Newbie with a mission

We are a young family, older parents. We own a 2010 Honda Odyssey which we bought when we found out we were pregnant with twins last year. The twins are now 6 months old and there's a 3 year old as well. We have recently come to believe that one great way to build family experiences/memories is to take a lot of road trips. We look forward to taking many camping trips across the US, seeing all there is to see and building lasting memories for the young ones. We are looking to buy a trailer that will accommodate us for the next 10 years without necessarily having to trade in the Odyssey, which possibility has indeed occurred to us. We like what we've seen of testimonials from owners of the TrailerManor line, and are currently considering the 2720. Our price range is $35 to $50K. Any advice welcome.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Where do you live and where do you plan to camp?

Having towed our 2720SL across the U.S. several times with 2 adults and a dog in a Toyota Sequoia, I personally think you would be hard pressed to tow any model TM with an Odyssey with 3 kids, 2 adults, and gear out in much of the western U.S. Maybe on the east coast. There are a few folks here that tow with an Odyssey, so hopefully they can chime in with first hand info.

Dave

I agree with Dave.It is easy to exceed the towing limits of a smaller tow vehicle especially with 3 kids and lots of camping gear.I use to tow my 2720SD with a 1993 Toyota 4x4 P/U with a 3500 LB tow rating and although I never had any problems I could tell that it was really taking a toll on the truck.It did have 4.56 gears and an 8" rear end though.

I would NOT tow a TM 2720 with less than a 5000 LB tow rated vehicle.Not sure what the Honda Odyssey specs are but it's better to play it safe!

Good Luck!

Well, I must say, I feel a little like I'm on a seesaw. I go from thinking I have to upgrade to a tow vehicle with a higher capacity to feeling like I don't have to based on what I hear from different people. We live on the east coast but of course would want to be able to go just about anywhere we can drive to. I was convinced I had to move to the Sequoia, or a Suburban, or some other heavier SUV until I spoke yesterday with the regional sales rep at TrailManor. He pretty much assured me I'd be fine with the Odyssey. Seems like every sales rep I talk to tells me what's most likely to get me to buy what he's selling. I'd love to hear from any active TM towers who are using an Odyssey. I'm planning a 3 hour trip to a dealer in PA tomorrow to look at the goods. While I can always change my TV later, I'd hate to go to the expense of getting the equipment installed only to do it again later on something else. Not only that, but, if I was going to go with a heavier TV, I feel like i'd want a bigger trailer.

Originally Posted by rdoust

...until I spoke yesterday with the regional sales rep at TrailManor. He pretty much assured me I'd be fine with the Odyssey. Seems like every sales rep I talk to tells me what's most likely to get me to buy what he's selling....

Yep

Here's A Thread "Actual Weight Of My Tm" http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=9249.
Give That A Look If You Haven't Read It Yet.

I Have A 2008 2720 From The Factory With Ac, Awning, Swing Hitch, 2 Hanging Cabinets And The 40 Gal Water Tank.

My Unloaded Weight With The Options Is 3095 Lbs. Fill The Propane Tanks Add 40 Lbs. Need A Battery Add About 50 Lbs Per Battery Wanna Travel With A Full Water Tank Add Another 380 Lbs. Now My Tm Sits At 3615 Lbs With 2 Battery's So You Are Already Over Your Weight Limit.

Be Careful Of The Stated Limits On The TM Site And Look For The Sticker On The Door Under The Sink To Get The Real Weights Of Any Tm Your Looking For.

This Is Just My Opinion Of Course.

Yeah, I ran into the same thing when I had my first Taco that was rated at 3,500. Like you my TV was just about year old. I replaced the new TV with a newer TV with a tow package, bigger engine, etc.

However, with the money you have allocated you could get a used post 2003 TM, resell the Odyssey, and pick up a vehicle capable towing the the TM of your choice. The Odyssey might be a quick sale in this economy and a TV capable of 6,500 pounds or more are available.

I also find that your want that the family to travel together a good one and one that is a good choice for you. If you upgrade your TV you may want to look for something like a 3124 or a 3023. I really think the 3124s are the best, all around TM series.

[countrygirl]

Sales people and company reps will lie and just about tell you anything to make a sale.

You may want peace of mind!

http://hensleymfg.com/products/the-hensley-cub/

Koz

[ShrimpBurrito]

Is towing a TM with an Odyssey with 3 kids/2 adults possible? Sure. But there are alot of caveats. Even towing empty in flat lands you are going to be close to the limits of your TV, so you're going to want to avoid taking alot of "stuff", like no water, toilet not charged, minimal food, no camp chairs or table, few clothes, no cooler, no firewood, etc. You're are going to want to carefully evaluate each and every item that goes into either the TM or TV. Want to take another adult and kid? Not a good idea. With our Sequoia, we simply don't have to consider any of that.

IMHO, your combination will limit what where you go and what you do when you get there. But is it possible? Sure. You can always have too little TV, but never too much - that latter is simply of matter of how much money you want to throw at it. More capable tow vehicles are always less economical to own.

You could try the Odyssey and see how it goes. Others here have done it, and hopefully they will chime in. Your only wasted expenditure is whatever you pay to install a brake controller - a few hundred bucks tops, and if you're handy, you can even do that yourself. You'll pay 10x that in sales tax alone on a new vehicle.

Dave

[Bill]

I certainly agree that a lot of road trips is a wonderful way to build a lifetime of good memories for a family. I was lucky, in that my folks believed the same thing, and before I was 10 I had seen all th emajpr nationalparks and most all areas of the country, including the high country of the American West.

Now, as to the advisability of towing a TM with an Odyssey. Remember that your Ody is rated to tow 3500 pounds. But more important, remember the asterisk that appears on the tow rating wherever it is published. Although the exact words vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, a good summary is this:

The 3500 pound rating applies to an empty vehicle with a 150-pound driver. Every pound that you put into the vehicle, whether is passengers, cargo, factory options, or aftermarket options, sometimes even gasoline, counts against the tow rating.

Don't take my word for it - I urge you to look this up and confirm what I have said. Then consider the weight of yourself (if you are over 150 pounds), wife, 3 children, camping equipment, children's stuff, vehicle equipment, and so forth. You will probably find that an honest estimate of all these comes to at least 500 pounds. So now your Ody can tow only a 3000-pound trailer. And a TM, loaded and ready for the road, will weigh 3500 pounds or more. Again, I urge you to confirm this by looking up the actual weights of ready-to-camp TMs that have been posted here when members put their TMs on a scale.

Somehow there is an unspoken expecataton that if you meet the tow rating, even with only 1 pound to spare, then the world is rosy and there are no limits. But if you think about it, that is not reasonable, mostly because it doesn't take into account anything about WHERE you will tow. And even though the car manufacturers ignore it, I think it is obvious that you can't tow as big a load in steep mountains as you can tow in the flatlands. And there is also an unspoken expectation that if you exceed the tow rating, even by 1 pound, that you will know it instantly because - what? your car will fail to run? That's silly, too. Of course your car will run, and it has no way to tell you that it is overloaded. So the dividing line is not nearly that clear.

As some have pointed out, you can pull a TM with a lawn tractor, but that doesn't make it a good thing to do. And so when you hear that someone towed a TM with a lightweight vehicle, and they "had no problems - go for it!" - well, you are hearing the lawn tractor story. Of course you can move it with an overloaded tow vehcle! But is it smart? That take some thought.

Off my soapbox now ...

Bill