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Old 10-11-2011, 11:57 AM   #1
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New Sabre Silhouette 250RLUD

Bought a 2012 Sabre Silhouette 250RLUD on Saturday. We are doing the PDI on the 18th and will have it delivered to the house on Oct. 19th since delivery was free. Still have to install the hitch in the truck and need to install a Sidewinder on the trailer. We looked at Outback, Cougar and Crusader. We liked this best for all around fit our needs. Just the two of us getting ready to retire and start seeing the USA. Anyone else out there with this model? Anything I should key in on during the PDI?
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Old 10-11-2011, 12:04 PM   #2
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i have a sabre 32 bhok-6 we love our sabre .
ask questions about everything .
hw heater bypass valve location
water filter location
convertor location
what all the switches do
and how to run everything in your camper
what to do to winterize it and summerize it .
you can never ask to many questions !
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Old 10-29-2011, 05:33 PM   #3
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I would like to hear about this model when you get it. What truck are you using for it?

Also where did you get it from? I am in Dallas.
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Old 10-29-2011, 11:35 PM   #4
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We started looking for a trailer at last years Dallas RV show when we saw the Cougar 26SAB. We are planning on camping a lot in state parks where the sites are generally small. This year, more models came out with the smaller, lite 5th wheel trailers which is what we wanted. That's when we found the 250RLUD. We also looked at the Crusader. A couple of key decision points for any of the trailers was weight, shower and sink in it's own room, quality, floor plan, and on this trailer an added benefit of 84 gal. gray water. That's important when camping in the state parks since many places only have water and elec. at site.
We purchased it at FunTime RV in Cleburne.
We just bought a new 2011 GMC 1500. Yes, I know, it's a 1/2 ton truck but with this trailer it will work just fine. You just have to option the truck correctly. Truck is a crew cab, 5'8" bed, 6.2 engine, 6 speed, 4X4, with max tow options. Today we installed the Reese hitch in the bed and and a Reese Sidewinder on the trailer that will give me the turning clearance I need. I originally looked at the Pullrite Superslide but decided against it for reasons of weight and ability to remove without some type of lift.
Maiden voyage in about 2 weeks.
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Old 10-30-2011, 06:06 AM   #5
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Everything you describe is just about the same things that we (DW & myself) want. I have a 2011 Tundra with the max towing packages with a 6' 6" bed and the 5.7 engine. We watched a video of the 250 yesterday on the FunTime RV website. I plan on getting a regular hitch instead of slider also. I most likely won't do the state parks much, but wanted something light enough I could take into the mountains.

Please let us know how your maiden voyage goes.

Edit: Could you let me know what the DW weight posted inside the door is when you get it? This should change some with different options.
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Old 10-30-2011, 09:08 PM   #6
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reubenray,
We hooked up the trailer today to see how it towed. I was very impressed. The truck only sank about 3 inches. Less than I thought. I haven't taken it to a scale yet but that tells me the pin weight is well within limits. Think about at least putting in a slider with your short bed. My bed is 5'8", shorter than yours, but I put in the sidewinder. I took it out and jack-knifed it to see what clearance was. I still had about 5 inches between the cab and the side of the trailer. I was very pleased. With your 6'6" bed I would think about some kind of slider. You might not need it most of the time, but if you do... you could have trouble. I chose the "don't have to think about it solution".
The brochure lists the dry weight at 7200 lbs. Mine weights in at 7610. You really can't do much with the options. Most manufactures list a dry weight, but says it doesn't include options. But most of the "options" are listed as "manditory". So.... guess what.... count on 7610.
I'll let you know what I think in a couple of weeks when we take it out. We are thinking about going to Cedar Hill in the Dallas area over Thanksgiving. I'll keep you posted.
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Old 10-31-2011, 09:57 AM   #7
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This is an issue I have been having with the weights. Most of the actual models I have seen are 300 to 500 pounds heavier than the posted weights. The 7610 weight would be over 8000 after I add our personal stuff. The actual pin weight percentage is the one thing that could be high or low. I have been using 17% to calculate the approximate pin weights. This would make the pin weight on this model over 1360 pounds.

