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Old 06-11-2020, 01:00 PM   #1
lisa101004
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What to look for when purchasing used 5th Wheel

We are going tomorrow to look at a used 2018 Cougar 369BHS at a dealer. This will be our 3rd camper but is there anything specific we should look at. For example something that Cougar 5th Wheels or this particial model are notorious for going wrong. Thanks
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:09 PM   #2
flybouy
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Lisa, welcome to the forum from the other side of the beltway. What are you planning on using to tow that big boy?
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:13 PM   #3
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I don't know if you are Pasadena Texas or California but you probably have 50A service and the bedroom is likely for install of a 2nd A/C if not already installed. I wouldn't buy a big trailer or even a medium sized trailer with one A/C if you live in a warmer climate and enjoy camping in the sun.
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:18 PM   #4
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Wrong side of the country George. It's Pasadena Maryland.
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:23 PM   #5
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Wrong side of the country George. It's Pasadena Maryland.
I think the ambient temp year round in Maryland is what? 69F? It gets kind of nasty in the summer in Maryland if memory serves; we lived above DC in Riverdale and triple digits comes to mind but maybe not but felt like it due the humidity. I remember being out on Haynes point playing golf and having to wear a doo rag to keep sweat out of my eyes and dropping on my ball when I was putting.
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:53 PM   #6
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Around here the old saying is if you don't like the weather here wait 15 mins because it will change. Winters can be mild (in the 40s or wicked cold with big snows. It depends on the jet stream and if the moisture comes from the gulf. Summers are pretty consistent as in hot and humid.
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:57 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by lisa101004 View Post
We are going tomorrow to look at a used 2018 Cougar 369BHS at a dealer. This will be our 3rd camper but is there anything specific we should look at. For example something that Cougar 5th Wheels or this particial model notorious for having wrong in these models. Thanks

Every RV whether like the one before it or not, comes out of the factory door different. That means what you are going to look at is different than one another person has. Not only that, different owners treat their RV differently and have different ideas about maintenance. So, the RV you are going to look at is unique, it's its own "RV" and no one else's will be like it other than floorplan and appliances (or maybe not depending on the time of year).

Do a PDI on it like you would a new one and double check the tires (out of date or worn) and roof. Batteries may be shot. Abuse? Animal wear/tear? The list gets pretty long so just be aware and keep your eyes peeled.
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Old 06-11-2020, 02:59 PM   #8
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.........but is there anything specific we should look at..............
Suggest looking at all the floorplans and available options that Cougar offers and decide which ones will make your rig comfortable for the camping you do. On our recent and 3rd fifth wheel purchase in 16 years we added additional features (beyond standard features like electric awnings, 6 point jacks, hydraulic slide outs and outside outside tv connection) including washer/dryer, satellite tv antenna, solar panel, inverter, additional battery, wifi extender, side/rear view cameras and ceramic coating. We would have added additional external refrigerator cooling if it was offered. We passed on an outdoor kitchen and basement storage roll out.
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Old 06-11-2020, 04:06 PM   #9
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Hi. We are going to pull it with a 2019 F250 Diesel. He is adding air bags to the truck.
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Old 06-11-2020, 04:08 PM   #10
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I don't know if you are Pasadena Texas or California but you probably have 50A service and the bedroom is likely for install of a 2nd A/C if not already installed. I wouldn't buy a big trailer or even a medium sized trailer with one A/C if you live in a warmer climate and enjoy camping in the sun.
The camper does have 2 air conditioners. I agree that was a must in the size camper we were looking at.
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Old 06-11-2020, 04:53 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by lisa101004 View Post
Hi. We are going to pull it with a 2019 F250 Diesel. He is adding air bags to the truck.
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The camper does have 2 air conditioners. I agree that was a must in the size camper we were looking at.
That trailer is 40' long with a GVW of 14,000 pounds and an empty pin weight of about 2100 pounds. Add the front air conditioner and it's going to be around 2200 pounds. That before you put the first shoe in the closet or the first gallon of water in the tanks. Add camping/travel equipment, clothing and food, you're going to be "well over your F250 diesel payload and GVW. It's a "bunkhouse model" so I'd suppose it's not "just 2 people in the truck" which even further compounds the weight issues.

That size trailer, for a couple with no children is in the SRW F350 truck and with two or three "teenagers in the back seat" is pushing a DRW F350 as a "towing partner"...
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Old 06-11-2020, 06:31 PM   #12
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^^^^^ Thanks John. Running around and on the phone. Observation is spot on.
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Old 06-11-2020, 08:07 PM   #13
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Hi. We are going to pull it with a 2019 F250 Diesel. He is adding air bags to the truck.
This has been beaten to death on this site but the short pole in the tent is your truck's payload. This number is on the inside the door frame sticker with the tire related stuff. You most likely will fall short and be overloaded and there is a bit of danger in that. Look at your sticker placard that will be white with yellow trim and tell us what the payload for your F250 actually is. I personally believe John's 2200 lb pin weight may be a little low with that big ol' 5ver fully loaded not to mention loading the truck itself.
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Old 06-12-2020, 08:08 PM   #14
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Don't you just love the way this forum can take almost any question and turn it into "Your truck is not big enough".. Lisa is asking for advice on what to look for when looking at a used trailer, not if their truck is big enough.

