# Another New Outback Owner...



## darkhorse11 (Nov 10, 2004)

Hey Guys N Gals â€" Newbie from North Texas here. Wish I had found you earlier. Been longing for an Outback 26RS since we saw one a couple of years ago in Cleburne, TX. Just sold our Coleman SeaPine and took the plunge. This is our first big travel Trailer!

I have learned so much from this site â€" wish I had done more homework before the big purchase. I have some concerns and would like some advice if you please.

My TV: 2001 GMC Yukon 5.3 / 3.42. Tow/haul mode. 63K miles â€" no issues to date. Reciever hitch / harness came on vehicle. Could not detect tranny cooler although one may be buried in the cowlingâ€¦nothing listed on window sticker. GVWR 6800, GVAW FRT 3200 / RR 3850.

Brake controller: Escort Series II (installed by Coleman dealer in 2001)

Hitch (provided by Funtime RV): Husky WDH. Max GW 5,000, Max tongue 300-500. Two bars rated 300-500lbs. Husky sway control (1).
TT: 2004 Outback 26RS loaded (canâ€™t think of anything they left off) Price $17,151 +TTL. Weight Sticker says GVWR 6000, UVW 4780.

Took the rig to CAT scale to get the real story. Trailer was â€œas purchasedâ€ with 2 full bottles and 1 battery (no gear). Multiple sections on scale makes it easy.
First pass: Steer axle â€" 2680, drive axle â€" 3500, Trlr Axle â€" 4700.
Noticed truck was not exactly level so tighten chains by one link.
Second pass: Steer axle â€" 2820, drive axle â€" 3300, Trlr Axle â€" 4740. 
Lost 40 lbs somewhere â€" just chalked up to â€œinsensitiveâ€ scale. Unhitched TV and rolled up to first pad.
Third pass: TV â€" 5560, PIN â€" 760, Trlr Axle â€" 4540.

I know that's alot to digest but I wanted to answer "secondary" questions if I could. I have concluded I have about 800lbs of cargo carry capacity. We â€œstuffedâ€ all our gear from the Coleman and I still have many empty drawers and cabinets.

We had our first â€œsleep outâ€ Saturday night (Me, Mrs, He 9 and She 7). Good time. Definitely will do the blinds mod first! Planning to get out for real soon after I play with the plumbing to figure out.

My concerns:
The hitch: Didnâ€™t look right and I asked. Dealer said this was what they install for this rig. Felt â€œsoftâ€ on the 60mi ride home but no issues / drove I-35 through Ft Worth in traffic. The more I read on this board, the more worried I getâ€¦please comment.
The TV: Short WB for a 26â€™er. Power plant would probably manage for flat land camping we do. Not much capacity left in TV when loaded with family of 4 (5 with college boy). Fortunately weâ€™ve been struck by â€œthe bugâ€â€¦ upgrade to XL, Burb or Armada is possible. TV is also Mom mobile so Big A truck is out. Leaning toward Armada but will look for the best deal (2004s). I welcome any advice.

We love the 26RS set up and wonâ€™t trade. It fits our family needs. You have answered most all other questions through your great forum. Canâ€™t wait until Friday (my day off). Me and Mrs are headed to Camping World with a list, then to test drive some TVâ€™s. Iâ€™ll be spending my Sunday afternoons in Trailer mod city (instead of watching the Dallas Cryboys this yearâ€¦)

Thanks in advance.


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## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

First off, WELCOME!!! action

Take a good look at the Armada before purchasing. I have seen many complaints on the internet about electrical problems, and poor gas mileage.

I don't have personal experiences with WD hitches, but I'm sure others will chime in.


