We Saw Six TM New Record for Us

We just got back from a 2 wk trip to CO, WY, MT, SD, NE KS and home. Yellowstone, Little Big Horn Battlefield, Black Hills and Bad Lands of SD were some of the high spots. We saw six other TrailManor units and were lucky enough to talk with three of their owners. One was from Ft Meyers, FL and another from Cleveland, OH area and one from CO. Wish we could have talked more. The other three were hauling.

We have been very unhappy with out TM due to many problems and we were considering selling it. But two of the owners we talked with encouraged us to take a trip back to the factory and get it fixed right. Even dropped off of the board for a couple of years in the middle of preparing a report for Ed Felker, a list of new and wonderful things to check on taking delivery. It became so bad I just quit so I would not have to think about it, as I think the unit was wrecked. It was at least definitely damaged in transit to the dealer prior to delivery. Don't take this wrong the dealer is great and I would buy from him again in a heartbeat and we will if we ever buy another unit. They have bent over backwards to take care of us. These are a bunch of little things and the dealer people could not have seen it all as it has taken us nearly 3 years to find all of the damage.

So with a new attitude and outlook on the possibilities, since we seem to be the only ones unhappy with the things going on with ours, that is exactly what we plan to do in the near future. I think we could fall in love with this thing if it were operating right, but never has.

In any event is was great to see so many TMs on the trip, a new record for us for sure.

Hello John and Karen,
My wife and I also seem to have missed numerous defects upon delivery of our '07 2720sl. We just didn't have a clue what to look for in the delivery inspection. Only a month of so ago -- the dealer in Tuscon completed repairs to our gray water tank after a 3 week wait for parts. This, I believe, marked the end of our repair "wish list". Most of the problems I dealt with myself, including realigning the shells, repairing a damaged swing hitch, and replacing poorly glued plumbing joints. Along the way, I gained confidence and made other alternations that enhance the TM's utility and appeal. We have been on five outings since Sept '06 and we will embark on two more by summer's end. We have always had a wonderful time and have thoroughly enjoyed our little cabin on wheels. I hope you both don't give up because of the repair challenges that you face. Tackle them one at a time and be sure that the results equal or exceed "factory-new". We're going to have a little bit more sweat and blood invested in our TM's than most, but it will serve you well and you will gather memories to last a lifetime. Wishing you well with repairs and great TM adventures. Eric

I am not willing to give up on ours just yet as I think there are some unusual circumstances in play. A trip to the factory is definitely in order.

Our trip went without a hitch except for the 12 Volt battery would not hold a charge. I am still gathering information and thought I would post it on the electrical board when I have enough to explain the situation. I rather suspect nothing is wrong other than the "Marine" bat from Wal-Mart is bad or not sufficient, as it will not run 4 hours while in tow without completely discharging. I replaced the original battery the week before we left and it checked good. In any event everything was great except when we had no hook ups other than the old door which has been a chronic problem.

One night in bear country I thought the furnace was working hard and not doing anything. We were heating with the A/C heat strip and had the furnace set to come on if it got down to around 60 degrees as the heat strip will only take the chill off. In any event I got up and found our door standing completely open and we were heating Grand Teton National Park. Next morning we met a TM owner from Ft Myers, FL and he showed me a couple of adjustments to get by, but the door does need factory work.

We do like our trailer and really don't think it has ever had a fair shake and I would not trade our dealer. His technician maybe but not him.

Later,

[Bill]

Originally Posted by jniles

Our trip went without a hitch except for the 12 Volt battery would not hold a charge. I am still gathering information and thought I would post it on the electrical board when I have enough to explain the situation. I rather suspect nothing is wrong other than the "Marine" bat from Wal-Mart is bad or not sufficient, as it will not run 4 hours while in tow without completely discharging.

Realizing that you don't yet have all the details gathered, I'll comment anyway.

This situation is wrong. Two scenarios - either the charge line from the tow vehicle is not providing power, or there is a load in the moving TM that exceeds the charge available from the tow vehicle. (If you had lights on the nights with no hookups, then the battery fuse is OK.)

The first scenario includes a bad (or missing) fuse in the tow vehicle charge line. Another thought is corrosion inside either half (but probably the vehicle half) of the Bargman connector. Have you checked for power in the Bargman at the rear of the tow vehicle?

The second scenario includes the infamous refrigerator-on-12VDC-while-towing problem. Some vehicles don't put out enough power to run the refrig while towing, so the TM battery has to make up the difference - and discharges while you are travelling. Long discussions of this in the Electrical Forum.

The Wal-Mart deep cycle batteries aren't too bad, by the way.

When you gather the details, your suggestion to a new thread in the Electrical Forum, rather than continuing here, might be wise.

Bill

Jniles, in response to your door mysteriously opening....... If you were to raise the right front stabilizer up too high, the frame will temporarily warp, thus pulling the door latch out of its alignment with the slot and your door can open easily. The purpose as I understand, the stabilizers are there for you to stabilize the trailer, not level it. You can do a search on this site for the use of the stabilizers and how people feel differently about their use. But, the door on the TM (even tho locked) has been known to be open when returning to the campground. In fact, it is possible to hit the vertical part on the door frame (the latch side) with a closed fist, and open your door if the right front stablizer has been raised to far. Too many people in our group were returning to their TM and finding the doors wide open. Wedid a test on everyone's trailer and found the door to open 100% of the time. BUT, I am going to include a disclaimer on these thoughts. The TMs were of a vintage 1996 (?) or older. Also, more recent models do have a second lock on the door which may prevent the door from opening under these circumstances. I would recommend that you do a test on your own TM.

Hal