Ordering TM in a few days!

[CamperCoyle]

Hi All - Just joined the board. Have been researching for several months and found this group very useful. We'll be ordering a 2005 - 2720 in the next few days with the following options:

Extra cabinet
All vinyl flooring
Radio/CD player
Microwave
Lift

Any other recommendations or precautions?

Thanks.

[Windbreaker]

Yes, get the AC, where you use it or not. It will almost be required for resale. Also the awning (sp?) will be welcomed by all.

Hope you enjoy it!

[CamperCoyle]

Have another question I'm waiting for the dealer to call back so in the meantime - We doing our final measurements to make sure it fits in our garage. The website gives two measurements towing length (closed) and body -open. Is the closed length back of trailer to the coupler?

Is the 27' equivalent - just an estimate or is it really supposed to add up to that in which case is that the open body length plus the front of the trailer to the coupler?

Any guidance is always appreciated.

Sylvia

[RockyMtnRay]

Have another question I'm waiting for the dealer to call back so in the meantime - We doing our final measurements to make sure it fits in our garage. The website gives two measurements towing length (closed) and body -open. Is the closed length back of trailer to the coupler?


Yes, the closed length is back of the trailer to the coupler...the specified 20' 3" for a 2720 is very close to accurate (I have a 2002 2720SL). If you have any worries about garage length, get the swing-away tongue option...it really does cut the storage length by about 1.5 feet...for this model that is to about 18'6". My trailer (with the swing away tongue) does comfortably fit (with about a foot to spare) in my 19.5 foot garage!

Is the 27' equivalent - just an estimate or is it really supposed to add up to that in which case is that the open body length plus the front of the trailer to the coupler?


The 27 is a "kinda" equivalent...the actual length of the open trailer's interior is about 23 feet from front wall to rear wall at its maximum (about a foot below the roof line). If you had a standard box trailer that was 27 feet (including tongue) from rear bumper to front of tongue, it would also have roughly the same 23 feet of interior length when a 4 foot tongue is subtracted...however (huge however), that 23 feet would also likely be at the floor level as well as at roof level. A regular 2720 (not SD or SL) actually has about 16 feet of interior length measured at floor level (The extra 7 feet (to get the 23 feet at just below roof level) comes from the slide out beds). Clearer?

[CamperCoyle]

:) That is exactly what I thought and is a great relief. Our garage is 23' - but based on the group's advice we will opt for the swing around tongue - maybe we won't crack our knees on it as much!

We currently have a Chalet that we use year round - especially for skiing in the winter - but with all the extra clothing, boots, etc., it's getting a bit cramped with two growing children. We figure the TM with the permanent beds will let us spread out a bit - plus the girls can now bring friends with the extra dinette bed.

We are really getting excited about this.

Thanks again for the great advice.

Sylvia

[Windbreaker]

If you want to garage it make sure you check the height with/without ac. I understand garages are split about 50/50 as to being able to clear the door with the ac.

[CamperCoyle]

We will be checking all the measurements first. Thanks again for reminding us about all the details!

Sylvia :)

[revmrbill]

If you order the spare tire rack make sure that the dealer shows you how to use it. see my post on the problems I had just last week.

Happy Camping

Rev Mr Bill

[BobRederick]

Campercoyle, you might consider the optional electric jack. I understand it helps a lot. I get winded pretty easy at altitude and you may notice that too. If you have equalizer hitch, it is used to lift the truck to tension the bars as well.

I'm looking for a TM, too!

Bob Rederick

[G-V_Driver]

The new units with bigger tires may not require a lift kit. Our old unit had a kit and didn't drag. Our newer unit has the bigger tires but no lift kit and it doesn't drag either. Since dragging isn't a problem until/unless it drags, I guess we won't know until it does. So far, so good. The Car Show (big dealer in COS) thinks dragging is no longer a problem with the bigger tires, and they no longer order the kits as standard equipment. Check with your dealer and other owners to get a better picture with respect to your model.

Some dealers specifiy low-profile air conditioners to minimize storage problems. It's an option you may want to consider if you think it's close.

Wayne

[G-V_Driver]

Equivalent to what?

I am unabashedly skeptical of comparisons and claims, especially those rendered by telemarketers, info-mercials, politicians, consultants, airplane manufacturers, resume-writers and some TV preachers, so it's easy to extend the list to trailer-makers.

The top line of the spec sheet for my 3124KS says "Equivalent Travel Trailer Size--Open" is 31'.

The next line says "Towing Length--Closed" is 24' 3".

