Going to the Dark Side.
Well it is with a heavy heart and a heavy trailer that I move to dark side. Yep, we bought a Puma Unleashed 27SBU TH Saturday and as soon as I get a truck to drag it we will pick it up.
We missed out on a couple of units that might have filled the bill. I really like the 3326, and once you have one its pretty hard to want to go back to one that is less than that grand unit (I first wanted a 3124, but when we lucked into a 3326...)
The folding line has been quite attractive to us, or at least me. I believe TM really needs to look at the architecture of the 3326 and improve the dinette design. True the dinette functions as a bed, but if you get it out of the way, you would gain all that space by galley making the trailer much, much roomier.
The other issue for us was the scarcity of 3326s. We were lucky to have a replacement rider on our insurance. If we had not, we would have lost several thousand dollars in depreciation. Add to that is that the replacement insurance only covers trailers for 5 years. This year was the last year our replacement insurance would be in effect.
When you consider an impact when the trailer was closed that smacked the corner resulted in in over $12,000 damages, your only option is to replace the TM. One new TM owner I was emailing, drove 2700 miles for a 3326 (heck it was a very good deal) saying he had been looking for one for quite some time. When I looked around I had only seen 2 candidate 3326s, and one overpriced unit in CA.
When the pardette and I looked at those facts, we were concerned that if we ever tried to visit the caverns at Marianna again...and the same thing happened...we might find it even more difficult to get back into a good TM again (considering the scarcity, expired replacement insurance, etc). It is a heck of lot easier to find a 2619, 2720, 3023, 3124 than a 3326. Further, for significant damage you can only go to Trailmanor as the specialized equipment and jigs are only available at the factory.
That said the TM folding line fills a void of true lightweight trailers in a very usable configuration, capable of being pulled by a untrained herd of dacshunds. A lot of the materials are good, workmanship is good (not excellent), and the engineering adequate but could be improved in my opinion. I really think used TMs are the way to go, but considering the high price of new units I do not think I would buy one new.
I don't think there is a better folding trailer on the market. Certainly TM adding an electric lift system, which I still think is of dubious value, should prove popular with customers. Frankly doing what opens interior space, better toilet venting, and the new units a/c are much quieter, will all help. TM needs to stay cutting edge as they are not the only ones out there with vacuum bonding experience anymore. Many new trailers use these construction techniques.
Well, I will still be around for a while. Certainly I will be glad to help any TM owners and, of course, 3326 owners.
I do miss the old beast...
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