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Old 05-20-2022, 08:51 AM   #1
wrvond
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Installing J.T. Strongarms on Cougar half ton

My set of Strongarms arrived yesterday and I’m amazed at the amount of hardware that comes with the bars.
A cursory examination of the front bay revealed this install may not be as straightforward as I had hoped.
So I’m looking for tips from folks that have completed the installation on late model Cougar half tons.
If nobody else has done it then I’ll post up what I figure out though it’ll be another week before I get to work on it.
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Old 05-20-2022, 09:52 AM   #2
jsb5717
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What's the particular issue you're seeing? The front bay is likely quite similar to ours. Since there is lack of substantial structure where you would mount the upper brackets I used 2 of the 2-hole plates...one inside, one outside...sandwiching the floor of the bay between them. It's worked well. If that's your issue that was my solution. I know others have added some sort of additional structure as well to help spread the load a bit.
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Old 05-20-2022, 11:02 AM   #3
wrvond
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsb5717 View Post
What's the particular issue you're seeing? The front bay is likely quite similar to ours. Since there is lack of substantial structure where you would mount the upper brackets I used 2 of the 2-hole plates...one inside, one outside...sandwiching the floor of the bay between them. It's worked well. If that's your issue that was my solution. I know others have added some sort of additional structure as well to help spread the load a bit.
That, and I also noticed there is a propane pipe crossing from one side to the other. At this point I don't know if there will be any interference with that or not. I'm going to have to make a closer, more thorough inspection before I go nuts with the drill.

Thanks for that idea. At this point there's no doubt I'm going to want to reinforce that spot.
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Old 05-20-2022, 11:56 AM   #4
JRTJH
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The floor of the front bay on our Cougar is a relatively thin sheet metal slab. It would not support the BAL stabilizer bars that I installed (similar to the strongarm system). So I cut a piece of 90 degree angle iron with 3" sides to fit under the trailer and then a piece of 3" flat steel bar on the inside of the floor. I drilled those pieces and bolted them into place using the brackets and the steel plate with the same holes. The vertical side of the angle iron serves as a reinforcement to prevent the plate from bending under pressure from the BAL stabilizer bar brackets.

If your strongarm system allows for a "horizontal mount" to the underside of the floor, you could do the same, and if your brackets require a vertical surface to mount the brackets, you could use the vertical part of the angle iron strip. But I'd recommend using angle iron under the trailer, just to provide a stronger surface that won't bend under pressure from walking around inside the trailer.

Here's a couple of photos of what I did. Maybe it'll give you some ideas on how to incorporate that into your system. And, don't be surprised when you start digging around under the front of the trailer and discover that the underhang on the front wall (under the access door) is luan wallboard and 2x2 clear pine framing. I sprayed all of mine with truck undercoating and it's holding up well, given what how it was built.
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Old 05-25-2022, 05:21 AM   #5
AZtrailer
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Thumbs up Good Upgrade

I have the same trailer as you, a 24RDS and installed JT Strong Arms shortly after our first trip with the trailer. They make a big difference in the stability at the camp site. I just followed the instructions for the install included with them and things went pretty smoothly. Here are some pics of them on the trailer.
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Old 05-25-2022, 06:22 AM   #6
wrvond
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AZtrailer View Post
I have the same trailer as you, a 24RDS and installed JT Strong Arms shortly after our first trip with the trailer. They make a big difference in the stability at the camp site. I just followed the instructions for the install included with them and things went pretty smoothly. Here are some pics of them on the trailer.
Thanks!
So you don't feel the metal floor of the forward compartment is too thin?
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Old 05-25-2022, 06:36 AM   #7
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Thanks!
So you don't feel the metal floor of the forward compartment is too thin?

It is thin but when sandwiched between the two metal plates it seems okay. I think the surface area of the plates makes the difference.
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Old 05-25-2022, 06:45 AM   #8
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It is thin but when sandwiched between the two metal plates it seems okay. I think the surface area of the plates makes the difference.
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