Some Elk droppings...

[Redhawk]

Due to a lot of different reasons, we didn't get to take the Elk out as much as we wanted this summer, but I did spend some time repairing leaks, installing solar, modifying the furnace etc. I finally got to get it out one last time to winterize it, foam some holes up and test my mods.

First, the furnace mod, what a difference! It was 43 degrees when I turned the furnace on, it took 10 minutes to get to 65 degrees. With out the mod, I'm not sure it would have ever got there, it would have taken hours. Thanks for that info Bruce.

The water leaks I fixed all held up, but I found another one when I was under the chassis sealing any holes I could find, luckily it was just a loose fitting that I was able to tighten once I found it. I don't want to see another drip of water coming out for a LONGGGGG time! I have been finding a lot of grit in the faucet screens though, so a new rod in the water heater may be in order.

I'm very happy with the solar panel and controller I installed, the 140W panel works a lot better than the 85W we had on the 2619 we had. I intentionally tried to run the batteries down as much as possible the night before and the panel had me back to full charge around noon the next day. Good stuff.

Just patting myself on the back I guess....thanks for listening!
Happy camping!

[hillbillyhotel]

(elk dropping's) love that title:)

but i got to be honest, my first thought after seeing title was (lord what has fell off of it now):eek:
was glad to see what it was, all the mods. Do make us feel like we did get something done thou,,,
BUT YOU ARE READY FOR SPRING!! :cool:

[Redhawk]

The other thing I forgot to mention that is more relevant to others is that the "Happy Camper" treatment stuff works as advertised. Very impressive, no chemical odors or other odors AT ALL!! Now it only got to 77 degrees, so higher temps may change things, but I doubt it.

[brulaz]

The other thing I forgot to mention that is more relevant to others is that the "Happy Camper" treatment stuff works as advertised. Very impressive, no chemical odors or other odors AT ALL!! Now it only got to 77 degrees, so higher temps may change things, but I doubt it.

Does your Elk have the re-cycling Thetford? Most don't AFAIK, but it was an option.

The regular Thetford doesn't really have an odour problem at all, at least ours doesn't.

[Redhawk]

No, it's not the recirc, it's the regular, but I DID have an odor problem due to lack of good maintenance by the previous owner, I did the Geo method over and over while flushing it every chance I could. It's finally getting cleaned out pretty well I think and the Happy Camper seemed to help it along.

[T and C]

Hillbilly,

Thanks for the great laugh I had when I read this:

but i got to be honest, my first thought after seeing title was (lord what has fell off of it now)


:biggrinbo

Tom

[brulaz]

OK! Enough of the Elk bashing!

Once its "issues" are addressed, it's a great little trailer.

(It's just that there have been many issues ...:o)

[tgpmd1]

What kind of modification did you do on the furnace?

[moaboy]

I too am interested in the furnace modification. And is it one that applies to the folding line as well as the Elk?

[Bill]

Gents, there are two recent threads, rather extensive, on the furnace mod. Both started by Redhawk. Just take a look a few entries down in the Elkmont forum.

Bill

[brulaz]

John (RedHawk) would know whether any of this applies to the folding Trailmanors, as he owned one before the Elk.

Here's Another Furnace Thread (http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10052)

[Carol Hagy]

:)Hi all - I'm looking at the Elkmont with the bunks. I've had a TrailManor 1619 (I think that was the size). I had to sell though a few years ago. I'm looking for something I don't have to put together. No real questions yet. Just reading different things you guys are talking about.

[brulaz]

:)Hi all - I'm looking at the Elkmont with the bunks. I've had a TrailManor 1619 (I think that was the size). I had to sell though a few years ago. I'm looking for something I don't have to put together. No real questions yet. Just reading different things you guys are talking about.

We're still here. Most of us did choose thr Elkmont over the folding for the "less hassle" part. But they're also extremely light weight and have lots kitchen space for a 24' trailer. Not sure about the bunk models though.

We've been looking at larger upright trailers, and I've yet to come across anything close. Maybe the Lance trailer.

[camp2canoe]

We would have bought the largest Elkmont if it was still made. We wound up buying a Keystone Bullet 246RBS from Pontiac RV in Pontiac, Illinois. They were easy to deal with and gave us a fair trade in on our '05 TM 2619.

For what it may be worth, we thought TrailManor's build quality was superior to the Keystone. Our sink drain wasn't hooked up so the kitchen sink flooded the kitchen the first time we did dishes. The following weekend we had another kitchen leak. (Who carpets the enclosed cabinet under the sink cabinet where the plumbing lines run?) As we were putting it away for the winter, I paid to have the dealer do the winterization - if it leaks again when we use it this April I didn't want to have them blame further leaks on our improper winterization.

On the other hand, the bathroom is larger than our home bathrooms and has both a porcelain flush toilet and an outside entrance. We don't miss the Thetford! - camp2canoe

[brulaz]

We would have bought the largest Elkmont if it was still made.

Maybe they'll come back. The Al-Foam-Al laminate construction is truly unique in the industry, and the Elkmont 24' has an exceptional layout for a non-slideout model

For what it may be worth, we thought TrailManor's build quality was superior to the Keystone.

Guess you didn't buy an Elkmont! They were built just when the company was going down the tubes, and the build quality reflected it. But the engineering and design was/is great. Now that ours is fixed up we're very happy. Just feeling a little cramped, so are looking at bigger, wider, taller, heavier trailers with a slide-out as a possible future upgrade.

Our sink drain wasn't hooked up so the kitchen sink flooded the kitchen the first time we did dishes. The following weekend we had another kitchen leak. (Who carpets the enclosed cabinet under the sink cabinet where the plumbing lines run?) As we were putting it away for the winter, I paid to have the dealer do the winterization - if it leaks again when we use it this April I didn't want to have them blame further leaks on our improper winterization.

On the other hand, the bathroom is larger than our home bathrooms and has both a porcelain flush toilet and an outside entrance. We don't miss the Thetford!

Another reason we went with the Elkmont 24. But the black tank was too small. Now that I upgraded it to 30gal, we can last a long while before having to dump.



By the way, some people may remember "Cochise", an Elkmont owner on this board a couple of years ago. His trailer also had lots of problems. Turns out he sold his Elkmont back to Trailmanor (to the new owners IIRC) for the original price (which he really appreciated), and now owns a Lance trailer. He's had a few issues with the Lance, but overall he's a lot happier than he was with the Elkmont.

[bell]

I have rebuilt my bunkhouse Elkmont 2010 and can find no other trailer to compare.If you are about to buy one ,you may phone me about what you can do with it. 336-675-1491

[Redhawk]

When we were shopping, our favorite was also the Lance, but it was 2x as heavy as the Elkmont and 2.5x more expensive. Considering the deal we got on the Elk, it was a no brainer. It did need some TLC, but is doing well these days. We love it.