Thinking about purchase of 2720

daveinfl

daveinfl

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After lurking in this forum for a couple weeks and reading about Trailmanor, I have decided to join. I have a comment and a few questions.

My wife and I are giving serious thought to an RV. We live near Orlando and have no Trailmanor dealers nearby. So last weekend we visited one of the large RV dealers. We went in talking about Ultra Lite trailers and popups and left with a lot of knowledge about everything except what we went in for. It was a worthwhile trip, but clearly the objective was to move us up and into and RV with 6 wheels and a motor. When I brought up Trailmanor the gentleman only wanted to talk about the fact that everything has to fold down (and how can you fold down a bathroom) and that the seals go out creating water problems for you. The salesman did his job and gave us a good education on how RVs (trailers included) are made. But after a couple days and discovering all the expense that will go into a motor home, my eyes turned back to trailmanor. With that said, here are my questions.

1. Can you use them in cold weather (Michigan at Christmas for example)? Will the heater keep the pipes from freezing or would additional pipe wrapping be necessary?

2. Give me an honest opinion of the bathroom please. This is my wife's biggest thing. I would tend to use a "parks" facilities. But this is a concern of hers.

3. Storage space. Do you think there is enough storage space for maybe 4 people for 3 weeks?

4. How do the seals hold up?

We hope to look at a used one this weekend because the dealers are so far away from us. It is a 2008 2720. It has the hitch that will fold which I like because it will fit in my garage. I'm a little concerned about the height with A/C, but after reading several posts here I believe it won't be an issue. I have 81 inches clearance and I might be able to stretch a bit more.

Finally, any advice on questions I should ask would be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance for all the answers I know I will receive.
 
folding bathroom works like any campers bathroom, takes two minutes to set it up.
cold weather i dont know but someone here camps in snow with no problems

as for the seals, my seals are fine,

i like my mpg compared to a motorhome
 
The TM insulated walls are quite comfy in the winter. I've had mine down to 20 degrees outside temp with no issues of plumbing freeze and been very comfortable inside with the furnace running. We use a small electric heater as well so the furnace does not run all the time. Seals are quite good. No moisture inside at all. The dealer you spoke to is not educated on the TM enough to know what he is talking about and he is bias to sell something he has on the lot. Take it for what it is. TM is one of the most innovative RV's on the road today. Decades of design, efficiency and practicality are built into each one.

They are not for everyone, they are unique and have lots of character. There is not a day goes by that when I roll into a campground, that someone will want to talk about my TM and check it out. Most want one after seeing it due to the economy of fuel, storage at home, and size once it's set up. The on board storage is very capable. I've got 18 drawers or cabinets for storage inside and two more outside.
 
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I have no experience in cold weather but I recall reading some posts here that sub-freezing temps were not an issue for those who did camp in those conditions. I recall being impressed.

Bathroom - I would call it smallish. Of course, I am 6'3". But when its late, and I don't want to trek to the park facilities, I love being able to take a shower in the TM. Toilet works great. Bathroom fold-down is not exactly push-button easy but not terribly difficult. One thing of note, best I can tell, the bathroom is the same size for all TrailManors. You would think it'd get bigger with the bigger models. I may be wrong here - I am judging only from looking at pictures.

Storage - We have a 2619, I would say storage for 4 for 3 weeks would be tough. That said, the storage capacity of the 2720 may be entirely different. There may be more drawers for instance. Some models have hanging cabinets (which I sort of drool over) for additional storage space (they remove for fold-down). I assume you are talking about clothes & personal items. We eat up a lot of our drawers with camping-related hardware before we even get to personal items. If you pack in duffels or backpacks, those can be stored on the beds during the day, or maybe in the back of the tow vehicle.

Good luck.
 
To me the question regarding the toilet needs more info. Will you be primarily dry camping or camping in a traditional campgound. If a campground you would after hooking up the drain pipe to the campground outlet just pull the inside lever and the outside lever whenever you or she feels it is necessary...and away it goes, you then close the levers and you recharge the toilet.

Usually for the first day and a half I don't smell anything. Then on day two sometimes I do or do not...I guess it all depends. I use the Aqua Chem with formaldahyde and a potty toddy tablet. Day two I might smell it...it still depends...on day three I can smell it and dumpit. If dry camping it is dumped into a portable tank like a blue boy.

Hot weather and I smell something quicker then when it is cold. While we live in Florida we do dry camp at an Uncles house for 2 to 3 weeks every fall and it gets pretty cold in Missouri in November. It even snows sometimes while we are there.

BTW if I do think I smell something and I am not ready to dump or if I am at a campgound where you dump as you exit and I am leaving the next day I will spray a spritz of "Clean Air" made by Yankee Candle. Keep the lid down when not in use.

I believe I read on here recently that for the standard TM models you may now order either the standard thetford Toilet or a cassette type toilet. With the cassette toilet you could pull out the Your wife may want the cassette so you can pull out the cartridge and dump it daily. I think that would mean buying new and ordering the unit from the factory how you the toilet to be.

If we are in Missouri and will have freezing weather for several hours on end then we dump all fluids including fresh. If it is just a hour or so at daybreak we don't dump and run the heater with the bathroom door open and the cabinet open where the fresh water tank is.
 
There is no perfect RV/Trailer. Each one has advantages and disadvantages and the one you choose depends on the individual's resources and requirements. There are lots of trade offs. I would first ask yourself what are my requirements ( space, convenience, luxury, physical restrictions) and what are my resources ( $, storage, TV etc) then pick the one that fits best.
 
