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Old 01-02-2021, 07:41 PM   #1
Frank M74
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Unhappy What did I Buy/Get?

Today, I took delivery on a "2001" TM 2720. My son brought it over with his PU and from there using his PU we went to a Truck Scale and had it weighed. BIG SURPRISE, it weighed "DRY" 3180 lbs. according to the scale. And by DRY, I mean NO WATER IN THE TANKS, NO LIQUID IN COMMODE, NO GREY WATER.
I had a 12 volt battery (1) on the front and the twin 20Lb propane tanks. I don't know if they were full or what, but they did have some gas in them as the stove top would light and burn, and the furnace would light and blow hot air.
According to the info that I looked up, the 2001 TM was supposed to be about 2600Lbs Dry. Any ideas as to why it weighed so much? OR do you think that the thing was possibly on the scales wrong. I have a Queen Bed in the Rear, A rollover Wardrobe, Folding Bath (like all the others) Kitchen sink, Three burner stove top and an Oven right below that, A Dinette that pulls out with a Twin Bed behind that. There is NOTHING in the drawers. I also have the side mounted AC unit. I have a basket on the back bumper with a 4000 watt generator in it. I think it's a 2720 SD but I'm not sure. Can anybody think of why it's so heavy? According to NADA it's supposed to weigh in the neighborhood of 2600 Lbs.
I realize that the Generator is on top of the Factory DRY weight, but basket and generator are about 100 Lbs.
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Goodyear, Arizona
2013 GMC Terrain SLE2 V6 301hp FWD w\Tow Package
rated at 3500 Lbs.
2001 2720 Trailmanor Owner (Newby)
2010 Palomino Y-4124 pop up (Sold)
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Old 01-02-2021, 08:08 PM   #2
Bill
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Dry weight includes NO OPTIONS. Some of the options are heavy. The ones that come to mind are the air conditioner and the awning. A lot of items that are considered standard today were optional in earlier days. For example, at one time (before 2001, I think), the battery, the propane tanks themselves, and even the spare tire were considered options. In addition, the weight of an SL or SD model has always been higher than the weight for a "plain" model, so you need to know what model you have. If you want to pursue the list for your specific TM, you need to find the specs for the year and model that you have, and not another year or model. A good source would be what is called The Wayback Machine, also known as archive.org.

As you mention, there is a possibility that the scale was wrong. Was it a CAT scale, or something else? Remember, a truck scale can weigh trucks up to 100,000 pounds, so a difference of a couple hundred pounds is well within their margin of error. I would suggest that you go to a different scale - make sure it is a CAT scale - and get a second opinion.

Good luck. And I'm not sure I would put a lot of stock in the NADA RV list.

Bill
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Old 01-02-2021, 11:14 PM   #3
Larryjb
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Welcome!

Something we don't know (or I missed it when I read) is how they measured the weight. Did they weight the truck and trailer together, then subtract the curb weight of the truck?

As Bill said, the dry weight was without options. Right now it's heavier by about 600 lbs. An awning could be 50 lbs easy, the battery another 50-60 lbs. The 2001 probably has a side AC which is going to be close to 100 lbs. A slide lounge or dinette adds 200 lbs.

I know this is for a 2002, but it gives you an idea of how options can change the weight: https://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2002/Trailmanor

The current dry weight of a 2720 with the slide optioin from Trailmanor is 3040 lbs. I'm not sure what they didn't include in the 2001 era dry weights, but the general construction of the Trailmanor hasn't changed significantly.
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2002 Tahoe
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Old 01-03-2021, 09:07 AM   #4
Bill
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A quick check of specs on The Wayback Machine shows dry weight for a 2001 2720 slideout model was given as 2680. There were a lot of options, but the heavy ones were awning, air conditioner, and spare tire and carrier. The propane bottles (empty) were included as a standard item, but the battery was not - it was usually added by the dealer.

I see a quick estimate list like this. Individual items can be argued, but the bottom line won't change much.
2680 spec dry 2720SL
100 air conditioner
50 awning
60 battery and box
20 propane (two tanks each half full)
100 spare tire and carrier
100 generator and basket
3110 Total

I understand your concern, as you list your tow vehicle as having a 3500-pound tow capacity. This means you need to pack very lightly, and travel at a leisurely pace. You also need to know (if you don't already), that the definition of "tow rating" of a car or truck is always reduced by the weight of everything you put in the car or truck, including passengers. In other words, if you put 500 pounds of cargo into the bed of your truck, the 3500-pound truck now has a tow rating of 3000 pounds. If you add two people at 150 pounds each, your rating is now 2700 pounds.

A few of our Forum members tow with 3500-pound-rated vehicles, and are apparently successful. You can find some of them by using the Forum's Search tool on the term "3500" (without the quotes). It is very helpful to tow in flat country, of course. But if you want to go up over the Mogollon Rim on I-17 or Rte 87, for example, you will need to pack light and take your time.

Bill
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Old 01-03-2021, 07:09 PM   #5
Larryjb
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Frank, your TM is very similar to ours, a 2001 2720SD. Here is our first trip experience for loading:
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ad.php?t=18578

I never weighed things after, but we've never packed so heavily since. We now buy our food local to our camp site. If we need the fresh water tank filled, we fill it up near our destination. You will note that it cannot be filled when closed, but some have modified their trailers so that the fresh water tank can be filled from below when closed. I gather it's an easy mod.

We also bought a washer and spinner from the laundry alternative so we don't have to pack so many clothes. Other than that, it's just trying to convince my wife that we "don't need it". I'm fortunate though, having the Tahoe we can generally take whatever she wants so I don't worry too much.
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