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Old 03-27-2020, 11:20 AM   #1
Rockerga
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Default Quality Control & Manufacturer Assistance

Still have not pulled the switch on a new TM as yet. Life got in the way but now with the virus plaguing us all, I have time to look and investigate now.

PLEASE SHOOT ME STRAIGHT!

I have been looking at several different variations and makes of RV. Still looking to define our exact use and amount of use/Travel distance etc., so that is why my wife and I are up in the air with a decision. One thing that keeps harping on me in the back of my head is hearing that QUALITY CONTROL went out the window with "most" manufacturers in recent years!!! Actually hearing a whole lot of really bad QC reviews regarding RV brands and Dealers! SIX MONTHS TO REPAIR A "NEW" RV JUST TAKEN OFF THE LOT, NEVER USED!!!

How has TM fared to you Owners out there? We are old 2720SL owners and we never had an issue - EVER! We only purchase new and this purchase will be to spend a lot of retirement travel in, more travel and time than ever spent before.
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Old 03-27-2020, 11:40 AM   #2
Larryjb
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What year of 2720 did you have before?

Mine is a 2002 and I got it used. Obviously with its age, I have had some issues, so it's extremely difficult to tell whether it's simply age (all things eventually break down), something a previous owner did, or a manufacturing defect. Id' say most of the issues I've had were age related or something the previous owner did.

But I think you are referring to the new TM from the SD factory. I believe they moved in 2017 and are owned by a Hutterite. I saw a few of the 2018 models at Custom RV. He said the bathroom walls are not quite as sturdy as the ones they used to make, but this is a change that was made before the move to SD. I don't know if that affects the lasting durability or not. What we did notice was that of the 2018 models, some things did not fit right. However, these issues would normally be fixed at the dealer before a sale. Perhaps some one who as seen a 2019 or even a 2020 model could chime in.

As for assistance from the manufacturer, I had great help from the new factory when replacing my torsion bars.
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Old 03-27-2020, 12:19 PM   #3
Bill
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I will point out a couple things. Take them for what they are worth.

1. To my knowledge, TM has never experienced a recall. Compare that to the page-long monthly lists of recalls for other manufacturers. The fact that the TM company is smaller than Forest River or Thor, for example, is not relevant. A fault that merits a recall would not be influenced by the number of units produced.

2. In the early- to middle-life of the Tennessee factory, they had an active engineering group that reviewed existing problems, and designed and reviewed potential changes. When I visited the Tennessee factory, I talked with a number of the engineers, and was generally impressed. As the Tennessee factory neared the end of its life, the engineering effort appeared to me to dwindle. Now the South Dakota factory has an even more energetic engineering department, and they are working on several design changes and upgrades. Off-hand, I think of:

o New toilet option
o New door shape to eliminate ripped awnings
o New heavier-duty axle
o Electric slide (though this may have started before South Dakota came on board)
o They are working on a plumbing protection cage
o New trailer frame construction
o Swing tongue will soon be standard rather than optional
o Cabinet construction is now done in-house.
o Limited demand models eliminated, new model added.
o Parts department gearing up

There are others. For a small company, I find this impressive.

Bill
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Old 03-27-2020, 01:03 PM   #4
Rockerga
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2006 2720SL and loved every minute of owning it!
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Old 03-27-2020, 01:11 PM   #5
Rockerga
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Thank you Bill, I agree with your mentality regarding this subject absolutely! I would prefer as I do with most products I purchase to deal with smaller (Even local, if I can) manufacturers of products who have a passion for their art whatever that may be.
I was in the "Only thing that matters is the profit" business world for too long and that is why I retired young matter-of-factly. I was in sales so I was the tip of the spear, but I never sold a poor quality product to anyone and even ripped pages out of my own Company's catalogue if it was a poor product. That lead me to leave many company's as the catalog dwindled or worse, the entire manufacturing was shifted to China.
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Old 03-27-2020, 06:45 PM   #6
tentcamper
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I'm not sure quality in the RV industry in assembly of RV's has gotten worse. I think it's the exception of buyers has gotten higher. The auto industry has made great advances in quality over the past 35 years. RV are still very much hand made with little to no automation. Automation in the auto industry was the number one reason for quality improvement in the industry. Something about a machine doing it the same way each time.

My impression of TM quality is its in the top 1/3 of the industry.
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Old 04-02-2020, 01:51 PM   #7
rbhtrail
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill View Post
I will point out a couple things. Take them for what they are worth.

1. To my knowledge, TM has never experienced a recall. Compare that to the page-long monthly lists of recalls for other manufacturers. The fact that the TM company is smaller than Forest River or Thor, for example, is not relevant. A fault that merits a recall would not be influenced by the number of units produced.

2. In the early- to middle-life of the Tennessee factory, they had an active engineering group that reviewed existing problems, and designed and reviewed potential changes. When I visited the Tennessee factory, I talked with a number of the engineers, and was generally impressed. As the Tennessee factory neared the end of its life, the engineering effort appeared to me to dwindle. Now the South Dakota factory has an even more energetic engineering department, and they are working on several design changes and upgrades. Off-hand, I think of:

o New toilet option
o New door shape to eliminate ripped awnings
o New heavier-duty axle
o Electric slide (though this may have started before South Dakota came on board)
o They are working on a plumbing protection cage
o New trailer frame construction
o Swing tongue will soon be standard rather than optional
o Cabinet construction is now done in-house.
o Limited demand models eliminated, new model added.
o Parts department gearing up

There are others. For a small company, I find this impressive.

Bill
Hi Bill, Thanks for your continued efforts and involvement with Trailmanor and the forum. All the new upgrades and changes you mentioned are a welcome quality improvement to the already great Trailmanor.
Thanks again for all you do here... Best Regards... Bob ...
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