Keystone Cougar 368MBI

[kevl137]

I just purchased one from a local RV show this past weekend. Any one have any experience with this good or bad? Just checking. We love the layout of it and looking forward to the adventure with it. Thanks in advance.

[sourdough]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new rig!

[ctbruce]

Welcome to the forum from Kansas City, MO! Glad you're here!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[5th_Wheelin]

I have a 2018 Cougar 359MBI, which should be identical with only a few small detail changes. Yes, my family loves it! It takes a little bit to get used to pulling such a big trailer, but when you do it's smooth sailing!

[kevl137]

Awesome! Cant wait. I had a 37' bumper pull so im hoping this will be about the same. I keep hearing that a 5th wheel is easier.

[kevl137]

Thank you.

[5th_Wheelin]

If you're used to pulling a travel trailer that size, then you should be golden! When do you plan on taking it out on its maiden voyage?

[kevl137]

Suppose to pick her up this weekend if the walk through is good. I tend to look at a lot of stuff. Hopefully we can go to a local state park and try her out. Ill post pictures once we go.

[Tbos]

Enjoy your new rig.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[pilotdude3407]

Following. This is the unit we have settled on and are just waiting for a couple of things to fall into place. Please let us know any issues, good or bad, you run into.

[kevl137]

Well i ordered the Sidewinder Airborne Elite hitch and its on back order for 5 weeks. Had my pre inspection finally yesterday. Nothing major found but a bunch of little stuff. Saw dust in floor vents, kitchen faucet broken, ceiling trim loose, microwave face all scratched up it has to be replaced, rusted springs on slide out cables, front nose cap had a nasty scratch up on roof side and others. Over all im excited bout it. Cant wait for the first trip.

[travelin texans]

Well i ordered the Sidewinder Airborne Elite hitch and its on back order for 5 weeks. Had my pre inspection finally yesterday. Nothing major found but a bunch of little stuff. Saw dust in floor vents, kitchen faucet broken, ceiling trim loose, microwave face all scratched up it has to be replaced, rust2ed springs on slide out cables, front nose cap had a nasty scratch up on roof side and others. Over all im excited bout it. Cant wait for the first trip.

Funny you mentioned saw dust. Ours is just over 5 years old & traveling fulltime we still have saw dust falling from light fixtures & ac vents every time we move. The 1st time I removed the basement wall I nearly filled a gallon bucket with screws, pieces of wire, wood cut outs, & other trash, obviously if they drop it it's yours. My buddy took his basement wall down & found a well used DeWalt impact driver laying there, while these things are moving down the line they must not have time to bend down to pick anything up.

[spak1270]

We are looking to purchase a 368 MBI also. Currently have a Sprinter 311BHS and want to get rid of bunkhouse travel trailer. Anyone had issues with their’s? And yes we no longer have the F150. We have a F250 SD Crewcab.

[JRTJH]

If your F250 is a diesel, you'll probably be over your payload and GVW with that trailer. It weighs in "empty" at 1980 pin weight. Add propane, batteries and cargo, you're going to be well over 2200 pounds and that doesn't include the weight of your hitch, passengers, cargo in the truck cab and bed, etc. If you're considering adding a combination washer/dryer or a stack unit to the front closet, you'll be adding another 200+ pounds of pin weight. If your truck is a 2017 or newer, you'll gain the advantage of a couple hundred pounds of payload, but if it's a 2016 or older, a diesel and a lariat or higher trim, you're probably right around 2000 pound payload on the truck as it sits.

I'm not saying don't do it, just be aware that you're going to bust at least two of your weight limits with any diesel 3/4 ton and you'll be "at or over" with a 6.2L gas F250.

Towing a 40' fifth wheel with a GVW of 14000 pounds is quite the task for any 3/4 ton truck.

[kevl137]

Well after doing some more math, i decided to go buy an new truck. The F-250 was right at the limit. So i bought and 2017 F-350 DRW. Should not have any issues with this set up.

[Javi]

Well after doing some more math, i decided to go buy an new truck. The F-250 was right at the limit. So i bought and 2017 F-350 DRW. Should not have any issues with this set up.You done good, welcome to the dually club...

Javi

[Tbos]

Congrats on the new truck.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[kevl137]

Thanks! Looking forward to the many trips!

[dcg9381]

Congrats, make sure you do a full PDI when you pick it up - let the dealer know that you're going to walk through it (expect it to take hours). Often this will keep you from making a trip back to the dealer.

I don't think there is more good or bad with any particular model. They're all built largely in the same place by the same people. If the floor plan is favorable to you, that's what is important.

[kevl137]

I did the pre-walk and it took almost 3 hours. The guy doing the walk through with me said he wished more people did what i did, it would save a lot of headaches down the road. Im taking a small 2 day trip close to home to see if anything else comes up prior to the big one i have planned in March.

[kevl137]

Well got it picked up. I swear that 40' did not look this long at the RV Show. lol

[Tbos]

Well got it picked up. I swear that 40' did not look this long at the RV Show. lol



I was at a hotel last night and a couple of 5th wheels were staying there for the night too. The DW asked if the biggest one there was bigger than the one we are getting? I looked it up. It’s the same size. You are right, they look smaller at the RV show.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[travelin texans]

Well got it picked up. I swear that 40' did not look this long at the RV Show. lol

I'll give you a good piece of advice on your new 5er. Don't commit to a state/national park until you drive through without the 5er, they will tell you they have big rig sites & do, but getting to them with a 40' 5er & a truck with wide hips is next to impossible. This has been the case for us on numerous occasions & only about 1 in 10 we can actually get into.

