RV Comparison Shopping

Originally Posted by thebbqguy

...My dad, who has been towing RVs and other trailers for 40 years plus, is very cautionary about me buying a single axle trailer...

One of the big reasons why I like my 3326 are the dual axles.

A number of the upright trailers certainly have more storage. You have to remember BECAUSE a TM folds your vertical storage gets cut in half. To me storage is the big shortcoming in a TM and why I like the 3124 series.

The plus side to that is that TMs tend to have a lot of visibility anywhere in the trailer. The beds have windows on three sides.

One other feature/problem is the toilet. I hear more people fuss over this, but I am happy with mine. One of the big advantages is that it is not water hungry. That means fresh water can be used for whatever except flushing.

I would like a really simple toy hauler. That would allow the pardette and I put all our cowboy gear, firearms, ammo in an easy place. I have seen some with their reloading press "in the garage" so they can play on the road.

That said, I have still have room left over for anything but reloading. If $5/gal gas hits this summer (and I see no reason why it will not) having TM means I can go to all those matches that I could not with heavier trailer...

Originally Posted by countrygirl

I am intriqued by this rv...the Element by Evergreen. Roof has a 13 year warrenty and Camper has a 3 year warranty. It appears so new I can not find pricing for it. The info photos and specs can be found here. Looks really sleek and hopefully will be priced less then the Earthbounds that we also love. The origional Evergreen products are less but not as eye catching.

http://rvbuddies.net/evergreen-eleme...at-louisville/

I think these weigh about 3,300.

Sit down... the Evergreen model with the side slide out is $53,247 USD MSRP. And I thought TMs were expensive!

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by thebbqguy

I assumed the trailer in the above GCWR calculation weighs 3,000 lbs. I added 1,000 lbs for cargo to arrive at the 4,000 lbs.

That's about right for the trailer when camping but you have to add in the weight for passengers and cargo in the TV.

I don't understand the advantage of a tandem axle on a ultralite, such as my 2720. It performed quite well with a blowout

Tandems all have scuffing. I am not sure what the impact of scuffing in every turn is, but it can not be an advantage.

When we were comparing the TM to other trailers here is what we were looking for:

Fit in the garage, not more than 19 feet long and not more than 7 feet tall

Sleeps six

bathroom with walls instead of a curtain

shower

kitchen sink stove and oven are obvious

something bigger than a 20 gallon water tank

oven

table for 5 adults at dinner

Light enough (my 2720 is 4,100 pounds wet and loaded) that I can tow it with either a Chevy 1500HD or a GMC 2500HD crew cab truck loaded with motorcycles.

I could not find very many trailers that met those specifications.

fwiw, without the motorcycles when towing with the 1500HD my total weight is about 11,000 pounds.

With the 2500HD and 3 motorcycles I am probably around 12,000 to 13,000 pounds. I weighed the first one and have not weighed the latter one.

Sometimes I only carry one passenger in the truck because the back seat is loaded with 10 cases of water, soda and beer. I ran out of room in the TM and the bed of the truck.

We almost always take both trucks. I'll trade gas bills with anyone.

[countrygirl]

Originally Posted by Scott O

Sit down... the Evergreen model with the side slide out is $53,247 USD MSRP. And I thought TMs were expensive!

Wow...I am amazed at the price. Hmmm and we thought the Earthbounds were too high. I find it frustrating that some campers are sold for a higher price then the identical camper in a different area of the county. I have found Earthbounds for 10,000 less in Ohio then the ones in Florida.

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by countrygirl

Wow...I am amazed at the price. Hmmm and we thought the Earthbounds were too high. I find it frustrating that some campers are sold for a higher price then the identical camper in a different area of the county. I have found Earthbounds for 10,000 less in Ohio then the ones in Florida.

This is the very reason we bought the TM in Tx 10k less then here in Fl. Especially since it had 4k of options we didn't need.

I am still looking for my perfect TM. There are many advantages that I makes me sold on the TM. The one of the advantages that I am sold on is the height of the roof when closed. The Achilles heel of most RV's in general is the roof.

The closed height of a TM is the perfect height to clean the roof with soap, water, and long handle brush. Previously, I owned a 37' motorhome. The roof was at least 25' high. In order to clean the roof, you have to stand on the roof with a high probability of slipping off. Also, don't try to stand on the roof of an ultra-lite trailer if you don't want roof leaks.

As for a RV cover, it seems to me that it would relatively easy to cover a closed TM. With the motorhome, I had to tie a rope around a very heavy cover and pull it up while standing on the roof. Another chance to fall off.

When looking at RV's, keep this in mind.

Wow, you did not get under too many bridges, did you?

There is no perfect RV. All are a series of compromises that need careful research and discussion. My suggestion to prospective owners is make a plus/minus chart for each model you look at. The one you buy will probably be the one with the least negatives. We have gone from a 3124KB to a 38' toy hauler (now for sale) to a 3326. Each has served its purpose well.

Originally Posted by Beach Boy

The closed height of a TM is the perfect height to clean the roof with soap, water, and long handle brush. Previously, I owned a 37' motorhome. The roof was at least 25' high. In order to clean the roof, you have to stand on the roof with a high probability of slipping off. Also, ...

Originally Posted by MisterP

Wow, you did not get under too many bridges, did you?

There is no perfect RV. All are a series of compromises that need careful research and discussion. My suggestion to prospective owners is make a plus/minus chart for each model you look at. The one you buy will probably be the one with the least negatives. We have gone from a 3124KB to a 38' toy hauler (now for sale) to a 3326. Each has served its purpose well.

I usually used the jet pack to go over the bridges. Statement was made with tongue-in-cheek. I got a telephone call and forgot to put a smiley face after the statement. Oops!

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

...Sleeps six...

If they can get along and it stops raining quick enough (really true of about anything but the bigger 5th wheels). Oh, if you are a submariner the accommodations are stellar.