Very Interested in a TrailManor

[Bob Jenkins]

My wife and I are beginning RVers.
We have been looking at a lot of different types of trailers from small pop-ups to Airstreams.
Yesterday we checked out several TrailManor trailers at Happy Camper in Burleson, Texas.
We were VERY impressed!
We were especially impressed by the spaciousness inside such a lightweight and easy-towing trailer!
We are both "Heavy" people and I am also tall (6'7").
I was amazed by the space insida a TrailManor.
We are currently considering a 3124KB.
We hope to make a decision soon.
This forum has some GREAT information!

[sir1doc]

Best of luck to you! and if you pick the TM you won't be disapointed. There are pros and cons to all campers. just do your reasearch and you'll be happy. There is soooo much good reading in here to help you. as for size, I'm 6'4 and 275 or so and the DW is 5'10" and I am not permitted to put her weight in....I too loved the room in the TM. hahaha so we love our TM.

[wwjam]

Thought I'd pass this along to anyone who is interested.

We bought a book called "How to Select, Inspect, and Buy an RV" written by JD Gallant. It has a photo, and a page written about a 1983 "telescoping trailer." The name is not mentioned but it's a TrailManor.

A few quotes from this book:

"With prices approximately 30% higher than for trailer coaches of comparible size, telescoping trailers are being bypassed by new buyers. I am totally amazed at how few people can see the safety in lower profiles."

"Because a preconceived notion gives them the wrong message, every day people risk their lives pulling larger trailers than their tow vehicle can handle. I believe however that the telescoping trailer is the trailer of the furture."

"With the strong and lightweight construciton techniques already available, telescoping trailers should be as durable and trouble free as good trailer coaches and fifth wheels."

"Because many telescoping trailer owners enjoy the RVing expeirence they move up to larger 5th wheels or motor homes. This leaves used trailers available if one is willing to search them out."

[midlifecrisis]

I'm now in the process of evaluating the pros and cons of the TM as opposed to a conventional TT. We are planning on upgrading from a PU.

[forrest]

My wife and I have been camping for 20 plus years. We've tried it all from tents to motor homes and everything in between. I was searching the net about three weeks ago and discovered the TM. Unfortunately, the nearest dealer to us is 200 miles away (Montgomery, AL) To make a long story short we drove to the dealer 2 weekends ago to check them out. The concept is what we were looking for but the units are, in my opinion way over priced. a new 2007 2720 SL (after discount but before taxes) was $24,750.00. We are leary of putting that kind of money into a "hard sided" pop up. For us the Trail Cruiser TT may be the way to go.

[PopBeavers]

The difference to me is the free parking. I can put the TM in the garage. Anything that I can not put in the garage will cost 1,000 dollars per year for an unlit, unsecured dirt parking space 20 miles away, if they even have a vacant spot.

This was real simple math.

[PopBeavers]

I just looked up the specs for the 27 foot Trail Cruiser, similar to my TM 2720, at least in terms of floor space. The weight increase is from 2700 pounds to 3700 pounds. I have no idea what impact that has on fuel economy.

To some degree, the price of a trailer is inversely proportional to the weight of the trailer.

Interesting that the 27 foot Trail Cruiser is considered to be "lite". How much more would a heavy trailer be.

But we each have our own wants, needs, desires and problems to solve.

[coulter]

As with anything else if you shop around you can find a better deal, we paid less than $24,750.00 for a "loaded" 3023,

[PopBeavers]

Are TM's expensive??????
Everything is expensive....
Then.... you die.....
The higher price of a TM compared to a TT is a one time expense.

Paying for a parking space for a TT instead of using your own garage to store the TM is a perpetual, and increasing, expense.

[fcatwo]

Considering your RVing background I don't think I can say anything you don't already know -- and I agree with everything you have said. I'm with Wayne however on the storage and towing issues. If you don't have a storage problem and don't mind towing a solid wall trailer and suffering the higher fuel cost, there is little advantage to buying a TM -- and there are several disadvantages -- like the smaller appliances and bath. As Leon said, they are not for everyone. They are a good compromise for many of us however.

[Grouse]

Gotta love Leon, always sez it like it is ... and he is absolutely right that the TM is not for everyone. As for me, even after seeing them first hand, I'm on the fence. I would say that if you are new to traveling by travel trailers or coming up from a pop-up, then this should be a no brainer decision. Just do it!

As for the expense, it simply costs more to use light weight material to manufacturer a light weight trailer. Factor in that this is a smaller niche of the travel trailer industry with fewer units being sold, then of course it will cost "more" than a comparable conventional trailer. However, due to the lack of structural integrity (my point of view ONLY) I do question the quality of construction. I have yet had to tighten a screw on my Sunline which is now 13 years old but it happens somewhat frequently for many TM owners. Just one example and of course I haven't had to replace or repair the shell locking mechanisms either.

Storage? Well, I don't have a pole barn and I don't have a three stall garage and I have more than one vehicle. If I park a TM in the garage then one of the vehicles sits outside for the winter. That seems less desireable than storage. But then again, I live in a community that allows you to park your units next to or behind the house.

How can light weight, low profile towing not appeal to everyone? Lower towing costs, lower priced tow vehicles and safer to tow. Hard to not like that. Buying a smaller tow vehicle at less cost and better fuel economy than a 3/4 ton pickup diesel is perfect (and less smelly).

Setting up/taking down? All a part of the camping experience whether back packing tent, pop up, TM, conventional trailer, 5th wheel, van or motor home. Is an extra 5 minutes all that big of deal (unless you can't wait out the thunderstorm that you're in)? Of course there is that bathroom that can take awhile to access while you're on the road.

But there are some draw backs. As for being tall, I bumped my head on the bathroom door frame all three times I looked in there ... and I'm only 6'2". In my current unit I occasionally bump into the air conditioner even though I know it's there and after 8 years of ownership, should know better.

Sitting in the TM and not being able to see outside is not a plus for us. We like to see what's going on both at our camp site and around us.

Although we're considered frugal campers without much gear by most, I can't fit what we carry now in a 25' conventional trailer in a 3124. No screen door. Fridge half the size of what we now have. Not being able to walk on the sides of the bed, not being able to make the bed and so on are real turn offs.

Lots of interior room! Gotta luv that.

I know there are remedies for much of this but we're not sure we want to make do. No travel trailer is perfect and they all represent compromises. Whatever our final decision, I'll always be grateful to the members in this forum for their experience and wisdom. Your insights and information have been invaluable.