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Old 07-01-2018, 10:19 AM   #1
KestiRose
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Join Date: Jul 2018
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Wink New owner of 2002 2720SL

Hello and Good Day!

So, we are the new owners of a 2002 TM 2720 SL.
We purchased this camper because it was a great deal for us,
Not realizing that this particular trailer had a huge following.

While we love how much easier it is to tow, we are having problems fitting all of our necessities into the space that is left over. We are full timers who moved from a 16’ travel trailer into the TM but somehow the smaller trailer seems to have more space. So we are downsizing our items but it is very difficult.

I am wondering which parts of the floor layout you can put items in or boxes when it is closed.

Also, will a mattress topper and sheets and blankets keep it from closing? We don’t want to do anything that might compromise the integrity of the trailer.

Despite the challenges we are beginning to love this trailer as much as everyone else in this forum. But we could use all the help we can get in trying to improve and maintain it as we are RV newbies .

Thanks so much and hope you are all having a blessed day!

Kesti Rose
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Old 07-01-2018, 11:04 AM   #2
Larryjb
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Welcome to the Trailmanor family!

I am relatively new as well, having bought one just over a year ago. Unlike yourselves, I did not come from a previous trailer, but I know the feeling about storage. We got ours because I could legally keep it in our driveway, it had a full piece washroom, and it would sleep all four of us. The help I saw on this forum also played a big role in my decision. After perusing all the posts, I realized that I could pretty much fix anything.

There is pretty good storage if you are creative, but it does come with a cost. It requires more time for set up and breakdown as you have to stow things away. It also add a lot of weight. The trailer itself is light, but the design of the trailer puts more weight on the hitch. For such a light trailer, it is really easy to overload your rear axle of your TV. I thought it was just my inexperience, but then a really experienced TM owner, Bill, who is extremely knowledgeable, shared his TV and trailer weights here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=19179

Lots of good information here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=9655

Back to storage, though. You have the slide lounge, so this is how I'd look at storage:
1) Nothing can go above the height of the lower box. I always take a last look around the ceiling and walls to make sure nothing is left up. I believe the beds can accommodate about 1" of material. This could be your mattress topper. At least one owner redesigned his latches so that he could keep a 2" or 3" topper on his mattress. I'm not sure how well that has worked in the long run, but if you have the original corner latches, they will likely need replacement.

2) Nothing can go where the slide goes, but you can store things on the slide up to the height of the lower walls.

3) Store anything you might want on the road in your TV. It is a pain to open it up just to get a chocolate bar. If you have to stop on a hill, you may not be able to open it. Or you'd have to unhitch the trailer to level it first, which is probably illegal just about anywhere on a public road. We have opened it up several times in a parking lot to use the washroom or store food we bought at a supermarket.

One last thought. You have the trial membership, so remember that when your trial expires after 30 days you won't have access to many of the useful sections on this forum. Of all the forums I have ever joined, this is the only one I pay for. BTW, Chris (who handles the membership) didn't pay me to say this!
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http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/album.php?u=11700
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Old 07-01-2018, 11:48 AM   #3
Bill
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Larry has pretty well covered it, so read his post carefully. And if you do a Search on the term "storage", you should find several threads in which members have described what they carry where.

For us, we have a 1-1/2" foam topper on the bed under the bottom sheet. Above the top sheet we have an electric blanket, which can also stay on the bed. But we also have a thick and comfy quilt which makes the bed too thick. We fold it and put it on top of all the stuff that we carry on the couch. Pillows go in the small cubby under the edge of the bed.

I assume you have the TM chair. When the TM is closed, it must be carried on the flat part of the floor in front of the refrig, not with the back or front up on the slider step. FWIW, some of our members leave the chair at home, to gain cargo space on the floor inside.

Larry's para 3 is really important, and deserves a lot of thought. In the back of my truck, just inside the tailgate, I keep a "towing stuff box" (actually 2 milk crates) that hold everything I might need when the TM is closed. This includes normal towing and setup-related stuff (spring bar handle, cordless drill with a 1/4-inch Allen wrench chucked in it for cranking the stabilizers, wheel chocks, a six-inch magnetic carpenter's level, hitch clip, grease for the hitch ball, oil for the springbar heads, a can of spray lube, and an iron pipe floor flange for the tongue jack), and emergency stuff like a 12-volt compressor, a hydraulic bottle jack, and a bright orange highway safety vest. I also carry half a dozen short hunks of 2x6 board in the truck bed, and set of jumper cables in the TM rear bumper.

You may not start with all of these things in your "towing stuff" box, but with some thought, you will be well equipped.

Bill
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Old 07-01-2018, 08:59 PM   #4
Lowknob19
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Default Storage ideas

I'm also a member of the "Trail Manor Fans" Facebook group, which is relatively new and very active. One of its members said about storage:
"I am always amazed at how much storage space there is. I put most everything in the bathroom before I close it up and there's plenty of storage in cabinets and on the floor in the 'void'. I have a bike rack for the back of the trailer. The only thing we put in the car is us, dogs and a cooler. Everything else fits in the trailer, including our camp chairs!" (Thanks, Rachelle Trapani)

We do something similar with our 2720 -- utilizing the empty space in the bathroom (below the fold) takes care of a lot, and the empty space in the hallway and in front of the sink/stove, plus nooks and crannies around the slide, can hold a lot of stuff -- and none of all that adds up to a lot of weight. Just don't overdo it: heavy stuff into your TV.

And most of that "void" storage space is ahead of the axle, so while it's possible to overload the TM, extra weight won't be very likely to cause sway from too much weight to the rear of the axle.
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Old 07-03-2018, 09:58 PM   #5
KestiRose
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Default Thanks for all the suggestions!

Mike, Larry, and Bill, Thanks So Much!

There is more storage than I though there would be,
less than what I could carry, but it was time to get rid
of some things anyway. What is left over we are making work.

Thanks Again!
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Old 07-03-2018, 10:01 PM   #6
KestiRose
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I also just wanted to add my vehicle has a tow package of 6500 pounds.
I hope it will be enough ! Seems to do fine though. I will check a weight scale though next time I see one and am driving .
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Old 07-04-2018, 09:32 AM   #7
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KestiRose -

For the tow vehicle, a 6500 pound rating is plenty. You need to be careful of three weight-related things, though.

First, the TM axle is rated for only 3500 pounds, and the tires (if 14 inch) for not much more than that. So you must not exceed this.

Second, the trailer's hitch weight is probably above 400 pounds, and possibly above 500 pounds. Your tow vehicle most likely has a hitch weight rating of 500 pounds, so you must not exceed that number.

Third, the tow vehicle's rear axle has a maximum weight carrying rating, probably in the vicinity of 4000 pounds. You'll find the actual value on a sticker on the driver's door or door frame. This includes all the weight that the rear axle is carrying, including the weight of the tow vehicle itself, plus whatever you put in the way back of the truck, plus the hitch weight of the trailer. It is not a good idea to exceed that, either.

If you tend to pack heavy, as I do, you would do well to pack up the tow vehicle and the camper to the same amount it will have when ready to camp, then find a CAT scale (catscale.com), and weigh the three axles of your ready-to-camp trailer. Quick and easy, about $10.

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