Looking to buy new 3124KB

earlfo · 08-10-2023, 11:26 AM

Any and all help with the following would be greatly appreciated.

Best time of year to negotiate a purchase?

Any help with dealers that are good to work with for both service and pricing?

Any thoughts on negotiating the price?

So these are the optional items:

I'm trying to determine which one's to get in the new TM and which I would be better getting aftermarket:

Low profile roof air conditioner
- I will be working sometimes in the trailer so a rather quiet AC would be preferable for when I need to have a conference call.

Awning
- I assume this would be a TM item

Electric tongue jack
- any thoughts?

Hanging kitchen cabinets
- I assume this would be a TM item

Plumb w/quick connect for outside grill
- I assume this would be a TM item

Rear bike receiver
- I assume this would be a TM item

AM/FM Bluetooth Stereo
- any thoughts?

100 watt solar panel w/digital control
- any thoughts? Quality of products included from TM?
- has anyone upgraded beyond this to higher wattage?
- External vs roof mounted?

Hanging LCD TV mount
- any thoughts?

Front window w/curtains & stone guard
- I assume this would be a TM item

Digital HD TV antenna with booster
- I assume this would be a TM item

Cassette toilet in place of regular flush toilet
- I plan on sticking with the toilet it comes with

**Bill** · 08-10-2023, 12:47 PM

The roof air conditioner is non-ducted. In other words, it blows cold air directly into the room, rather than through a series of ducts. To my knowledge, non-ducted RV systems are never quiet, since the fan is right there. However, I think within the past couple months, one of our members needed to replace his air conditioner, and did so with one that was not the same as the TM-supplied unit. He said it was "a little quieter". You need to spend some time reviewing the "air conditioner" posts for that time frame, see if you can find it.

In the list of options, I'm not sure there are any I would buy elsewhere. I think shipping and installation labor would cost you more than any saving. If you are looking to save money, you might ask if there are any options you don't need. However, depending on your time frame, getting a special-ordered configuration might take longer and cost you more. For instance, I never saw the use for an outside gas grill connector. But I bet it would have cost me more to have the factory remove it than I would save.You would have to explore this with your dealer.

How far are you willing to drive to find a dealer? There aren't many, as you know. There is a TM dealer a couple miles from the factory in South Dakota. He would not have to charge you for shipping if you picked it up there. Would it help? I don't know, and of course it would depend on your willingness to pick it up there.

If you attend a major RV show where TM is showing, you might get a break. Show specials are often a good deal. Call in advance to see if anyone is bringing a 3124 as a show special. And if you find one, be prepared to go to the show in a properly equipped tow vehicle.

In the northern half of the country, end-of-season prices might be lower. The dealer doesn't want to carry an inventory over the winter.

Prices in the east are generally lower than prices in the west.

Some dealers will deliver your unit to you. But you won't like the cost.

I bet none of this is a surprise to you, but if any of it helps, that's good.

Bill

earlfo · 08-10-2023, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

The roof air conditioner is non-ducted. In other words, it blows cold air directly into the room, rather than through a series of ducts. To my knowledge, non-ducted RV systems are never quiet, since the fan is right there. However, I think within the past couple months, one of our members needed to replace his air conditioner, and did so with one that was not the same as the TM-supplied unit. He said it was "a little quieter". You need to spend some time reviewing the "air conditioner" posts for that time frame, see if you can find it.

In the list of options, I'm not sure there are any I would buy elsewhere. I think shipping and installation labor would cost you more than any saving. If you are looking to save money, you might ask if there are any options you don't need. However, depending on your time frame, getting a special-ordered configuration might take longer and cost you more. For instance, I never saw the use for an outside gas grill connector. But I bet it would have cost me more to have the factory remove it than I would save.You would have to explore this with your dealer.

How far are you willing to drive to find a dealer? There aren't many, as you know. There is a TM dealer a couple miles from the factory in South Dakota. He would not have to charge you for shipping if you picked it up there. Would it help? I don't know, and of course it would depend on your willingness to pick it up there.

If you attend a major RV show where TM is showing, you might get a break. Show specials are often a good deal. Call in advance to see if anyone is bringing a 3124 as a show special. And if you find one, be prepared to go to the show in a properly equipped tow vehicle.

