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Old 02-23-2015, 08:47 PM   #21
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[QUOTE=art_vandelay;790464]Thanks for the info. I'm going to research the F150 a little more, but it still looks like the specs can handle it. Our camping trips are within a few hours of where we live, so we're not driving it too often. Right now my gut is telling me that the F150 can do the job.

From someone who towed a 329 with a half ton GMC that was rated to tow almost as much as the Ford, you need a 3/4 ton. The half tons have enough engine to move it but not enough mass and suspension rigidity to make it behave.
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Old 02-25-2015, 01:19 PM   #22
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We have decided to order Dometic Elite EZ slide toppers with black fabric and hardware and we went with Fantastic Ultra Breeze vent covers in Smoke (we thought black would be too dark and block light coming in during the day). The dealer will order and install these items. Hopefully our rig will be ready for pickup late next week.

Anyone have any feedback on the tires which come with the Lacrosse?

With our last trailer, the manufacturer installed tires were replaced with Goodyear Marathon tires (per a recall), which gave us nothing but trouble. Had 2 blowouts on one trip. We have since switched to Maxxi's and went with a higher load range (e) just to beef them up. (No, our trailer was not overweight. ) Haven't had any problems since. I believe the trailer comes with load range (d) tires. We will eventually replace the tires with (e) load range, but we'd like to get a couple of years out of the current tires.
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Old 04-19-2015, 07:22 PM   #23
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Well we've been on a couple of camping trips with our Lacrosse 329 so I thought I'd provide some feedback for all you 329 fans or folks considering a 329. And who knows, maybe someone from Prime Time will take note and make some changes.

We love our 329! Compared to our older (and lighter) Cougar, the 329 with the 14K Equalizer hitch tows so much nicer! Hardly any sway and a much more comfortable tow. It puts the fun back in towing! We really enjoy the extra space and features. We also love the gel coat fiberglass (another reason we liked the Lacrosse). Another nice feature is the black skirting below the fiberglass. It should weather much better than the white ones on older trailers. The black molding is also a nice touch...should avoid showing mold as time goes on. We decided to play it safe, so we ditched the factory installed tires for brand new Maxxis, Load Range E (for more strength). We also installed a TPMS for added peace of mind. The factory installed bed was hard as cement, so we replaced it with a Sleep Number RV bed. No need to have a bad night sleep when you are on vacation. We also like the black slide toppers we had installed and the smoke colored vent covers. But like most owners, we also have a few suggestions/complaints.

1. One of the reasons we bought the 329 was the size of the fold out bed in the rear bunk room. Our teenage son is pushing 6' and this bed was the largest we found on the market (6'3"). The problem is with the design of the bed. On our first camping trip we found all the screws on one of the brackets had pulled out of the wood frame. The dealer promptly fixed it when we got home. On our second trip, we found the other bracket completely broke at the hinge point. (still need to have this fixed). Then there is a major design problem with the bed. On the 2014 329, the bunk room is carpeted. On the 2015 model, it isn't. This causes an elevation problem when you fold the bed out. The first 1/3 of the bed is level and then it dips down for the final 2/3. This is very uncomfortable. When they removed the carpet, the factory forgot to redesign the foot of the bed and the mid bed support brackets to make them taller to keep the bed level. We got a 2x4 and cut it up to put under the foot of the bed and the mid bed support brackets to level it out. But it is a major PITA and extra weight to carry extra boards for this purpose. Hopefully they will redesign the bed to make the hinges more robust and the bed level for the 2016 model.

2. There is a roof vent in the hallway just outside the front bedroom. Why, I'm not sure. This vent should be in the bedroom to provide for more ventilation. And speaking of roof vents, the rear bunk room could also use one. Our Cougar had them in both areas and we really miss no being able to open them up, especially at night, to let cool air in.

3. The 329 could use more and/or larger windows. The interior is great but it is dark. More natural light would help. And oh by the way, none of the windows are "rain" windows. Would be handy if at least a few of them were.

4. Speaking of windows, why not put a small one in the kitchen slide? This would add more natural light in the kitchen, plus it would give you the opportunity to keep an eye on what is going on outside the trailer. You know, like what the kids are doing out front where all the action is. Currently the only window on the right side of the trailer is the small one in the front bedroom. More is better.

5. There is an outside TV mount under the awning which is placed so close to the awning bracket, I doubt it would be useable with the installed TV (or maybe any TV for that matter). Obviously, no one field tested the location. How about moving it about a foot or so toward the back of the trailer?

