Seriously interested in TM with reservations:

[Steve57]

Hi everyone. I am a long time camper and previous owner of tent trailers, A-frames, and travel trailers. I am really interested in TM for its ability to be stored in my garage and its ease of towing. I have not yet seen one in person and plan to visit my local dealership soon. I am concerned about the long term health and viability of the company. Will they be around 5 years down the road. What about parts and servicing. I love the concept and am of the impression that this is a quality product. I would really appreciate some honest feedback from folks in the know.

[mcollect]

We have only had ours 2720SL for a year. It's a 2012 and we took our first trip in the spring. We were either foolish or brave, having never towed a trailer one, or even using one, we left Maryland and went to big Bend Texas. The trip took about a month. Steep learning curve but we did extremely well. Blew one fuse on the battery, as the connection came loose. That is the only problem we encountered. Returned home cleaned it, greased the bearings, and took off this October for another three weeks. I took a full tool kit, a generator, tons of electrical stuff. Used none of it! We did get rid of the "recliner" as it weighs a ton and is not a recliner only the foot lifts, uncomfortable as all get out. We now use camp chairs. Pulling with a Tacoma extended bed, tow package. and a poor WDH the bars hit the pivoting pin on the swing away hitch. No trouble at 65 mph and don't notic18 Wheeler's until their front is next to the cab. Planning on the west coast next summer. One purchase we did really enjoy was a 12/120 volt freezer. Stocked up before we left home and only needed to shop on a rare occasion. Cooler was in the back seat of the cab and it was cooled with freezer packs from the freezer. No ice used! Enjoy and not to worry!

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Steve57

I am a long time camper and previous owner of tent trailers, A-frames, and travel trailers. I am really interested in TM ... I have not yet seen one in person and plan to visit my local dealership soon. I am concerned about the long term health and viability of the company. Will they be around 5 years down the road. What about parts and servicing... I would really appreciate some honest feedback from folks in the know.

I am a 16-year owner, so I suppose that makes me at least somewhat "in the know".

The first TM was built (prototyped) in about 1973 by an engineer in Tennessee. See a picture and a quick discussion at

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=17784

He formed a company around it, and started production in the late 1980's, I think. The company continued successful production for more than 30 years, so you know the concept, the product, and the public acceptance are good. A few years ago, the founder experienced health problems, and sold the company to two of his senior employees. The new owners moved the company to Nebraska, and for various reasons they are having a slow start in that location. However, they are building trailers, and they are doing service at that location. We all hope and assume that they will get fully on their feet soon, especially as the national economy improves. But of course there are no guarantees in the business world.

During this slow time, their dealership network has thinned out pretty drastically, and they are in the process of rebuilding it. This means that for now, "a visit to your local dealership" may be a bigger task than it would seem. Where are you located, by the way?

As for service, most parts of a TM, such as the appliances, running gear, electrical system, etc. are common to many other RVs. They can be serviced by any RV service shop, so they are no cause for concern. There are a few TM-specific items, such as the lift system, that can be serviced at the factory or by the new dealers as they come on. These are not items that require service often - most of us have never serviced them. And with the exception of rebuilding body panels, most of them can be serviced by the owner, especially if he/she is a bit handy, with the help of experienced owners on this forum.

I hope this capsule summary answers most of your questions, and relieves your fears. Ask more questions as they come up.

Bill

[rvcycleguy]

Good reply Bill. That should assist the poster.

I'm also a owner of a TM for the last 15 years with two different models. I went for a period of time with a conventional style and hated it so went or came back so to speak to TM.

Love it. Got style, Gets tons of interest from others either setting up or folding down. TM's are not for everyone. There is and will be compromises in many aspects. Can't just stop on the road and do lunch inside, or use the bathroom. Storage is everything below counter height. No real black holding tank as compared to conventional campers. Excellent for two people, challenging for families.

Parts are available as Bill says very well. Most components are not TM specific. Very seldom does the external lift system fail unless damaged in towing or abuse. The talk or conversation of the factory not being around someday really does not impact my life with the TM. There are enough used models still on the road today from 2 decades or more will offer parts between owners for years.

Good luck,

RV

[Padgett]

In fact the Nebraska issues seem to be pushing prices up. (Have seen it before with even more complex RVs).

[Steve57]

Thanks so much for the replies. I live in the San Francisco bay area, so a trip to my "local dealer" is a 350 mile jaunt to LA. I'm looking forward to crawling through as many models as they have in stock to decide if TM us for me.

[Gwenne & Len]

You're lucky that you can go to a dealer! We bought our first used TM after driving 8 hours......we had never seen one, while we had done a lot of research. We bought it - the next closest TM was 300 miles away. Good luck - we love ours!

[gonzo628]

Originally Posted by Steve57

Thanks so much for the replies. I live in the San Francisco bay area, so a trip to my "local dealer" is a 350 mile jaunt to LA. I'm looking forward to crawling through as many models as they have in stock to decide if TM us for me.

if 350 miles away to LA is Custom RV, it is probably worth the trip. They have several on their lot (at least they did when I was there a couple weeks ago bringing my 3124Kb to them -from Arizona).