2619 or 2720?

[Mr. Adventure]

1. How well do the TMs hold up?

Better than any other trailer in the in the business. The floor plans don't change much, the aluminum roofs don't deteriorate like those plastic and rubber ones, and the aluminum frames don't rot.

2. It appears that TMs lose about well over 50% of their retail value in 10 years. Is that typical for TMs? Typical for trailers in general? Or is there some other reason for this?

Most RV's lose about 15-20% %/year, and I'd say that TM's lose about 10-15%/year based on the for-sale ads. You can easily figure this out yourself by looking at the ads, too. Buy a good 2004-2006 model and save more than half before you start.

3. Though TM says you can haul up to a 3023, that really looks like it would be pushing it. Why is TM generous with their rating?

TM offers their opinions based on owner feedback, per their web site. The 3023 is only 50 pounds heavier that the 2720SL. The tongue weight depends on how the trailer is loaded. You definitely need a weight distributing hitch that's rated for MORE than your expected hitch weight and a vehicle that's properly built for one if you're even thinking about cutting it close.

If you're staying in campgrounds, there's no need for the 40 gal (200 pounds) of water Pop Beavers loads on, and perhaps similar cut backs on some of that other stuff he carries around would help in controlling the size of your tow vehicle too. You also need to consider the altitude you live and camp at, because you lose 3.5% of power per thousand feet above sea level. This is a big problem for Westerners, but not nearly such a big deal for the rest of us who only visit there occasionally.

The Trailmanor web site shows the Toyota Highlander as only rated for 3000#with your engine, although it says it's ok for 3500 on the Tacoma with the heavy duty tow package. I suspect you're going to want to keep your trailer on the lighter side.

4. One of my concerns with the TM over say a Hi-Lo is the two piece roof. Have you ever had to replace the roof gasket and how difficult and expensive is it?

The gaskets don't seem to be a reliability issue, based on things posted on this site. One of my concerns about the HiLo is it's weight.

5. Is it better to store your TM in the open or closed position? Where I live, I can do either. It at least makes sense to me, that the open position keeps tension off the spring lift mechanism which might increase their life span.

I'd bet that there isn't a lot of experience on TM's stored open and that they handle everything better when stored closed (rain, snow, theft, windstorm, etc.).

6. Is the lifetime warranty on the lift mechanism transferable? If you buy one used, does the warranty move with the unit?

The warranty moves with the unit. The TM website is pretty proud of this and says they've never had one not open like it's supposed to.

7. The 2619 just meets our needs, the 2720 easily meets the needs. We actually like the 2619's floorplan over the 2720SL/SD better (why we like the 2720 better). Is there anything you like about the different units, especially in the used markets?

The great thing about TM's is that they are still great after a few years.

8. Finally, one of the big reasons we are thinking about the TM and Hi-Lo is the fuel economy aspect. It is certainly at least logical to buy into the claim that aerodynamic efficiency would reduce fuel consumption. Has anyone actually have published results of such a test and just how much to expect?

Do a search on this site on the word "mileage". And most important: It's not how fast you can go in an RV that counts, it's how fast you can stop. A 10mph reduction in speed offers big dividends on both counts.