First Impressions of TM

We finally took a drive in the balmy 40 degree Michigan winter day to look at the TMs a dealer had on his lot, two new 2619s and one used 26SL.

After seeing the photos, looking at the TM web page and this forum, it's nice to report that the trailers are better than advertised! Quality of construction was much better than I expected. Biggest surprise was probably the narrow hallway. I knew it was narrower than our Sunline but knowing and experiencing that are two different things.

Since we have been in our Sunline for 8 years, we may have noticed some things that other new users may not:
1. That's the cutest & smallest awning I have ever seen on a hardsided trailer. Understandable with the clamshell design but unexpected none the less
2. Only three electical outlets
3. We're not quite sure what the purpose of the bathroom sink is because in it's current size it doesn't look usable for practical application.
4. Window latches didn't seem very secure. Plastic tabs to hold the window shut. It does seem like it would be pretty easy to break in through the windows.
5. The flaps to seal the unit from the inside with velcro tabs still seemed to leave easy access for bugs to come in. At least I would think that would be the case if you can see daylight at the joints where you velcro it down as well as seeing daylight and an open space under the door. This is a legitimate concern in the Great Lakes States with mosquitos, no see ums, black flies, deer flies and horse flies.
6. No screen door
7. Non-ducted heat and air conditioning

On the used unit (1991 26SL) it was obvious that it had seen HARD use. It more than showed it's age. But we also noticed mold on the seal where the clam shells meet.

We were unable to see the unit taken down and set up, but it's pretty easy to imagine what that would take after seeing the units. Doesn't look like it would be difficult nor time consuming.

First impressions were positive. It's obviously different from what we know (or think we know), but not strangely so. We'll have to think about this more and see the TMs again (hopefully a 2720SL), but they do seem like very nice trailers.

Thank you to all of you who were kind enough to answer my questions and offer your advice. This is a great forum and your help is appreciated.

We miss a screen door, such as we had in our Grand Surveyor. We have had no trouble with bugs and we probably do not use enough equipment regularly to need more than the outlets available. In fact, I had not noticed only 3, but I think you are right. We use the bathrrom sink for washing lightly or brushing teeth. Other than that, we do use the tub/shower. I think a TM might be a stretch for full-timing. But, we may try it for the first six months of retirement anyway. We have our hearts set on a Titanium 5er, but we love the ease of towing so low -- probably the aftermathof a serious accident while towing a TT. Keep looking. Queeniereads aka Judi

I just reread my original post and it seemed kind of negative. That was not the feeling we left with at all!

The TM is very light, obviously will be easy to tow compared to the big heavy Sunline and fuel ecomony should be much improved. Since a TM costs as much as a standard travel trailer with slide outs I roughed out some numbers for pulling the bigger unit:
Increase in towable weight: 10,000+ lb vs 3000 +/-
Increase in TV purchase price: $10,000 +/-
Inccrease in 5 year operating expense: $52,000 vs $44,000 based on TV s I've looked at
Decrease in fuel economy: 3-4 mpg
Most of this information was pulled from www.motortrend.com.

Sure, there are plenty of differences between the standard travel trailer and the TM. Those std tt:
1. Can be difficult to back up, especially in tight spaces.
2. Winterizing can either cost $75 or an hour of time
3. Dewinterizing takes another 30 minutes
4. Wheels are difficult to repack wheel bearings on. Another $200+ for four wheels
5. Storage cost more (27' is 27', not 20' like TM)

The list of what is good/bad with both is endless. Since I don't believe the perfect travel trailer exists (nor is it likely to) I prefer to know I have a well built unit, and try to find out both the positive and negative things as much as possible before hand.

Good news! TMs are well built with good quality construction.
I am especially glad to hear that bug infiltration is not a problem. Some of the yoopers can verify that at certain times of the year in the UP of Michigan you can't make it from the TV to the trailer without being covered from head to toe in deer flies .... and they draw blood when they bite!!

