New 5r question

[Sixpack]

Hi all, Get to pickup my new 27ft Cougar 5r on Saturday and have a couple of questions for you all. First I live in WA state, can people ride in the 5r while traveling. And second, what size generator would I need to run the A/C (13500 btu) and the microwave? TIA Sixpack

 

[BigMike]

:--) I don't know what the law is regarding passengers in the tow. I'm guessing it's illegal. Don't know why anyone would consider putting passengers in their 5er. I would think it very unsafe. NO seat belts. As a minimum, you should have two way communication.

 

[dalton4]

Sixpack, go to www.rvsafety.com for the answer to riding in 5er and a lot more. Enjoy the new 5er.



Jerry

 

[BigMike]

Straight from RV Safety link: It's legal in Oregon as long as:



- Fifth wheel must be equipped with passenger coupling device and shall have a 2-inch or larger kingpin.

- Fifth wheel must be equipped with safety glass and some means of approved electronic or electrical communication between driver and trailer.



It's illegal in the State of Washington.





Editor's Note: No matter what the laws say, I, personally, do not believe it is a safe practice to allow any living thing, other than a plant, to ride in any vehicle which is under tow.

 

[John Berger]

I wouldn't do it

Even if it is legal and even if it is a 5ver. Things move around in TT's and 5ver's differently than in a motor vehicle. After seeing the devastation in my TT when it went on it's side, it would be down right cruel to allow a person or pet to ride in the towed vehicle. Just my opinion.

 

[RustyJC]

Thanks for sharing your experience, John. I was going to add that if anyone ever saw a 5ver or TT after a major accident (I don't care which brand), you would never let a family member or pet ride in one. These things come apart like a 50 cent suitcase in a rainstorm! We pull a 36' triple slide Jayco Designer XL 5ver, and I wouldn't even consider letting anyone ride in it.



JM2CW



Rusty

 

[Sixpack]

I wouldn't consider it either. The reason I posted this question was a local dealer told my brother when he bought his that is was legal as long as you had two way communications with those in the 5r. After researching (thanks Daulton4) this I find that is illegal to do! Anyway how bout the generator issue? Would 3500 watt generator be adequate for A/C? TIA Sixpack

 

[John Berger]

Sixpack, a 3500 watt generator ought to do the job. When I bought my Montana, I asked about having the generator prep installed. The dealer would have done it, but the salesman told me they hardly ever get the request with fifth wheels. The install price is right around $4000. I think the generator of choice is Onan, which is a subsidiary of Cummins. A better option is Home Depot for one of their $479 generators. Louder, but with a bit of ingenuity and wood, you can safely quiet it down. Then you can use the extra money you saved to BOMB the truck or the trailer.

 

[dewdo]

Passengers in a trailer in WA is illegal.



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[bombero]

I think the mim generator to start and run a AC is a 4000kw. If i was getting a new 5er I would have the dealer make it generator ready in one of the compartments. ( make sure there is room for the gen) I would then buy a Honda E4000 which should handle your needs and is very quite. Also this way the generator is removable so you can use it for other jobs. Anyway my 2 cents

 

[RustyJC]

4000 kW should work. A poster over on iRV2 just reported that he tried paralleling 2 each Honda EU2000's to start his 13,500 BTU A/C, and it worked just fine.



Rusty

 

[John Berger]

He should have enough room in the forward hatch. My slideout motor and jack motor are up there on the port side. Plenty of room on the starboard side for a generator prep install. I've got a carry along, since the only time I dry camp is at NASCAR events, but I'm thinking about just going to the nearest campsite from now on, due to the sardine in a can nature of parking at races. To much noise. Used to be fun, but not anymore.

 

[RATTLINRAM]

Just a few ideas,,,,,

Hey Sixpack,

We also bought a 2002 Cougar, 30' 286EFS. My parents had bought a 278EFS a month before we did. You might want to crawl underneath and take a look at a few things which were found on both rigs. The self-tapping bolt head screws that secure the bottom side panels to the frame had been wrung off on both rigs, 5 on mine and 3 on Dad's. (Evidently, this was done at the factory and someone was to lazy to redo them). All of the wires for the holding tank sensors were coming off due to never being tightened (found on both rigs). Plus, there are wires in the front compartment that lead to two circut breakers (ours were right behind the battery) which were never tightened and the nuts were falling off. After all of this, I made sure to check every wire connection I could find.

Some of these things were no real big deal, but they could have been prevented with a little more Quality Control. Dad and I gave a list of the things to the dealer so he could check his other models and notify Keystone also. My microwave had to be replaced due to it did not heat anything,,, (made all the motions,,,,, just didn't cook) This wasn't anyones fault, and there was no problem replacing it.

Other than a few minor interior flaws, (glue where it shouldn't be and some sloppy carpet cutting) all of which we have fixed, we are very happy with it now. We really like the room that the double slides give us and it tows like a dream.

Have FUN with your new rig!

#ad

 

[Sixpack]

Thanks for the heads up Rattler! I'll make sure I climb under the rig and take a look. Getting excited for Saturday! We'll be hunting in style from here on out. Also I'll check and see about getting them to make it generator ready too. What does that consist of? I'd assume that a pigtail would be wired to the front storage space for connection to the generator? Thanks for all the help!





SP