ease of towing?

Can anyone tell me about the towing of the Trailmanors?  We have in the past towed a 26' Sportsman TT.   Do you still need the sway bars?  I have seen in the forums that the mileage is a lot better towing these vs 5er's or TT, but I will be towing by myself, female, and am not used to towing alone.  I have not bought anything yet.  Looked into buying a 5th wheel, but don't think I have enough truck to pull one and don't want to buy bigger.  I have a 1999 Chevy 1500, V8 with a heavy duty cooler and tow package.  Any feedback is appreciated.  Thanks.

Number of points. One, I'll bet there are 5ers our there that you could pull, they would be small but with just you that would be ok. Two, before you buy a TM make sure you can close it by yourself. I'm a 230 lb. male over 6 feet and I have trouble doing it alone.

Now if you can close it, the TM is most likely just what you need because it is so easy to pull that with your truck you will most likely forget it is back there except when you go to back up or find a place to park in front of a quilting shop (don't ask). We have about the same truck so if you have other questions feel free to ask.

:-/  Thanks for the information.  I have read some of the discussions about seniors and ease of closing/opening.  One person said he/she could do it alone, but once had to climb on top to do this????  I am 5' 7", 135 pounds, so //////////  DO you have to use any equipment with your hitch, such as a sway bar, wt. distribution equalizer , etc?  I have read that they are 6'4" inside when opened.   My ex may :-/ be using whatever I get  from time to time and is 6'4 1/2".  Is this true, and does anyone know if the HiLo trailers are any taller?  I have heard they are heavier.  Do you get fair mileage?

My TM came with a WDH and I used it once. Tried it without and could tell no difference. But I do have the 1500HD 4x4. Before I tried it without the WHD I let down the tail gate and measured to the ground then ask enough friends to set on the tail gate to equal 500 lbs give or a take a little. I reasoned that if the truck sunk more than 1 and a half inches the the WDH might be needed if not why use it.

A lot of folks here think sway bars are nearly required equiptment. I don't. This spring we were on a fast run and hit two days worth of very heavy winds, some steady at >50mph. The truck bucked a little, the trailer did not! I'm pulling at 65 plus the 50 head wind and meeting 18 wheelers on a two lane highway with no problems, thats like going 115mph. Maybe I'm just lucky.

They say the head room is 6'4" I'm 6'2" and the only time I worry about head room is when I step inside the shower which is two or three inches higher than the floor. For me it is no worries.

We checked out the HiLos also, Very costly, lots can go wrong and are heavier than most TTs. I don't know if it was just the folks that I talked to are not but there seems to be a big problem with their lift system. Of course when it works it's nice, electric and all.

On the mileage, I have the largest motor Chey puts out the dealer and others (one fleet operater) told me I would get 12 mpg, period no matter what I pulled or not. So far, app. 25,000 miles so far they are right. Worst was 10 in that head wind, and best was 16 coming home from Alpine which is all down hill.

For what it is worth my wife has problems with her knees and has ask that shop around for a small 5er because she has problems climbing into bed. I really like this trailer, so I guess in 3 or 4 years we will move to the 5er. She always has her way, just in my time. ;D

Thanks for the information. These forums are so great.  You can talk to people that have actually used the items, versus salespeople that may just want to sell.  The trailmanor brochure I have shows a woman opening and closing the trailer.  Says:  "opens as easy as opening a car trunk- no cranks or cables."  Must not be true.   Guess I'll have to go and try one out.  OUch

If your ex is 6'4" tall, then he is too tall for a TM.  

I use a WD hitch.  I like the way it completely steadies the TM when it is windy.

We have the same year, make and model Chevy, truck as you, but in the 4x4.  You have a lot of truck there and we easily towed our Nash 22 H model trailer, which is a whole LOT heavier and taller than ANY of the Trailmanors, as you can see by the specifications in the following link:   http://www.nashtraveltrailers.com/na...s/22hnash.html

Unfortunately, our lease is up on the Chevy, and we've just traded it in on an economical SUV  :-/   We're turning in the Nash as I can't tow it with my Toyota T-100 V6 as neither that nor the Tundra are even close to being full-sized pickups as advertised.  That's why I'm looking to purchase a Trailmanor now.  We wish we would have bought the TM in the fist place, but ***-u-me-d we would always have a full-size truck, as in the past.  

