Cougar 25RDS Ohio

[goldtrigger]

A couple of years ago a guy passed us on I-35 driving an F150 Triton V8 pulling a full sized Montana bobtailing a Kubota Ute doing well over 75 mph. I chased him down to make sure I wasn’t mistaken on the TV. They are every where🙀

[travelin texans]

These rv dealers must be getting a kick back from Ford for telling all new rv owners that the F150 is the ultimate tow beast as it seems most newbies, & some that should know better, come on here that have bought RVs that are much too heavy for a F150, or any other brand of 1/2 ton, that swear they are within the weight limits.

[vampress_me]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

These rv dealers must be getting a kick back from Ford for telling all new rv owners that the F150 is the ultimate tow beast as it seems most newbies, & some that should know better, come on here that have bought RVs that are much too heavy for a F150, or any other brand of 1/2 ton, that swear they are within the weight limits.

Nah. Didn’t you hear? It’s the Toyota’s that can haul anything according to their owners. Because, of course, they can pull the space shuttle...

[flybouy]

The ones I get a chuckle (and a shiver) from are the "I checked all the numbers and I'm good". Never see a max payload number, never see a scale number, but they like to quote the max trailer number from a brochure on the web and an empty shipping weight on the Keystone site. Yup, someone's got your number and it's the salesmen.

[apachewolf]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

These rv dealers must be getting a kick back from Ford for telling all new rv owners that the F150 is the ultimate tow beast as it seems most newbies, & some that should know better, come on here that have bought RVs that are much too heavy for a F150, or any other brand of 1/2 ton, that swear they are within the weight limits.

With all due respect I owned a Lance 2180 at the time of the purchase of the 2014 F150. The Lance was 23’ long and the GVWR was 5500 lbs. A little over a year after we got the F150 we came across the Keystone Laredo 240MK. The length of the Laredo is 27.5’ and the GVWR is 7200. The F150 has a load cap of 1684 and is good to pull 9000 lbs. Yes I know that the last number is less relevant tan the trucks load cap. But I and about 175 lbs UNDER the 1684 which may be pushing it but is still within. I believe that the RVer that barrels down the road fully loaded at 75+ miles is far more dangerous than a rig traveling at 55 mph close to its load capacity. And in my search for suitable trailers to pull I have ALWAYS let the length and the GVWR of the trailer be the determining factor. And after a purchase it was always off to the scales to verify. And even if I had a real big truck or any such TV I would never fly down the road at 75+ miles. I get there in time and also have fun going there.

But yes a lot of sales are made on the wrong assumptions with regard to a TV’s ability and stability.

Happy camping.

[MXRacer]

I bought the 25 RDS SWE in February. It has everything I need in a under 27-foot floorplan and beat out a Bullet Premier and Jayco Eagle during our search. I've taken it out once to Tahoe and it confirms for me that the trailer is perfect for me and my family.

I tow it with a 2018 F250 CCSB 4x4 with the 6.2 gas motor. The Superduty handles it easily, although I'm considering changing out of the 3.73 gear to something lower for pulling power up the mountains. I almost bought a 150 over the Superduty, thinking that I wouldn't need a 250 to tow. But I love the stability of the 250 with the WDH. It's rock solid in heavy winds with semis next to me.

The only design element I don't like about the 25 RDS is the refrigerator in the slide. The gas line must extend out with the slide, and when I close the slide, the gas line almost every time will get crimped between the slide and the sidewall of the coach. It's something to watch when you close your slide.

Upgrades to consider are Goodyear Endurance tires and going to an upgraded equalizer like the Dexter EZ Flex or the CRE units. The difference in towing comfort is remarkable. Stock, the trailer will buck over bridge and expansion joints and send it right into your driver's seat. With the Dexter EZ-Flex, the trailer feels more like it's floating behind you rather than jabbing you in the back.

Also, you can add insulating foam panels between your aluminum structure in the pass thru storage. This keeps your bedroom toasty warm at night. It's easy and cheap.

Be careful if you run a weight distribution hitch (which you should.) With very tight turns, the leading part of the A-frame below the coupler will smash into the part of the WDH where the trunion bars lock into place. At the very least, it's unsightly to look at bent frame tubes.

When you pick it up, have a place to put the dinette table during the tow home. A free-standing table at the back of the coach on linoleum will become a traveling missile during hard breaking. You'll find my thread under modifications that shows how I fixed this issue.

Check my other thread regarding the 12V issue I had since day one. Keystone put some type of fuse right on the positive battery terminal that gave my trailer fits. The battery wouldn't charge, and even when it was full, it did not power anything longer than 5 seconds. After four visits by an RV tech (who couldn't diagnose the problem,) I came here and solved it myself with advice from these smart forum members.

Besides a few other minor loose screws and trim pieces that I fixed myself, my family and I really like this trailer. It's not perfect, but with some attention to detail from me, it should be almost bulletproof.

Enjoy your 25 RDS. It's a keeper.