TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

**Bill** · 02-04-2004, 09:19 AM

Smookie -

Just a couple thoughts about your new house and garage.

First, make sure that when the door to your new garage is open, you will have plenty of vertical clearance to get the trailer through. Remember, the usable height is often less than the height of the framed opening, because the door itself protrudes down into the opening. We bought our TM after the house was built, and it fits through the garage door with less than 1/2" to spare. If we had been forced to rebuild the opening, it would have been VERY expensive - not to mention the problems with the HOA. And because of the lack of clearance, I can't even contemplate a lift kit, or bigger tires, or a bigger trailer in the future. I sure wish that I had had enough foresight to get the door height extended by 6 inches or a foot when the house was built.

[quote author=smookie link=board=19;threadid=1648;start=msg11664#msg1166 4 date=1075769461]
The extension to the garage costs $45 a square foot on the house we want to build. That adds up to a chunk of change. Once I see the price of retrofitting the hitch, I will do whichever is more reasonable.[/quote]

I don't know your situation, so consider this an observation, rather than a recommendation. It appears that you would need to extend the garage by about 2 feet. If it is 20 feet wide, that's 40 square feet, which would cost $1800. You're right, this is probably more than it will cost to retrofit the swing tongue on the TM, but you can add the $1800 to your mortgage, which will add less than $10 a month to your mortgage payment. If you're like me, a bigger garage is ALWAYS welcome, and it adds to the value of the house. On the other hand, if you retrofit the hitch, you've got to come up with the cash right up front, and it's gone when you sell the trailer.

Just a thought ...

Bill

02-04-2004, 09:19 AM	#10
Bill Site Team Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine Posts: 10,113	Re:swing away tongue question Smookie - Just a couple thoughts about your new house and garage. First, make sure that when the door to your new garage is open, you will have plenty of vertical clearance to get the trailer through. Remember, the usable height is often less than the height of the framed opening, because the door itself protrudes down into the opening. We bought our TM after the house was built, and it fits through the garage door with less than 1/2" to spare. If we had been forced to rebuild the opening, it would have been VERY expensive - not to mention the problems with the HOA. And because of the lack of clearance, I can't even contemplate a lift kit, or bigger tires, or a bigger trailer in the future. I sure wish that I had had enough foresight to get the door height extended by 6 inches or a foot when the house was built. [quote author=smookie link=board=19;threadid=1648;start=msg11664#msg1166 4 date=1075769461] The extension to the garage costs $45 a square foot on the house we want to build. That adds up to a chunk of change. Once I see the price of retrofitting the hitch, I will do whichever is more reasonable.[/quote] I don't know your situation, so consider this an observation, rather than a recommendation. It appears that you would need to extend the garage by about 2 feet. If it is 20 feet wide, that's 40 square feet, which would cost $1800. You're right, this is probably more than it will cost to retrofit the swing tongue on the TM, but you can add the $1800 to your mortgage, which will add less than $10 a month to your mortgage payment. If you're like me, a bigger garage is ALWAYS welcome, and it adds to the value of the house. On the other hand, if you retrofit the hitch, you've got to come up with the cash right up front, and it's gone when you sell the trailer. Just a thought ... Bill