Any forest river 5th wheel comparable to the cougar high country 299rks

dretired · 07-02-2011, 05:05 AM

Is there a forest river made 5th wheel comparable to a cougar high country 299rks ?? The cougar has everythying we want, its 1/2 ton towable .. not cheap in price , but you get what you pay for.

**Herk7769** · 07-02-2011, 06:07 AM

That is a nice camper for sure.

However, IMHO, it is RIGHT at the top of what I consider 2500HD (3/4 ton) towable (forget half ton series). At 10,000 pounds GVW and 33 feet long you would be seriously overloaded at 20% pin weight (2000 pounds).

The 1400 pound pin weight listed is for a 7641 pound empty camper with no installed options or your personal gear. It is about the max I would put in a 1/2 ton so there would be no room left in the TV or camper for family, hitch, or camping gear or even food.

crocus · 07-02-2011, 08:47 AM

If your "1/2 ton" was the new Ecoboost Ford, then I might consider this camper, but I wouldn't pull it with a Chevy or Dodge 1/2 ton.
It is similar in weight to ours, and I couldn't imagine pulling it with my new Dodge.

camper_Lucy · 07-02-2011, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

Is there a forest river made 5th wheel comparable to a cougar high country 299rks ?? The cougar has everythying we want, its 1/2 ton towable .. not cheap in price , but you get what you pay for.

Very nice camper we considered it, but determined the "1/2 Ton towing" was a marketing gimmick. I could not get the numbers to work out and when i challenged the dealer and the company rep at the RV show they both backed down on the 1/2 towing when you are really loaded for camping. good luck in your searching.

dretired · 07-02-2011, 12:46 PM

My 2010 F150 is rated on the Ford towing guide at 9,800 lbs ..Its a 4x2, 5.4, 3.55 limited slip, I would add a leaf spring (1 on each side ), which increases payload an additional 800-900 lbs. I am NOT going to tow in mountains.. The DW and I are probably loading 700 lbs of gear between the 2 of us . And i would tow this with out liquids

Triguy · 07-02-2011, 01:55 PM

You say that adding leaf springs will increase the cargo cap by 800lbs. Is that according to Ford? Just curious.

dretired · 07-02-2011, 02:50 PM

No . A company called Northern spring where i live .. I could go with Air bags in the rear ....but costly compared to the springs..

lbrjet · 07-02-2011, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crocus

If your "1/2 ton" was the new Ecoboost Ford, then I might consider this camper, but I wouldn't pull it with a Chevy or Dodge 1/2 ton.
It is similar in weight to ours, and I couldn't imagine pulling it with my new Dodge.

Personally without a full floating axle I wouldn't put that weight on my axles, which you can't get in the F150. Yes, can't even get it with the F150 HD payload package. Standard on F250 and up though.

**Herk7769** · 07-02-2011, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

No . A company called Northern spring where i live .. I could go with Air bags in the rear ....but costly compared to the springs..

I hate to be the one to say this (someone has to) but helper springs and airbags DO NOT increase GVWR of the truck. Most likely your rear axle would not be your problem in any case as it would be your FRAME that would be overloaded. Most rear axles are rated with more capacity than the truck can carry safely when the weight is carried by both front and rear axles. (for example the 2008 2500HD: Front axle rated at 4300; rear axle rated at 6600; but the GVWR is 9200 - frame limit). The 2011 has the same front and rear axles but they changed the frame from a "C" frame to a "box" frame and it boosted the GVWR to 10,300 pounds.

Helper springs (and air bags) "help" with bottoming out the suspension when the rear axle is at max axle load.

whj77372 · 07-08-2011, 02:52 PM

All I read here is that the F150 will not pull the trailer! That is true it is to heavy. I would not go over 60% to 70% of what they, Ford, says you can pull.

dretired · 07-09-2011, 06:15 AM

I put the question out there ..Does Forest River make a comparable 5th wheel to the Keystone High Country model 299 rks ?? But it seems everyone wants to say something about what my F150 CANT do instead...

**Herk7769** · 07-09-2011, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

I put the question out there ..Does Forest River make a comparable 5th wheel to the Keystone High Country model 299 rks ?? But it seems everyone wants to say something about what my F150 CANT do instead...

Maybe it is because we did not "get your drift."

Did you refer to floor plan?

Quality of manufacture?

Weight?

Length?

Holding tank capacity?

Storage?

Options?

Or "All of the above" ?

If it is all of the above; it would BE a Keystone High Country model 299RKS

Maybe you should start by writing down all the things about the High Country you liked the best (in order of importance) and then you can compare yourself. No one has the same priority of likes or "must haves."

If you have a large family who dry camps; tank size is higher on the list than someone in hookups all the time; for example.

dretired · 07-09-2011, 07:50 AM

You are right once again Herk 7769.. All of the above would sum it up for what our wants would be. Pricing is also a factor....Dry camping for the 2 of us .and a 10 lb pomeranian ..would probably be on average a 1-2 day at a time thing and .. I am not against shopping for a F250 at all ..Thanks ..Dave

Oakman · 07-09-2011, 08:36 AM

If you really plan to tow with the F-150 you might consider the Rockwood model 8280WS or the Flagstaff 8528RKWS. They have a similar floor plan, but instead of the bed slideout, it has a wardrobe slideout. The hitch weight on both models is just over 1100 pounds and both models are just over 30 feet in length. Also, both models have larger grey and black water tank capacities than the Cougar.

If you decide to buy a ¾ ton truck then by all means buy the Cougar High Country. I try not to be negative, but I think you might be a bit disappointed pulling that Cougar with a F150 with the 5.4 engine and a 3.55 rear end.

dretired · 07-09-2011, 09:54 AM

Its seems that the bedroom slide out is what we like better. More head room , since we are tall . All i was asking is ...if anyone knew of another 5th wheel thats comparable to the keystone cougar High Country model 299 rks. I am not trying to have someone else do the homework . just not wanting to find out after the fact that we could have had a better 5th wheel, a better deal or possibly some feature , that we would have liked instead. And if there is a F250 or F350 in my future so be it .

**Herk7769** · 07-09-2011, 03:11 PM

I am extremely happy with my GMC 2500HD Duramax diesel pulling my 9200 pound Flagstaff 8526RLWS.

I can get up to 13 MPG (no wind) towing it and have to keep looking in the mirror to even know it is back there. Like I said in the previous post, my hitch (pin) weight loaded for camping runs about 1350 pounds. This pretty much maxes out the truck's payload with all aboard.

The tow rating as I said is over 15,000 pounds and I would LOVE to have a 5th wheel that big. However, I would need a 3500 at a minimum to feel comfortable carrying the 3000 pound pin weight required for a balanced combination.

So, since I am happy with my truck and camper; I will keep tweaking both to be "home on the road."

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