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Old 02-26-2004, 07:05 PM   #1
jouster
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Default Why did you select a Trailmanor

We are considering a TrailManor. I was wondering if some of you would be so kind as to share with us what you like best/least about the TrailManor.

Would you buy one again?

If you have had one for over three years, how has the quality held up?

Many thanks
Don and Dorothy
with a 2001 Rockwood
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Old 02-26-2004, 07:43 PM   #2
JTorsrud
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Default Re:Why did you select a Trailmanor

Hello Jouster:

The list would be very long on this question.

Brenda and myself looked and researched the various Travel Trailer brands out there. Considered a larger unit than our 22ft. Jayco we traded in. Visited this forum many times and read all the stuff on the TM.

Bob Strong is the one you want to contact on this. He has had TM's for a long time. He knows all the details from when the factory first opened to all the models that have been produced. Bob is a "Walking TM Encyclopedia" and a really nice guy to talk to too!

As for why we bought our TM3326, it is the only Travel Trailer on the market that comes with a King Size Bed! With our 2 kids (both Shiz Tzus) we needed a King Size Bed. Every trailer we looked at has a queen size bed and I have even asked dealers why they don't incorporate a King Size bed in their units. They don't know the answer either.

The TM's are easy to travel with. Setup is very easy and the room inside them is really nice.

If you want more information, Email Bob Strong. He's usually on the board mostly every night and he'll certainly answer you back.

You all take Care.

Jeff & Brenda
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Old 02-26-2004, 07:59 PM   #3
G-V_Driver
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Dallas
Posts: 249
Default Re:Why did you select a Trailmanor

D & D,

One of the best things about this site is that you can see all the posts from all the members all the way back to when it started. Reading some of them will give you a better feel for how the owners feel about the units than any testimonial most of us could write (in my case anyway.)

If you choose to look through all the posts, I think you will agree that they were not written by disgruntled owners. Speaking as one who was in your shoes about a year ago, I think you will also find a level of expertise and savvy among the group that will impress you for months and years to come

So, I encourage you to read a few of the posts in each thread and see what you think. What I discovered, and what I think you will discover as well, is that the owners like their units a lot.

Even some of those who have moved on to other brands (normally for suitability reasons, not because they didn't like the TM) are prone to remain as members of this site and continue to relate their positive thoughts about the TM line.

You will see that the units aren't perfect, and that the owners are constantly finding new and better ways to do things. The factory has incorporated many suggestions and improvements from the owners group into the new trailers, and the relationship between the manufacturer and the owners is much different than with many others. It really is a family, and the mutual respect and general good feelings appears to be somewhat rare in the RV field.

If you decide to start shopping for a unit, you will find a strong resale market for used trailers, and that demand remains high. There aren't a lot of trailers on the market, and they don't last long.

I could write for quite a while about what I've learned, and how much I like my unit (bought used last fall) but the site tells the story much better.

Good luck in your deliberations. Hope you join us.

Wayne
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Old 02-26-2004, 08:42 PM   #4
RockyMtnRay
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Re:Why did you select a Trailmanor

[quote author=jouster link=board=23;threadid=1716;start=msg12063#msg1206 3 date=1077847510]
We are considering a TrailManor. I was wondering if some of you would be so kind as to share with us what you like best/least about the TrailManor.

Would you buy one again?

If you have had one for over three years, how has the quality held up?
Many thanks
Don and Dorothy
with a 2001 Rockwood
[/quote]
After renting a Coleman popup several times I quickly decided that trailer camping beat tent camping. But I wanted a trailer with the full amenities including hot/cold running water, a real shower, flush toilet and a gray water holding tank. It had to be towable behind my then vehicle (a Jeep Cherokee) and it absolutely had to fit into my garage as I did NOT want to hassle with an RV storage facility.

Put all that together and only two brands would work: HiLo and TM. So I went to an RV show and saw them more or less side-by-side. The bottom line was that if I went HiLo I had to go with their smallest...a pretty dinky and very spartan 17 footer; with TM a 27 footer would still fit in my garage thanks to the foldaway hitches introduced on the '02 models. The TM was lighter, and with the SL version, offered an actual living room and some pretty spiffy accomodations. Yeah, the 2720SL TM was a few thousand more than the 17 foot HiLo but it offered soooo much more. So what I liked the most then is still what I like the most: Lightweight and low profile for wonderful ease of towing; ease and convenience of storage in my own garage, and full amenities in a folding yet quite spacious trailer. With any other brand I would have been limited to a small "camping trailer", with my TM I can have a full fledged "travel trailer".

I've had not a single problem with my TM and now that I know to fully maintain it (thanks to the shared knowledge here), I don't expect any problems either. After using it through 2 travel seasons, I feel it's one of the best purchases I've ever made....there've been only two areas that have been a challenge. My camping is almost all of the "dry" or "boondocking" variety in primitive campgrounds that have no hookups. As shipped by TM, its single "house" battery is not capable of providing reasonable lighting/water pump/furnace power for more than 2 or 3 days. That was rectifiable with solar panels and soon a pair of batteries. The other boondocking limitation that I have to really plan around is the small 20 gallon fresh water tank and 28 gallon gray water tank. Realistically those limit a boondocking camping experience to 2 or 3 days unless I can find someway to periodically empty the waste water (like using a blue tote to haul waste water to a dump station). The small tanks are a natural aspect of having a lightweight trailer but I do wish they were bigger. If I were primarily a "hookups" style traveler, neither of these would have been issues.

Would I buy again? Definitely but I have no idea when that would happen. I expect my current TM to last many years and since I travel solo, it's more than big enough for me for the 2 day to 10 day trips I've taken so far. I've sometimes thought a 3326 would be nice...lots of extra storage and the side dinnette would be much more convenient for eating than the fold down couch tables. But I'd have to spend several thousand modifying my house/garage to be able to store it at home and I just can't justify that expense now. A big 3326 might make sense in maybe in 5 to 8 years when I more or less fully retire and travel for a month or two at a time.

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Old 02-27-2004, 08:56 AM   #5
mamabear
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Default Re:Why did you select a Trailmanor

HI Don and Dorothy,

We bought our trailmanor in September, it is 1997 3326 the biggest they make. We have camped for most of our lives started in tents and then pop ups. When I seen the trailmanor on the RV show on tv. I told my husband that was the trailer we were going to have.

The trailmanor is great. It is light weight for towing and set is easy. We have everything we need inside our trailer and out. You will love how bright it is inside the TM, in a popup it is so dark. We love the convenience of the stove and oven. You don't have to cook outside if the weather is bad. The TM's have good storage too, the only draw back is you can't get to any of it when it is closed up. Well I hope this helps your decision on TM. We wouldn't go back to a popup, it would be miserable.

mamabear
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Old 02-27-2004, 09:18 PM   #6
BOB_STRONG
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 251
Default Re:Why did you select a Trailmanor


Don & Dorothy,

Rather than repeat what has been said here, please go into the TrailManor website www.trailmanor.com and you will see green tabs. The one tab says INFO & FAQ. Click on to this, and under it, you will find testimonials. I have written a rather long testimonial that might explain why we love the TrailManors. We have owned TrailManors since 1992. We are on our 3rd unit. You might think that there is something wrong that we have had 3 units. The truth is that we traded up after 1 year for the 3326King. For us, this is a really great unit. We kept it for 8 years, and then bought a new 2002 model. Once again, we bought another 3326 King.The reason we traded for a new trailer was that there were so many changes to the units over the 8 years. So please check out the website. There are other testimonials on there too.

Also, I have a long letter that I can email you as soon as I have a few minutes.

Happy reading

Bob Strong
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