Looking to join the group

[jjneff]

My wife and I are looking at a used TM now that we are very interested in! I have been reading this forum for a while as I like to get all the info I can before I buy something. Dose the TM year 2000 have a 3 way frig and outside shower?
How long do the propane tanks last? I am interested to know if anyone here runs both propane and AC on the hot water heater and if it makes a difference. We live in a great area to campe at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Greenville SC, close to the beach and close to the mountains! I hope to be able to share more and ask more questions if things work out. I also would like to support this site with funds if I get a trailer. Happy camping to you lucky already owners. Oh I am getting a reece hitch installed what size of ball head do I need to hook-up to the trailer? The electrical will be a socket on the bumper will the cord from the TM be long enough? My TV is a Dodge Ram 1500 V8 Quad Cab 2002 SB

[Queeniereads]

SOrry -- I cannot answer the specifics, but on a general note, I hope you get the TM. We bought a new one last spring and have enjoyed it so much all summer. It is safer to tow and comfortable for camping. Good luck! Someone else will answer the specifics I am sure -- there is lots of great help among this group! Queeniereads aka Judi

[jjneff]

It's nice to be wanted :) I hope this will work out for us too. We love nature and this seems to fit.

[mjlaupp]

You need a 2 inch ball, a 7 pin electrical socket, an electric trailer brake controller and yes, the cord is long enough. Come on in, the water is just fine!
Mike

[BobRederick]

How long do the propane tanks last? I am interested to know if anyone here runs both propane and AC on the hot water heater and if it makes a difference.

Propane duration depends on what you are doing with it, obviously. For mountain camping inthe summer, I heat at night and run the refrig and get about 1/2 tank for 3 days dry camping. And yes, you can run both for quicker recovery of hot water.

We live in a great area to campe at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Greenville SC, close to the beach and close to the mountains!

Lucky you. Thats a dream world!!!

I also would like to support this site with funds if I get a trailer.

You might not want to wait. There are other areas of the forum that you can get to if you are a paid up member. I bought a year ago and had a wealth of knowledge as well as checklists when I picked up my TM that was 2000 miles away. I'm mighty greatful for the help I derived from this site.

reece hitch installed what size of ball head

2 inch.

My TV is a Dodge Ram 1500 V8 Quad Cab 2002 SB

You can go to the trailmanor.com web site and look at vehicle capabilities. There is a button on the home page that takes you there. Your TV should have no problems if it has the factory tow option. If not, you might need a transmission cooler, brake and light wiring, hitch, and other things. Best to check it out.

Best wishes and I hope you find a TM that has the capabilities you need.

[Freedom]

We have a 2000 2619. It does have a three-way refrigerator, but no outside shower. Our water heater is only propane, not electric. I can't tell you how long the propane tanks last because we don't use much propane - at least not on the trailer - we do use several small tanks a year on the bar-b-q. Last weekend we did use a small amount of propane for the furnace to take the chill off in the morning. We were camping at Leavenworth, WA with the 2 grandsons. We use an electric space heater most of the time, but it couldn't keep up - it was COLD! The trailer cord is long enough to reach the bumper, in fact, we tie ours up with a bungee to keep it from dragging or getting caught on something. The ball size on our TM is 2" and I think the other trailers have the same size. You have to get into the really BIG trailers before you go to a 2 5/16" ball. 1 7/8" balls are only for small utility trailers.

[jjneff]

My towing capacity is 5500 pounds, I hope I can't feel the trailer too much behind me. I know the tires are 15" and I don't think that it has a lift kit, so I was shooting for 19" off the ground I have a 2wd Ram. I'm going to get the Prodigy brake controller, I want to be as safe as possible. I also need a cover and wonder if you know of a good one to get. Dose anyone have the specs on the 2000 3124KS?? Thank-you to all of you wonderful people for the guidance and help! :)

[Freedom]

I just went out and looked and I guess I'm wrong on the water heater. There is a switch under the sink that says "water heater" so I assume it will work on both gas and electric. We have never used it on either so can't say with certainty, other than what I've read here on this forum. I do have a copy of the 2002 TM pamphlet which I will try to attach. I can only attach three pictures so I'll skip the front page.

[jlh29303]

jjNeff,

Have you talked with the TrailManor dealer off of HWY 101 in Greer? They're new dealers, but should be able to help you out a lot. We bought our 2004 2720SL new, last December and our propane tanks are still over half full. We've been camping a half dozen times or so, mostly long weekends. We use a couple of ceramic heaters instead of the furnace. Our hot water heater also has an electric element as well as the standard gas heating. I don't know if the 2000 models had dual heating. We just make sure we don't plug in the electric before the water is turned on as you could fry that element quickly if your hot water tank was dry. We have a 3 way fridge. We generally plug up to shore power the night before we leave and the next morning it's good and cold.