6. Speaking of the awning, it looks great but falls about a foot short of covering the kitchen slide. Another design problem as far as I am concerned. How hard would it be to extend the awning to cover the slide, especially since you can't mount a slide topper above the kitchen slide?

7. Supposedly you can't mount a bike rack on the rear bumper. I'm not sure what the designers were thinking, but why would you design a trailer which can sleep a small army and then not have any way to carry a bicycle? This is the 21st century where we can put email on our watch, but can't put a bicycle on a bumper? How hard would it be to reinforce the bumper to carry a bike rack? Just a thought.

8. I love the outdoor docking station for all the hookups. I do have a complaint about the cable TV connector. I know PT used the industry standard receptacle (made for the outside), but it is another major PITA or more appropriately a major Pain In The Finger/Thumb to try to thread a standard coax cable on this receptacle. How hard would it be to design one for an INDOOR docking station? Save a finger!

9. How about labeling all the switches located in the coat closet? After 10 nights camping in the rig, we still can't remember which switch is which. When you go weeks between trips, good luck in remembering. Switches are labeled in cars and airplanes, why not travel trailers?

10. The refrigerator in the outdoor kitchen opens from the left. That means you have to take items out of the fridge and work around the open door to get them to the counter. We had our dealer take the refer out and swap the hinges so the door opens from the right, thereby eliminating that problem. How hard would it be to come from the factory with the hinges on the left, so it opens from the right?

Well that's about all for now. Overall we are very happy with our 329 and look forward to many years of camping! Hopefully, the 2016 model will be even better.
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Old 04-20-2015, 12:02 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChairFlyer View Post
Well we've been on a couple of camping trips with our Lacrosse 329 so I thought I'd provide some feedback for all you 329 fans or folks considering a 329. And who knows, maybe someone from Prime Time will take note and make some changes.

We love our 329! Compared to our older (and lighter) Cougar, the 329 with the 14K Equalizer hitch tows so much nicer! Hardly any sway and a much more comfortable tow. It puts the fun back in towing! We really enjoy the extra space and features. We also love the gel coat fiberglass (another reason we liked the Lacrosse). Another nice feature is the black skirting below the fiberglass. It should weather much better than the white ones on older trailers. The black molding is also a nice touch...should avoid showing mold as time goes on. We decided to play it safe, so we ditched the factory installed tires for brand new Maxxis, Load Range E (for more strength). We also installed a TPMS for added peace of mind. The factory installed bed was hard as cement, so we replaced it with a Sleep Number RV bed. No need to have a bad night sleep when you are on vacation. We also like the black slide toppers we had installed and the smoke colored vent covers. But like most owners, we also have a few suggestions/complaints.

1. One of the reasons we bought the 329 was the size of the fold out bed in the rear bunk room. Our teenage son is pushing 6' and this bed was the largest we found on the market (6'3"). The problem is with the design of the bed. On our first camping trip we found all the screws on one of the brackets had pulled out of the wood frame. The dealer promptly fixed it when we got home. On our second trip, we found the other bracket completely broke at the hinge point. (still need to have this fixed). Then there is a major design problem with the bed. On the 2014 329, the bunk room is carpeted. On the 2015 model, it isn't. This causes an elevation problem when you fold the bed out. The first 1/3 of the bed is level and then it dips down for the final 2/3. This is very uncomfortable. When they removed the carpet, the factory forgot to redesign the foot of the bed and the mid bed support brackets to make them taller to keep the bed level. We got a 2x4 and cut it up to put under the foot of the bed and the mid bed support brackets to level it out. But it is a major PITA and extra weight to carry extra boards for this purpose. Hopefully they will redesign the bed to make the hinges more robust and the bed level for the 2016 model.

2. There is a roof vent in the hallway just outside the front bedroom. Why, I'm not sure. This vent should be in the bedroom to provide for more ventilation. And speaking of roof vents, the rear bunk room could also use one. Our Cougar had them in both areas and we really miss no being able to open them up, especially at night, to let cool air in.

3. The 329 could use more and/or larger windows. The interior is great but it is dark. More natural light would help. And oh by the way, none of the windows are "rain" windows. Would be handy if at least a few of them were.

