TM Quality in 2010

[cochise]

Originally Posted by rpcoombs

Customer Service (what a joke) has also ignored my e-mails asking them about the rumored future availability of a power shell lift option (expensive but retrofitable). Even a "we don't know" reply would have been great but they totally ignore you just as I once witnessed the founder refuse to to acknowledge his factory receptionist's :Good Morning" greeting to him as he swept royally into his office. They appear to just not care anymore sad to say.

Very interesting indeed...was that the elder William Hulsey? If so it must have been before he had his stroke. For over a year Michael Hulsey was in charge of the factory and did a great job of driving it into the ground. He rarely answered emails, and I have personally sent 3 certified letter that all vent unanswered by him. With the new CEO there may be hope for a brighter future. But the road is going to be rough!

And yes the Honorable Harveyrv is correct in stating that those with complaints are probably more active than those that claim to be satisfied. After calling/writing and what not without an answer it is only human to seek other places to "vent".

So it is all in the future. Perhaps TM will succeed, perhaps they will not.

After just returning from the factory, I can see why things are so up in the air. 40% of the rv industry has gone through shut-down. Trailmanor is feeling lucky to still be with us. That being said, the factory is running on minimum staff and stock/parts. Anything new, is on hold; waiting for an upturn to the economic situations we're all facing. I felt cared for and had all the attention I needed while I was there. Not being able to deal directly with them has to be frustrating. Being short-staffed has to have an effect on response and urgency issues. They're trying, please try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Anything new in development has to take a backseat to basic operations and survival.

Judy
2010 Trailmini
2007 (new to us!) Chevy Avalanche

That is quite a turn around. When I was at the factory in Aug. 2008, there was a hiring sign out front, and I was told production couldn't keep up with demand.

Let's buy the company...!

I have had excellent response from TM, both from Ed Lytle and Eddie Loving in Parts. I used email and did not expect to be answered instantly. Within a couple days I had very courteous answers. I bought a used 3124ks and have had things that needed upkeep as anything would. While I was looking at used rvs I found the biggest issue was how well the owner took care of it, not how well it was build to begin with.
Fran
2001 3124ks
2003 F150

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by foxhaven0

I have had excellent response from TM, both from Ed Lytle and Eddie Loving in Parts. I used email and did not expect to be answered instantly. Within a couple days I had very courteous answers. I bought a used 3124ks and have had things that needed upkeep as anything would. While I was looking at used rvs I found the biggest issue was how well the owner took care of it, not how well it was build to begin with.
Fran
2001 3124ks
2003 F150

I have to agree with you foxhaven0. Response to phone calls is great. Over all TM does a good job, I have never seen a RV with printed labels to identify wiring like TM does but at the same token not properly crimping connectors and or using the wrong one for the gauge wire isn't acceptable. The use of wire nuts for splices is great in two places; at home in house wiring and as a temporary fix on the road; not as a original splice from the factory or by the dealer prior to delivery.

I guess I am at once, sorry to hear about the issues folks seem to be having on recent TM products, but somehow glad I bought a used unit, ...I guess.

Hopefully you will remain around here and learn what the group has to offer. However, I do have to be honest and ask, "How could you have accepted delivery?" I get that some of the issues would only show up over time, but a whole lot of what you are pointing out seem positively 'walkthru spottable'.

I am not sure how you 'don't believe rust', but I am not sure that is a big deal overall. Those parts have been in place for most of the assembly, delivery to dealer, etc. When you pull it down the road, you will continously sandblast the under carriage and then probably pull in in wet conditions. The under rust will be a continous thing. All my TVs have rust underneath. I have not researched this, but I have had the thought that most surface coatings are going to have a tough time being effective on the torsion bars. These things are twisted and untwisted which distorts the surface of the rod. But, if that was a concern to you, why did you take delivery until you were satisfied?

I am not specifically familiar with the layout of your new unit, but the water issue, while certainly annoying for a new item, may not be too big a deal. I had a similar set of symptoms. (Granted we bought ours used. We took it with previous owner to a campground and ran up all the systems. So, this leak was known and negotiated, although not fixed, so I assumed risk.) It turned out to come from two sources. One was the exterior shower which had a loose fitting to the mixing valve. I could tell by the caulking that I wasn't the first one in there. There was still a leak. I was able to see it was coming from the bathroom tub faucet area. Again, it was a loose fitting. I was able to tilt the panel with the faucet out enough to tighten. This eliminated the leak. (The leak ran down the encolsed area and made the rear storage area wet and it leaked at the wall-floor seam from the exterior shower to the rear corner prior to the repair.) You certainly shouldn't have to fix it, not my point, but in my case, it was a couple of simple 'tighten the fitting' to fix.

Starting to sound like buying a trailer needs to be like buying a home, complete walk thru, hire an inspector, and hold a formal 'closing' to transfer funds after buyer acceptance of condition. (Course there's always going to be warranty things pop up.)

Even for new things and things under warranty, I'll often fix it myself because of experiences where things get made worse. As my friends and I like to say about working on our houses, "What's the difference between a homeowner and a professional? The homeowner cares!"

I hope you get all of your issues worked out in time to enjoy the upcoming spring. And I am really disheartened to hear of all of these issues.

I was thinking similar thoughts about quality this weekend as I repaired the hinge apparatus on the folding wall of the bathroom. There was a 1x1 "L" frame attached to the wall to which the little shelf in the bathroom attached. The shelf had been attached by TM using 6 wire staples. Its a wonder they lasted as long as they did. The wall is now "screwed and glued" as it should have been originally.

It really shouldn't be the customers ,of a brand new unit, responsibility to perform quality control but now it has become that way.

Hello everyone. I have been reading about quality issues with the TM units, new and old. I recently purchased a 2008 2720 that I am initially pleased with. I am not an engineer, but I have had some training in construction of various vehicles, ie semi's, semi trailers, cargo trailers etc.

After getting my TM home, I have spent the last few days going over it with a fine tooth comb. Although the engineering theories seem sound, the actual construction could be better. I have replaced many l inferior screws, staples and double stick tape. I actually think that if TM had used a better quality fasteners during assembly, it may have added $5-10 per unit, and possibly 5 pounds per Trailer. It appears that the new attitude in business is planned obsolesence. I guess that I may be a bit anal, but I like to know what I am dealing with.

I was abit suprised when I removed a couple panels and trim in the rear shell, while installing rear vision camera. I would have thought that electrical connections would be made with something better than "crimp connectors" from Wall Mart. I lieu of replacing all of those connectors now, I have decided that if I have any electrical problems inthe future, the first place to look will be the connectors.

Other minor things that I found and fixed are things like; the heavy weatherstrip that runs the length of the shells is poorly secured at the end of the slide. I fixed those by cleaning the tabs at the end of the slides, using velcro and a self taping screw thru a small flat washer. Now when slid, the weather barrier does slide smoothly and is not as prone to damage to itself or the surrounding materials. I also repaired or replaced almost all of Velcro that is used to hold the whole thing together.

I have also ordered, from TM, the LED tail lights. I believe that better lighting on the rear of any trailer, reduces the chances of rear end collisions. The new lights are supposed to be direct replacements for the older model lights, although a bit larger and a separate tag light must aslo be used.

If anyone is interested, will continue to post whatever fixes and replacements that I perform on my TM. It actually has been fun going thru the trailer and trying different things. Many of my ideas have come from this forum. Keep it up. Thanks