Puma 365QLB comments

[aftermart]

I am looking to buy or order a new Puma 356QLB toy hauler.I was wonder if any of our members have owned this unit?If so i would like to hear any pros or cons about it.
I'll be towing it with a 2003 Dodge shortbox 2500 4x4 Cummins with an automatic /3:73 gears/with air bags.Have'nt bought a hitch yet.

[jlbreaux]

We own a 2011 model 356QLB. We have been satisfied with the unit so far. It is fairly light (appx 9000+ lbs dry) and it pulls great. I tow with a 06 6.6L Duramax 4x4 short bed quad cab with the Allison tranny and with 33" grip tires and I have no issues towing at all. The pros are the 12' garage, fueling station, plenty of room with one slide, plenty of room for people to sleep(4 camper queen beds, plus dinet). Cons for me are, as most companies do, useing cheap electronics, cheap exterior lighting, etc. etc. Could use a little more outside storage.I have already had a slight water leak at the front cap. The molding that is used to hold down the cap and the epdm roof on the end had came loose. I resecured molding, cleaned and conitioned the roof and used dicor lap sealant and have not had any more issues. The floor plan could have been thought out a little more in placing the shower and toilet. Instead of useing a privacy curtain to seperate the shower/sink and toilet,they could have added a few more inches of length to the frame to be able to make the "master bedroom" an actual bedroom where you use a door to go in and out of the room. As they say you can't please everyone, what I may not like about it you may like. We liked the unit so we bought it, and are glad we did. We have no regrets and I am sure you will enjoy the unit also.

[aftermart]

Thanks for all the great info.I think the low quality of some of the items is whey they can price the unit so well.I've looked at a lot of units,but i'am retired and only have so much money to spend,and this hauler fits my price point and has the features i need.Especially that 12' garage for my RZR and extra tires & tools.
What hitch are you using with your short box?

[jlbreaux]

Your welcome. The pro’s outweigh the con’s for sure. One more con, do not put toilet tissue in the toilet. The drain pipe has 2 45’s in it and the tissue paper hangs up and will make it appear your black water tank is full and overflowing into the toilet. It will also show full on the monitor gauge panel. The 12’ garage is great, it will fit 2 Harley Davidson Heritage softails and a Harley Davidson Fat Boy at the same time. We had a 32’ bumper pull and were looking to upgrade in 3 years or so. We would go look a few models just to see what we liked and did not like. We were not expecting to upgrade as soon as we did but we could not pass it up. It belonged to my cousin and they used it maybe 6 times. I would have been a fool to pass it up for the price, and he let everything go with it, 5th wheel hitch and all. I am using a Reese 16k 5th wheel with the stock Lipert pin box. I did buy a Reese 5th Airborne Sidewinder that I plan to install Sunday. After all the research I have done on aftermarket pin boxes/hitches, I have come to the conclusion that after I install the hitch it will be a great investment.

[Oaklevel]

We have a 2013 Puma 356QLB that we picked up in May. Taken it out several times. So far we love it. No problerms. We had a 2006 Puma before & hated to trade it. If you order one keep in mind with Puma almost everything is an option so make sure that you order what you want. We have almost all of the options. (except the generator & fuel station) We haul an electric golf cart & don't need the gas station. Like the look of the Dark Cherry cabinets. Also the listed weight of 9200 lbs is with no options. Ours came in at over 9600 lbs. The pin weight is between 2600-3000 lbs so be sure your axle is heavy enough. I tow with a 2005 Dodge Dually with the Cummins but I like over kill. Pulls like a dream. We looked around alot but could not afford the price of most of the other toyhaulers. Our sons inlaws have a toyhauler that cost nearly double ours. It has just a few nicer features but not enough for double the price. (We like some of the Pumas features better as well). I just pull with my same 16K Reese hitch I had with the other trailer with no problem but I have an 8 ft bed. Hope this helps.

[aftermart]

More great info,thank you.Yes i'am aware of the option thing with Puma,but i have been finding these trailers fully loaded for very good prices!I also like the cherry cabinets & simulated wood floors.About the only thing spendy i'll be adding is a Onan 4000 genset,have to have it because i dry camp 70% of the time.
I'll be balancing the pin weight out when i load the garage with my Polaris RZR,extra tires,tools,ect.So this thing should pull like a dream.

