What comes with my RV

[brodiegg]

So I just purchased my first RV, a 2019 Cougar Half Ton 27res. I was told to make sure to read the owners manual, which I have been very diligently doing. But there is a Catch-22. The manual says I may have standard bearings, E-Z lube bearings or Nev-r lube bearings check the Dexter book. So check the Dexter book and they refer me to the owners manual. I got on a chat with Keystone and a very nice person tried to answer what is on my rig and could not !!!!! When I got my truck it lists everything, why not trailers??? I did find out the dealer ordered it without the wiring and braces for a second AC, with is supposed to be standard, not optional. I even asked the service people what is on my coach and they did not know, gives me a lot of confidence for servicing. Any help would be appreciated,:confused:

[KimNTerry]

I have found the keystone manual to be very generic and mostly useless. Fortunately, my dealer did provide me a nice package with all of the manuals for all of the constituent parts.

[brodiegg]

Thanks KimnTerry, my dealer also gave me a satchel full of all the parts manuals, such as the Dexter book which offers different axles, different brakes, and different bearings and they say check your OM to see which one you have.

[travelin texans]

Regardless of what you have they will need to be inspected &/or packed annually. If you have the EZ lube with the grease zerks on each spindle, I'd recommend NOT using it until you've confirmed/replaced the grease seals, they are known to be the cheapest crap on the market & will leak contaminating your brakes.

[Canonman]

We were able to get a copy of the "build sheet" for our Cougar. It doesn't list minute details like which bearings are in the axels but it does list the Axels by part number. We used that to go to Lippert's site and confirm the bearing p/n there.
The build sheet is associated with your units serial number. The dealer provided the copy to us when I asked for it during our PDI.

[brodiegg]

Thanks, it should not be this difficult, we should be told--self adjusting brakes, ect. again thanks

[sourdough]

Thanks, it should not be this difficult, we should be told--self adjusting brakes, ect. again thanks

Welcome to the world of RVs. Generally, if you don't ask the information is not going to be offered; if you don't know, the sales guy probably doesn't either. What "kind" of bearings? You can find the size like canonman suggested, or, pull them to see. They won't be Timkens. Axles? Use the VIN or crawl under and look at them.

A new RV is like that brand new, just opened HUGE puzzle that you get to tear apart and put together.:D You get to learn something new everyday, and, you now own something that will use up your spare time:lol: But, they are a lot of fun.

[brodiegg]

Well finally got some information, my rig has self adjusting brakes, so I do not need to put it on jacks and check. I have Dexter's E-Z lube system with Dexters rear seal--not some off named brand i suppose, which the Dexter people say will not come out with a hand pump grease gun, may use it a couple of times then pull the drum and check. Again, many thanks to all, maiden voyage in 5 days.

[bob91yj]

My Outback had a sticker by the bedroom vent stating that it was pre-wired for an AC unit.

[brodiegg]

Much thanks bob91yj, I do not think my has that, so hopefully the single unit will keep us cool, at least in Colorado we will most likely not need one. I plan to upgrade the bathroom fan with a Maxaair and that should helpl

[kench]

My Outback had a sticker by the bedroom vent stating that it was pre-wired for an AC unit.

Hello All We have one of those bedroom air conditioners. When on it sounds like we are laying beside an 18 wheeler. I went and put a 6000 BTU window type air conditioner thru the bedroom window. Has a remote and timer and is quiet as a mouse... if you know what I mean. I have draped a flag over the outside to camouflage the unit so we don't look too odd. Works great.. keeps us cool which is the goal

[Canonman]

Much thanks bob91yj, I do not think my has that, so hopefully the single unit will keep us cool, at least in Colorado we will most likely not need one. I plan to upgrade the bathroom fan with a Maxaair and that should helpl

We were able to wire a second fan in our bedroom vent in preparation for an extended dry camp trip next month. Hoping to either bring in some fresh/cooler air or exhaust warm inside air.

[Ken / Claudia]

If you have not done this phone dexter with your VIN and they will email you a detailed sheet of all the parts they put on your trailer for free.

[brodiegg]

Thanks K/C. I was on a chat with Keystone and a very nice person emailed me with that sheet, so she probably did what you suggested. Also found out you if you do adjust the "self adjusting" brakes, it is not done the way of the standard brakes, another reason they should furnish this. again thank you

[Johnnyfry]

Ping your dealer for the build order sheet. He should have it and your serial number should match. It he threw it away, the factory should have a copy on file they can send you.

[BadmanRick]

We have a 2011 keystone bullet Premier. It has the dexter ez lube axels. Hand pump geese gun works best. A few pumps and you can see grease come out the front of the bearings. Just a little goes a long way. Hope this helps.