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## Ymryl (Mar 2, 2004)

I'm certainly no expert at towing, if you really want to hear the mathmatical formulas and "You're gonna need an F350 with a diesel to pull anything bigger than a popup", head on over to the "other" forum that a lot of peruse when we need a laugh. What i can tell you is that the Armada will pull the 26. If I didn't truly believe that, I wouldn't have purchased a 28 RS-S. What I would suggest, no matter what vehicle you decide on, is that you spend a little extra money and invest in a good hitch set up such as the Equal-i-zer, Reese Dual-Cam or perhaps (if you've got a ton of extra cash sitting around) a Hensley Arrow. Double check the GCVW on that Yukon, you may be able to keep it and simply upgrade your receiver and hitch.
As far as electrical problems with the Armada, it is the first I have heard of it. I frequent several sites dedicated to the Armada and Titan, and no one has reported electrical issues. Squeeks, yes. Rattles, yes, warped rotors, yes. 2004 being the first year of the vehicles existance, it doesn't suprise me in the least. From what I gather however, most of the vehicles with issues were first runs and most of the issues (with the exception of the rotor warpage) seem to have been fixed. I have almost 5,000 on my Armada at this point and have had absolutely no problems of any kind with it. When the rotors warp (note I say when, not if), Nissan will replace them. You may want to hold out until next spring and look at the '05's, I'm sure they'll have the brake issue worked out. 
Gas mileage (as you would expect with a 5.6 litre V8 that puts out 305 horsepower) is relatively low. My wife averages 15 or 16 miles per gallon, I average more like 13 or 14 (mainly because I love to drive it. I laugh my ass off every time I leave one of those tricked out little honda civics in my dust).

Whatever your choice, welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase of the Outback. They are great campers and I am sure you will enjoy both the camper and this community.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Welcome to OUTBACKERS!









Glad to have you aboard. I upgraded my vehicle from a Chevy Tahoe with same engine, but 3.73 gears. I'm glad I did, as the NISSAN TITAN is a much better tow vehicle. I have no electrical problems either. The ARMADA is the SUV version of the TITAN. I hang in the TITAN/ARMADA forums too, and have heard of no major electrical problems. It is a first year vehicle, and I steer clear of them usually. This sucker just pulled my in like a 'tractor beam' and wouldn't let go! I love this ride!


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Like Paul said, with the Armada, or the Tahoe, investing in a new hitch would not be a bad idea. Either the Equal-i-zer brand, or the Dual Cam HP from Reese/Draw-Tite would be a good choice. Both are exceptional units. I don't think I'd tow a 26RS with only a friction sway bar.

Other things you can do to improve the towing ride on the Tahoe, replace the P-metric tires with LT rated tires. They have a stiffer ride when not towing, but will help firm up the TV/TT package while towing. If you really want to, you could swap the gears in the differential to 3.73's or 4.10's, but that can get expensive. Double it if you have a 4x4.

Congratulations, and welcome to Outbackers.

Tim


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Ditto what Tim said,

I have the same truck as you, mine's 2wd. You can see the few mods I've done to it in my sig. I would definitely recommend them.

It does a good job towing our 21RS. I would think if you don't want to spend the money upgrading your truck, 3.73's or 4.10's would make towing your trailer easier. With the right hitch system and LT tires you'll feel a big difference.

Or you could just hang with Y-guy and the others and catch the new truck fever, they're all still contagious









Stay away from those guys Tim!!!!

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new trailer.

Mike


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

darkhorse11,

Welcome to Outbackers! action

I, too, am from Texas (northwest central, Abilene) and bought my 26RS at Funtime in Cleburne in August this year. We really like it.

If I remember correctly, our hitch set up is different from yours. They installed a Husky, too, but I'm almost positive it isn't the same as yours. My Outback is at another location and I cannot look at it this minute, but if I remember right, the weight dsitribution arms are 800-1000 pounds, not 300-500. I'm not sure of the tongue, but I think my tongue weight is higher, too. Just not positive.

