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Old 06-27-2011, 01:23 PM   #1
Charli
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Winnipeg, Mb
Posts: 110
Faulty bumper welds and other issues.

Just brought our Cougar 26SAB back from the dealer and started loading it for our upcoming trip. The following is an excerpt of an e-mail I have sent to the dealer with some issues.
1. On the kitchen table, when the extension is down, it appears that the end of the table and inside edge of the extension have either not been stained or it has rubbed off. Do you have matching stain that could be applied to match the rest of the table. It would also be nice to have a small tube or jar of the stain so we could colour match any future scratches, dings, etc.
2. One of the struts on the bed doesn’t extend fully and the bed won’t lock in the upright position. Could this be replaced.
3. Can the TV wall mount in the living room be moved up 2-3”. What I need to be sure of is if the backing behind the wall where the wall mount is currently attached extends higher by at least a few inches. While this is not of concern at this time, at some point in the future (given that on air analog broadcasts are to be terminated Sept/11) we may want to go to satellite TV and there doesn’t seem to be any place to put the Receiver. If the TV were moved up a few inches the Receiver could sit on the counter-top below the TV. While the counter-top is not wide enough to leave it there while in transit it should be ok while set up in a campsite. Again this isn’t something that is urgent but down the road I might want to make this change.
One other item. I have 2 mountain bikes that I am planning on taking on our trips and have a rear bumper mounted bike carrier. I have removed the spare tire and put it in the 5er basement for storage while traveling (may move it to the truck box as it appears it will lie flat between the 5th wheel hitch and the tailgate and still be low enough for clearance of the trailer hitch). I had mentioned this to the guy that gave me the walk through demo and he didn’t see a problem with the bikes mounted on the rear bumper. Today I put the bikes on the carrier and there seemed to be a lot of bounce in bumper. Upon closer inspection I discovered that the welds from the bumper to the frame underneath the trailer have let go. I am obviously concerned about the safety issue with not only the bikes but even with the spare tire if I choose to leave it on the bumper.
Is this something that can quickly be fixed on July 5th when we pass by on our way west and will this bumper, even with the welds re-welded, be strong enough to carry the bikes longer term. i.e. given the torque of the bikes bouncing on the bike carrier.
Is there another option for carrying the bikes. There really isn’t sufficient room inside the trailer and I don’t want to risk damaging the interior finish if the bikes fall over, etc. If anyone out there has any solutions for these problems (particularly the bike issue) I would apprecciate your feedback. I will let you know what the dealer says.
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2011 F350 KR 6.7PSD, 4x4, CC, SB, Reese Elite 18k.
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Old 06-27-2011, 02:03 PM   #2
Me.Bikes.Dogs
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Hey Charli, regarding the tv, not positive on this but I think one reason they are mounted low is so the heat can properly dissipate from the top area. If you move the tv up, you might consider installing a small fan (computer fan or something similar) in the top space to help move the warm air from so the tv doesn't overheat.

I recently purchased a Blu-Ray player and I keep it in my cabinet above the tv. I'm going to put a hole in the cabinet base shelf so I can pass the HDMI and power cables through. Then when I want to use the Blu-Ray, I'll open the cabinet door.
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Old 06-27-2011, 02:16 PM   #3
Charli
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Me.Bikes.Dogs View Post
Hey Charli, regarding the tv, not positive on this but I think one reason they are mounted low is so the heat can properly dissipate from the top area. If you move the tv up, you might consider installing a small fan (computer fan or something similar) in the top space to help move the warm air from so the tv doesn't overheat.