If the fifth wheel does not have concave front I figured I would have to add the sidewinder pin adaptor to give me some more room between the trailer and my truck.
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Old 11-10-2011, 12:01 PM   #8
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I am looking at that 5er also, I wouldn't pull it with a 1/2 ton pickup. At 7610 empty and with 1800 of stuff it will be 9,400. I am very interested in how you make out. Do you drive long distances? Prior to the 2011 F250, diesel, long bed, crew cab, SRW, 2WD, that I got in March, I had a chev 1500 and used it 2 or 3 times a year to pull a cattle trailer with cattle, it was 9000 lbs and it pulled it, but I wouln't like to do that every day. It was to heavy for the 1500. Please let me know how you make out.
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Old 11-11-2011, 12:45 AM   #9
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I still have to take the trailer out on a trip. But, the thing I keep going back to is that not all 1500s are created equal. Most have at best at 5.3 v8 with 3.42. Yes, it will struggle with a 9000lb trailer because it is overloaded for the engine. My 1/2 ton has the 6.2 v8 with 3.73 gears and the max tow package. It has more hp and torque than a 3/4 ton 6.0. As long as I don't exceed the payload, I should be OK. I hooked up the trailer this past week and with the trailer on lever ground, the truck sits level. That tells me I'm not overload. As a side note, one of the things I liked about this trailer is the aerodynamics of the nose of the trailer. I will post in a couple of weeks after my first trip.
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Old 11-11-2011, 09:23 AM   #10
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WELCOME to the Sabre family, we love our Sabre.
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Old 11-23-2011, 06:39 AM   #11
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1Texan - have you taken your maiden voyage yet? Looking at the models some more we like the model shown below a little better. I will have my chair and the DW will have your couch. The only negative we have with these two models is the tub/shower setup. Does your model have a curtain or door?

Palomino RV - Manufacturer of Quaility RVs since 1968

On a side note my Tundra has 381 HP and has the 4.10 gears with 14" brakes,
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Old 11-23-2011, 05:27 PM   #12
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We also love our Sabre, I'm sure you will like yours, too.
The best recommendation I could make about your PDI is take notes & pictures during the walk around. There is soooo much information presented, taking notes will help.
Also, have you checked with Sabre about installing a Sidewinder? Some manufactuers do not recommend it as it can cause excessive stress on the frame.
Enjoy!!
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Old 11-23-2011, 07:30 PM   #13
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Reubenray - The DW and I looked at that model last year when we purchased our new sabre. Liked it very much and also have a toyota tundra with the 5.7. Finially decided on the sabre silhouette 290RES with a delivered dry weight of 8187 lbs. The tundra tows it exceptionally well however I did install airbags. You will have no problems at all. I do have a slider hitch but have not had to use it as the nose of the sabre allows for fairly sharp turns.
Love the sabre, love the tundra, I'm sure you will too. Happy camping.
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Old 11-24-2011, 06:40 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riversedge View Post
Reubenray - The DW and I looked at that model last year when we purchased our new sabre. Liked it very much and also have a toyota tundra with the 5.7. Finially decided on the sabre silhouette 290RES with a delivered dry weight of 8187 lbs. The tundra tows it exceptionally well however I did install airbags. You will have no problems at all. I do have a slider hitch but have not had to use it as the nose of the sabre allows for fairly sharp turns.
Love the sabre, love the tundra, I'm sure you will too. Happy camping.
Thanks for the reply riversedge. It is this type of info I am looking for from actual Tundra owners.
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Old 11-28-2011, 01:19 PM   #15
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Maiden Voyage completed

Went to a state park about 100 miles away for 5 days and 4 nights over Thanksgiving. A majority of the state parks in Texas have limited full hook-ups so the 80+ gals. of grey water tanks was a huge plus on this trailer. The truck (1/2 ton GMC, max tow package, 6.2 engine and 3.73) performed very well. The Sidewinder hitch was very steady in 35+ MPH cross winds. The only thing I found so far with the trailer is one of the door hinges under the dinette booth had the screws pulled out. It was a 5 minute fix. Also, one of the plastic handles for the gray water broke at the dump station. The floor plan for us is great. BTW, bathroom is small. But we prefer that as opposed to the shower in the bedroom. Shower curtain is a slide plastic on tracks. The jury is still out on that one. Only other issue we had is the lack of nightstands for the bed. There already is plenty of drawers and hanging in the hall wardrobe so I made a modification to the wardrobe by the bed before we even went. I'll get some pictures and post in the mod section. Whoever thought it would be good to not have at least one nightstand should be shot.

Now that the trailer is all loaded, we're ready to go again before Christmas.
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