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majorloser · 07-08-2011, 05:44 PM

There's plenty of room in that bedroom to use a portable AC unit. Just need to rig up the exhaust to one of the windows. Might even be able to set it in the closet and exhaust through the trap door. Home Depot had some on sale a little while ago. A heck of a lot cheaper than getting a 13K unit installed on the roof. I was looking at the LG units in the store the other day. Not that big either. Could even use it as a stop gap measure for times you know you'll be traveling when it's really hot and other times just leave it at home.

LG Electronics 13,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote - LP1311BXR at The Home Depot

taken · 07-10-2011, 12:37 PM

I get high pressure through the vents when the main vent or "quick cool" is closed. The bedroom is the weakest as it's the furthest away. Iluvcamping is right, the BR vent has excellent flow and when the bedroom is warm, we leave the sliding bathroom door open and direct the bathroom vent towards the bedroom. We only have the 13.5k. Just got back from a 5 day trip and the day we set up is was over 90. Got it right down to the low 80's in an hour or so, but our site was very shaded. We always do state parks so we generally have some shade which I'm sure makes a difference. As for the mattress, we didn't have to do much pushing. They offered right away to replace or give us the $250 credit. After this last trip with our new mattress we are so much happier. It's better than the one in our home. The only downfall is it's a little heavier so the struts don't hold it up when accessing the storage underneath. A worthwhile tradeoff though!

taken · 07-11-2011, 05:35 AM

PS: We do have another fit and finish issue to report. All the wallpaper border is bubbling and peeling. It is very cheap self stick stuff. (I know as I paint and hang wallpaper for a living.) I have been sticking it back down so far but I imagine in the near future I will have to take it all down. I probably won't bother putting any back up. Too bad as it looks very nice. You guys should run your hand over yours. I bet it's all bubbles. I think it's another common issue with this trailer as my dealer just got another one in. I was looking at the pics on their website out of curiosity and saw that the section of border behind one of the couches was falling right off! Check out image #5: Keystone Cougar High Country 321RES West Hatfield Massachusetts | 2012 Travel Trailer, Diamond RV Centre, Inc.

taken · 07-11-2011, 09:56 AM

PPS: Another update on the 321RES just came in the mail this morning. There is a safety recall on all 2011-12 High Country 321RES trailers. The axles that were installed are the wrong size. 4400# axles were installed instead of 5200# units. When the trailer is loaded to it's max GVWR of 10k you will be over the limit on the axles. Very dangerous. Once again I'm glad I bought local as I have to get it in to get those replaced. I imagine you guys will get the same letter soon....

ScoobySue · 07-12-2011, 06:40 AM

Yep.. I got the recall letter in the mail last night. I'm going to call Keystone today and have them found me a dealer within 2 hours of me that will do the repair. I guess that's the problem with NOT buying local! UGH!!!! Lesson learned!!!

iluvcamping · 07-12-2011, 07:56 AM

Thanks for the info TAKEN & SCOOBYSUE!
We haven't received any recall letter yet. Our 321RES has a manufacture date on the plate of the trailer of last month....June 2011. We picked it up in New Castle, IN on 6/15. I wonder if maybe they had caught their mistake by the time they made ours. That could be very dangerous!
We have a dealer that's only about 45 minutes from us so if we have to have the axle replaced we'll insist that we get it done there.
I emailed Keystone about our mattress toward the end of last week but haven't received anything back from them yet.
I'll have to check the wallpaper border. Cosmetic things we can handle but things that could make it dangerous going down the road are unacceptable! At least they're owning up to that mistake.

iluvcamping · 07-12-2011, 08:10 AM

I just found this when I "Googled" Keystone recall...

KEYSTONE IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 COUGAR HIGH COUNTRY TRAVEL TRAILERS PRODUCED FROM NOVEMBER 3, 2010, THROUGH MAY 26, 2011, FOR HAVING 4400 POUND AXLES INSTALLED INSTEAD OF 5200 POUND AXLES. IF A VEHICLE IS LOADED TO THE MAXIMUM STATED GVWR OF 10,000 POUNDS, THE 4400 POUND AXLE WILL BE OVERLOADED.

Hopefully, ours was made in June.

ScoobySue · 07-12-2011, 09:05 AM

Ohh, I hope for your sake, you don't have to get the axles repaired. It's turning into a HUGE headache. We have a local dealer (30 minutes) away that will fix it BUT they are backed up 3 weeks on repairs. Next closest place is 2 hours and they are only backed up a week and a half. Problem is that I HAVE to have this done and asap. I feel uncomfortable towing the camper anywhere with this issue. AND I have a camping trip in 2 weeks. This is bad... What a pain!!!

