TrailManor Changes

[BOB_STRONG]

I was talking to Linda Hulsey, and she asked me if I would post the following request. As you all know, the changes that have occured in the TrailManor over the years is because of members like us. I am sure many of us have responded in the survey after purchasing their TrailManor regarding things that they would like to see different in the units.

TrailManor is in the process of putting together a list of changes that people would like to see in the 2007 model year. Now is your chance to give the company some good feedback.

If you have any suggestions, please send them to [email protected] with "TRAILMANOR CHANGES" as the subject. They will be printed out and given to everyone at the factory to look at.

Please don't let them down. Now is a great opportunity to voice your opinions.

1. Fix doors in the cupboards in the bathroom. We have cut 45 degree angles on the two doors that meet in the corner but maybe shorten the door on the sink pedestal, make it one piece and open from the corner towards the thetford.
2. Hinges on the upright wardrobe need a block of wood behind them on the inside of the wardrobe. Currently the screws holding the hinges on only go through the plywood and it doesn’t take long for them to loosen to the point where they can not be tightened. If the framing around the door opening on the inside of the cabinet were wider the screws would have something better to bite into.
3. a second strap on the fire extinguisher to hold the bottom of the unit into the place for it. If only one strap is desired for ease/speed of removal move it closer to the bottom and use a clip or molded opening that would securely hold the top of the extinguisher in place.
4. Frame around the ceiling vents. Screws holding the 1” frame into the ceiling do not screw into anything. We made covers to keep the early morning sun out and they are held up with Velcro at the 4 corners. If we are not very careful removing the covers (read one hand holding the frame against the ceiling and the other gently pulling each corner one at a time, we can easily pull the frame out of the ceiling.

Bill (mostly Lisa!)

[fcatwo]

Tires, tires, tires. Many Interstate Highways passing around and through large cities are set up so that drivers are required to change lanes one or more times to follow a through route. If traffic on both sides of you is running 75mph you will have to match that speed to change lanes. If it's true that TrailManor is using tires that are dangerous to run over 65mph they should be ashamed of themselves.

Originally Posted by fcatwo

If it's true that TrailManor is using tires that are dangerous to run over 65mph they should be ashamed of themselves.

Not a problem in California. Max speed is 55. Even if I went 10 over I would be within spec.

[fcatwo]

Actually a transition from I-5 to I-10 on the Pasadena Fwy was the first time I had to speed up 10-15mph over previous hwy speed to change lanes getting around LA. Atlanta and Houston are two others that come to mind. We cut over at Bakersfield these days to avoid the LA experience.

I don't believe the 65mph is a precipitous threshold where below it you're perfectly OK and above it you're always dicing with death. Tires fail usually because of heat and load, and yes, they will get hotter the faster you go. But just how hot they get must depend on other factors, too, like the ambient temperature, road surface, tire pressure, etc. So I think speeding up above 65mph for a while in order to merge with the faster traffic in another lane is probably quite OK even with 65mph rated tires On the hand I wouldn't exceed the rating on a sustained basis, especially on a very hot day.

Paul

All you ever wanted to know about trailer tires but were afraid to ask! See this very informative site: http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/inf...rTireFacts.dos

Good stuff - Thanks Jim!

[rickst29]

Goodyear says otherwise. Per my post on page 2 of the "bigger wheels, heavier axles" thread (at http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...4&postcount=14 ) They recommend that you 'tune' your tire PSI downwards when you're running with less load than the tire max.

Who you gonna believe, the manufacturers' load/recommended pressure tables (which are dated 2005), or a dealer with a "one sentence fits everbody in all situations at all times" proclamation he probably 'learned' from his granddaddy umpteen years ago?

discounttires's page seems to keep it simple for the more stupid and careless of their customers. And maybe Carlisle and other less-known brands sell tires with different recommendations, they mention Carlise specifically at the bottom of the page. But Goodyear has obviously put a lot of thought and work into this table of recommended PSIs for their tires. (Ref the other post, above.) I feel that Trailmanor owners, especially those running with big tire/axle upgrades on small, light trailers (such as I), should pay attention.

My 2619 (with upgrades) will probably leave home about 4K lbs when I'm done overloading it and fillling the water tanks. At the 65 PSI max ratings for the tires, for which Goodyear shows a max load of almost 1100 lbs more than I'm carrying, the poor TM would probably be riding so hard that a gazillion screws would be rattled loose in the first 10 miles.

Per Goodyear, to provide for proper tire flex and keep the TM from being shaken to bits, I'll drop the PSI to about 50. The sidewall flex characteristics which they will have @ 50 PSI under 4000 lbs load is roughly the same as the flex characteristics they would have @65 PSI under max load (5080 lbs). And that's the whole idea... instead of running them ROCK-HARD when you have chosen tires with a big load margin, you run them AS THEY ARE DESIGNED TO BE RUN. Tires are a suspension component with an important role in softening the ride; you need to configure 'em right.

[rickst29]

maybe we should invite one of the Forum admin's to move our 'hijack' of this 'Trailmanor Changes' thread (last 3 posts) over to the "Frame" forum? I think that's the designated place for tire talk.