Our 2000 Nash is an exceptional trailer and if anyone is interested, they can have it for take over payments only.  We don't want anything out of it, and uniquely our credit won't be dinged for turning it in.   ;D  Wrong forum I know, but a great deal for anyone interested.

By the way, we got about 2 miles less per gallon towing the MUCH heavier and taller Nash, so I bet a TM would only cost you about 1 mile per gallon in gas to tow--even over the Grapevine.

As far as the sway bar, and lift bars, and cab break switch; I was lucky enough to survive a trailer roll-over and wouldn't tow without any of them--or really good tires!.  When the three tow-truck drivers scraped our rig off of the 5 Fwy. outside of Oakland, they said that out of the three similar clean-ups that morning in the exact same area--we were the only ones alive to discuss the incident!  Way better safe than sorry, and they're relatively cheap and the easiest thing to hook-up on your hitch outside of your light plug!  Woman to woman...if you can handle the hitch, you can sure handle the rig opening and closing; practice makes perfect, so just open and close one a few times to get the hang of it--wild woman!  And don't forget to charge the EX a whopping rental fee!  

Happy trails!

Joan

If you want easy of use and hitching up, don't hesitate to get a 5th wheel or 'standard' trailer; I find them to be about the same to hook-up. You certainly have the power with your truck and a new TM is a good $10,000 more than most other types of travel trailers.

I went to Custom RV in Anaheim today to check out the Trailmanor. At 5'4" the only thing I found difficult about closing the TM is that you have to put your foot up on a 'handle' to 'click' and lock it into the closed position at the mid-body latch. I'm very strong and have some weight behind me, yet it took more than one try on any of the clasps to engage them. I could see how that would be difficult if you were a little short, or tight or weak in the hips or knees, or had balance issues. However, you can use a 'pry' bar set-up and easily finish closing the mid-click latches. Otherwise, except for the time involved, I thought it was pretty easy to set-up and close down and took less than 10 minutes. I don't see how even Speedie Gonzalez could close and open it in the advertised 2 to 5 minutes. Again, my only reason to consider the extra work and price of a TM is that I can't tow a standard trailer with my V6; you have every option available to you with your Chevy V8--if you consider keeping it--which is what messed up our current Nash ownership.

Scott at Custom RV said you don't need the sway bars or lift bars because the axle is set back more than most trailers causing it to raise up at the ball rather than push down like most trailers. My mechanic/trucker husband and I both agree we would still get both the sway bar and lift bars for adjustment and safety.

Just as an FYI, there are both 2" and 4" lift kits for the trailer, but adding them can obstruct putting the TM into the gargage, especially with the newer roof mounted A/C units--even if they are supposed to be low profile. An additional 20 gallon fresh water tank can be added anytime, or a 40 gallon tank installed at the factory.

Lastly, and on a personal note, I disliked the HiLo trailers more than any trailer I've ever seen.  The low profile concept sounds great, but what an incredibly underwhelming trailer.  Sorry...personal opinion only, but I wouldn't want to deal with raising and lowering it if I had a V8, and...they're...kind of box-ie and uncomfortable, and...how can I say it...ugly!

Joan

Just returned yesterday from a trip from Colorado to Upstate New York (3400+ miles), only problem found was the driver  :.  Not only did the TM not sway when being passed by big rigs, even in high winds and rain, but when passing passing the big rigs.  Prior to this trip, my towing adventure was approx 42 miles to camp.

Found that I averaged 13.8MPG towing with a 6cyl Chevy Blazer, and maintained 65MPH, with an occassional 70 - 75 MPH when needing to pass.

My wife is small, 5'03" and she didn't have any problems opening or closing the TM.  Only problem was trying to left the hanging cabinet above the sink.  

Can't comment on the height issue.  I'm 5'06" and as I mentioned, wife is 5'03".  Can actually jump up and down and not hit my head :P.

We both love the TM, had a wilderness prior to buying this unit and my knuckles are no longer sore from gripping the wheel.  I highly recommend it for anyone thinking of buying a camper.

Good luck on your decision.

ColoradoCop    

[Brightsu]

We've just purchased ours too, driving home with our Mercury Mountaineer 8cyl. we averaged 13.0 miles to the gallon, that was with a 3326 Trailmanor, my husband and I bought are around 5.8 and the only height problem is don't go jumping up and down on the bed, even with our height I purchased a step stool which I store under the bed, its very spacious.