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03-06-2006, 10:23 AM
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#11
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Guest
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Hi, I have owned my TM now for about a year and I am just amazed at how much I love it. Do you give up somethings of a regular TT sure you do. Yes I have more truck then I will ever need for a TM but when I talk to the people with a regular TT getting 8mpg with a diesel and I am getting 16 I just smile.
I checked them all out and kept coming back to TM. After I retire from the Navy in 5 years I plan on going full timing for 1 year in my TM. Another thing is enough can't be said about the service from the factory or my dealer!
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03-06-2006, 11:49 AM
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#12
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Guest
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We are very happy with our TM, purchased after we had a terrible accident with a travel trailer in Idaho when we met a gust of wind. So, being "gunshy" , we bought a TM becuase we could tow low and live high. We like the quality, gas efficiency, quirkiness, toilet, storage, and more. We do not even mind the brief set up time and moving the micrwave and stuff when we pull in. We do wish it could have a higher/larger fridge, but we bought a plug-in cooler to hold all the drinks and snacks. We do wish we could use the potti and fridge on the road, but we bought a book of truck stops, and we use them. We do occasionally get dust inside when we tow on dirt roads, but it wipes up fast, and we give the TM a good cleaning when we get home anyway. We do wish we had a more comfortable bed becuase we like our Select Comfort air bed at home, but we may figure out how to use our home bed in the TM, and we have never found any bed in an RV to be as nice as we have at home. So, was it worth it -- in our circumstances, YES. We could not have towed a trailer right away again after our accident, but we did not want to give up RV-ing. So, we found the luxury of a TT in the body of a PUP. We like it just fine!
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03-06-2006, 12:43 PM
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#13
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Guest
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We were out 3 weeks ago in a winter storm--rain, thunder, winds of 30 mph+, snow, and a temp of 17 F before factoring in wind chill. The TM shook a little but we were as snug as can be. As for bear attack, I don't know that the factory tests for such things! That would be a good question for the reps. Just how much pinpoint pressure does aircraft aluminum withstand in TM applications? What is the tip factor of the trailer should a bear get it's paws under it? I've been wondering what we should do in case of cyclone or hurricane. Would lawn shed tie downs work to keep our trailer pinned to the ground while in storage?
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03-06-2006, 02:06 PM
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#14
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Guest
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I've had a hard time convincing my husband that our very used TM that we bought last summer was worth the $$. We've had all the usual problems, most relating to things that come apart when towing on bumpy roads...which is nearly all roads here in CA these days. Especially I-5, aka "pot hole central", where fellow motorists want to run you down if you do less than 70mph.
This 10 year old small TM cost $3000 more than our small Coleman tent trailer brand new. Nothing ever went wrong with the Coleman. However the Coleman had zero comfort features outside of a stove and a furnace. The comfort in the TM was important to me. The hard walls, the bathroom and shower. DH is not as easily swayed. While he loves the comfort of the TM, he gets angry at the design flaws especially in light of the cost of the TM. He would have been happier with the no hassel tent trailer where all we had to worry about was tires. Having said all this, we were recently hashing over what we would do if we didn't have the TM. We agreed that we would always have SOMETHING to camp in. With that in mind, and the knowledge that I would not be willing to go back to a tent trailer, our conclusion was that it would have to be a TM or something like it that didn't sacrifice gas mileage and was easy to tow with a moderate TV. So far I have not seen a TT that fits the criteria. Since I doubt we will be paying $20,000+ for another TM, we had better make this one last. Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have purchased mine if I had known more about it, yet ultimately, I'm glad I did. I really enjoy camping in it. We both do. Do I sound conflicted?...I am!
Bottom line: They cost too much and have some design flaws that desperately need attention but they do fill a niche in the TT world that others, so far have not.
Cheri
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03-06-2006, 02:31 PM
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#15
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Site Sponsor
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Anacortes. Wa
Posts: 396
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On bears: I've read that some Natl Park bears that have become accustomed to road-side handouts have ripped the doors of locked cars open to get at food they smell inside. It's unlikely that a TM or any other RV would prevent them from getting in if they are motivated enough -- they are extremely powerful animals. If they learn to associate RVs' in campgrounds with food handouts you can be sure that (like your kids) they will come calling. However, the people who run public parks will know if they are hanging around and will close the parks to camping if necessary.
We lived in Alaska for 30yrs, spent a lot of time tent and RV camping and found raccoons and other small animals to be much more of a problem than bears. We even had a small black bear bed down in a wooded corner of our yard for a year or so and he caused no problems. He was shy, avoided eye contact and minded his own business which was garbage cans, bird feed and pet food left outside around the neighborhood.