Next line says "Body Length--Open" is 27' 11". (Say 28' for simplicity)

A skeptic might ask how they come up with the additional 3', since it appears the most they can measure is about 28.' The most-obvious answer is that it must be the "equivalency."

The secret lies in the fold-out beds and/or the slide out Sofas, but where? The company gives itself the benefit of the doubt by saying that the front bed and-or slideout extends the usable space by whatever the dimension of those components may be, even though it doesn't increase the over-all length of the trailer. Why? Because the space gained is above the tongue of the trailer (the length of which was included in the closed towing length above.)

Since they obviously assume (and I have no reason to doubt) that the tongue length is generally included in the published dimensions of travel trailers, then the space gained (and included in the calcuations) by converting the space above the tongue to usable space is real. They don't dwell on the fact that the space isn't floor-to-ceiling (if its a bed that folds out) but since most people probably don't think of the space under their beds as usable anyway, it would be nit-picking to fault TM for remaining silent on this issue. In our unit, the slide-out living area makes most all of the space usable, so the argument is moot.

Starting from the back of my 3124KS, the king-size bed extends 4' past the bottom portion of the trailer, because the two storage spaces (one accessed internally and one externally) are located under about 3' of the bed. But since the bed protrudes a full 7' from the end of the interior hallway, the company gives itself an "equivalency" of the full 7' when developing the sales literature.

I measured our trailer, and found the basic bottom box is about 18' 8" in length. The slide out adds another 3' 9" and the overhang of the front shell adds another 1' 6" at the top. Added together, the total open length is exactly as advertised:

4' 0" Bed overhang
18' 8" Box
3' 9" Slider
1' 6" Additional Front Shell Overhang
27' 11" Total Length Open

So where are the three feet that make up the the "equivalency" between the ~28' measured and the 31' claimed by the manufacturer? To paraphrase the campaign strategy of a former President, "It's the storage, stupid."

The ~three-foot depth of the storage space under the bed is double counted. It is included in the length of the trailer (verified by the yardstick) and also counted in the bed dimension, since it is inarguable that when you reach the end of the hallway between the wardrobe and the bathroom, the only place you can go is up on the bed, which is 7' long.

And as Paul Harvey likes to say, " . . . and now you know the rest of the story."

[mjlaupp]

Equivalent to what?
.......
The top line of the spec sheet for my 3124KS says "Equivalent Travel Trailer Size--Open" is 31'.

The next line says "Towing Length--Closed" is 24' 3".

Next line says "Body Length--Open" is 27' 11". (Say 28' for simplicity)
........
Interesting :new_scatt

The old style TrailManor body size model numbers reflected the actual body length when open. Your 3124KS would have been a model 28M (= 28').

The "Equivalent Travel Trailer Size" is derived by adding an imaginary hitch length (3') to the open body length (28') which equals (31').

A conventional travel trailer is rated by it's overall measured length from hitch to rear bumper.

TrailManor is equating it's "Equivalent Travel Trailer Size" to a conventional travel trailer measured length. :cool:

MJL :new_usa:

[G-V_Driver]

Mike,

I have no doubt that you are right, since I had no idea a 28M ever existed; or if it did, how they measured it. It was fun to measure and figure out my unit anyway, and I now have a better understanding of the real numbers that I wouldn't have had without spending the time.

And besides that, my conclusion about the "equivalency" conspiracy/mystery is much more intriguing than just saying "add a hypothetical three feet to the open length." Why should I let the facts stand in the way when the arithmetic works so well? On the other hand, if heresy is frowned on, I don't want to be a source of misinformation and can just delete the post and entertain myself with the information gained.

:D

[mjlaupp]

Wayne,
Please don't delete your post. It makes for interesting reading and someone may get something out of it. Besides, my post would make no sense if you deleted yours.
MJL

[CamperCoyle]

:) All I was really trying to determine is what size campsites I can get into. With a 2720 - I can consider the "camping vehicle" length to be 24'. Some of the places we go don't want campers over 25' - so that was the purpose of the question.

Thanks for all the input - it's an interesting discussion.

By the way - ordered my 2720 a week ago - with the Blue interior. I will post pictures when it arrives - sometime around the end of September!

Sylvia

2004 Durango
2005 2720 (on the way!)

[G-V_Driver]

Little kid came into the house and said "Mom, where did I come from?"

Figuring that the question was an indication that it was time to explain the entire process, the mother took the boy into the library, got out all the appropriate materials, and went through the entire human reproduction drill in great detail.

When she was finished, she asked "Does that answer your question?"

"Well, I'm not sure" he said. "The reason I asked is because a new kid just moved in down the block, and said he came from Boston."