series.

Is there anyone who have purchased or have seen one of these? I am interested in one and would like any info one can share.

Festus2 · 12-30-2012, 03:37 PM

x96mnn -
I haven't looked at Keystone's 2013 Cougar 1/2T line up yet but it would appear that they are still carrying on with their "Half Ton Towable" promotion which began a while back.
Being a bit of skeptic, I look upon the Half Ton Towable advertisement the same way I view their "Arctic/Polar Package" promotions -- a clever advertising ploy which gives the impression that these units are good on their own in prolonged periods of sub freezing temperatures when, in fact, they are not. Not even close.

Our 2008 Cougar 278RKS 5th was advertised as Half Ton Towable and it probably could be towed by today's F150 Ford Ecoboost for example but I'm not convinced that it could be safely towed. There is a difference.

Perhaps some of Keystone's smallest (or smaller) TT's and 5vers may fall into this advertised category but when I see that "Half Ton Towable" sticker on the side of any RV, I am reminded of the saying, "I'm from Missouri", even though I'm from Beautiful BC.

schwalbach · 12-30-2012, 04:00 PM

e purchased a laredo 1/2 ton towable, when we got ot all filled up for a trip I scaled it and I had 4250 on the drives, exactly what my 3/4 ton is rated at!

If you want a 5th wheel you need a 3/4 ton to do it safely!

rrohrer · 12-30-2012, 05:13 PM

false advertising. I don't have a fifth wheel, but if I upgrade- I'd be getting a 3/4 ton truck first. payload on half ton truck not up to par for that.

**hankpage** · 12-30-2012, 05:39 PM

Come on guys .... I've seen a half ton tow the space shuttle. If the 5r is under 300,000 lbs it's no problem.

Please let me get by before the next hill. ............... Power is not the problem .. it's payload.

JeffS · 12-30-2012, 05:44 PM

We have a Cougar 26SAB 5th Wheel which we tow with a 2003 F150 7700. To date we have towed the 5er all over the Smokies, Rockies, & San Juan's with no trouble. Granted, at 12,000 feet I'm down to about 35 mph but we are never in a hurry and it seldom takes more than 15 - 20 minutes to get over a mountain pass. Our opinion is that the journey is 50% of the enjoyment of RVing so why rush. Put on 4,000 plus miles in September on a trip from Michigan to the San Juan Mountains, Colorado with an average of 10.0 mpg.

To be fair I do need to say that my F150 7700 is what Ford used to call the "Light Duty 250". It has the 5.4 V8, 3.73 gearing, heavy duty frame, springs, transmission, and 7 lug wheels - 2,670 Lb. payload.

Since we don't do any boon-docking we travel light. Therefore we don't tow with more than 5 -8 gallons of water and utilize local grocery stores rather than hauling a lot of food.

Ayotte · 12-30-2012, 06:31 PM

We have a 2012 cougar xlite 26SAB and have been towing it with a 2008Dodge 4wd quad cab and a 5.7 hemi, 3.55rear end. Have no problem towing it and it does not set the truck down much. I did install timbrins on the truck as the rear springs flex quite a bit-these take the sway out. I do tow mostly on fairly level areas but have been in some fairly large hills(not mountains) and have no problem. It will pull the camper a majority of the time in overdrive. I usually average about 13miles/gal. (Canadian) Have towed it for two summers now.

rhagfo · 12-31-2012, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schwalbach

e purchased a laredo 1/2 ton towable, when we got ot all filled up for a trip I scaled it and I had 4250 on the drives, exactly what my 3/4 ton is rated at!

If you want a 5th wheel you need a 3/4 ton to do it safely!

Well you suffer from owing a truck built before the "ratings Wars", that 12 valve is capable of a lot more with a little work to the injection pump. With a camper package you have one ton springs, most likely doesn't squat at all.
If you were to look at your GAWR for front and rear and compare to your GVWR there would be a sizable difference!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffS

We have a Cougar 26SAB 5th Wheel which we tow with a 2003 F150 7700. To date we have towed the 5er all over the Smokies, Rockies, & San Juan's with no trouble. Granted, at 12,000 feet I'm down to about 35 mph but we are never in a hurry and it seldom takes more than 15 - 20 minutes to get over a mountain pass. Our opinion is that the journey is 50% of the enjoyment of RVing so why rush. Put on 4,000 plus miles in September on a trip from Michigan to the San Juan Mountains, Colorado with an average of 10.0 mpg.