[grooveman]

We also have a 356QLB, 2012 model. We looked at many toy haulers and decided that at about 10k less than comparable units, the Puma was a much better value and had everything we wanted. We haul 2 Honda Rancher quads in the garage and they barely fit width wise.
We have been back to the dealer a few times with ours for minor issues. Would be nice if they would put real drawer slides in the bedroom drawers like the kitchen has, and I wish there were more floor plan options in that unit. But after camping in it for about a month so far, we are very happy with it overall. We have pretty much every available option including a 5k generator.
In my opinion for the price it can't be beat.

[TheGoodwin4]

We're headed out for maiden voyage tomorrow. This is our first camper and after all these years of tent cling I'm pretty excited. No toys this run just learning how it all works.

Only mod completed so far was to correct the layout of the switched under the counter and at the bedroom. They must just grab the wired and plug them into the neatest switch.

I'll post up later how it went.

[TheGoodwin4]

A look at what I found under my fuel station gas cap!

[ng2951]

We looked at that Puma and I certainly like the garage concept.

I believe you have an option for either propane or gas on the genset. I would certainly go with the gasoline option over propane. It is much easier to refill the fuel station on the road over the propane.

I might also recommend going with the 5KW over the 4. We are using dual Hondas 2000s and find they don't quite handle the load of the 15KBTU ac well. It works but it really hammers the gensets.

I would also check out the fuel station. Ours has been problematic. I don't know if its trash in the tank and/or ethanol in the fuel that has caused all the pump problems. I don't know if I should rebuild the pump or just replace it.

I wish we had the garage for all our cowboy gear. Puma seems to lack a certain amount of internal/external storage to help maximize its toy hauler space. Since we would not use the full garage, we be able to hang all our period wear, firearms, gun carts, ammunition, and maybe have enough room for the reloading gear. That would be super nice SASS rig.

[Poppy94]

we got the 2011 356 QLB sport package and love the trailer. what sold me was the sliding glass patio door for the vapor wall. WOW, an actual door with no folding fold up pseudo futon couches on the walls and not parking quads in the kitchen. love it. pulls like a dream. F250 powerstroke Reese hitch, no worries/no problems. plenty of beds, roomy, i'd buy another one. glass enclosed shower, the list goes on. just wished the dinette horseshoe seats were a little more comfortable. but other than that, we love it.

[grooveman]

I'll echo that comment about the dinette seats, not enough padding for me. Maybe some different foam would do the trick?
Also we had a custom dinette table made since we weren't able to slide behind the table that came in the unit. Obviously the trailer is designed for families with small children, but being just the Wife and I, a smaller table worked better.

[jlbreaux]

I agree, the dinette sucks. I have a friend that does custom wood work and we are thinking about getting him to make us a table so adults can sit behind it. We are also wanting him to put folding legs on it so when we have the slide in we can fold the table and place it in the garage so we can have easy access to the kitchen area. We will probably have him put a design on the table for our "center peice". This is 1 of 3 gifts he made for me and the wife for our wedding.

[Poppy94]

that looks awesome! i hear you on making the table removable once the slide is in. i've been looking into that myself.

[TheGoodwin4]

Some updates on my 2013 356QLB


Right now working on the shower link. More info posted in the tech section.



Installed a few LED lights form eBay. 36 bulb type. I'll be ordering more.







Made some clips to hold the ladder in place for the boys to climb up in their bunk.



A few hooks. Used some backing in the cabinet.






Rewired the switches to where they actually make sense!



Installed An LED light strip.






Here's to hoping this post works out correctly from my iPad since there isn't a way to preview it.

[grooveman]

Looks good! I did the same LED light modification over the winter since we do a lot of dry camping. We also had a leak from our shower which I traced to a tiny hole in the caulking along the inside where the bottom of the metal frame sits on the fiberglass pan.
I have to agree the way some of the switches were wired made no sense. I ended up labeling them to make it easier to know what is what.

[sageghost]

Hi everyone, thanks for all the comments and intel on the 356 QLB. We just bought a 2013 model two months ago and had a great time bringing it back from the dealership up in Kentucky, including two KOA camp stops. I'll definitely be going with a minimum 5kW generator based on ng2951's advice above.

[Poppy94]

sweet LEDs on the awning. oh, poppy like! 12v? right? ebay? hmmm....i gotta start shopping ebay again.

[bentpushrod]

I really like the led light stip under the awning. My only question, does it attract mosquitos? Up here in ND if the wind isn't howling the mosquitos are swarming.

[Poppy94]

i'm ready to find those LEDs and install them. as far as skeeters go, we use the "OFF" fans or the citronella candles. that keeps'em away here in Texas.