[5th_Wheelin]

I'll give you a good piece of advice on your new 5er. Don't commit to a state/national park until you drive through without the 5er, they will tell you they have big rig sites & do, but getting to them with a 40' 5er & a truck with wide hips is next to impossible. This has been the case for us on numerous occasions & only about 1 in 10 we can actually get into.

Wow, I haven't had luck like that yet. We have taken our 5er out 4 times now, to 4 different parks (2 SP, 2 COE) and were able to fit without too much of a hassle. Yes, we do call first and yes we did have a really tight fit one time. But, over all, it's been smooth sailing.

[kevl137]

Good to know. I had a 37' bumper pull and had some tight spots but have been lucky so far.

[travelin texans]

Wow, I haven't had luck like that yet. We have taken our 5er out 4 times now, to 4 different parks (2 SP, 2 COE) and were able to fit without too much of a hassle. Yes, we do call first and yes we did have a really tight fit one time. But, over all, it's been smooth sailing.

Good to know. I had a 37' bumper pull and had some tight spots but have been lucky so far.

Both of you are from Texas also & I've not been in a Texas state like I mentioned, but states with lots of big trees, tree hugger states, Washington, Colorado as examples are where you better check first..

[Eric23]

We just bought the Cougar 368MBI and took it on a 7 night, 2 state break-in trip. Overall, we loved it. We found two issues though and I wanted to see if you've had them since it looks like you've owned yours for a couple of months now.

1) The floor in the main living/kitchen area seems weak over the heating ducts. It flexes enough that the kitchen island actually rocks back and forth.

2) The bedroom slide leaks when its out during the rain. It appears to be a design flaw because the rubber seal channels water down to the bottom of the slide which is a flat plastic trim piece. The water pools there until it runs inside the rig at the corner of the bed slide. The rig was perfectly level on a concrete pad site and it was leaking a fair amount.

We can't get it back into our dealer for 3 weeks to get checked so I was curious if you've had either of these issues?

Thanks for any info and/or feedback.

Eric

[kevl137]

I have noticed the island rocking when walking around it. Im taking mine in for a few minor fixes this weekend and i will bring that up. I have not noticed any water leaking around the bedroom slide. I will keep an eye out for that. Let me know what you find out when you take it in.

[Eric23]

I have noticed the island rocking when walking around it. Im taking mine in for a few minor fixes this weekend and i will bring that up. I have not noticed any water leaking around the bedroom slide. I will keep an eye out for that. Let me know what you find out when you take it in.

I went to the local dealer who has another brand new 368MBI on their lot. The center island rocked a little bit but not nearly as much as ours does. I'm hoping it just became loose from the 1,100 miles of towing we racked up on the first trip. And that they can tighten it down. I looked more closely at the construction of the center island and it's pretty cheaply made. I think it is going to require some extra added support inside to keep it more rigid and secure. Fingers crossed its something simple and not a major repair/issue already. I'll let you know what they say. Please let me know if they give you any insight when you bring yours in.

[JRTJH]

There are 4 or 5 threads in the past 3 years that discuss the "rocking" or "loose" center island. If you do a forum search, you should find at least some historical data about the topic. Remember that trailers are designed to flex and move when being towed and that usually means that they aren't "braced and supported to not move" like islands in a S&B home. What you're seeing may be a "engineered in feature" to prevent the island from coming apart when the trailer is moving down the highway. Then again, yours may be moving more than it should. Your dealer should be able to make that determination.

[Eric23]

There are 4 or 5 threads in the past 3 years that discuss the "rocking" or "loose" center island. If you do a forum search, you should find at least some historical data about the topic. Remember that trailers are designed to flex and move when being towed and that usually means that they aren't "braced and supported to not move" like islands in a S&B home. What you're seeing may be a "engineered in feature" to prevent the island from coming apart when the trailer is moving down the highway. Then again, yours may be moving more than it should. Your dealer should be able to make that determination.

I hadn't really thought about it purposely engineered like that but its a good point to consider. I'll keep that in mind when we are dealing with them. When I walked in the other 368MBI they have at the dealer the center island moved a little bit but not as much as ours. And our biggest concern was the floor seemed to flex a lot more than it seems like it should. When I walk around the center island without touching it the floor flexes enough to make the center island rock enough to shake anything sitting on it. I'm not a small guy (275lbs) so I had my wife and my friends wife who's less than 150lbs walk around and it did the same thing so I don't think its just my weight. I'm just really worried that its indicative of a major structural issue that is going to be costly and time consuming to get fixed. Only time will tell I guess.

I'll search the forums for these issues to see what I can find. I'm new here and didn't realize that was possible. Thanks for the info!

[JRTJH]

You're welcome. I'm not saying you don't have a problem, it's completely possible that something was "mis-built" or incorrectly assembled in your trailer. Your dealership should be able to help you differentiate between "wrong" and "OK". I was pointing out something I think is important for all of us to remember. That's the fact that a travel trailer can not be constructed like a S&B house. If it were, it would literally "shake itself apart" during the first trip over a rough road.

I'd urge you to keep your dealer "interested" in making your trailer perform like all the others that are similar in floorplan and equipment. If none of them "wobble" then yours shouldn't either, but if all of them "have a little play" then yours should be very similar. If there's a significant difference in island stability, then Keystone should step up to the plate and fix yours.

[Jordan family]

We have had ours for a year now we love it. But we have had several problems if you need anything just ask.