And now, I need your favorite piece of advice!

Yesterday, after careful years of thinking it over, we finally bought our little dream home on wheels--a  2001 TM3023.  Super1, our dealer in Atlanta was very happy to answer our multitude of questions, although the sales rep was  a bit suprised I was the one who wanted all the "tech" info.  Too funny! (told him he should read this board everyday so he could learn more about TM's )  By the way, this one has Goodyear tires on it--anyone have any thoughts about this?

We pick it up on Aug 28th and then I will be spending evenings and weekends at the local school parking lot practicing backing into spaces until the week after Labor Day when I leave for  Washtenaw County,Michigan for a 2 week shakedown cruise with friends.  (DH cannot go, so I will be on my own.)

The dealership didn't seem to be knowledgeable about the "lift" Mack mentioned  so am  I going to get in touch with the factory about it--think the added  clearance might help on some of our trips to the boonies later on.  Who would I call at TM for this information?  

As you look back on your own  experiences with your TM, what is the one thing you wish you had known when you first towed it home?  TIA for sharing your wisdom about this.

Firefly:

I'm suprised that your dealer doesn't know about the lift. The paper I got from my dealer when I was thinking about buying, had a listing of each trailer, and then a list of each option, and how much. You, (I), could just simply go down the list, check everything you, (I), wanted, and add up the price. I wouldn't think something would be on that list if it wasn't available. But, maybe it was,,, after all, I did not ask for that option.

Anyway, about calling the factory,,,, everytime I have called for one reason or another, I just tell the nice lady that answers the phone what I want, she then either directs my call to someone, or, takes my name and phone number, and has someone call me back. (They always have within half-a-hour). Usually I talk to a Donny, or a Jimmy. I think one is in parts, the other is in service.

When you find out about the lift, let me know if the informaton was bogis or not. I don't want to tell people about a lift that doesn't even exist.  

Hope that helps

Mack

I talked to the factory rep yesterday (8/2/01) about putting the 2.5 inch lift on my 3124 King.    They said the lift kit was about 26 dollars and would take about an hour at $55/hour.     It is not an expensive thing to do.    I have a clearance problem backing down a steep driveway onto a flat parking area and thought that lifting the trailer a couple inches might solve that problem.        Its certainly cheap enough to try it out.    

I am glad to hear that there is indeed a lift for the TrailManor. $26.00 is what my dealer quoted the option as if I ordered it on my trailer. I guess there would not have been a labor charge since they were going to put the trailer together anyway.

Mack

I wonder how hard the installation is.  I would love to have one added to my 3124.  With the right tools, is this a do it your self job?

Congratulations on your purchase!  We just got our 2720 on July 14th.  Best decision we could have made!  We are extremely happy with our TM.  Not surprised your dealer wasn't up and all the details, neither was ours!  In fact we had to figure most of the little details out ourselves (ie lighting the pilot on the oven)

We were fairly prepared when we picked up ours, as we had a trade and simply moved from one to the other.  We did find that the air circulation with the side mount air was not great, and we have invested in a fan to circulate the air better.  ( your 3023 probably has the roof air, I am sure it will be better.)

As for the lift I read about in many of the discussions here, I will not claim to be an expert, but I think it is rather simple. It will require lifting the trailer off its wheels and releasing the bolts that hold the axle, then inserting a "spacer" between the frame and the axle bracket.  Longer bolts will be required to reassemble.

Jimmy Davis at the factory will be happy to explain better than I.  I'm pretty happy with ours just the way it is.

You will be amazed how easy it goes up and down.  Especially if you clean the seals well and give them a little shot of silicone spray.

This weekend we cleaned and waxed the entire trailer from top to bottom. We were really impressed with the quality throughout the entire rig.  We also installed an AM/FM CD radio with a weather band built in (radio shack!) And have added a 10 gal little blue tank on wheels in case we get a site w/o sewer and have to emty sooner than expected.  I'm building an aluminum carrier for it which I will mount under the trailer between the frame members.  So far I could not be any more satisfied with our purchase.  Thanks to many on this site who gave us feed back before we bought.

Good luck.  Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

aschuster
Dubuqe, IA

I'm glad to hear all of you new TM owners are thrilled with your purchase. I just bought a 3124KS on eBay - sight unseen. I've never seen a TM before in the flesh (or aluminum skin). I've only read this site, done research, and of course spent hours drooling over the brochure. I feel confident I did the right thing. I can't wait to pick it up tomorrow. I'll tell you all how it went.

After all the discussion about the lift, I've asked my dealer [MCD RV on Cape Cod] about it. Hopefully some time this Fall, my 3124KB will sprout a couple of inches.  ;D

Does anyone in the forum have a jacked-up TM? My only concern is if the handling is altered at all with the slightly altered center of gravity.

Considering my trailering is to dog shows, usually camping in fields and frequently hopping berms or shoulders to get there, I'm looking forward to the added clearance -- I think I've done enough "plowing fields" already!  

All my hopes,

Vicky  8)

This seems simple but I didn't realize that you couldn't see around the trailer with the standard rear-view mirrors on our GMC Suburban. There have been various discussions on this site on the best mirrors to buy to improve that rear vision.

Probably the second thing, once you start to practice backing up, is that you can't see much to the rear so it is difficult to determine if you are backing straight or not; and into the space you want or not. It really helps to have a second pair of eyes. Practice, practice, practice.

Also, read the manual from cover to cover.

Dick B.

Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to post these replies--I have learned much more from this site than any dealer could possibly tell me. And you bet I will be doing a lot of practice backing and maneuvering! Tomorrow I am going to call the factory and see if they could add the lift for me on my way to Michigan the week after Labor Day. The kinds of places we camp in, that extra clearance will come in handy as Mack pointed out earlier.I think every TM dealer in the country should make this site required reading for any sales people who deal with TM's.