How Sturdy?

[Olympic]

My wife and I are close to purchasing a new 2720SL but before I make the plunge I would like to hear from other owners about how the rig will hold up to exentsive highway driving. We will be putting as much as 12-15K miles on it each year mostly on interstate highways. Does anyone have any thoughts on how a new TM will withstand this kind of use?

[Bill]

We don't quite match your usage, but we put on a lot of miles travelling cross-country twice a year. When we are in the west, where distances are big, we do a lot of camping as well. We have had no mileage-related or heavy-usage-related problems in two years.

Remember to Monitor the tire pressure religiously, and keep it at 50 psi. Grease the wheel bearings with the proper grease every few thousand miles - it's easy. Grease the hitch ball every couple uses. Put a bit of lube on the springbar stubs every time you hook up. When you are ready for the road, weigh your TM with the springbars in the travel posiition. Don't overload! Even with "reasonable" loading, you will be close to 3500 pounds, which is the axle limit. (The tires will take a few pounds more.)The problems we have had have been minor, and would have occurred no matter how many (or how few) miles we racked up. There was ony one exception to that statement (bolts pulled out of the hold-down latches on a real rough road), and I believe that weakness has been corrected on the new models.

Enjoy

Bill

[Olympic]

Thanks for the info. Your caution about the axle rating got me thinking maybe it would be wise to go with a 3023 instead of the 2720. Does anyone know the axle rating for a 3023? Are they more "forgiving" in loading than the 2720? Do the 15 inch tires make a significant difference in load capability?

[BOB_STRONG]

The facts that I am giving you are from the latest edition of the Trailmanor pamphlets that Linda Hulsey sent to me to hand out when we are camping:

The pamphlets are for the 2004 models:
2720 2720SL 3023
Dry Wt 2742 2865 2915
Tongue Wt 346 392 409
Load Capacity 1333 1210 1923
Tire size 14" 14" 15"

It looks like the 3023 is the winner because of the larger tires. Hope this info helps you out.

Bob Strong