AC or no AC?

So the AC units have electrical heating? You don't have to use a little ceramic heater and plug it in to heat when hooked up?

[mjlaupp]

Originally Posted by chowder1974

So the AC units have electrical heating? You don't have to use a little ceramic heater and plug it in to heat when hooked up?

It's an option, and it will heat the TM on chilly mornings.

To be clear it is a heat strip that does a good job of taking the chill out of the air, but not much more. If it gets any colder than 50 or so you need to use the furnace or a ceramic heater.
I go to the VA/NC beach a fair amount so I need AC, but if I didn't I might make do if I lived in your part of the country. The flow through ventilation is very good with all of the windows in the newer model TM's. Also I would not worry about resale too much, who knows, there may be someone out there who wants a a barebones TM as some people stretch to upgrade from a canvas pop up.
If my finances were such, I'd rather have a TM w/o AC than no TM at all.
One accessory I got I have never used is the roof mounted antenna. Most places either have cable or I 'm traveling and would rather sleep than watch tv.
Lastly, I'm not sure one would have to change the torsion bars, AC are getting lighter and they have even come out with an efficient 10,000 btu model. The wiring might be more of an issue. You might inquire at the factory and
research those issues more and get an answer from the folks that build them.
Good luck, you'll have fun either way.

I asked the factory last year and they quoted me $3,000.00 to add ac to my 2006 2720SD. This included installation which requires changing of torsion bars and wiring. The work had to be done at the factory.

Peter

Adding AC later if wanted is harder due to the need to fold down. The installation of AC in a TM roof is not as simple as in a standard TT. For a normal TT, you cut a hole in the foof and fasten it down. For a TM, you need an adapter to prevent the inside assy from hanging below the ceiling. I recommend the AC from the factory.

[Bill]

Bob -

It is even more complicated than that. If you add an air conditioner to the roof, you need to change out all four torsion bars for that shell. Not easy, I'm thinking. Sad to say, if I were going to try to retrofit an A/C, I would probably revert to a side-mounted unit as TM used in the early days.

[Just noticed that kokilo mentioned the same thing.]

Bill

I have used the a/c on two different trips. Once in 2006 and again in 2008.

I rarely use the awning. It tore in the third year. I repaired it last fall and have not sued it since. We use a free standing canopy every day, either for shade of for protection from a light drizzle. We sometimes take it from camp to the ATV trail head.

I do not have the roof antenna. We never stay in RV parks. We stay in the forest where there is no TV reception. I don't even watch TV at home.

I do have the swing tongue, otherwise it would not fit in the garage.

I do have the lift kit. Even with the lift kit I have hit bottom 3 times. Once exiting a parking lot. Once crossing a 20 foot wide dry creek bed. Once towing on a forest service secondary dirt road. This one bent the front battery tray.

Out TM was a factory order. We took delivery Marcy 2005. So far it is 7 years old. We will probably keep it at lease another 6 years. At age 13 the residual value for resale is not important to me. But, as others have pointed out, you may not keep yours very long, making resale value more important.

Originally Posted by chowder1974

Scottie,

I was thinking of getting just the tv atenna but not the inclusive satelite. Is that what you mean. Where we camp there are lots of trees and i need the flexabilitiy of moving the satelite away from the camper, sometimes 100 feet or so.

I'm with you on that one. Many of my favorite sites are located so that my Sat exposure would be nonexistent. Just finished my first outing with my (new to me) 2720SD. Set up the dish on my usual tripod and I was good to go (used the generator or batteries to power the receiver and 19" tv)

BTW-it was warm enough over here in Kittitas County, that I wish I could have used the Air Cond, but my little 1200W generator just won't do it. But I was grateful for the awning

So would you consider the polar cub if trailmanor is willing to swap it out instead of the polar mach? its only 9,000 btu versus 13,000 btu but I believe the Honda Generator will run it.

[T and C]

When I had my truck camper, I was content without an AC. I did most of my camping in the mountains of the Western states where it doesn't get too hot bacause of altitude.

Then I went to Texas. A couple of nights in the KOA at Fredricksburg in July, and a couple of nights near Carlsbad Caverns in NM...sent me to camping world to get an AC installed as soon as we got home.

Never regretted it. I kept that camper for 8 years.

Tom