__________________
Frank
Former 2002 TM2619 Owner
2005 Toyota Tundra AC 4X2
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03-06-2006, 03:56 PM
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#16
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Guest
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Yes I believe the recommended way of stopping bears is a LARGE caliber gun (.357 or better) and then you have to be a GOOD shot. Pepper spray is better... so they say.
I have never met a bear nor do I want to. I would probably just start
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03-06-2006, 05:56 PM
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#17
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,191
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A couple pieces of good news on the bear front.
1. If you are in a TM, and your neighbors are in a tent, the bear will almost certainly go for the tent. I was surprised to see the number of tent campers in Yosemite. There are steel bear boxes for your food, cosmetics, etc, and we were modestly worried about bears - but if I had been in a tent, I would have been closer to paralyzed with fear. The rangers assured us that a TM was "pretty good protection compared to the canvas pop-ups and the tenters". I guess I felt better.
2. We were told that, when walking in the woods, the important thing to do is make noise. Doesn't have to be loud, but continuous. Talk, sing, whistle. In the gift shops they sell "bear bells". Years ago, we knew them as sleigh bells, but sleigh bells are cheaper. Anyway, you are supposed to buy a couple for a truly exorbitant price, clip them to your belt, and they jingle as you move. A ranger pointed out to us that a just-as-good solution is to put a few pebbles in an empty 1/2 liter water/soda bottle, and hold it in your hand so it moves as you walk. Makes a good rattle, and it's free.
Just FYI ...
Bill
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03-06-2006, 08:35 PM
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#18
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Site Sponsor
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Anacortes. Wa
Posts: 396
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Bill makes a good point. Bears are very territorial in the wild and going into their front yard can be an entirely different situation than when they come into yours looking for a meal. The likelyhood of your kids being mauled by a neighbors dog is still much greater than a bear attack however.
__________________
Frank
Former 2002 TM2619 Owner
2005 Toyota Tundra AC 4X2
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03-06-2006, 09:56 PM
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#19
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Guest
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Thanks for honest discussion of the TM
Some good honest info here. Much appreciated.
2bcs1jrt... think I've come down to the same conclusion as you did after owning but mine is based upon research only. Seems like there is no other option that will meet our needs except the niche that TM fills but will buy one even if there are some potential issues that I need to live with. Need a hard sided camper with relatively a lot of room that our small TV can pull. I'm not willing to go back to hauling with a full size truck and getting only 3-5 miles per gallon again. After all the good input from all, I'm not as concerned now with the maintenance issues being too bad and quality seems relatively good.
many apologies magdefrau!
not sure what "find a hole to through his money'" means but I think I still get your drift. Life is too short to spend time on ....or worry about ....small things like spell check. Being new to this forum I couldn't find the spell check with a quick scan of the tools. Still hhhhhaven'tttttt and still typing faster than I should. Oh well, C'est la vie!
Bears?? Wow, really didn't want to get everyone off on this tangent. Don't think any trailer is bear proof nor needs to be. Just looking for a hardsided because many of the places we camp at here in the west require them now. No canvas sided popups or tents allowed. I have read many cases of people being pulled out of tents by bears but don't think I've ever read about anyone being pulled out of a hard sided trailer.
Thanks all. Hope to be a proud owner of a TM within the month. Since they are hard to find here locally, I have some questions related to buying from long distance in other sections of this forum that you might be able to help me on.
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03-07-2006, 05:59 AM
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#20
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Guest
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Observations
I am also in the market for a TrailManor. Either as a kid or as an adult, we have had a large TT, several tent trailers, various other trailers and tents. Here are some observations.
Any trailer will sway if loaded wrong. Many people pulling to large a trailer try to compensate by making the tongue weight to light and that will make any trailer sway. Some people don't pay attention when packing. I have made that mistake with my small tent trailer. It will sway if packed wrong. Al I did both time was open it up and redistribute the load. The larger profile TT have more problems with sway the low profile ones, because of wind and semis so packing correctly is not always the solution.
Hi-Lo are a great trailer, but there are two reason I would not get one. First, I do not like the fabic walls for the top half of the bathroom. Second unless you get a real large one, there is no seperate bed. My wife prefers to go to bed early and I do not, so I like TM permanet beds. I know there would be quite a fights if we had a Hi-Lo, because she would want to go to bed and I was not ready yet.
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