As for the mattress, I want to get the $250 credit as well. What do I need to do to get this? What size is the mattress? I'm going to look at my local mattress place and see if I can find a deal on a good one to replace it with. I agree I shouldn't have to sleep uncomfortable. To me it's worth paying a few hundred dollars more for one that I am happy with!!!

taken · 07-12-2011, 02:52 PM

The mattress is a standard queen mattress. 60X80. Some RV's have a smaller "queen" but ours is full size just like a home queen. We got one that was about $450 that was a last years model. Very nice and only cost $200 to upgrade. To get it, you have to have your dealer take a picture of the mattress showing it's failure. The dealer will give you a check for $250 and get reimbursed from Keystone under warranty. They will also need to keep your old mattress AND have a photo copy of your receipt for your new replacement mattress for proof to get their warranty money. As for the axles we are waiting til we have time to get it in. I'm in no hurry. I'm sure I'm no where the max of 10k. Also remember that at least 1200 of your weight is on the tongue and carried by the tow vehicle so even with 8800# of axles you are still safe at the 10k limit. Yes, it's nice to have a buffer, but I'm not going to race in to get it done. Also, according to my letter it said all 2011 and 2012 321RES trailers are included in the recall, but maybe you're safe ILC...

JimEli · 07-12-2011, 08:57 PM

I just crawled under my 321RES and pulled a sticker off the axle. It says Dexter D44. I scheduled a recall visit for next week. More to follow...

iluvcamping · 07-12-2011, 09:22 PM

What's the axle number to look for....hubby wants to check it out for himself. We didn't get a letter today....we hope they got it right on ours. We did get a return email from Keystone that said for us to take it in to one of the 3 dealers in our area for the mattress, a toilet that won't hold water and a leaky outside flush connection. Now if we can get one of the 3 that's willing to do the work it will be great. I was wondering...Taken...if we had to take the pics or the dealer so thanks for that info! I do have some pics, though, that I took. Hope it turns out for us like it did for you.
As things come up...I hope you guys keep posting!!

JimEli · 07-13-2011, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iluvcamping

What's the axle number to look for....hubby wants to check it out for himself. We didn't get a letter today....we hope they got it right on ours.

Look for Dexter D44 or D52.

taken · 07-14-2011, 03:35 PM

Stickers are right on the axles. D44 here. New ones on order at my dealer. I can only imagine what this is costing Keystone. Then what do they do with all those "slightly used" 4400# axles. I bet that they can't be used for anything as there is a possibility of an overload situation in the past which has overstressed them and made them now unsafe.

JimEli · 07-17-2011, 04:19 PM

We just completed a very short outing with our brand new 321RES and overall we’re very happy with our purchase. Here are a few brief notes:

We pulled it with our ’07 Toyota Tundra, (prodigy, air-bags, 10K load bearing hitch) and while you definitely know it’s back there, it handled the weight well. Our Tundra’s 381HP/401 torque has no problem getting the 321RES up to speed or keeping it there. However, swaying will be the bigger problem with this combination, and we seemed happiest keeping it between 60-65 mph. I will be investigating sway control options in the future.

Our load-bearing hitch requires removal of the propane cover to snap the chains in place. I need to have a modified lever=arm constructed to eliminate this hassle.

Set up was quick and easy with the remote control. However, I wish the outside light was included on the remote. Don’t buy this trailer or make sure you use pull-through if you hate backing up.

We’ve exercised the slideouts on our trailer several times before this outing. I was wondering if anyone has noticed any issues with the cables. I notice on the main slide, the lower cable tends to go slack as the slide is between full in and out. I also read in the manual a requirement to have the cable tension adjusted after initial use. Has anyone had this done?

There seems to be plenty of windows to open, and we had no humidity issues even enduring an all-day rain storm in the Pacific NW.

I intend to make a support for the step, as it seems a little weak.

All of the trim wallpaper has bubbled and will need to be fixed.

One of our shades has no tension and falls closed. How do you adjust this?

Our mattress seems ok for now. Note that I’m 180 and the wife is 110.

My wife did remark about the difficulty of making the bed due to the tight enclosure of the slideout. However, we love the amount of bedroom storage.

Make sure to check the routing of the wires behind your popup TV. We have a 32” Vizio, and the wires can catch on raisin/lowering.

One issue we don’t like is that when buttoned-up, there is no way to get to the kitchen unless you want to climb over the kitchen counter. Also, our table rubs the kitchen counter during towing. I suggest some sort of anti-chafe padding be placed between them.

Wednesday we take our trailer to the dealer for the axles.