Opinions please

[anniem]

Hello again. We now have the truck and might have found a Trailmanor to buy. It is pretty far away, so we are thinking of having it sent to us. My question is do you think it would be easy enough for someone to figure things out without having the dealer there to help? Experience for us is that my husband has none, I grew up with family vacations being with a trailor. What do you think?

[Kidkraz]

There are a ton of good videos online on opening and closing the camper. Fridges are basically the same as are water pumps and so on. Locations of tanks, batteries and such are slightly different between models, but the forum can help. Slides, verse none slide models is one big difference, but again, online and the forum can help. Check out the tech library section and you'll see lots of great info on checklists, maybe a copy of the manual and so on. Hope this helps.

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ad.php?t=13839

[anniem]

Originally Posted by Kidkraz

There are a ton of good videos online on opening and closing the camper. Fridges are basically the same as are water pumps and so on. Locations of tanks, batteries and such are slightly different between models, but the forum can help. Slides, verse none slide models is one big difference, but again, online and the forum can help. Check out the tech library section and you'll see lots of great info on checklists, maybe a copy of the manual and so on. Hope this helps.

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ad.php?t=13839

Yes, this helps very much. We are looking at a 2518. I had seen the tech library, but forgot about it. Thank you!

[Bill]

First, trailer experience really isn't necessary, since most trailers don't fold. However, when the trailer is unhitched, you MUST know how to hitch it up to the tow vehicle. Make sure you understand how to do it before you leave after picking it up. BTW, it is OK to leave the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle overnight. That means you won't have to hitch up in the morning.

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As you are opening and closing the camper, you are likely to find a few things that just don't seem to want to go where or how you think they should go. That is the time to remember the Prime Directive of Trailmanors.

DON'T FORCE ANYTHING !

Stop, take a deep breath, look around, talk, review. Once you have done all this, back up a step and start again.

In my experiences, raising the shells is pretty straightforward. It is during closing that these "Why won't this go?" situations arise. A good example, one we have all been through, is trying to lower the rear shell when the steps are still out. The shell will go down part way and then clunk to a stop. "Why won't this go?" If you try to slam it down, it will hurt something, but during a quick walk around, you will say "Ah! I see! The steps needed to be folded in." Another example is trying to lower the shells when there is something on the countertop. Same thing - stop, pull the shell back up, walk around, stick your head inside, and "Ah. I see."

Leave yourself plenty of time, especially the first few mornings you do it. You don't want to be under any schedule pressure. Let us know how it goes.

Bill

[anniem]

Originally Posted by Bill

First, trailer experience really isn't necessary, since most trailers don't fold. However, when the trailer is unhitched, you MUST know how to hitch it up to the tow vehicle. Make sure you understand how to do it before you leave after picking it up. BTW, it is OK to leave the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle overnight. That means you won't have to hitch up in the morning.
Bill

Good info. The thing is, we might get it delivered so we would not be able to have anyone help us.
I saw another message that someone had the TM nose down when hitched, am I correct that would be an adjustment on the TM side, at the hitch?
I might be able to get an electric tongue jack. Not completely sure about how it would work, but what do you think of such a thing?

[Bill]

You would need to raise or lower the hitch ball, which is on the part of the hitch that is on the tow vehicle. You will find that the top of the hitch ball needs to be about 19 inches above the pavement. If you are off by an inch or so, that's not a big deal for the initial haul. You can fine tune it when you get home and have time.

As for an electric jack, they are a great addition but I wouldn't try to do it right away, especially if you are far from home.

Bill

[Bill]

I may have misread your original post. I thought that you were going to go pick it up from wherever it is, to avoid having it delivered that long way (delivery is expensive). However, if you are going to have it delivered to your driveway, then you can learn to set it up, including the hitch, at your leisure. Feel free to ask questions here on the Forum - pictures are always helpful.

My suggestion is to let the electric jack wait for a bit, since it probably involves running wires up to the jack location.

Bill

[Kidkraz]

The hitch on my Ram has a 3-4 inch rise, my truck to trailer is fairly level for towing.
I and others sometimes pitch the nose of the trailer down to help with opening the front shell, but I do that only when I'm on my own opening the camper.
I swapped to an electric tongue jack after a few years, and I agree with Bill, no rush. See how you use the trailer to see what needs changing or is fine for your usage.
I also echo Bill's comment to not force either shells. I ended up bending my folding faucet neck in half on one trip. Had to reach out to the OEM to get a replacement neck.
When closing, don't get distracted in your steps. I've had people come up to chat about the trailer and I have to think about where I stopped in closing. I'll do another walk around, so I didn't forget to close, move , disconnect or rearrange something inside to allow a safe close of a shell. Some folks have a checklist till they feel really comfy with the camper.

[anniem]

Thank you for all of your info, we feel comfortable enough to proceed. We just put a deposit on a 2518KS and will have it delivered. So excited!!!