In the northern half of the country, end-of-season prices might be lower. The dealer doesn't want to carry an inventory over the winter.

Prices in the east are generally lower than prices in the west.

Some dealers will deliver your unit to you. But you won't like the cost.

I bet none of this is a surprise to you, but if any of it helps, that's good.

Bill

Thanks for your reply, Bill.

My goal with the optional items is to avoid any items that TM owners have had to replace because of bad quality. If the quality of all the TM optional items is up to par then I would prefer to go that route.

I am ordering a new Ford Transit van to tow this trailer which will take until at least next Spring so I have time to find and transport my TM home. I would just like to avoid any dealers that people have found it difficult to work with when purchasing new or getting warranty work done. The closest dealer to me is at least 4 hours away, so I will have to travel to get the TM so I am willing to pay to have it delivered if that is the only option. Getting a better price on the TM will help with transporting it home.

Thanks for the info on the AC units. I will research that. My only concern there would be the installation...

One of the issues I am running into is that the unit I am interested in is not in stock at any of the closer dealerships. If the South Dakota dealer is good then it might cost about the same to just have it shipped to me from there rather than shipping to another location and then to me.

Earl

Shane826 · 08-10-2023, 06:36 PM

Of the options you’ve listed the only one I would consider getting elsewhere is the A/C. And with that your options are limited if you plan to store it on a garage with a 7ft tall door. Other options are either very TM specific or would require a bit of work to install.

Also note the vast majority of stock order TMs are already gonna have A/C, awning, front window, propane hookup, radio, and TV antenna. The cassette toilet might be harder to find.

earlfo · 08-10-2023, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane826

Of the options you’ve listed the only one I would consider getting elsewhere is the A/C. And with that your options are limited if you plan to store it on a garage with a 7ft tall door.

This will be stored outside covered.

What kind of AC options exist?

nursepr51 · 08-15-2023, 12:15 PM

The new TrailManors are using the Coleman Mach 8 units. By my eye from the ground they appear to be low profile

If you’re still looking for dealers, the national sales manager is [email protected]

kjfatl · 08-15-2023, 08:23 PM

I have a 2 year old 3124KB. If I were to order one today I would make the following changes:
Unless you really need the propane powered frig, get Trailmanor to put in a 12VDC/120VAC frig. They work much better.

The radio is junk, but let them put it in. We replaced ours with nice Bose speakers and a min-range replacement car radio. The difficult part is installing the wires and the cheap $29 radio gives you what you need.

Try to get Goodyear Endurance tires. Be willing to pay a little extra.

Plan on ordering a "Light Trailer Axle RV Tire Leveler Easy Leveling Solutions 3000lbs" or a similar product. Before you open the Trailmanor, you need to make sure the axle is level. Once this is done, everything else is easy.

Shane826 · 08-16-2023, 06:18 AM

Regarding the fridge, save some money and go with a 12VDC fridge. About half the cost and your converter will make the change from 120VAC to 12VDC to run the fridge when on shore power. Still a whole lot less draw than the battery mode on a 3-way fridge.

Also look into the dual fridge option on a 3124 if you need more cold storage. But be aware if you’re running dual 3-way fridges on battery mode while towing you’ll probably need a DC to DC converter.

If you’re going to replace the speakers and radio anyway just have them run the wires. As long as the wires are there the install is super simple. Or better yet just roll with a Bluetooth speaker to your phone, and get a bigger fridge using the space where the radio usually lives.

mainesunshine · 08-21-2023, 05:30 PM

A quick note on adding non-factory options. If you opt for a non-A/C or non-awning configuration, these heavy options require different torsion bars for the forward shell (all four). Will the factory install the heavier bars assuming you will install these items? I don't know, but I doubt it. When the trailer is shipped (or delivered by the dealer) the torsion bars should be properly adjusted. A TrailManor newby does not want his first project to be the tuning or replacing of torsion bars.

Shane826 · 08-22-2023, 06:04 AM

During the pandemic they were shipping units without A/C due to availability, and having the dealer install A/C as they became available. They were fully prepped, gotta think that included torsion bars! Or if you know what A/C you want and they are building a unit to order, have it shipped to the factory. I’m sure they would install yours instead of theirs. Just be aware they make no claim as to fitting under a standard garage door height of 84”.