Some Questions

[Bill]

Dave -

You should start by looking at the Trailmanor.com web site, looking at specs, floor plans, and other information.

You want a new trailer. The 3326 is no longer being built - the 3124 is the largest.

As has been pointed out, the rear bed in a 3124KB is 78x78 (nominal king bed size). But the front bed is 48x78 - as long as a king, but 6" narrower than a standard double bed.

If you are travelling with another adult couple, be aware that the bathroom is right next to the rear bed, and there is no soundproofing. Some folks care about this, some don't.

Your tow vehicle is more than adequate, even with four people and all their junk. Towing will be super easy.

There is no claim for "1 mpg increase (or decrease)". I think you are misreading the statement, which says "1 extra gallon to tow 100 miles". In other words, if your truck's non-towing mileage is 10 mpg, then it burns 10 gallons in 100 miles. When you hook up the trailer, the claim is that you will burn 1 more gallon, or 11 gallons. This is 9 mpg, so it did indeed cost you 1 mpg.

On the other hand, if your vehicle's non-towing mileage is 20 mpg, then it burns 5 gallons in 100 miles. When you hook up the trailer, the claim is that you will burn 1 more gallon, or 6 gallons. This is about 16 mpg, so adding the trailer costs you 4 mpg. Your truck will be closer to the first case, but either way, not a big hit.

I am in the group that has never had a toilet odor problem, and I am a big fan of the original toilet. I would not have a cassette unit even if free. But that is my feeling, and as you know, others disagree. I wish there were some way for you to check it out for yourself before buying, but I don't know how to do so.

Putting the kayaks on top of the TM makes me really nervous. As has been mentioned, the TM really wasn't built for that. At a minimum, spreading the load to the edges would be a must. Beyond that, is the front shell long enough to carry the kayaks you have in mind? Remember the airco is up there.

If you can convince yourself to carry the kayaks on the truck, I really suggest you do so. Let me ask a question. If your kayaks are on top of the trailer, and you get to the campground, unload the kayaks (as you must), and then set up the trailer - and then discover that the put-in for the kayaks is a mile away from the campground, how do you get the kayaks there? If you would plan to walk a mile with a kayak on your back, then as Rudyard Kipling said, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din".

Just some quick thoughts. There are others.

Bill

[Bailey'sMom]

Originally Posted by Bill

Dave -



There is no claim for "1 mpg increase (or decrease)". I think you are misreading the statement, which says "1 extra gallon to tow 100 miles". In other words, if your truck's non-towing mileage is 10 mpg, then it burns 10 gallons in 100 miles. When you hook up the trailer, the claim is that you will burn 1 more gallon, or 11 gallons. This is 9 mpg, so it did indeed cost you 1 mpg.

On the other hand, if your vehicle's non-towing mileage is 20 mpg, then it burns 5 gallons in 100 miles. When you hook up the trailer, the claim is that you will burn 1 more gallon, or 6 gallons. This is about 16 mpg, so adding the trailer costs you 4 mpg. Your truck will be closer to the first case, but either way, not a big hit.



Bill

I was just about to post the same thing until I got down to Bills post. We see this claim all the time, and it is not what TM says in their ads.

I typically get 20mpg regular driving. I get between 16 and 17 mpg when towing, exactly what TM claims. I am plenty happy with that. And it tows like a dream.

Thanks bill for clarifying this.

[Padgett]

I can second that. My 4475lb (curb wt) blimpmobile gets 20-22 on the road and 17-18 towing @ 65 mph on 87 PON. The only difference is I drive a bit faster (70 mph speed limit) without.

The really odd part is that all of my cars (see link in .sig) except the Judge get about the same highway MPG (well closer to 24 mpg for the Reatta and Crossie). I periodically drive to South Florida which is 180 miles of flatland turnpike each way so have some pretty good numbers.

[tentcamper]

Kayak's I would think you could load the kayaks after you put the camper down and take them off before you rise the camper and not have and issue with the torsion bars. You could use foam saddles for the yaks, placed where the square aluminum roof rafters are. But, I can not figure out where I could put 2 kayaks on the roof? or how to tie them down?

[Bill]

Art -

That is the same issue I had in my post #11 above. Where on the roof would you put the kayaks?

The answer depends on the length of the boats, of course. Some white-water kayaks are less than 6 feet long, so finding a place on the TM roof would be no problem. They could even go sideways! On the other hand, some still-water cruising kayaks are quite long - and some tandem kayaks even longer.

My wife and I each have an Old Town Loon 138 cruising kayak. As the name suggests, they are 13 feet 8 inches long - a lot of boat, and perfect for the extended-length lake trips we take. As I look at the roof of the TM, there is only about 8 feet between the front edge of our 2720SL, and the air conditioner. Although I could allow some of the boat to overhang the front of the trailer - Maybe 2 feet? - where would I put the rest of the boat? In addition, once on the roof, the boats would have to clear the TV antenna, and the vents.

In my case, carrying the kayaks on the roof of the TM can't happen, even if the roof had unlimited strength.

So to go back to your original question, Dave, how long are your boats? At 8 or 10 feet, you might pull it off. If your TM is a 3124, you'll get a bit more working length. But even then, more than 10 probably won't work well.

Bill

I could maybe see carrying bikes somehow on the TM, but not kayaks.

I disagree with the suggestion to switch out the oven for the microwave, if for no other reason than we like it higher on the counter rather than down low where the oven is. Besides we do use our oven. (Think fresh, hot brownies).

TM is a breeze to tow and store. AirStreams are very nice, but heavy.

Good luck!

[davlin]

David,

Sounds like much of the story is getting repeated by now, but let me see if I can address some of the questions you asked.

Our first TM was a 1995 3326 King. We bought it in 1997, and sold it in 2012. We now have a 2007 3124KS. I agree with other posts that you should look at the 3124KB. Having TM build you a 3326 would probably be very pricey. TMs are very easy to tow. This aspect is not hype. The one unit that we've heard about on this forum that may be prone to sway is the "new" 2922, which is apparently rectified with an anti-sway WDH.

I would agree with you that new TM's will depreciate faster than new Airstreams. I also agree with a previous post, "apples to oranges."

Unquestionably, the most verbiage in this entire forum concerns the toilet. We have had no issues with the Electramagic recirculating toilets in either of our TM's, and would never consider replacing them with a cassette. Others complain about smell (easily mitigated) and flushing issues (also easily mitigated), and the thought of "what's recirculating" (can't do anything about that). At the end of the day, I think which direction you go on this is a personal choice, driven mostly by the type of camping you do. If you dry camp a lot, a cassette makes sense. If you camp with sewer hookups a lot, it doesn't.

I've already answered the question about how long we've owned a single TM (almost 16 years). From my perspective, the only "must" option is air conditioning (I live in Texas). All the others have to fit your own personal desires. I can't answer the question on kayaks, but if you join the forum, you will be able to search on this. I'm sure somebody's found a solution!

Good luck with whatever decision you make,

Dave

[HIKERZ]

We wanted to take the yaks and bikes also. Having a truck we just went with what could fit in the back. We have the short hobies and simple bikes. I never felt comfortable with a bike rack aft of the axle on a 2720. Thought there might be to much bounce