To be fair I do need to say that my F150 7700 is what Ford used to call the "Light Duty 250". It has the 5.4 V8, 3.73 gearing, heavy duty frame, springs, transmission, and 7 lug wheels - 2,670 Lb. payload.

Since we don't do any boon-docking we travel light. Therefore we don't tow with more than 5 -8 gallons of water and utilize local grocery stores rather than hauling a lot of food.

This is towing a 5er correctly with an F150, get the big payload and watch your weight. Your 5er is at max a 10,000#, but more likely about 8,000#, really a nice fit.

Javi · 12-31-2012, 04:56 PM

What did they do to lighten the trailer???? Thinner gage metals, plastic fixtures, thinner plywood, less insulation, single pane glass etc. Not that difficult to shave several hundred pounds off if you try. After you get it you'll start adding the weight back 10 or 15 pounds at a time, but you'll really have to watch the axle ratings cause they chopped some of the weight there too.

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RedOne · 12-31-2012, 05:46 PM

Look them over. We tow our '13 Cougar X-Lite with our 2011 F150 SCrew 4x4 TowMax. It does a very good job and do not have any problems after thousands of miles. Yes, it is a little smaller than the Montanas and Raptors but my wife and I don't need one of those big dogs. We have many of the luxuries that others have also. 3 slides, flat panel TV, 15K ac, 1 fresh, 2 greys & 1 black tank, Mor-Rite Suspension, Aluminum wheels, All the packages available and more.

SkiSmuggs · 01-01-2013, 06:42 AM

You have to do your homework, mostly on configuring the half-ton truck and some on your expectations of the fifth wheel you get. I got my 2011 EcoBoost before the HD Payload package was available, but got the Max Tow option to add 500 lbs of payload. Then I added SuperSprings and plan to switch to the Ford HD Payload shocks in the spring. While I realize this does not change the factory load ratings, it does some of what Ford does to get the higher ratings.
3000 miles of towing have been very comfortable and it handles so much better than the travel trailer did. I don't load heavy items in the basement, the fresh water tank is at the rear of the fiver, I max the truck tire pressure and check it daily. Some say the brakes can't do the job, but the truck is rated to tow 11K and I tow 8.5K, plus the trailer has its own brakes. I keep my speed to 60 mph and maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. I have never felt my truck was under powered or overloaded.
My next truck will have the HD Payload with Max Tow, but I don't expect that to be for 8-10 years.

Wayne · 01-01-2013, 07:29 AM

We have the Cougar HC 299RKS & our TV is an 08 GMC CC 2500; however at least 3 owners in our Cougar HC social group use a half ton as TV. Two are Tundra's & one is an F150 Ecoboost. They all seem to be pleased with their towing capabilities.

tundraman67 · 01-08-2013, 05:38 PM

I have one of those wonderful space shuttle pulling 5.7L tundras and I tow a 2012 Cougar Xlite 29RES with it. I don't believe that I can pull the space shuttle, but it does pull the 5ver really well. I live in Florida so the largest hill we go up is probably my driveway - lol. I did put airbags on the back because it squatted a little, but I don't think that added capacity. I took my setup to the scales and feel comfortable with the weight. If I was taking longer trips I would probably look at a larger truck due to gas mileage, but we stay in the state and enjoy our home away from home. Good Luck and happy Rving.

davidjsimons · 01-09-2013, 04:21 PM

My father used to buy 3/4 ton trucks for working in the field. My uncle complained that he was spending too much money on the trucks and bought 1/2 tons and added rear springs. He never understood the brakes and bearings. The trucks were junk in twelve months. The guys actually loaded one of hem until the rear spring hangers broke and the springs went up through the floor of the body. My father just looked at his brother and laughed.

