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Old 04-16-2007, 09:57 AM   #1
SteveS_2720
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Smile Introduction and our maiden voyage!

Greetings,
First, thank you all for (unknowingly) helping my wife and I decide on our new 2007 2720. I’ve been lurking for the last few months trying to decide between the TM and travel trailer. We’re upgrading from a popup, which we loved, but after one too many Florida rainstorms…we really wanted sold walls, not to mention needing more room, plus a toilet and shower. (We have 2 boys, a 6 year old and newborn (3 months)).

We saw the TM’s at an RV show and fell in love with the concept. So I started looking for all the info I could find- which led me here. We found a local dealer who sells Trail Manors, and bought a new 2007 2720 which was the biggest one that would fit in my garage- (It is a very TIGHT fit…but it does fit.) This is ultimately what swayed us in favor of the TM as we didn’t want to have to pay for storage, plus I like the fact that is stays covered and out of the elements most of the time.

Anyway, we finally took it out last weekend for our maiden voyage. The destination is one of our favorite campgrounds in Apoka FL, called Wekiwa Springs. After towing it 112 miles to the campground, I can honestly say that it handles like a dream. My current tow vehicle is a 1998 Honda Passport with a WDH, which admittedly is pushing it…, but it did great. It will be replaced in the next month or so with a new, bigger SUV with a higher tow rating. All and all though, it was a great first outing. We LOVE the extra space and the convenience that the TM offers compared to our old popup. There were of course, a couple of hiccups that I wanted to share.

Not sure if this is universal or not, but people seemed to be very interested in the TM when we arrived. 2 of our “camp” neighbors came over and immediately started to ask my wife and I questions about it and wanted to watch us set it up. That was fine and fun actually, although, I was a little nervous because this was our first time out of the driveway! After we set it up, and showed the neighbors the interior, which they all loved…I discovered my first problem. The piece that helps form the “door frame” on the bottom shell, (left-hand side), wouldn’t lock into the friction clamp. Even though the 4 pivoting locking pins were engaged at all 4 corners, it was like the top pieces weren’t completely open. I thought this might’ve been a “leveling” problem…but all the levels I had on board were showing that it was level. I suspect that the problem was that we were on a pretty good incline, and I had to really crank up the rear jacks to help level and consequently ‘torqued the frame’ a bit so the back top piece wasn’t completely open. I will invest in some real leveling blocks to help prevent this in the future. Incidentally when I got it home last night and set it up/washed it in the driveway, the door frame piece popped in perfectly, so I’m convinced that the campsite was the problem.

Second and third issues have to deal with the Wingard TV amplified antenna. I was very disappointed that the new flat screen LCD TV we bought didn’t work at all with the antenna. Even with the “amplifier” on…there was only one station that came in…and it was very “snowny”. Fortunately, we don’t normally watch TV in our camper, but with the boys, DVD’s are a must. To test out the new TV, I used a set of “old school” rabbit ears antennas that we used on the TV in our old camper, and those provided much better results than the batwing antenna. My question is…do you think it is wired wrong, or is this thing just not all that great? It is a minor thing, but I was just curious if anyone else had better results. This may just be an issue with the remote location we were in, or the TV isn’t really suited to a non-cable input. I’m going to test in my driveway this weekend and see.

Ok, the serious problem, again with TV antenna. As it often does in Florida, we were hit with a major rain storm on the morning we were going to pack up. After we removed the bedding on the “front” bunk, we noticed a pretty big water stain. After determining the cause *wasn’t* my 6 year old..(ha-ha), we noticed a pretty good leak coming from the antenna. Other than put a bowl underneath it, there wasn’t anything I could do at the time.

When I got home, I checked the caulking around the antenna base, and it looked OK so I’m not sure where it was coming from. I’m going to try to have the dealer fix it when we take it back to get our ‘hanging cabinets’ installed. Just curious if anyone else had trouble with leaks around their antenna.

Other than that, the TM was awesome, it weathered the rain storm, (no pun intended), like a dream, and truly was a home away from home! We were also pleased to see another family out there with their 2619! We chatted with them about their TM, (which they’ve had for a year), and they really enjoy it too.

Ok…one last funny story, this one involving the toilet. My wife and son were thrilled that we now had a toilet, and couldn’t wait to try it out. After reading the very detailed posting I found on this website, I felt I had this thing figured out didn’t foresee any issues. When we got to the campsite, I went to charge it. I noticed that the gauge was about ˝ full. This was odd as we’d never used it. I read and reread the directions, and decided to continue to fill it up for the *initial* charge. As I continued to fill up the toilet, the needle went to “Full” instead of the opposite direction to Charge. Oops…something is wrong here. Near as I can figure, the dealer had already “charged” the toilet to test it before we took it home…so the water I was adding was just filling up the tank! So…I had everyone on potty rationing for the rest of the weekend. Fortunately, I remembered to pull the lever to dump it before we closed it up…I won’t make that mistake again! I will also make sure that we bring the waste tote so we can dump at the site if need be.

Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge you’ve provided, as well as all your insight. It was and still is greatly appreciated. I only hope that I can contribute something worthwhile in the future.

Steve
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Old 04-16-2007, 12:23 PM   #2
CMarks
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Ive had problems with my 07 2619 antenna leaking, so I called the factory and they told me to check the rubber boot and make sure it was pushed down over the fitting where the wire runs into the roof. I took it back the first time after noticing the leak and the dealer added silicone to the rubber boot which slides down the wire over the opening into the roof. Next weekend, it leaked. I removed the dealers application, which I thought was entirely inadequate, and applied a new more thorough layer of silicone. The next weekend, it leaked. I took it back to the dealer and they said they will take care of it. They said they tested running water down the antenna and stopped the leaking, but it just looks like they added more silicone. I have my doubts, but will have to wait until the next rain to find out.

Sad thing is, I dont even have a desire to hook up a tv. Ive contemplated removing it and sealing the roof, but for resale reasons have decided to keep it adn just try to fix the leak while its still under warranty.

So sad and frustrating to have such a nice trailer with a leak in it.
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Old 04-16-2007, 02:17 PM   #3
MidwestDave
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Cool TV problems

Hi Steve, we too got a new 2720 but ours is a 2006 model. We purchased a flat screen LCD tv and use the antenna, in fact we did not crank up the antenna the first few times because our reception was good. We were about 30 miles from the closest TV tower, I was wondering if you were too far out for any signal or since your leak is in that area maybe something pulled loose?
There is just the DW and I that usually camp so we have plenty of room. Occasionally the GK's come for a few days and it can get crowded so we use the picnic table outside as much as possible. As for the sanitary plumbing you may want to get a heaver gauage sewer hose. I had the one supplied by our dealer break three times. Something you really don't want to experience!
Have a great time camping and consider we have problems even with our homes as well so problems with a trailer, motor home, 5th wheel, etc is always going to develope just give it time!

Midwest Dave
Where the Mississippi River runs west!
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Old 04-16-2007, 03:01 PM   #4
lnussbau
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Regarding the TV antenna- The cable inside the roof makes a VERY tight turn to attach to the antenna. Unfortunately, on ours, it caused a short that blew the fuse every time we turned on the amplifier. This was fresh from the showroom floor. The dealer (The Car Show) DID fix it for us, however.

So it's possible, assuming that you had, in fact, raised the antenna and turned it around and around to get the best reception, that you have a poor connection in there somewhere -- it's also possible that the coax cable you connected from the amp outlet to the TV might not be good; I've seen both kinds of problems (not in my 2720) at various times.

So far, I've not seen any leaks in my TM.

I, too, have had occasion when something didn't quite fit right in a camping site, apparently due to "torquing" the trailer, since it fit properly at home both before and after. When leveling the trailer, after the jacks touch ground, you need to be sure that both jacks on the same side get raised by the same number of turns -- I've found that it's more precise (for me, at least) to do this with the factory supplied hand crank than with the electric drill.
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Old 04-16-2007, 07:35 PM   #5
B_and_D
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The Winegard antenna should make a HUGE improvement in your TV reception, much better than rabbit ears. Others here have reported problems with the wiring in the newer TM's; do a search and you should come up some posts that describe the problems and fixes.

If your TM is under warranty and you aren't too far away, I'd just take it back to the dealer to fix both the reception and the leak.

Welcome to the TM group, and congratulations on your new TM!

Dee
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Old 04-16-2007, 07:59 PM   #6
Magdefrau
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Our TM leaks here and there. Same place as yours. I have found that if the TM is a bit lowered to the TV end the leaks aren't as big. I have yet to stop them, I think it is not possible. My amp was wired for the cabel input, once I revised that, it has worked fine. Our flat screen TV always get at least one station, even if it is just the church station out of California. The TM is a great family camper. I always tinker with it. I have tried to keep it stock. People like to inspect it. So I get to inspect their riggs.
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Old 04-16-2007, 11:13 PM   #7
Bill & Lisa
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Definately sounds like your antenna wiring is not right. I am aware of at least 2 other folks where the wiring into the connection on the kitchen cabinet was wired wrong. There should be a diagram in your paper work that shows how the cables should connect. (there are 3 connections with one going to the socket in the back of the unit which probably doesn't work any b etter right now.

Bill
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Old 04-17-2007, 06:36 AM   #8
SteveS_2720
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Just wanted to thank you all for the suggestions. I've already called the dealer and am going to take it back this week to get the antenna checked out for both the leak, and the connection. Also, thanks for the warm welcome!

Steve
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Old 04-17-2007, 08:45 AM   #9
lnussbau
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One other item occurs to me about the antenna: In my 2006 2720SL there is a cable junction (two cables connected together) in the electrical compartment on the street (non-door) side. It could be disconnected, also.
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