New to us tow vehicle, 2720SL, with pretty epic start

[Punisher-TMO]

We have known for a long time that we wanted a TM, and wanted one with the couch in the front as we only have one kid living at home and like having the living room feel for rainy days. I decided we had dreamed long enough and it was time to jump out there and do it. The big issue was that our minivan, a 2007 Grand Caravan only had a towing capacity of 1,800 pounds. So, I loaned myself, via my 401k, enough money to get this going.

We bought a giant 99 GMC Suburban with 270,000 miles on it after test driving it 7 miles. It was owned since 1999 by a local lady and the body and interior were near perfect. We drove it 480 miles to buy a 2007 Trailmanor camper we had never seen except in ads and cruised them both another 300 miles to Gulf Shores for a couple of days.

It was a totally epic way to get it all started. Yeah, there were a few issues. We found in FL that the air conditioner in the truck did not work, and it has a code for catalytic converters. Being a 1999 I am going to "fix them" the cheap way.

The TM has a few issues too. It needs new tires, and flooring as there seems to have been a pet in there at some point.

In the future we will be doing a lot of projects to put in new flooring, get rid of the propane systems as we never boondock, and get rid of the toilet while keeping the shower for the same reason. We also need to find a new way of securing the inside "flaps" as all the velcro is long gone from the walls. I am also going to custom build an entertainment center with a tv lift system to house and protect the television. It should really cement the living room feel.

The truck will get some projects too adding modern tech such as backup camera, bluetooth calling, usb music, hardwired USB charge ports, etc. I also need to wire up for trailer brakes.

The mpg was not the worst in the world. The truck got 16.7 without the TM and 14.4 towing it. This is with the bad cats, so I expect it to get better. The truck will more than handle the weight of the TM without issue. I think that thing would tow the moon out of orbit.

 

[Craigrrr]

Congrats on both, I use to tow my 2720Sd with a 02 suburban aka Campurban, but now use a 2008 Toyota sienna minivan, cause I wanted better mpg when we were parked

You will have fun modding each vehicle. and yes those burbs can tow!!

 

[Bill]

We have known for a long time that we wanted a TM. [Our] 2007 Grand Caravan only had a towing capacity of 1,800 pounds. So, I loaned myself, via my 401k, enough money to get this going. ... We bought a giant 99 GMC Suburban, drove it 480 miles to buy a 2007 Trailmanor camper we had never seen except in ads, and cruised them both another 300 miles to Gulf Shores for a couple of days. It was a totally epic way to get it all started. ... The TM has a few issues too. It needs new tires, and flooring as there seems to have been a pet in there at some point.

The floor's pet problem might be cured with a coat of sealing primer such as Kilz, followed by a coat of paint in the color of your choice. A rug or two would spiff it up, and make it easy to clean.

In the future ... get rid of the propane systems as we never boondock, and get rid of the toilet while keeping the shower for the same reason.

Remember that these changes will have an enormous effect on the resale value of the trailer. The parts you are thinking of removing (toilet, especially) are very expensive to replace. If you really decide to go forward with these projects, my advice would be to save whatever you remove, and make the changes as reversible as possible.

We also need to find a new way of securing the inside "flaps" as all the velcro is long gone from the walls.

This is a common problem, and there is a lot of discussion and a number of solutions here on the Forum.

I am also going to custom build an entertainment center with a tv lift system to house and protect the television. It should really cement the living room feel.

Sounds like a truly epic project. Please let us know how you make out, with pictures, when it is done.

Bill

 

[Punisher-TMO]

Thank you both.

The floor's pet problem might be cured with a coat of sealing primer such as Kilz, followed by a coat of paint in the color of your choice. A rug or two would spiff it up, and make it easy to clean.

I had thought about something to that effect, but the wife wants a single sheet linoleum put down in either a tile or wood look. She has not made up her mind.

