Confused to Tow

We pulled an Elkmont from Michigan to Martinsville, VA with a Chevy Equinox w/ 3500# rating. Didn't have any problem. Of course had the WDH & brake controller. Also added a external tranny cooler to be safe.

Originally Posted by mkayers

We pulled an Elkmont from Michigan to Martinsville, VA with a Chevy Equinox w/ 3500# rating. Didn't have any problem. Of course had the WDH & brake controller. Also added a external tranny cooler to be safe.

Just curious.... question to any of you that are posting that you are currently "successfully" towing with a 3500# TC TV.... Have any of you actually weighed your loaded trailer, cargo, etc??
Without knowing the true facts, condoning a potentially illegal and dangerous action of towing beyond the legal capacity of your TV without actually knowing what your trailer weight is, is a bit irresponsible, don't you think?

It's like saying I shoot my gun out my back door and haven't killed anyone yet, so it's "no problem".

If you all feel that you're doing this "without a problem", I invite you to call your auto/Rv insurance company and tell them, and then call the local chapter of the State Police and explain it to them as well. See if they tell you "it's not a problem".

I personally would not put my family or the families around me on the road in that much danger.

I don't mean to be rude, but what I'm reading scares the hell out of me.
It's NOT ok to tow over the capacity of your TV.

PS: WDH, brake controllers, tranny coolers, etc, do NOT increase your tow capacity. Please understand this.

Originally Posted by ED-n-KEL

PS: WDH, brake controllers, tranny coolers, etc, do NOT increase your tow capacity. Please understand this.

Well put. These do not increase your stopping power either...

In addition to the safety items listed in the two previous posts, Even with an aux transmission cooler you are really stressing the transmission and setting yourself up for early trans failure. I certainly would not tow a TM with a 3500 lb rated vehicle, but if I did , I would want a transmission temp gauge to confirm that. I tow a 2720SLwith a Silverado 2500 HD ( with trans temp gauge & 12000 lb tow rating) and there is a noticeable temp difference in trans temp when towing in hills and mountains.

[wbmiller3]

Wayne,
I thought you meant 1000, but you typed 10,000 in post #2 of this thread. That is what I was pointing out. 1000 or 2000 sounded more reasonable to me.

Originally Posted by wbmiller3

Wayne,
I thought you meant 1000, but you typed 10,000 in post #2 of this thread. That is what I was pointing out. 1000 or 2000 sounded more reasonable to me.

Be sure brain is engaged before putting a forum post into gear.

[cochise]

Originally Posted by fotozeman

I have a Nissan Quest MiniVan, rated 3500#. I went to a dealer today, and they basically told me that I would not be able to tow a Trail Manor, not even the 2619, that basically all I would be able to tow would be a pop up. I am new to trailering, so I am a bit confused what I can really tow.

In simple terms, does anyone have any suggestions for what to look for in a trailer weight that I can tow with my Quest?

Also, does anybody have any experiences of towing Trail Manor trailers, possibly the 2619, or 2720, with vehicles rated at 3500# such as mini vans?

We really like the design of the Trail Manor Trailers better than the Pop Up Trailers, but if we really shouldn't tow them with our Quest, then we will have to begin searching other options.

Thanks for any ideas or help.

Based on weight information from both TM and Texas RV Center in Cleburne, we drove from Tucson to Texas to purchase our Elkmont 24. It was listed in their brochure as weighing 2498#, with a tongue weight of 320#. We had a one year old Santa Fe with the factory installed tow package and tow limits of 3500# with a tongue load of 350# MAX. Texas Rv installed both a brake control and WDH, and we believed we were safe. During our trip back we were often told that it appeared that we were towing in excess of our capability. After arriving home we decided that that was probably true. We had the rig on a scale and found that it weighed 3600# empty with 600# on the tongue. We also found out that we had probably used 12 – 15000 miles worth of rubber on the front tires towing the trailer back to AZ. AND… the Hyundai dealer here pointed out that there was a warning label on the tow bar not really visible unless you got on your back under the car, which a couple of guys from Texas Rv did. The label stated: Max 3500#, Max Tongue load 350#, AND “do not use with WDH. So much for trusting the Texas RV Center Dealer.

We got the funds freed up and bought used Chevy Silverado with a 5000# tow capacity and the factory installed tow package. It has the fancy tow transmission deal where you can press a button and the gears will changes differently.

We have now owned the Elkmont 24 for a year, and we are now finishing up with all the problems that we had with the trailer, and believe me the list is long. A person i9nterested in a travel trailer asked me about my opinion, and I told him that after a year of bickering with TM about warranty repairs etc., we have concluded that we were promised a quality trailer, but ended up with “a One star rolling mini hotel at a Five star price”. That said it all to that person. He thanked me for being honest.

Would we do it again? NO WAY! TrailManor had a really good concept, but decided to butcher it as best they could, including peeing on their customers. They never answer mail. They only accepted responsibility for their poor quality and dangerous flaws after we contacted RVIA and the furnace manufacturer.

I have a similar question. We are contemplating a TT or a pup and came across the TM. It is an intriguing concept, albeit a bit on the expensive side. However, getting a more pleasant daily driver that can tow is much better than a tank for a TV.

Here is what we are considering for the TM. We love our Hondas and saw that the 4wd Pilot is rated at 4500lbs. With my family of 5 (three adults, tweenager, and two elementary school sons), we can safely tow around 4000lbs according to the manual. Would a 4wd Pilot handle the 2720? We are teachers and travel extensively in the summers. The TM would probably be going as far the Yellowstone and eventually we want to take the kids to Washington state. Anybody here tow a TM with a midsize SUV for great distances care to elaborate their experiences?

BTW, all cars, TT, pups, etc. (including TM) will have people that have had problems, so I understand there will be people who have problems. I know that Honda had problems with Odysseys in the early 2000's, but that didn't stop us from buying a 2003 one which has been a good "swagger wagon" for us.

Thanks!

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by cochise

The label stated: Max 3500#, Max Tongue load 350#, AND “do not use with WDH. So much for trusting the Texas RV Center Dealer.

Golly, that's pretty disappointing. There is a little engineering in all towing, I suppose, but a hitch receiver labeled "max. 350# tongue wt" and "not for use with a WDH" is a hitch receiver not for use with a TrailManor, and anyone who's ever towed a TrailManor and anyone in the industry should have been able to point that out to you.

I learned several RV's ago that they are a collection of independent parts from different manufacturers. Winnebago taught me that you need to allow enough time at the time of purchase (months, if necessary) that you don't take it off the dealer's lot until everything is working (it took about a year with a good dealer to get through all the delivery issues on that one). Thankfully, most of us have had better experience than yours with our TrailManors and the dealers, and hopefully you'll have a better experience going forward.

My 2720 weighed in at 4160 pounds recently when fully loaded with freshwater and a charged toilet and all of the other accessories, supplies, etc. Add a full toilet and a gray water tank and it could get heavier still.

That is right at your max but you should also be looking at tongue weight and GCWR for your Pilot. I have scale-based calculations showing 560-720 lbs tongue weight depending upon how much tension I put on the WDH. What is your Pilot capable of after you have all of your family and any other gear in it? You might find that you cannot fill the Pilot with your family and meet the GVWR and GCWR when you add 500+ pounds of tongue weight and 4000+ pounds of trailer behind it.