4. Speaking of windows, why not put a small one in the kitchen slide? This would add more natural light in the kitchen, plus it would give you the opportunity to keep an eye on what is going on outside the trailer. You know, like what the kids are doing out front where all the action is. Currently the only window on the right side of the trailer is the small one in the front bedroom. More is better.

5. There is an outside TV mount under the awning which is placed so close to the awning bracket, I doubt it would be useable with the installed TV (or maybe any TV for that matter). Obviously, no one field tested the location. How about moving it about a foot or so toward the back of the trailer?

6. Speaking of the awning, it looks great but falls about a foot short of covering the kitchen slide. Another design problem as far as I am concerned. How hard would it be to extend the awning to cover the slide, especially since you can't mount a slide topper above the kitchen slide?

7. Supposedly you can't mount a bike rack on the rear bumper. I'm not sure what the designers were thinking, but why would you design a trailer which can sleep a small army and then not have any way to carry a bicycle? This is the 21st century where we can put email on our watch, but can't put a bicycle on a bumper? How hard would it be to reinforce the bumper to carry a bike rack? Just a thought.

8. I love the outdoor docking station for all the hookups. I do have a complaint about the cable TV connector. I know PT used the industry standard receptacle (made for the outside), but it is another major PITA or more appropriately a major Pain In The Finger/Thumb to try to thread a standard coax cable on this receptacle. How hard would it be to design one for an INDOOR docking station? Save a finger!

9. How about labeling all the switches located in the coat closet? After 10 nights camping in the rig, we still can't remember which switch is which. When you go weeks between trips, good luck in remembering. Switches are labeled in cars and airplanes, why not travel trailers?

10. The refrigerator in the outdoor kitchen opens from the left. That means you have to take items out of the fridge and work around the open door to get them to the counter. We had our dealer take the refer out and swap the hinges so the door opens from the right, thereby eliminating that problem. How hard would it be to come from the factory with the hinges on the left, so it opens from the right?

Well that's about all for now. Overall we are very happy with our 329 and look forward to many years of camping! Hopefully, the 2016 model will be even better.
Wow, you really hit it on the head, especially the bunk room sofa bed (ours has broken twice now so we tell the girls just not to use it folded out). That is a good idea on swapping the beer refrigerator hinges, I think I will do that this week. On the subject of the awning, I have started carrying a couple of pieces of pipe noodle insulation to put on the top lip of the kitchen slide to keep it from wearing the awning on windy days.

We have been thinking about moving the love seat couch into the bunk house and getting a recliner sofa to replace it.
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Old 04-20-2015, 06:42 AM   #25
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I really like your idea about moving the couch to the bunk room and replacing with a reclining sofa. Let me know if you do that, how it works, and how much a reclining sofa costs. Of course pictures would be nice. Would be interested in the weight distribution (would the changes make the trailer heavier in the rear). Right now we have 10.7% of the trailer weight on the tongue. Most pundits recommend 10-12%. Our 329 tows fine with just 10.7%, but I'd hate to make the swap if it adversely affects towing stability.
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Old 07-03-2015, 07:57 AM   #26
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Hi guys,

Just thought I would provide a quick update to our problem that we posted earlier. We ended up getting a Chevy 2500HD in preparation for purchasing the Lacrosse later this year. Many thanks to all of those who provided us with the right guidance on having the right truck to pull it.

Anyone have any ideas what new features will be in the 2016 Lacrosse 329BHT this fall?
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Old 07-03-2015, 10:26 AM   #27
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Quote:
We ended up getting a Chevy 2500HD... what new features will be in the 2016 Lacrosse 329BHT...
Good choice getting a 3/4 ton vs. 1/2... Our Tracer 3150 is 6500 empty vs. the 329's 8700+ empty & even though our dry weight is 2000 lighter, ready-to-camp we surpass the payload capabilities of ALL current 1/2 tons including the F150 EB w/HD upgrade...

Even with an affordable Equalizer 4 WDH the ride is totally stable. No need to upgrade to a pricier WDH, airbags, etc. I've had no issues with sway even on bridges with high winds & semis passing. My setup does best with some weight on the tongue (15%+) & with a payload of 3000 I can afford to set it up for stability vs. managing weight limits...

I see some 2016 Lacrosse's being advertised now & they look the same as the 2015's... If they make a mid-year change you will just have to compare to see if the price-difference justifies the new features... We actually bought a slightly used Primetime & don't have the fiberglass cap or rear ladder like the new ones. However, IMO those features were not worth the 35% we saved buying used...
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