[Cardcathrn]

I would think with a VIN number that they could look that up. Where did you buy it from? I purchased my Cougar from Camping World and they have been fairly helpful. I also rec'd a bag filled with things to tell me what I have.

[Cardcathrn]

Enjoy and have a wonderful and safe trip!

[sugarhillctd]

I have yet to buy an RV (we are on our 7th) that has an owner's manual that is good for anything more than a paperweight.

Now maybe if you buy a Prevost or a Mobile Suites.......

[itat]

Having owned 2 Forest River TTs, I can tell that the Owner's Manual they provide is no better than your Cougar's. They are all very generic in nature. FR does provide you with a detail sheet of the appliances (model #s and serial #s) but no details about the axles other than the sticker that says they are E-Z Lube. You can get the model # from the plate on the axles. I've used the E-Z Lube feature in the past but now I just take the trailer to a local specialty trailer service shop to have the bearings and brakes done every Spring.

You can be be thankful they put Dexter axles on rather than Lippert.

[itat]

When looking at a Cougar 5th wheel recently (thus the reason I came to this forum), the axles were the one significant difference that I noticed between it and the 2 Rockwood TTs I've owed. Rockwood puts uses Dexter's Torflex torsion suspension axles but Cougar uses leaf springs. I much prefer the torsion axles.

[Larkin]

Did your unit come with a spare tire?

I was surprised when I bought my Atlantis Class C. It didn't come with a spare tire from the factory. Its a win-win for the company. Saves weight and cost. After several blowouts, I now carry a complete spare now and an extra unmounted tire.

[CaptnJohn]

If your 5er has 50 amp service I'd be shocked if it was not prewired for the 2nd AC. If 30 amp, all bets are off. Easy to check ~ just remove the inside of the hatch cover.

[larryflew]

IMO all brands manuals are POS and almost totally worthless. Start collecting the individual manuals on line or emailing MFGs. Once you get to Lippert things go smoothly.

Getting the Lippert app from their web site is really a great thing to have. https://www.lci1.com/mylci

[JRTJH]

When looking at a Cougar 5th wheel recently (thus the reason I came to this forum), the axles were the one significant difference that I noticed between it and the 2 Rockwood TTs I've owed. Rockwood puts uses Dexter's Torflex torsion suspension axles but Cougar uses leaf springs. I much prefer the torsion axles.

Sort of like Mustang (until recently) had a solid rear axle and Camaro had "independent suspension. Which is better depends more on what you're using it for than what it's called....

Airstream has used torsion suspension since the 50's. It works "GREAT" (as long as it works) but if you ever have a problem, try to get it fixed (not replaced) and you'll find a difficult path to navigate.....

Really, both systems have their benefits and disadvantages and it boils down to a matter of choice and affordability.

Essentially, when you compare a $40K trailer from Rockwood with a $40K trailer from Keystone, all things being equal, if there's an extra $2000 in axle cost to the manufacturer, there's a $2000 "adjustment" made in some other part of the trailer to keep it at the same price point..... I'm not saying Rockwood is better/worse, just that if all else is equal with more expensive axles, it's not the same price.

[CWtheMan]

IMO, an important section in the owner's manual is about warranties for equipment not covered on the Keystone warranty. The package they provided you may include information about such items and how to insure they are properly registered. No one expects things like a water heater to fail on first use. It can if the delivery driver turned it on without water in it. Same goes for a lot of other things they may have been inadvertently activated during the transit from the factory to the dealer. Dealers can do it also, especially if the unit was moved to an RV show location. PDI is the place to make sure everything is in advertised working order.

There is also a section that lists all active wheel & tire manufacturer's by OEM providers and brand, including their phone numbers. Make sure the tires were registered by Keystone or the dealer.

[travelin texans]

We have a 2011 keystone bullet Premier. It has the dexter ez lube axels. Hand pump geese gun works best. A few pumps and you can see grease come out the front of the bearings. Just a little goes a long way. Hope this helps.

If you chose to lube the bearings by the EZ lube system, just be sure annually to tear them apart to inspect everything especially the rear grease seal or risk contaminating your brakes with grease.
Personally hand pack annually & NEVER use the EZ lube!

[66joej]

[QUOTE=JRTJH;301356]Sort of like Mustang (until recently) had a solid rear axle and Camaro had "independent suspension. Which is better depends more on what you're using it for than what it's called....