Sorry I've been holding this opinion for a while and I'm sure I'll be berated for it but I just had to get it out.
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Old 06-12-2020, 09:05 PM   #15
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Don't you just love the way this forum can take almost any question and turn it into "Your truck is not big enough".. Lisa is asking for advice on what to look for when looking at a used trailer, not if their truck is big enough.

Sorry I've been holding this opinion for a while and I'm sure I'll be berated for it but I just had to get it out.

The issue of a truck's towing capability, ie; load carrying, is lost on many, if not most. One of the things a "responsible" person should do, when presented with a question/problem/issue is address the situation....entirely, not pick something that sounds good.

As far as the forum taking any question and taking it into "your truck is not big enough"....hmmm, it's an RV forum and we do what? Oh, tow RVs and that 100% entails a TV that needs to fit the RV. OP asked for what to look for in a used trailer. If sizing it to fit the TV isn't a crucial element I guess I don't know what is.

Glad you "got it out"; don't hold it in. I'm not berating you, just pointing out that you, if you are an experienced tower, have a responsibility to observe and point out issues for someone that might not know....not pick up their pieces on the side of the road because you "wouldn't say something" and chose to "hold it in". JMO
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Old 06-13-2020, 03:05 AM   #16
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"He is adding air bags to the truck."

do people install airbags without knowing why they need them? i believe they understand their weight issues and have chosen the incorrect solution. adding air bags doesn't change your GVW. guess its a choice of personal responsibility. And the question was?
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Old 06-13-2020, 04:09 AM   #17
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Don't you just love the way this forum can take almost any question and turn it into "Your truck is not big enough".. Lisa is asking for advice on what to look for when looking at a used trailer, not if their truck is big enough.

Sorry I've been holding this opinion for a while and I'm sure I'll be berated for it but I just had to get it out.
We've had more than "just a few" new (and old) members who have been ignorant of (not stupid, ignorant of) the capacity their vehicle can carry, pull, support. Some "well educated, experienced RV'ers" have bought a "SuperDuty" or "HD" truck, based on their perception that "it's a heavy duty truck, I can pull anything" and many have had that confirmed by a salesman who exclaims, "Oh you've got a 3/4 ton? You can pull anything we've got on the lot"....

Then if you look at RV manufacturer's literature, they "exclaim" in huge print, "half ton towable RV's" followed by very small print on the back of the brochure, "Only towable by properly equipped vehicles"... If someone doesn't read that "small print" it's very easy to fall into the trap of, "It's designed for a half ton truck so surely I'm more than ready to tow any of "the half ton series"... NOT SO, IF YOU READ THE SPECIFICATIONS....

It's not "imposing" to provide a novice RV'er with not only "the narrow minded answer to their question" but to also provide information they can use to make "WISE" decisions about towing.

Having been in the medical profession for a "lifetime career" and having been in the military for a career prior to that, I can assure you that if a General asked a question, "Will this work?" and you "fed him only what he asked" or if a patient asked for information about their condition and you "only told them what they wanted to hear" you'd be doing both the General and the patient a grave injustice....

For me, it's no different when someone says, "We're towing it with XXX and put airbags on the truck, so we're OK".... They might be "OK" and they might just wind up running over a school bus full of children if they lose control of their rig in terrible conditions because they were overloaded and didn't know it....

So, yes, moving the discussion to weight and towing overweight is important, and doing it BEFORE the purchase rather than AFTER the purchase is "helping" not "berating" a novice RV'er.

As always, YMMV, and that's why it's not imperative that you "join in the bashing" (if you want to call it that) but it's a "responsible discussion" to be had, on any thread that asks, "What should I look for when buying a used trailer".... One of the first considerations should be, "can I tow it safely"....
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Old 06-13-2020, 05:45 AM   #18
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Jerry, you've been around long enough to know that if the members wanted to 'berate' you for something it would be more likely because you're an Aggie fan or a Longhorn fan. As John and Danny both stated, this is an RV forum and new members come online every day. These new members generally are as ill-informed as the rest of us when we bought our first unit. After awhile the old-timers here have about heard it all and tire of the weight police, tire experts, know-it-all's, and SUV bashers.
All that considered, members are still better served with the correct information, however tiring you may find it. Let them do what they will with the recommendations that come down the pike.
Let the members camp with one AC in Texas, RV with no surge protector, keep the black tank open all the time, run China-bombs 'til hell freezes over. But we just want the members to HAVE that information and make their own decision.
With a tag name of 'old Mustanger' you might be a Southern Methodist U fan...
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Old 06-13-2020, 02:20 PM   #19
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If my neighbor asked me where to cut a tree while standing there dressed in shorts and wearing sandals holding a new chainsaw then I'd ask him if he's ever used a chainsaw before. I see no difference in inquiring what tow vehicle a "newbie" is using when they are asking about purchasing such a heavy, large trailer.

Personally, I can take the charge of "berating" over not saying something in fear of injuring someone's sensitivity.
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Old 06-13-2020, 02:27 PM   #20
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I do think the OP wrote that this was a third camper. I suspect that the OP was looking for Cougar specific things to look for but not recommendations to buy a one ton but I could be wrong. We might consider that Jerry does have a point and also never mention the A&M Aggravations on this site again.... Now that should be rule! Hook 'Em Horns! (hope they play this season)
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