What's the Right TM for My Family?

[robpap]

I have been looking at used motorhomes for the last 3-4 months and just recently stumbled on the TM and I think this is the way to go for us.

The question is which model? I would prefer to get something used but no more than 5-6 years old (unless you can get everything I need in an older model). My wife and I have two young girls (4&6) and would occasionally travel with a friend. Trips would primarily be weekend getaways within 2-3 hours of our home in Northern CA.

I want something that will be big enough for the next 4-5 years. Would expect to purchase another one at that point.

I have physical space to park either size of the TM.

Thanks - Rob

[Bill]

What tow vehicle will you plan to use?

Bill

[jellis]

You're going to get a LOT of (really good) advice and opinion from this forum. That's one of the great things going here.
Here's what we find great--and not so great--about our 3124KB:
1) Lots of storage. Both 3124s have an extra foot of length (over the similar 3023) in the two below-bed storage compartments (one outside, one inside). This really comes in handy, especially outside where you can keep "gets dirty" stuff like the grill, patio mat, etc, that you might not want inside.
2) King size bed. Not so much for the extra room, but because we can sleep aligned front to back with the trailer. This means we can each get up during the night without having to climb over the other.
3) The front bed is very versatile. It can be used as a bed for two adults without having to unfold anything, and you don't have to unmake the bed in order to have a table. It's also a great place to keep suitcases, duffels, cameras, hats, etc. It also is a nice resting place for our two dogs, who will hog the sofas otherwise. Plenty of room for my (nearly grown) nephew and both dogs to sleep, and it can be curtained off for privacy.
4) Two sofas means we each have a place to stretch out and read, watch TV or just hang out. Two sofas also means we have another alternative for beds, should we have extra guests, though I would never recommend more than four people in any TM except for maybe kids staying overnight.
5) The large sofa has extra room underneath in case you want the 40-gallon fresh water tank, which we have. It makes water use much easier when you don't have a water supply at the campsite. This larger sofa is longer than the sofa in the slide-outs. Appreciated by us taller campers.
6) The four drawers underneath the short sofa are another handy source of storage space.
7) Has 15-inch wheels and higher capacity axles than some models. Gives you a wide margin in load carrying capacity.
9) The table is large enough for two without the extra leaf; suitable for four to all sit at the same table with the leaf installed.

The disadvantages, vs other models.
1) Less "living room space" that's available with the slide out models. There's also less cubic space total in the KB model, for the same reason.
2) Can't store in a garage, even with the hinged tongue.
3) Less counter space than the 3124KS or 3326.
4) Can't use the swivel chair or 3-drawer "chest" option.
5) It's a little longer than the shorter models, so doesn't turn quite as sharply, but this hasn't been a problem for us.

Hope this helps. I'm sure that whichever model you end up with, you're really enjoy it.
Jon and Rita

[robpap]

For the next year I will be using a 2006 2WD Honda Pilot. When that lease ends in March I plan to get a Buick Enclave

[robpap]

You're going to get a LOT of (really good) advice and opinion from this forum. That's one of the great things going here.
Here's what we find great--and not so great--about our 3124KB:
1) Lots of storage. Both 3124s have an extra foot of length (over the similar 3023) in the two below-bed storage compartments (one outside, one inside). This really comes in handy, especially outside where you can keep "gets dirty" stuff like the grill, patio mat, etc, that you might not want inside.
2) King size bed. Not so much for the extra room, but because we can sleep aligned front to back with the trailer. This means we can each get up during the night without having to climb over the other.
3) The front bed is very versatile. It can be used as a bed for two adults without having to unfold anything, and you don't have to unmake the bed in order to have a table. It's also a great place to keep suitcases, duffels, cameras, hats, etc. It also is a nice resting place for our two dogs, who will hog the sofas otherwise. Plenty of room for my (nearly grown) nephew and both dogs to sleep, and it can be curtained off for privacy.
4) Two sofas means we each have a place to stretch out and read, watch TV or just hang out. Two sofas also means we have another alternative for beds, should we have extra guests, though I would never recommend more than four people in any TM except for maybe kids staying overnight.
5) The large sofa has extra room underneath in case you want the 40-gallon fresh water tank, which we have. It makes water use much easier when you don't have a water supply at the campsite. This larger sofa is longer than the sofa in the slide-outs. Appreciated by us taller campers.
6) The four drawers underneath the short sofa are another handy source of storage space.
7) Has 15-inch wheels and higher capacity axles than some models. Gives you a wide margin in load carrying capacity.
9) The table is large enough for two without the extra leaf; suitable for four to all sit at the same table with the leaf installed.

The disadvantages, vs other models.
1) Less "living room space" that's available with the slide out models. There's also less cubic space total in the KB model, for the same reason.
2) Can't store in a garage, even with the hinged tongue.
3) Less counter space than the 3124KS or 3326.
4) Can't use the swivel chair or 3-drawer "chest" option.
5) It's a little longer than the shorter models, so doesn't turn quite as sharply, but this hasn't been a problem for us.

Hope this helps. I'm sure that whichever model you end up with, you're really enjoy it.
Jon and Rita
Referring to your disadvantage #1 - There are TM's with slideouts? I didn't see that on the Trailmanor.com website. Where you just referring to slide outs in general?

[robpap]

What tow vehicle will you plan to use?

Bill
The Pilot has tow capacity of 4500 lbs

[B_and_D]

The slide out jellis is referring to is the front slide. Some models (such as my 2720) have a full size bed in the front, where only the bed pulls out. In other models (the SL's) the whole front end (including the floor) pulls out.

