Need your help! Hubby wants a HiLo. I want TM.

[miloboy]

We've narrowed down our choices for a travel trailer - the Hi Lo or Trailmanor. There's a 1992 (ouch!) 22 foot HiLo for sale in exc. condition for $6,000, and my husband wants to make the long haul to see it. He thinks it's best not to invest too much money on a trailer since we've never owned one and don't know exactly how much we'll use it. He likes the dual axle, and push button pop up. How can I argue that?
I like the more spacious layout of the TM; lightweight; fits in our garage; and NO push-button to open the top (less to go wrong). However, I'm looking at one for $19,000 for a 2004 2720. Ouch! Does that price seem a bit too high?
We're getting ready to take the plunge and I could really use your suggestions.
Thanks so much
Carrie

[miloboy]

We have a Dodge Dakota quad cab. 4x4, V8, 4.7
Towing shouldn't be an issue with either the TM or Hi Lo. Deciding between the two is the hard part.
Thank you
Carrie

[JonS55]

I recently purchased a used 2720. It's a 1995 but it's in fantastic condition. Everyone who's seen it thinks its new. It was extremely well maintained and I bought it from a TM dealer and they went through everything. New with the options it has would have been almost 28K, used I got to lop off 3/4s of that. You may want to look around a bit more.

[Queeniereads]

For the internal space I would go with the TM. We love ours and had considered both. Look at the dimensions and floor plans on line. Once yu buy a TM, you will find all sorts of places to go, and it will be more fun and cheaper than going from motel to motel. It will get used! Queeniereads/ Judi

[aldebnj]

Not sure where you are but I have my 2003 3023 for sale for $14,500 (NADA book value) with a bunch of accessories included such as a brake controller, weight distribution hitch, microwave, water filter, all the hoses, extension cables and adapters all worth at least $600.

We are located in central NJ and can deliver in the North East if needed.

Al

[miloboy]

Just saw another listing for a 2004 2720sl for $17,000. Guess it does 'pay' to keep looking. WE are located on the West Coast, so your NJ offer is a bit too far. But thanks anyway.
Carrie

[masterge]

Find a new hubby! LOL!

[Bill]

Carrie -

First, I admit right up front that I am a fan of TM, and not of Hi-Lo. So take the following with a grain of salt, please.

We have a Dodge Dakota quad cab. 4x4, V8, 4.7. Towing shouldn't be an issue with either the TM or Hi Lo.Don't be too quick to dismiss weight as a factor. If you live in the west, you may very well find yourself wanting to go to high-altitude places like Yosemite, Sequoia/King's Canyon, and Yellowstone, where campgrounds can be above 8000 feet and steep grades are common. Your tow vehicle will have to work hard to get you up there. Your 4.7-liter engine's performance will be similar to my 4.6-liter engine, and at high altitude (where it can't breathe) it will be challenged. Some folks are willing to downshift a couple gears and run the engine near red-line for extended periods, and then brag that they can keep up their speed. I am more conservative than that. You will make your own decision on that issue, of course. By the way, does your Dakota have a factory-installed towing package?

Notes on Weight:
For 2006, the UVW (aka "dry weight") of a HiLo 2206 is 3432 lbs. It was probably more in 1992, since there was less emphasis on weight back then, and perhaps fewer low-weight materials were used in its construction. By contrast, a 2006 2720 has a dry weight of 2742 lbs, almost 700 pounds less. Both trailers, of course, will weigh considerably more when you add factory options and all your "stuff".

Mechanical reliability. A 14-year-old trailer is bound to have some age-related problems. Some are easy to cope with. Others, including hydraulic system problems, are not. If it fails when you arrive at a campground after hours, the trailer won't open and you have no place to stay. Repairs the next day are also trouble. How much trouble? Well, my '93 Saab convertible has a hydraulic system to open and close the top. Last year, a hydraulic seal blew. What a mess! Hydraulic oil all over the inside of the car. And $3000 to fix it.

Of course, these days Hi-Lo offers (as an extra cost option) a manual pump to open the trailer if the battery goes dead - but if the hydraulic system fails, it does no good at all.

Beds: As has been noted in several threads here, the Hi-Lo does not have any permanent beds. You have to convert the dinette into a bed each evening, and break it down again in the morning. In my opinion, that grows old fast. By the way, when you make up this "special bed", you have to use "special sheets and blankets". Regular-size bedding won't work in a Hi-Lo - but they work fine in a TM.

Interior space: A 22-foot Hi-Lo is about 17-18 feet long inside - the other 4 or 5 feet is the hitch and the spare tire outisde. A 2720 is about 24 feet long inside, including the two permanent beds.

The arguments go on and on, and I refer you particularly to a recent thread called Why Not Buy a Hi-Lo?
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5052

Bill

[CAmark]

Carrie,
I will add that the set-up of a TM is not as labor-intensive as it may seem from an initial look. Once leveled and un-hitched we spend 15 minutes or so poking along at raising the shells, setting up the bathroom walls, and re-locating the few items packed on the floor of the TM. If pressed, we could do it in 5 minutes. The reverse process is equally easy.
"West Coast" is a large area but there is a big RV show coming to Pleasanton CA (SF Bay Area) 1/26-2/4. Our TM dealer (Dinuba RV) was there last year and I expect will be there again this year so you could see several models and how they work etc. to get a first-hand look...if that works for you.
Mark

[Walter Roach]

Carrie,

My DW and I looked at Hi-Lo and TrailManor before going with the TM. We have a new-to-us 2005 TrailManor2720SL. It is light and tows easily; fuel economy is an issue for us. The same-sized Hi-Lo weighed a lot more, and we would have to make up the bed before we could sit down for breakfast. We have been out 5 times (on weekends) since getting it in September. This past weekend, two different couples came by while on the beach in Aptos, CA. We gave them the quickie tour and a brochure. It works for us, and we have been camping LOTS more than I would have predicted initially. We now make up the bed with a clean bottom sheet before we close up at the campground, and are able to leave it ready to roll at the drop of a hat. It only takes us 10 minutes: 5 for parking, leveling, etc; and 5 minutes for raising the shells, putting down velcrow flaps, raising bathroom walls, wardrobe, and hanging cabinet. For what it's worth ...

Walter

[fcatwo]

Carrie

Your situation is why "flipping-a-coin", "taking-a-card" and other methods of reaching a decision like yours were developed. I generally agree with what has been said here but your other-half is probably getting equal encouragement to go for the HI-Lo. Whatever you get, you'll probably move on to something else sooner than you think. IMO you need to make sure you don't invest too much if you are not sure you are getting something you'll both like and stick with for a few years.

[miloboy]

Hello again. I found out that the Hi-Lo weighs 3965 pounds. It does come with an elec tongue jack, load leveler and other things. Tonight, I saw a 2619 Trailmanor for $11,775. It's through a dealer. Have to admit, the cost is sounding better with the TM, but Hubby still thinks it's the Hi-Lo. I'll call about the TM tomorrow (keeping my fingers crossed.. for it)
Thanks for all your advice.
Carrie