...with a little help from our friends!

...you good folks on this site, we enjoyed our first major trip(2524 miles) in "Troutmanor", our '98 2720SL. we followed most of the advice on tires, modifications, etc.so- thanks to you all for contributing to our pleasure.
we bought truck tires(6-ply, i think--husband would know for sure). they never gave a moment's concern.
we used an accutire guage from LL Bean. worked great. the wheel well fix gave us peace of mind. hal, we haven't done the screen door yet--but it would have helped a lot! and we still want to do the shower mod.
the folks at the car show in CO springs showed us how to get  walmart polyester shower curtain(s) to eliminate the stiff factory ones. they also realigned the TM and the door, etc.-- surely fits great now. and it is SO easy to lift/lower. they installed all new velcro--but it came off before we got to south dakota! bummer. we tho't we told them we wanted 3M this time, but regular home quality velcro was used. oh, well. back to jimmy davis for 3M!
the vornado fan was a real peach!!quiet, and great performance. we had a toyota weight distribution Valley brand hitch, but no sway bar. worked terrific. no problems whatsoever.
i even got to i.d. 45 birds, and add about 25 to my life list of birds. the best was the western tanager!  we fly fished, mt. biked, and canoed our hearts out. 35-40 rainbow trout in 4 1/2 hours one day.
only setback-- a $4000.00 concussion for me after tripping on a shore rock at dusk, while hurrying to get out of lightning. i had a float tube on my back and looked like a throwback to the ninja turtles when i fell. it was emergency room in rapid city, then tons of tests upon return--but i really never slowed down. no major probs.
thanks for reading, everyone. have a super august and beyond.
2swans

Sounds like you had a great trip, except for the fall of course.

I and probably many others that visit this board are curious as to the exact make, model, size, load and speed rating of the truck tires your husband put on the trailer. Would you be kind enough to tell us that information. There has been a lot of discussion on the subject, and your input would be most helpful (see; Maintenance Discussion | Wheel Wells & Tire Failure).

wrench, i would be delighted to give everyone interested on the board the info you requested.

i went out and looked at the tires my husband put on. they are:

Michelin XCA tubeless
size: 205/75R14C
"max load 2270# Single at 65 psi cold"

hope this helps.  

wrench, the speed rating on the tires is "N", acc. to discount tire(i just called them). our records show we had to special order them from Discount--they cost 270.27 for the pair.
they told me "N" means 87MPH.

it might help to tell what we carry in the TM...
wall A/C.
overhead optional cabinet.
tire carrier.
fiamma awning.
(i believe that's all the optional stuff added to weight of stand 2720SL).
also, we took out the easy chair-replaced with eddie bauer aluminum chair.
a 6 drawer plastic chest filled with packaged food.
bedding, clothes, tall trash can(plastic), fan, or buddy heater, most cabinets are filled, but not with heavy stuff.
fresh water tank is not filled for travel, but propane tanks are filled.
tv/vcr 9".
an 8x11 outdoor carpet.
some decorations.
towels, thermarest mattresses(2).

we carried the really heavy stuff--fly fishing bags, tools, ice chest, cots, extra tent for alpine fishing, etc. in the toyota, directly behind the front seats. we removed not only the 3rd row seats, but the back seats, as well, to give more cargo room and save weight. ea. seat weighs about 100#. we have michelin oversized tires on the vehicle.
hope this is of some help.

oh--the canoe and bikes were on the vehicle top, not the TM.

Thanks for the info.

2 swans:

Sounds like a good tire if you run real high with loading.

You might shake loose a few more of those screws with the 65 psi tires.