Remember that these changes will have an enormous effect on the resale value of the trailer. The parts you are thinking of removing (toilet, especially) are very expensive to replace. If you really decide to go forward with these projects, my advice would be to save whatever you remove, and make the changes as reversible as possible.

Part of the reason is that the toilet is already broken and someone left the fresh water tank full of city water for at least the last 2 years. Previous owner said it was full when they got it. They used it as a temp house while they built their home, so some of the pluming like the toilet is over used and broken, while other parts are not touched in years. Resale is not an issue as when we are done with this thing no one will want it. We tend to keep things to the point of using them up totally.

This is a common problem, and there is a lot of discussion and a number of solutions here on the Forum.

I am already seeing a lot of very helpful things here. I am very much looking forward to it.

Sounds like a truly epic project. Please let us know how you make out, with pictures, when it is done.

I will for sure. I think just getting off the ground I am going to do a build thread (in the TM pictures section maybe?) to document out the build of the whole thing.

Thanks again,
Will

 

[Bill]

I had thought about something to that effect, but the wife wants a single sheet linoleum put down in either a tile or wood look. She has not made up her mind.

Kilz is generally a great sealer under sheet goods. However, if the old floor is carpeted, you may find when you pull up the carpet that the floor is not smooth and level enough for sheet goods. If this is true, it will need a layer of leveling mastic. I recommend you search through the forum for posts concerning floor prep, especially if you plan to use sheet goods rather than strips.

Bill

 

[BrucePerens]

I did vinyl interlocking plank flooring from the Home Depot. It worked pretty well, especially because instead of cutting some edges I just picked up the couch and let them continue under it. It's that finicky cutting on the long axis that takes all the time. Do not buy the $50 cutter from the Home Depot. The bearings all break apart and it doesn't last through a single job. This from cutting 5 mm thick vinyl plank, about the softest thing out there to cut. I ended up buying a nicer cutter, because I had to do rooms in my house too. It makes the job much easier.

 

[LoveToCamp-TMO]

Before removing the propane system, be mindful that 1) some campgrounds may have the electricity fail while you are there, and you may want some heat, 2) the fridge will cool better on propane than on electric, and 3) you may want to use the stove occasionally for heating water or coffee, or some quick meal, instead of cooking outside (presume you will cook outside, so you are not always dining out).

 

[Punisher-TMO]

I did vinyl interlocking plank flooring from the Home Depot. It worked pretty well, especially because instead of cutting some edges I just picked up the couch and let them continue under it. It's that finicky cutting on the long axis that takes all the time. Do not buy the $50 cutter from the Home Depot. The bearings all break apart and it doesn't last through a single job. This from cutting 5 mm thick vinyl plank, about the softest thing out there to cut. I ended up buying a nicer cutter, because I had to do rooms in my house too. It makes the job much easier.

I ended up getting the same thing, except from Lowe's due to the veteran's discount. I will get pics of it when done.

Before removing the propane system, be mindful that 1) some campgrounds may have the electricity fail while you are there, and you may want some heat, 2) the fridge will cool better on propane than on electric, and 3) you may want to use the stove occasionally for heating water or coffee, or some quick meal, instead of cooking outside (presume you will cook outside, so you are not always dining out).

I have been thinking about that, and will most likely carry a Big Buddy heater if I can use it with the TM's front tanks. I like it due to not needing any electricity unlike the stock furnace. I tested the Big Buddy I use in my shop and it heats the whole TM very well on medium, so a smaller buddy heater should also work well.

We generally camp fire cook or use an electric skillet. The stove did not work correctly and we already got rid of it.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

As for the Big Buddy, if you ever plan to camp at high altitudes, you may need the Olympian Wave. They are a lot more expensive though.

 

[Casey Freswick]

Wave

Our wave heater works great and got it because I am from MT and expect to be in higher elevations at times.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Our wave heater worked great until it was stolen while we were repacking out truck to leave our campsite. It was barely used. Some one in Kamloops is enjoying a really nice heater at our expense. :new_cussi