I recently purchased a Blu-Ray player and I keep it in my cabinet above the tv. I'm going to put a hole in the cabinet base shelf so I can pass the HDMI and power cables through. Then when I want to use the Blu-Ray, I'll open the cabinet door.
Thanks for the tip on the heat issue however the TV is mounted on an arm that swings out so lots of room for air circulation. I have cabinets both above and below the TV however they are only 7" deep so not enough for a Blu-Ray or Sat Receiver. One other option may be to move the TV down to almost rest on the counter top below the TV and mount the Receiver with brackets to the bottom of the cabinet above the TV. Anyway have time to think about it as we really like to get away from the boob-tube when camping.
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2011 F350 KR 6.7PSD, 4x4, CC, SB, Reese Elite 18k.
2015 Mountaineer 331RLT, 5thAirborne Sidewinder, Dual A/C, Fireplace, HT Seating, Dual Pane Windows, Cocoa interior.
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Old 07-27-2011, 03:18 PM   #4
Charli
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Some observations from our 1st trip (3 weeks) with our new 26SAB.
Overall happy with the 5er however wish I would have sprung the extra bucks and got the 297RKS. The extra kitchen counter space as well as larger holding tanks would have been great. It seems the quality has been sacrificed the past few years to deal with the recession and this was confirmed in a discussion with one of the RV service depts we stopped at in our travels.
We ended up forgetting to put the TV antenna down after our 1st night which cost us $330. to replace and then got too close to some shrubs getting into our campsite and our rubber roof was attacked by a lamp post hiding in the bushes. Then a flat tire on our last day made the trip complete. Oh well, **** happens.
When we first took delivery of the unit we had to get the bumper rewelded and after 1,000 miles we ended up taking the spare tire off as the welds let go again. The dealer now has it back to weld a receiver to the frame and shore up the bumper so I can put the tire back on as well as a bike rack for our 2 mtn bikes. That'll be another $600.
They are also going to see if a ladder can be attached to the back. If not I will be buying a collapsable ladder. The flap on the range hood fan vent dropped off somewhere in our travels so they are replacing this as well. Starting to wonder if I should have got the extended wty.
Bought a water regulator based on recommendation at one of the campsites-wish the dealer would have mentioned this. Think I will look for a water filter to attach to the water hose. Seems like an easy way to improve water quality so we don't have to haul bottled water around.
We are new to camping yet we noticed a number of easy design improvements:
-only one window in the bedroom with no ceiling vent. gets kind of stuffy even with the window open. dealer is going to see if a roof vent can be cut in, if not perhaps a fantastic fan in the bathroom will help draw some air through.
-foam in sofa/chair cushions s/b firmer. they won't last long
-angling the toilet, and there is room, would make doing your business much easier
-window over sink s/b slider, not emergency push out. Can't open window if door is open. Don't know why an emergency window is required 2 feet from door.
-should have overflow between galley and grey tanks. Invariably grey tank gets filled up after 2-3 showers and galley tank has lots of room. tanks could be bigger.
-s/b backsplash behind stove as wallboard will invariably get stained and be difficult to clean.
-basement should have vinyl floor, not carpet
-s/b electric plug-in in hallway and beside bed.
There are a few more but if a couple of newbie's can come up with a page of suggestions I don't understand why the professionals who mfg these trailers haven't thought of them.
We are home for 2 weeks and then off again for 3 weeks to Bemidji,Mn and Black Hills,SD hopefully with bikes in tow.
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Bruce & Lori, now happily retired and Charli (our 60lb lap dog)
2011 F350 KR 6.7PSD, 4x4, CC, SB, Reese Elite 18k.
2015 Mountaineer 331RLT, 5thAirborne Sidewinder, Dual A/C, Fireplace, HT Seating, Dual Pane Windows, Cocoa interior.
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Old 07-27-2011, 04:47 PM   #5
therink
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 1,605
Hi
Welcome to rv'ing. Not sure if this is your first rv or not, but I am assuming yes. I know that we were much choosier in our 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th rv. I think it took that many for us to finally find what we wanted (floorplan, build quality, options, etc)
Yes, there are almost always things that could be different or made better. We like to consider this an oppurtunuty to "mod" our rigs. If you post your individual questions or search the mod sections of various rv forums, you will receive lots if tips and ideas on how to make your new rv home to you.
As far as the welds on you bumper, that is unacceptable in my opinion. I would insist that only a "certified" welder do any welding on your frame. In my experience, most rv dealers do not employ "certified" welders. They do not like to pay that kind of wage for a rv technician. I added some reinforcement to my bumper and have no problems carrying three bikes on a bumper mounted rack. It can be done, but most people will not recommend it. Also, I have heard that keystone may void your frame warranty by modifying the frame or adding a bumper rack.
Steve
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Old 07-27-2011, 04:51 PM   #6
Bob Landry
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I'm curious how the bumper "let loose". Did a weld give way or did the bumper material "tear". At any rate, $600 to get it reinforced seems a little steep. I took mine to a local hitch shop that does all my work to get a support for a custom diamond tread box that I had built to mount on the bumper. They fabricated the brackets from angle iron, welded them on, drove self tappers through the box into the angle to reduce bounce, brushed the welds and painted the whole thing and charged me for an hour($65 including tax). I'm going back in tomorrow because after looking and thinking, I decided I wanted some additiona support for the bottom of the bumper and I wanted it secured to the trailer frame for stability.That will probably be another hour, but it is what it is and it's peace of mind. One thing I did notice about the welding on the bumper and bracing is that Keystone did not run a weld the entire length of the seams being joined. The welds are about an inch in length and they only placed them about every 3-4 inches. Doing that on material that is only 1/8" thick to begin with just doesn't seem like the right way to do it. When my hitch shop did the other work for me, the guy ran the weld the entire length of every seam. I didn't have to ask him to do it that way, so that must just be the proper way to do it.
Let us know how yours turns out.



You can see the brace on the outside bottom of the bumper. It still needs to be reinforced with the trailer frame.

This photo shows how the box is mounted to the bumper. I used 4" square U-bolts with pieces of plywood on the inside to distribute the load so the aluminum doesn't tear out.

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