TM Towing Problems

Fcatwo,

Our 2619 is a 2003 model, and the spare is suspended underneath the camper between the axle and the tongue. The bumper is made from 4" square tubing. We keep our sewer hose in it. It is plenty beefy to support a bike rack.

Michael

[fcatwo]

TandemKids

Thanks for the info- probably all the later models have it underneath. I think I'll call TM to see if our 2002 2619 can be DIY retrofitted to put the spare underneath. Certainly better to put it there than inside the TV. I had also wondered if the bike's handlebars would hinder opening the rear cap if carried on the TM rear bumper. Others must have solved that problem as well.

We also have a HD custom bike cover we had made at a canvas shop for carrying the tandem on the back of our 5th wheel trailer. It should work equally well on the TM if I can find a reasonably attractive way to duplicate the TM's tail lights, either higher or lower, so they aren't hidden. single bikes don't have that problem of course.

[Civil_War_Buff]

Originally Posted by TandemKids

Fcatwo,

Our 2619 is a 2003 model, and the spare is suspended underneath the camper between the axle and the tongue. The bumper is made from 4" square tubing. We keep our sewer hose in it. It is plenty beefy to support a bike rack.

Michael

Michael,

I am not sure if you are having the trouble that I did with the bumper tearing holes in my sewer holes, but I mounted a hose carrier under my TM and it has been one of the best mods that I have made to my trailer, (IMO). I have pics of what I did on my website if you haven't seen then take a look.

Also, with regard to the bumper being beefy enough to carry the bikes, that is very true, but as reported on this site a while back, there was a problem with some of the welds to the frame cracking. I inspect the bumper regularly for weld failure, as as yet have not detected any, but I recommend that if anyone attaches anythng to the bumper that they inspect it regularly.

fcatwo - yes all of the trailers after 2001 (2002+) have the spare mounted underneath. I was told that retrofitting can be done on earlier models to accomodate the spare.

Larry

[Civil_War_Buff]

Originally Posted by Texas_Camper

I have a 2002 2619 and the spare is mounted on the rear bumper....

My guess is it may have been a changeover model, or if you ordered it from the factory that way they will do anything you want........and my 2002 was a show model, so I have many of the options available at the time and it may have been an option in 2002 and standard beginning 2003.

Larry

Larry,

I haven't had any trouble with the bumper tearing holes in my sewer hose. I accomplish that all by myself with no outside help

I will start checking for cracks in the welding between the bumper and the frame. It would not be the start of a good camping trip if the bumper broke off with the tandem attached.

Michael

Originally Posted by Civil_War_Buff

I added a trailer hitch receiver to the back of my TM 2720 and I notice a small amount of sway when the two bikes are loaded. I wouldn't be too concerned at this point...just take it a little easier when hauling the bikes.

I get a little nervious on the Interstate doing 60 when the limit is 75.

Originally Posted by mjlaupp

Al,
The 2720SD should tow without sway. I doubt that your bike rack biased the weight that much to the rear. The 2720SL & 2720SD models have an extra 50-70 pounds tongue weight that should offset the weight of the bike rack and bikes.
The other thing that will cause sway is low tire pressure. They must be pressurized to 50 psi. The independent suspension on the TM will allow the unit to start bouncing from tire to tire if the tire pressure is too low. This bouncing is turned into sway by the TV/TM hitch connection.
HTH
MJL

When we arrived home I found the tire pressure in one tire a few
lbs lower than the 50PSI spec.

Originally Posted by TandemKids

Al,

I installed a receiver on the rear of our TM 2619 so that I could quickly install/remove our tandem bike rack. I have definitely noticed some sway when the tandem is mounted. Fortunately, I still have the friction sway control that I used with our pop-up trailer. Due to the folding tongue of the 2619, I cannot mount the sway control on the right side of the hitch as I would like, so I have ordered a sway control adapter which will allow me move the control to the left side without much adaptation required.

Michael

It's like the tail wagging the dog above 60MPH. Let me know how your
anti-sway devise works on this problem. By the way is it a Reese product?

Originally Posted by caremd99

One other thing to check is to make sure the rear tow vehicles tires are inflated to equal and correct pressures. Unequal pressures can also cause sway.

Thanks I'll check that.

Thanks for the analysis. My bikes and rack weight 95 lbs and that weight
extends about a foot behind the TM bumper. Following your work I arrived
at a TW of 359 lbs or a reduction from 12% to 10.25%.