Community Forums

Jimmie2 · 12-04-2012, 04:28 AM

Hey Jim,
Our 321 only came with the usual 1 12 volt battery up front. Don't have the dimensions as I am at work. We pull our trailer with a 2006 Dodge 2500 diesel and have no problem hauling that beast around...I wouldn't think you have any problems with that Excursion. Yea I usually stick around 58-60 mph...that seems to be the "sweet-spot" for my truck as far as mileage goes and it also keeps the wife from "jumping" all the time.

Jimmie

dgrant09 · 12-04-2012, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim labowsky

Did your 321 come with two batteries? If so what kind and if possiable the demensions. Also what to you pull it with. We have a ford excursion 2004 7.3 diesel 4 x 4. We just bought it and pulled it home from the dealer on Saturday past and the towing seemed fine. I did not go over 60 mph tho.

Congratulations on your new 321 and Welcome to this thread! When we bought ours we had the dealer install two 6v batteries vs the 12v battery. I will have to wait to get the measurements as we are in day 5 of a good wind.. A concern here would be tongue weight.
Your truck should be more than fine. We have an 09 F350, 6.4 diesel, 4x4. I have learned that the quality of the hitch is extremely important. We have a standard round bar W/D hitch with a Husky sway kit and I still fight the wind. Several folks here have the Equalizer hitch and have nothing but great reports for it..

Clayhammer · 12-04-2012, 09:24 AM

Hi Jim and congrats on the 321! Our dealer was going to provide a single Group 27 battery but, we told them to keep it. I installed a pair of Trojan T-125 6V which gives us 240Ah. The batteries are in a polyethylene box that fits perfectly in tongue frame.

http://www.batteriesinaflash.com/bat...ies-end-to-end

I made a pair of 2" nylon straps with buckles to hold the box and lid to the frame. I also installed a battery watering system since the batteries are a pain to get to on our rigs.

Pro-Fill RV Edition Dual 6-Volt Battery Watering System

We're towing our 321 with a 2005 Chevy Avalache 2500 (8.1L) and using the Equal-i-zer hitch. Pulls great so far.

jim labowsky · 12-04-2012, 07:30 PM

What is the advantage of using two 6v over one or two 12v? I looked up the trojan batteries and they are expensive, real expensive. We live in texas and batteries dont last for more than two or three years at the most because of the heat.

dgrant09 · 12-05-2012, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim labowsky

What is the advantage of using two 6v over one or two 12v? I looked up the trojan batteries and they are expensive, real expensive. We live in texas and batteries dont last for more than two or three years at the most because of the heat.

Jim Lamowsky: Advantage? Greater amperage, lasting longer before a charge is required.. If your batteries are only lasting two or three years - I would look at any possible maintenance to sustain the life of these. Maybe the charging or storage routines. I have spent 6+ years in central Texas and 7 + years in Alaska - two separate extremes and have bought few batteries due to weather in both areas.. Buy a good quality battery and keep up on the maintenance.. We service ours with distilled water and when the trailer or vehicle is stored, we remove the batteries and charge them periodically through out the storage period. Our last set of 6v batteries in our previous TT lasted 5 + years (stamps on the battery, and we owned it for 2.5 years), the PO was poor on keeping up with maintenance. It was a serious fixer upper - we cleaned her up nicely..

jim labowsky · 12-05-2012, 07:24 AM

We bought a Jayco 23 exb to see if we liked tt camping. The jayco weight is 5000 empty and about 6500 as we towed it. It pulled great behind out excursion 7.3 diesel. We have now decided that we like tt camping and bought a new Cougar High Country res321. I up graded the hitch to a 1000 lb tong weight 10000 lb w/d hitch with added sway control via a sway bar attachment from the hitch to the side of the tt. I have pulled it a total of about 35 miles so far and never over 60 mph. Frankly, the thing scares the hell out of me. It’s so big. I have not had any problems I just feel uncomfortable with it. Do you get used to it? When you travel with your 321 has anyone taken it in hilly or mountianeous areas and do you find it easy to pull?

Clayhammer · 12-05-2012, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim labowsky

What is the advantage of using two 6v over one or two 12v? I looked up the trojan batteries and they are expensive, real expensive. We live in texas and batteries dont last for more than two or three years at the most because of the heat.

Jim, to add to what dgrant09 said; the 6V GC2 (golf cart) batteries have much thicker lead plates than the 12V batteries. The thicker plates withstand deep discharge cycles better and will generally last about twice as long if serviced properly. Most 12V batteries are not "true" deep cycle batteries but are a hybrid between a starter and a deep cycle. I went with the Trojan due to their excellent reputation for quality and service. They are a bit pricey but there are definately not the most expensive batteries on the market.

Towing: We also started with a smaller TT (Keystone Bullet) that was ~5000lbs loaded. We've made two trips in the 321 in the last two months through back country, hilly roads with several thousand feet of elevation change. I can certainly tell it's back there when getting passed by an 18-wheeler or during high cross-winds but haven't had any trouble or scary moments. If you're having sway issues, double check the WD hitch set-up. I think you'll also find that your tongue weight is over 1000lbs with batteries, full LP tanks and gear.