Just a bit of trivia re: the Mustang but the '99 - '04 SVTs had IRS (independent rear suspensions). I have owned 3. Quite the car in their day. Heads were larger than the Boss 429. Replaced in '05 with the rebirth of the Shelby.

[hardlyworn]

I just returned from a wonderful two-week, 3600km trip across Newfoundland. While taking a little Friday afternoon side-road exploration through Gambo, I had a wheel bearing failure. Thank goodness it was in a 40kph zone and not at highway speed! To make a loooong story bearable... the bearings and seal were destroyed, and the electric brake assembly was damaged beyond repair. The bearing was an odd size that was not stocked by the local garage, nor nearby parts store. The 10x2.25" 6-bolt brake assembly had a weird bolt pattern impossible to match. Some fantastic people in Gambo at AutoPlus patched the wheel together with a combination of new and used bearings (from an old brake drum behind the building) enough to drive 3 hours to St. John's. That's where the research began. After several stops and calls to several places, I ended up speaking to a gentleman at Ashford Sales Ltd. He was extremely knowledgeable, and had every part I needed. He shared with me lots of information about Dexter axles. The light trailers take a 3600 lb axle, and the heavier ones do best with a 5200 lb axle. The 4400 lb axle is a product of a company that Dexter had bought out. It was the opinion of a Dexter representative that Dexter continues to manufacture and sell the 4400 lb axle because it yields such great results in replacement parts due to it's being prone to failure. He told me that parts for the 4400 lb axle are double what they are for the 5200 lb version, and then proved it to me by charging twice as much for the 5300 lb brake assemblies on the shelf! LOL
To sum things up, he advised me that if I ever had to replace an axle, it would be cheaper to install 2 of the 5200 lb axle assemblies then it would be to replace one of the 4400 lb axel's. That, combined with the fact that the 5200 come with a 12in brake instead of a 10 inch brake makes it an easy choice.

[tomd]

Your VIN number is the necessary key to use for determining what Keystone provided. You would have to call Keystone with VIN and your ID and you can get exactly what was built in the factory. They answered my questions on specific items, did not get the 'whole list'.



There should also be a sheet provided by dealer with part model numbers and serial numbers for options. I found it very useful already to get toilet part number.

[mazboy]

Welcome to roving. U will have to discover on your own

[Cracker727]

We purchased a new Cougar 25RES and we received the same packet of manuals along with the BS. Since the overall writing on the BS was not legible for the most part I created a spreadsheet listing all the components noted on the BS. Then I put on some dirty clothes and crawled all over my Cougar to re-record and verify all the manufacturers, model numbers and serial numbers. With the updated information I was able to visit each of the manufacturer’s websites and for the most part capture almost all the necessary information about the items supplied with my Cougar. I verified the tire info and popped off the wheel hub covers to verify ezlube wheel bearings. With going through this exercise I feel l know my Cougar right down to the S/N’s of my two axles. Yes it is a lot of information to gather and digest. Welcome to the forum.

[ctbruce]

We purchased a new Cougar 25RES and we received the same packet of manuals along with the BS. Since the overall writing on the BS was not legible for the most part I created a spreadsheet listing all the components noted on the BS. Then I put on some dirty clothes and crawled all over my Cougar to re-record and verify all the manufacturers, model numbers and serial numbers. With the updated information I was able to visit each of the manufacturer’s websites and for the most part capture almost all the necessary information about the items supplied with my Cougar. I verified the tire info and popped off the wheel hub covers to verify ezlube wheel bearings. With going through this exercise I feel l know my Cougar right down to the S/N’s of my two axles. Yes it is a lot of information to gather and digest. Welcome to the forum.Took me a bit to figure out that the BS you were referring to was Build Sheet and not the other kind of BS. The context for not hell a lot at first. LOL.[emoji41]

[itat]

We purchased a new Cougar 25RES and we received the same packet of manuals along with the BS. Since the overall writing on the BS was not legible for the most part I created a spreadsheet listing all the components noted on the BS. Then I put on some dirty clothes and crawled all over my Cougar to re-record and verify all the manufacturers, model numbers and serial numbers. With the updated information I was able to visit each of the manufacturer’s websites and for the most part capture almost all the necessary information about the items supplied with my Cougar. I verified the tire info and popped off the wheel hub covers to verify ezlube wheel bearings. With going through this exercise I feel l know my Cougar right down to the S/N’s of my two axles. Yes it is a lot of information to gather and digest. Welcome to the forum.

Great idea, Cracker. Its all good info to have in a handy place in case you need it. I also agree that downloading manuals from the manufacturers' websites is the best way to ensure you have a complete package. I keep my manufacturer manuals on an iPad that always comes with us when we go camping.