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davidjsimons · 02-28-2013, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhagfo

I run our 01 Ram 2500 Cummins with a Power Puck! We travel way too many two lane roads with hills and limited passing lanes.
We can hold the speed limit in a 7% grade which keeps the drivers behind us somewhat happy.

Be careful on some of those 7% grades with that much power unless you have a boost gauge and a pyrometer. The engine most likely produces about 28 psi stock and will slam the boost gauge past 35 psi with the programmer. This is real hard on head bolts and the inner cooler. I'm not saying that it won't last, I drove my last truck 330,000 miles set up hot as a firecracker, just be mindful of the EGT's and the boost pressure.

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RedOne · 02-28-2013, 05:48 PM

No problems with my combo running on any of the roads we have been on so far.

The whole rig runs very nice...and keeps speed up on any hills we go up... Smokey Mountains and Ozarks so far.

**JRTJH** · 03-01-2013, 12:01 AM

Pulled the mountains in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio in 5th gear at 65MPH last summer with trans temp staying rock steady, engine temp never moved and A/C was on the whole time. I'm satisfied, gets me where I want to go. Sort of like the scooter commercial... "Hoveround takes me where I want to go..."

davidjsimons · 03-01-2013, 02:00 AM

As I said, I'm not saying it won't last. Aside from driving 330,000 miles, set up pretty hot, I also then sold the truck, still running great, to a good friend of mine. Just be mindful of what is actually going on under the hood and drive accordingly. Have fun! I love a quick vehicle.

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Javi · 03-01-2013, 03:54 AM

I've never understood the obsession of buying a tool much too small for the job and then spending good money to make it work... But I guess that's no different than heading out to catch a 300 pound fish with 10 pound line... Or going after Kodiak bear with a 22 LR...

**JRTJH** · 03-01-2013, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Javi

I've never understood the obsession of buying a tool much too small for the job and then spending good money to make it work... But I guess that's no different than heading out to catch a 300 pound fish with 10 pound line... Or going after Kodiak bear with a 22 LR...

Javi,

There are as many "modifications" in the 3/4 ton crowd as in the half ton crowd. I can say, that my truck is absolute stock with the exception of the fifth wheel hitch, wheel well liners and the back up camera. Otherwise, it's just like Ford built it. Not even a Fram air cleaner. When I got ready to buy, I sat down and looked at all the available trucks, considered my garage, the weather, the trucks that would fit into our current lifestyle. I got the Ford build sheet, looked specifically at axle ratings, spring ratings between different models of the same truck, looked at each and every option and specifically built my truck to my specifications. And after building the truck, then we went looking for an RV based on pre-defined criteria. We didn't go looking at RV's and meander through the big rigs, we knew we couldn't tow that kind of fifth wheel. We didn't look at the ones with a GVW bigger than 8500 lbs, we knew we didn't have the capability to tow it. We didn't look at rigs with a tongue weight greater than our payload (minus 800 lbs) we knew the rear axle wouldn't support it, we didn't ..... We were looking for a specific trailer.

We camp in some pretty back woods areas, places where I needed a small RV to even get to. Remember, we moved from a 2005 Ranger and a pop-up truck camper to this rig. We aren't towing the "Taj" behind a F150, we're towing a reasonably sized fifth wheel weighing less than many 30' travel trailers with essentially the same "tongue weight" as them on the pin.

I could (will) answer your comment by stating the opposite side of the coin you tossed..... I never understood why my fishing buddy used to insist on bringing his deep sea rig every time we went Crappie fishing. His 50 lbs test "rope" slapped the water and scared more fish than he caught.

I really think that each person should critically look at his situation and determine if he wants a "big rig", a "medium rig" or a "light rig" and buy the appropriate setup that meets the criteria established.

There are those small families, say two people, who always buy a 50 lb "sack of 'taters" and end up throwing away 40 lbs of rotten ones, there are those who buy a 25 lb sack and throw away 15 lbs, there are those who buy 10 lbs and use them all, and then there are those who like fresh potatoes and buy enough to last the week. Are any of them "wrong"? Nope, to each his own, as long as they can justify their purchase.

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