[grill-n-go]

2 Children, 2 Adults, 1 Friend(??), & 4,200 Lbs tow capacity.
Each of your five campers will have their own clothing, food, and toy needs (weight*).

You want to manage payload while having enough sleeping space for everyone.

Consider: A 2619 or 2720

These two models offer a good mix of price, space/sleeping capacity, and weight while providing minimum stress for TV.

* What I think happens to everyone after their first outing is that they start to figure out that they want/need howi'dforgetthat/whydidn't anyonementionthat/toys/accessories/stuff/younameit..

[robpap]

kid's friends joining us for the weekend

[Freedom]

In your case, I wouldn't consider the 2619. We have one and wish we had bought the 2720 because of the queen size bed in the back. The 2720 also gives you some extra storage space in the back. With small kids you can put them "sideways" (Fore and aft as opposed to side to side) on the back bed and fit more of them and they won't roll out. It would also make it so you don't have to make up the dinette every night for sleeping. Three or four little girls on that back bed would have a ball!

The Pilot ought to be able to tow either of the smaller TMs, but the Buick Enclave, if the specs are correct, would be marginal at best, IMHO. I don't see anything about the Buick Enclave having a trailering package available. The 3.6L engine paired with a 3.16 differential seems too light. Again this is my opinion - I tow with a GMC Jimmy with a 4.3L and 3.73 gears and there are times that it's almost inadequate.

[B_and_D]

I think a 2720 would fit your family and the kids fairly well. With our kids being bigger now (adult size) we are having a harder time fitting into ours as well as we did when they were smaller (boy does that happen fast). It's mostly that they like to hog up the dinette seats, but sometimes I can get one of them to hang out in the upper bed. We usually like to watch a DVD before we go to bed, and it's a little tight. Son sleeps in the upper bed, daughter and I watch from the dinette bed, and DH has a small folding chair that we put in front of the door. It works for us. If they were smaller there would be way more room.

I do have to tell you that even with our Chevy 1500 truck (5.3 V8), we can definitely feel the TM behind us when we do hill climbing, such as into Yosemite, up the grade in I-5 by Ashland, OR, or in the Sierras. On flat ground we hardly notice it, but those long hills can really slow you down.

We chose the 2720 mostly because of our driveway, there is a tight turn to get into it and we didn't think the 3023 would make it. However, having the shorter 2720 makes it easier to get into more campsites. The bigger sites reserve up faster and there are less of them. I don't know if you do much camping now, but if you do you probably know how hard it can be to get into most of the popular CA state parks; we usually make our summer reservations (if we can get them at all) on the first day they become available 7 months in advance, using both the internet and the phone. If you are going to camp mostly in RV parks, then it probably wouldn't matter.

We went and visited two 2720's (owned by some nice members of this forum) before we decided to buy our TM. If you're by a dealer, you could go by and check one out, if not, perhaps one of the TM board members near you would let you "tour" theirs.

Happy camping - and good luck in your search.

D

[Bill]

I'm tending to think like grill-n-go. You probably shouldn't get anything larger than a 2720. Especially if you plan to get into any of the mountains, even the modest ones, in California.

The Enclave is an interesting vehicle. It is big - bigger than a Tahoe - which is usually a good thing in the trailer-pulling world. But it has only half the tow rating of a Tahoe. I'm not sure why. Details about the Enclave seem to be sketchy, but it has a tow rating of only 4200-4500 pounds WITH the factory tow package. It is a unibody vehicle, so you'll want to be sure that the factory tow package includes a hitch receiver that will accept a weight-distributing hitch.

A road-ready 2720 will weigh something like 3500 pounds, maybe a touch more. At first blush, then, you have 800 or 1000 pounds of margin, which sounds good. But remember that all the weight you put into the Enclave (other than the driver) must be directly subtracted from the advertised towing capacity. This includes the weight of all factory options beyond the lowest basic model, plus the weight of a full tank of gas, all the passengers, and all the cargo you load into it. You will have a real hard time keeping all this under 800 pounds. And as a "luxury vehicle", the Enclave will probably be easy to load up with factory options (think WEIGHT).

Finally, it pays to remember that all vehicle manufacturers exaggerate the real-world towing capacity of their vehicles. If you get anywhere near the advertised rating, you won't be happy.

On the TM side, considering the age of your youngsters, a 2720 or 2720SD (but not a 2720SL) is probably a good choice of floor plan. But I would be leery of going bigger than a 2720.

Bill

[bgecoli]

We have an older 3225 TM. We have Mom/Pop, son 12 and daughter 3. I wouldn't get anything smaller if your kids are anything like ours! There is always "stuff" all over the place from playthings to clothing. Ours has pretty good storage and sleeping isn't a problem.

[robpap]

Great advice. Thanks.

[PopBeavers]

We got the 2720 because it is the biggest that would fit in the garage. Sure love the queen bed and extra storage when compared to the 2619.

We got the double bunk model, but the front bed is rarely used. If brother in law goes with us then he will sleep on the front bunk. Son (24) will sleep there. Daughter (26) prefers to sleep in her backpacking tent, allegedly I snore.

If you want to have everyone sleeping inside, at least some of the time, then the 2720 can handle a total of 6. You could put another on the floor if a big storm soaked a tent.

If the kids want to sleep in tents then you don't need at much bed space.

If it was just wife and I then she would have preferred a model with the siding living room in the front.

Try to figure out current and future needs. It sounds like you will have two kids all of the time and sometimes they will bing friends. Where will they sleep?