Many kinds of units out there, all but travel trailers have been ruled out for our multiple uses which include long distance travel, weekend camping and my grouse hunting trips (and you probably wondered why I use Grouse on this forum). Although I freely admit the dogs don't seem to mind where we stay as long as they're with.

Always grateful for the wonderful advice and different points of view. Thanks for the info.

There are more electrical outlets in the larger models and the fact that ours is a 2006 may have something to do with it. We have 5 outlets- 1 in the bathroom, one on the side of the refridgerator, one on the side of the drawer aft of the stove (facing the wardrobe which can be a bugger to find if you have the optional microwave shelf) , one in between the sets of drawers under the curbside couch and finally one low near the floor at the foot of the rear bed with a second dc plug and cable jack.

That said, we make heavy use of power strips. DW came up with the brillant idea of putting hook and loop stuff on the back of a power strip and mounting the power strip on the wall with the other hook and loop strips that hold the flaps in place for traveling - it also keeps the material from picking up junk when using the trailer.

Bill

I have used one plug on one trip for a ceramic heater in November when it dropped below 50 degrees overnight. I think my son might have used another plug to recharge cell phones when I had the generator running to top off the batteries on a 4 day trip.

We mostly dry camp. There are more plugs than I have any use for.

So, it all depends.

Hi! I'm interested in your first impressions of the TM. We are pretty much in agreement. We have a 2004 3023 and we have four electrical outlets. Bath, side of refrigerator, microwave shelf, and curb side between drawers below sofa.
You might be surprised that the TM will not hurt your gas mileage nearly as much as you think. We tow with a 2002 Chevy Silverado with the 5.3 liter and a 3.73:1 rear. Solo we get about 18 if we drive sanely. Towing the TM we get 16.5. That's only 1.5 mpg less. We are very happy with this aspect of ours.
About the only negative we have experienced is the shower and refrigerator. My wife thinks that the refrigerator is too small and we've only used the shower once each in about a year and a half.
We have also not experienced a significant problem with insects. They do get in when it sits idle for long periods. (We've never put our awning out.)

Tex

You might be happy with Hal's shower tuck. It gets the curtains off the floor and the seat while holding them to the walls. If you then stand with back to the faucet side, you can bend over without bumping the head and put your foot up on the seat to wash it. I am even able to sit on the chair in there (facing the faucets). I found this really does a lot in making the shower more useable. I simply hold the wand, turning it on and off to conserve water (we dry camp almost exclusively at this point). As such, I have showered using only about 1/2 inch of water from the fresh tank. But others have figured several ways to attach the want to the walls or cieling. You can find all this on this site by searching.

To answer the problem with the small fridge, we purchased one of those plug-in coolers. In it, we keep all snacks and bottled water, sodas, etc. We actually save the fridge for food. By the way, the freezer works great and you can put more in if you unpackage stuff first. Just tape the directions to the outside of the Saran Wrap or whatever. We travel with the cooler in the car on the back seat. In the camper, we plug it into a socket and put it on the floor next to the chest of drawers and sofa in the 3124KS. As for mailage, we tow with a Mercury Mountaineer SUV and the milage goes from nearly 18 to 14 when towing, but that is not bad, considering the same TV was getting 8 to 9 when towing a lightweight TT the summer before. Keep asking! Queeniereads aka Judi

[fcatwo]

Grouse

I would be deceitful if I let you go on thinking bugs are never a problem with the TM. We were in SE Alaska/BC/Yukon last summer and found mosquitos to be a significant problem when it was dark outside and we had lights on inside. They apparently come in anywhere they can see light coming out - and there are a number of places that happens. We found we could minimize the problem by leaving the lights off - something easily done that far north in June. You can probably adjust or supplement your seals to further limit the problem. That is the only time we have had the problem but we rarely travel during the summer months.

Everyone wants a TM.