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Old 04-01-2009, 07:29 AM   #41
Mr. Adventure
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Barry,
Thanks for the detailed report. I always enjoy hearing about new TrailManor owners. And I'm pleased to hear that things went well for you on your first adventure.

I have to make a couple comments, though. First, you are very likely towing over your rated capacity. Given how sloppy our manufacturers are in rating these things, I personally believe that there are some better rigs on the road that are over capacity than many of the rigs on the road that are well under their rated capacity. Some vehicles are harder to keep on the road than they should be, even without the trailer. Everyone's towing experience is in untested territory to some degree, I suppose, but you are likely driving with important variables outside the envelope. Accordingly, I urge an abundance of caution in all of the things that we worry about: axle weights, tongue weights, load distribution, packing light, hills, hot weather, wind, rain, hot transmissions, tires, etc., but most important, speed and stopping distance.

I think 70 is probably too fast for most RV's, but especially when you're pushing the limits. When things go wrong, you have options at lower speeds that you just don't have at 73 for maneuvering and stopping. The wind resistance on the trailer adds to the load on the power train (the frontal area of what you tow is a big deal for your transmission on a hot day). Sometimes things aren't adjusted just right for conditions. Sometimes things in reality aren't working like they should be in theory. The trailer has it's own agenda in an emergency, and it's real easy to be on the wrong side of the learning curve. When we used to own a 37 foot Winnebago, I actually found that I could drive more miles in a day at 63 than I could at 70 just because of the attention it took to keep it in the lane (much better gas mileage, too -- about 20% as I recall).

My Toyota owner's manual says nothing about not using overdrive, and my Highlander seems to be able to find a gear pretty well without hunting back and forth. But I haven't had it out west, yet, either. Your Sienna seems to be able to figure out how to find the power curve on it's own, and that's encouraging.

Join the forum, and thanks for your post!
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2005 TrailManor 3023
2003 Toyota Highlander 220hp V6 FWD
Reese 1000# round bar Weight Distributing Hitch
Prodigy brake controller.

"It's not how fast you can go, it's how fast you can stop an RV that counts."
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Old 04-01-2009, 09:02 AM   #42
Al-n-Sue
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Barry - thanks for the detailed trip report. And welcome to the TM community. I also (like Mr. Adventure) encourage you to join the forum. You will find lots of good information here and lots of help with problems or questions - whether it be TV issues or TM problems.

One thing I'd like to add - you mentioned towing with 40 gal of water. I've done that and it is not recommended! I have a 3124 also and tow with a Durango with 4.7 L V8, and found that the extra weight of the water changed the towing characteristics enough that I didn't want to do it again. The extra tongue weight is just not good. So whenever we camp now, I always plan on filling the tank when I get to my campground. Unless you are truly boondocking, you should be able to find water somewhere near a campground. And it is not as difficult as you might think to just pop up the front, fill the tank, latch it back down and head to your site. Plus, several people on this forum have modified their TM to be able to fill with the shell down. You should be able to search for the threads.

Don't forsake camping in the mountains just because of your towing limits - your rig has plenty of "omph" to get to a lot of front range campgrounds with a minimal amount of climbing. Hope to see you at one soon! (The Mile High Trailblazers have 7 campouts scheduled this summer and at least 4 require no hill climbing at all!)

Alan
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Old 04-04-2009, 05:27 PM   #43
PopBeavers
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I have never had any trouble towing my 2720 with the 40 gallon water tank full. But, the 2720 is on of the smaller TMs, weighting about 4,100 pounds wet and loaded, and my 2500HD truck is probably above average size. I use no WD hitch.

On one occasion we arrived in camp to find signs saying to boil the water before drinking or cooking. I was happy to have my 40 gallons of city water with me.
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Old 04-05-2009, 12:19 AM   #44
larsdennert
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As wise people here have said. It's not how fast you can go but how fast you can stop.

Now that you have had a successful first outing with nothing to damper the enthusiasm and fun of the TM, relax on your next trip. After all, it's a vacation.
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