We are over in Spartanburg and realize how lucky we are to be so close to Hwy 11. We camp at Devil's Fork, Keowee Toxaway (our favorite), and all of the state parks along the way. Be sure to try Calhoun Falls on Lake Russell. We were there this past weekend.

Check my profile and get in touch. We'd be happy to help in any way we can. We're almost neighbors.

Jim

[Harry Womack]

We dry camped in Gunnison CO for 2 weeks with full propane on 2 tanks. We ran the heater at night and left the hot water heater on all the time. We cooked with the stove and I have a Coleman road trip grill hooked to the tanks also. We used about 1-3/4 tank of propane. I carry an emerg. adapter so that if we run out, we can use the small Coleman cans of propane also.

[PopBeavers]

How long do the propane tanks last? I am interested to know if anyone here runs both propane and AC on the hot water heater and if it makes a difference. Oh I am getting a reece hitch installed what size of ball head do I need to hook-up to the trailer? The electrical will be a socket on the bumper will the cord from the TM be long enough? My TV is a Dodge Ram 1500 V8 Quad Cab 2002 SB

I have a 2005 2720. We have been out for 20 nights this year, all 2 to 4 day weekends. I think I have maybe used one bottle of propane. We have used the furnace 3 nights.

My cord is so long that I wrap it once around the jack to take up the slack.

My 2720 that has an axle weight when fully loaded of 3380 pounds. I have never weighed the tongue. I do not use any sway bars or WD hitch. I have never felt any sway or drag. I think my truck is a little larger than yours, 2002 Chevy Silverado full crew cab 4wd 6.0 liter automatic.

I have the Valley Odyssey brake controller. Very similar to the Prodigy, but with a couple of enhanced features.

I have used the water heater on electric once. We normally stay in forrest service campgrounds with no hookups. I did not notice any difference in recovery time for the water heater between electric versus gas. I have never run out of hot water, but we also don't take showers in the TM.

Ohters have claimed that you can run both propane and electric at the same time on the water heater if you need quicker recovery time. I have never tried it. I will use electric when I have hookups, else use propane.

[Queeniereads]

I would seriously suggest an Equalizer hitch -- I know folks drive without any sway control. We were in a terrible accident last year and had sway control (not with a TM, but with a trailer not significantly heavier) but not the Equalizer. It sounds as if you are taking safety very seriously. You are right to also get the brake control. ALl of these features may help you in an emergency. We ordered the cover that TM suggests -- a bit more expensive, but this TM is quite an investment. As for the propane. We have been out about 4 weeks since we got the TM in April and usually camp in full service campgrounds. We used almost 2 20-pound bottles of propane and used the heater lots in April and May. We also cook and like hot water. Happy camping -- you are asking all the right questions! Queeniereads and Judi

[jjneff]

Thanks to all of you for the information. Now for a really dumb question. What is the difference between a WD hitch and an Equalizer hitch? Do you have a link to the Trailmanor cover or is it on their website. Thanks again, and I did find out the frig is 3way.

[fcatwo]

No difference -- Just two commonly used names for the same thing. The situation is further confused by the fact that one WDH manufacturer is named Equal-i-zer so when someone uses the word "equalizer" they may mean that brand of WDH or just any WDH. Usually they mean any WDH but sometimes you just have to guess. Equalizer (capitalized) falls into the guessing category. WDH stands for weight-distributing-hitch and usually implies the use of some form of spring bars to distribute part of the hitch weight forward to the front axle of the TV and back to the trailer axle(s).

Various forms of sway (fishtailing) control are often added to WDH's but everyone (except those people who have experienced it) knows TMs don't sway.

[Frenchy]

The "Equalizer" brand hitch is a combination weight distributing and anti-sway hitch. The bars that redistribute the weight also act as anti-sway bars. As far as I know, it is the only hitch that does this. Go to http://www.equalizerhitch.com/ for further information.

[Bill]

Not so, I think. Any WDH with "dual-cam sway control" combines weight distribution and anti-sway. These "dual-cam" units are offered by many of the standard hitch manufacturers, such as Reese and Draw-Tite. All of these units operate in a completely different way from "friction sway control".

You might read Rocky Mountain Ray's tutorial on sway and sway control in the TM Reference Library, aka TM Info You Won't Find Anywhere Else.

Bill

[fcatwo]

We have an Equal-i-zer and I like it but it is not in the same league as the $3,000.00 Hensley (and probably several other ultra-expensive hitches). People who have owned both the Equal-i-zer and Hensley say there is no comparison and IMO an Equal-i-zer would not have prevented the type of accident that totaled Denny's TM last year or the more recent accident involving three blown tires. Hopefully it will prevent less severe sway situations however.

Anyone wanting the best possible sway control hitch will have to pay a lot more than $300-500.00 to get it.