Durability.

Just thought I would throw in an "additional" perspective on durability since I have now owned my SOB for almost 5 months. As we were breaking camp last weekend I notice that one of the screws holding the wheel well skirt was backed out almost to the point of falling out!

Considering that my unit is NOT branded as a lightweight trailer and the amount of money that I paid for it (more than my old TM for sure) I was highly incensed

Calls to the dealer and the manufacturer both had surprisingly similar results. They claim that periodocly I am expected to go around and tighten up screws and nuts and bolts as vibrations induced in the unit during travel down the road will cause screws, nuts, and bolts to loosen. They stressed the issue was not an "IF" or "MAY" issue but a "WHEN" issue - it was guaranteed to happen.

I don't have to do this at my stick house! Guess my SOB isn't "durable" by those standards. Guess if I want to enjoy this level of comfort on the road I will have to adjust my standards and come up with a schedule to go around and tighten things. Never had this problem with a tent but given the choice I will go around and tighten my loose screws .

Hopefully all caught the tongue in cheek tone of this post and can appreciate a little bit of levity! If not, you need to go out camping soon and relax!

Have fun,
Bill

Hopefully all caught the tongue in cheek tone of this post and can appreciate a little bit of levity! If not, you need to go out camping soon and relax!

Have fun,
Bill

I am doing just that this weekend. Come on 5pm!!! Love camping, even in my Viking Pop-up. I got the same level of attitude from Viking by the way. They basically said, we have your money so fix it yourself. I'm talking about little things here and QC. Good thing I'm a good handyman. The dealer here though was the exact opposite. They helped us with our issues promptly and professionally. Enjoy your weekend folks!!

Originally Posted by Crious in Gander

Seriously though my big issue now is will my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.3 liter be able to tow this rig? Would it be best to get the towing package installed, and/or anything else, upgrade suspension maybe ?As I mentioned earlier, the hills here are exactly that, some steep but none could be classed as really large. Our province is big, in fact not a lot smaller then Texas in square miles but no high mountains. We will only be travelling to parks where there is full service, and that is usually just off our highway. the only problem is our highway is a bit rough in some spots as I addressed earlier. I suspect I would have to stick with the 2600 & 2700 series models but that would be sufficient anyway.

Rough roads are going to cause vibrations and loosening of "stuff" no matter how well made. I suspect you will be quite disappointed in the 3.3 liter engine in your Caravan, but if you go with the smaller units it may be sufficient. You will definitely need the towing package with a 7 pin electrical plug, transmission cooler, and electric brake controller. Your province may require towing mirrows for your tv, but even if it doesn't they are a good safety addition. I pull my 3024K with a Chevy Express Hitop 5.7 liter engine. The van itself is quite heavy, but I sometimes forget the Trailmanor is behind me, unless I'm stopping or going uphill. It pulled quite easily up a 7% grade in the Appalachians at 50 mph and could have gone faster if the curves weren't so sharp. I don't think a 3.3 liter would have been nearly as effective.

Nevertheless, you will be happy with the Trailmanor. My wife, who doesn't care for the great outdoors, after one night in the Trailmanor said, "I like camping!"

This is our third season. the only loose screws I have discovered are the ones for the water heater cover. You have to remove the door to the water heater to see them, so a casual walk around inspection will miss them.

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

My biggest quality problem is that the formica facing sticks up a little. Because of that, when DW slid the microwave drawer out a little to get something that fell behind it, the rubber feet on the front edge of the drawer nicked the formica and cause some chunks to break off.

Never allow anything to slide off of the top of any counter top until you have used a file or sandpaper to remove the small lip that was built into the counter top edge. This is, imho, a quality problem. Very easy to overlook, and very annoying wen the damage occurs.

Then there is the cracked frame issue. I believe that a design change has occurred because of the experience that I and a few others have had with the swing away tongue.

I just found a large crack in the frame right up close to the swing around hinge.
2720 SL 2003
how do you deal with it? I am going to remove it and wield everything together. to heck with the swing tongue,, I don't have a garage anymore anyway. (Full time
RVer)

[B_and_D]

http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/sh...ht=crack+frame

Lots of info re: cracked frames w/swingaway hitch here.

I started the cracked frame thread about 2 years ago. At the end, I *THINK* I posted pictures of the repair. If not, or you want more pictures, let me know. I am happy to report no problems since the repair.

Bill and Lisa: You're both a breath of fresh air!!

Keep poking fun; we should all enjoy it! Mike