Jimmie2 · 12-05-2012, 01:04 PM

Hey Jim,
Don't worry about the size of the 321RES, it scared the hell out of me too!! I remember the first day when we went to do our PDI at the dealer in Ohio and walking up next to the Cougar and going...OMG!!!! This thing is huge!!! Now I've got to get used to real quick as I have to get it back home to Florida!!! Well the trip went great and I got used to driving with that beast behind me real quick. Traveled through some smaller mountains around Kentucky and Tennessee and my Dodge 2500 diesel did awesome compared to Turtle1 - who is my camping buddy and bought the identical Cougar the same day - he has a Toyota Tundra that did real good as well, but he was stopping for fuel twice as much as me. And some of the long hill climbs, the Dodge really showed it's stuff leaving the Toyota behind.

We went to Pigeon Forge last summer through the mountains of western NC and eastern Tenn and had no problem towing with a diesel setup.

Good luck and you will get used to it!!!

Jimmie

JimEli · 12-05-2012, 01:25 PM

Keep your speed down and you'll have no problems. You will get used to it quickly.

Our 321 came with dual 12v batteries. It appears they're cutting corners now...

Grizz · 12-05-2012, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim labowsky

We bought a Jayco 23 exb to see if we liked tt camping. The jayco weight is 5000 empty and about 6500 as we towed it. It pulled great behind out excursion 7.3 diesel. We have now decided that we like tt camping and bought a new Cougar High Country res321. I up graded the hitch to a 1000 lb tong weight 10000 lb w/d hitch with added sway control via a sway bar attachment from the hitch to the side of the tt. I have pulled it a total of about 35 miles so far and never over 60 mph. Frankly, the thing scares the hell out of me. It’s so big. I have not had any problems I just feel uncomfortable with it. Do you get used to it? When you travel with your 321 has anyone taken it in hilly or mountianeous areas and do you find it easy to pull?

Hi Jim,

We have been over and back several times across the Cascades and have had no problems. I'm most comfortable driving in the 55 to 60 mph range which works out fine. We have one of the small trailer tongue scales and find that our tongue weight is around 1300 lbs most of the time.

Our 321 came stock with two 12 volt batteries which we up graded to the Trojan 6 volt batteries based on the advise they would work better if boon docking.

Clayhammer · 12-05-2012, 02:13 PM

Just a side note regarding the batteries; The batteries are supplied by the dealership, not by Keystone so, every dealer will be different.

chief02 · 12-05-2012, 02:27 PM

30 amps will work fine for most usage. Over load it and the curcuit will trip. donr run AC, Microwave, or hair dyer at the same time.

jim labowsky · 12-05-2012, 10:44 PM

I mentioned that our first TT was a Jayco 23 exb weighing in at 6500 lbs fully loaded with a tongue weight of around 800 lbs. Our TV is a Ford Excursion 2004 4 x 4 with the 7.3 diesel. The measurements from the top lip of the fender well to the ground on a flat level surface is 38 inches all four wheel wells. When I hooked up the Jayco the dimension remained 38 inches all around, this is without the distributions bars hooked up yet. When we picked up the Cougar RES 321 last Friday, at the DPI I ask the guy to hook it up without the w/d bars so I could get a comparison of tongue weight effect between the Jayco and the Cougar. The Excursion remained at 38 inches on the front and 37 and ¼ on the back. This is without the weight distribution bars hooked up. The Excursion is built on a ¾ ton truck frame. I would had thought that the Cougar would have made a significant difference in rear end sag without the w/d hooked up. How does your TV handle the Cougar prior to the hooking up the w/d bars? I may have a beefed up suspension. The excursion is raised 6 inches all around. I have what look like helper springs under the leaf springs in the back. They are about ¾ inch thick and have a big rubber thing on the end that seems to support the leaf springs should they bottom out. There is a 1 1/2 inch gap between the leaf springs and the rubber thing. As far as I know they have never bottomed out. I also have some sort of unusual shock absorbers. They are not air shocks but they don’t look like regular shocks either. They seem to have an adjustment knob on them. I will get under the Excursion tomorrow and see if I can find a name. Thank for all your input I really appreciate it. By the way, I bought the Excursion used and I don’t know who had it before me. It’s clean, had 134k miles on it. It has a trans cooler, and a factory installed receiver which leads me to believe that it was originally purchased to hall something.

JimEli · 12-06-2012, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim labowsky

...
Our TV is a Ford Excursion 2004 4 x 4 with the 7.3 diesel.
...
I may have a beefed up suspension. The excursion is raised 6 inches all around.
...

Jim, You're starting to scare me a little bit. I think the '04 diesel was a 6.0L, but I could be wrong. An Excursion should handle the TT (with 11K tow rating), but with unknown suspension mods stability could be compromised.

My Tundra fender gap dips about the same as your Excursion, but with my WD and air bags I can easily set it back to stock.