I also have the one friction sway bar. I've towed it with my previous 1500 Suburban and with my present 2500 Suburban. I could not feel any sway at all even at 70 MPH. As a matter of fact, I have to sometimes look in the rearview mirror to make sure it's still there. Maybe, as I graduate to be a more experienced camper and RVer, I'll replace it with a better hitch, but for right now I'm satisfied with what I have.

Enjoy your Outback and welcome!

Mark


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## CWOBOATS (Oct 13, 2004)

Again, Welcome to the Forum.

I, too, am from Texas (South of Dallas) and bought my 29F BH-S at Funtime in Cleburne in October of this year. We really like it.

Before we got a 5er, we had a 20N TT. We towed it with my wife's SUV as well as my F150. We had to get her LT tires to improve towing.

Again, Welcome.


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

darkhorse11 said:


> Hitch (provided by Funtime RV): Husky WDH.Â Max GW 5,000, Max tongue 300-500.Â Two bars rated 300-500lbs.Â Husky sway control (1).
> TT: 2004 Outback 26RS loaded (canâ€™t think of anything they left off)Â Price $17,151 +TTL.Â Weight Sticker says GVWR 6000, UVW 4780.
> 
> PIN â€" 760, Trlr Axle â€" 4540.
> ...


DarkHorse, I have the exact same WD hitch above but have never used it to tow my Outback. I previously owned a 25' Aerolite that weighed about 4500lbs fully loaded with an unloaded Hitch (Pin?) of 350lbs.

I think you'll be much happier with an Equalizer or Dual Cam type hitch that is rated to take your hitch and trailer weights.

As others have said changing out the gears and tires + WD hitch may just be all you need to do.


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

WELCOME PARTNER!!

I must chime in, after all I was a late victim of NEW TRUCK FEVER. I cannot speak toward your current truck, I have never owned one or driven one. All I can tell you is that I had a V8 Tundra, with stock 4.10 rear, that struggled to pull my 28 RSS. It would pull it, but I just never felt comfortable being on the road with other families, not to mention my own!

I went out and bought a RAM 2500 with the Cummins Turbo Diesel. I will not say that is any better or worse than any other make or model. What I will say, is that I have more than enough power and capacity to pull my 28RSS and anything I want to take in it or with me. With that purchase came the single most important option available, PEACE OF MIND!! Now I don't worry about tearing my truck and/or camper up, don't worry about being dangerous to other drivers or my family. I can actually enjoy my camper the way I should.

I am always glad to see a new member of the forum. I too am relatively new. I will tell you the same as I have told all other new members, "You won't find a nicer, more friendly bunch of folks anywhere on the internet." Even though I haven't met anyone on this forum personally, I consider them some of the best people I know.

Visit and post often. lots to learn and lots of knowledge here.

Good luck

Jason


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Congrats on your purchase!!! action

Welcome to Outbackers.com









I have found this forum extremely helpful and entertaining. The members are all great. Have fun and enjoy your TT sunny

Thor


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## campingtom170 (Apr 26, 2004)

Darkhorse,

Welcome to Outbackers, but watch out it is addictive, the next thing you know you will be making so may mods to that new Outback that it will look like a Prevost motorhome







.

My previous TV was a Tahoe with similar numbers to your Yukon. I towed 6000 lb TT with no problems. I think that your current TV is sufficient to tow the Outback. However, you hitch set up is not enough. If you don't go the the Equalizer or Rese Dual cam, you need to upgrade to the Class IV receiver,lb bars and dual sway control.

Of course we all know that as sure as a new coat of paint will send the wife on a hunt for new carpet and drapes a new TT will send us on a hunt for a new Tow vehicle









Happy camping,

Tom sunny


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Dark,

We have the same set up as you (01 Yukon XL and 04 26 RS). We have the 4.10 gears however, and they are needed in Colorado. The Yukon does fine going up the hills. Sure it complains a little on the steep grades, but it gets the job done well.

We have three kids, so the 26 RS works nicely for us. Texans are always welcome to camp in Colorado as long as they don't stay permanently.









Randy


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