I echo previous comments.
How you camp is a major part of the equation. How does it tow, where will you store it, how much do you want to spend and so on.
I have freinds with a class A camper, that I camp a lot with. If they need to go into town for something they have to pack up or borrow a vehicle.
For me, I love still having a vehicle once I'm setup at camp. I can store it in my driveway, saving storage fees and it tows beautifully. After having a pop up for so many years, I did not want to drag a big box behind me. The Trailmanor had all the best qualities of both a pop up, and those of a hard sided camper.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Follow-up

Thanks to everyone for your reply. This is new to my wife and I. I camped when young. I'm now 60 and it just sounds like fun again.

I have looked at all aspects. Upgrading to a larger vehicle for a larger travel trailer, an RV (which is intriguing but comes with a boatload of additional expenses), budget, etc. I didn't want to spend to much money in the beginning in case my wife didn't care for it. This past summer we hiked part of the Camino de Santiago (The Way) in Spain. I didn't think she would enjoy that. But she proved me wrong.

What I like about the TrailManor is that it will fit in my garage. We live in a condo community and have a two car garage. I have measured it and it seems like it will fit fine. I don't anticipate dry camping (unless we have a hurricane and my house blows away). For my wife the bathroom is important especially at night. For me, I can make my way to the camp facilities.

Turns out the TrailManor we were looking at sold. Another one came up today. It is an 06 for $13000.00. It has been garaged and has new Kumho Load range D tires with less than 500 miles. The owner enclosed all of the plumbing underneath with Diamond Plate aluminum for additional protection. It sounds like he has taken good care of it.

Again, thanks for the advice (and for my long windedness).
 
Well if you will have hookups 98 percent of the time...I don't see how the toilet would be a problem...just dump it as often as you want to...don't be stingy with chemicals. With 4 adults you will be outside more than inside..get good quality chairs. Use fabric gym bags for clothing. Storing shoes and soiled laundry is the biggest challenge you could put the laundry in truck or trunk.
 
We have an older 2001 3124ks. I definitely appreciate the toilet in the wee hours! I'm 62 now and did not like going out to the campground toilets in all kinds of weather. The 3124ks has the extra chest of drawers in the living area. So I get three drawers and so does DH. With the hanging wardrobe that's plenty of room for our clothes.

We just did a 25 day trip from Florida to Iowa to Ohio and back to Florida. We did laundry a few times. If we needed more room for clothes I would do like we did with the Aliner and carry them in a plastic bin in the back of the truck. We haven't used the shower as yet because we've always had campground showers to go to.

We have camped in cold weather and it is important to me to be warm enough for my 30 yo pet parrot. (He's getting old and achy and likes a heating pad to sit on even in the summer)

We added the heat strip to the AC and between that, the furnace and a small electric heater used in various combinations we have never been too cold.

We have not gone camping in freezing weather but at home in north Florida it does get cold enough to worry about pipes freezing. We drain everything and haven't had any trouble with the campers plumbing freezing up.
 
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Just saw the 2006 2720

We just got home from seeing the 2720. We both liked it alot. Even the bathroom. Owners have taken good care of it and kept it in the garage. The protection around the plumbing makes really good sense. And it was done well. The "seals" all looked good. The tires are new and have a higher rating for heat and weight.

The only problem is that it is about 4 inches to long to fit in our garage. My wife and I are going to remeasure tomorrow. Maybe if we turn it slightly it will fit. Will have to wait and see. If I could only take off the rear bumper some way.
 
Fitting into garage

I had a thought. I need about four inches to get a 2720 in the garage. Does it hurt the TM to sit on an angle. I might be able to gain the needed four inches by lowering the tongue. Just a thought.
 
Regarding cold weather: I spent a weekend camping last winter, and it got to 9° one night. No problems. I had the thermostat set to 62º, and we were comfortable all night. Raised it to 70° when I got up, and it warmed right up. Graywater tank valve froze, but if I had thought to put some salt down the drain, that likely would have kept the valve from freezing, also.

It stayed below 25° the entire second day. We were never cold, as the heater kept the inside at 70° without running all the time. No water lines froze. In our 2417, the fresh tank is in the same compartment as the water heater, so it stays warm enough to not freeze. All other pipes/hoses are inside the unit, and insulated from the outside. I see no issues with camping when it is freezing, unless it stays below 15° for a few days straight. Even then, I cannot say that there would be problems.
 
Does it already have tongue with a swing hitch? That will reduce the length by 2 feet I think.
 
New TM owners

My wife and I decided to purchase a used 2720 after seeing a friends TM.
We found one in PA and found it to be in excellent condition. I spent a day cleaning the exterior when we got it home..I am very happy with the TM and looking forward to our first camping trip in OCT with our TM friends.
 
daveinfl said:
We just got home from seeing the 2720. We both liked it alot. Even the bathroom. Owners have taken good care of it and kept it in the garage. The protection around the plumbing makes really good sense. And it was done well. The "seals" all looked good. The tires are new and have a higher rating for heat and weight.

The only problem is that it is about 4 inches to long to fit in our garage. My wife and I are going to remeasure tomorrow. Maybe if we turn it slightly it will fit. Will have to wait and see. If I could only take off the rear bumper some way.
Click to expand...

As said above, does it have the swing hitch? If so, that's 2 extra feet of space. If you're still short 4 inches even with the swing... well, I've heard that there are welders out there who can make the whole tongue removable, which would gain you that extra space. I've also heard tale of someone who decided to put the TM in nose-first, and built a cut-out box in the wall where the nose of the hitch needed the extra few inches of space, so they were able to fit that way.

Keeping the TM tilted for storage would only impact the fridge. I simply don't know if long term storage (not use, but storage) of the ammonia absorption system on an angle would be detrimental or of no effect. Perhaps someone else here can comment on that. Personally, I'd modify the tongue and fix the problem that way.
 
Going To Plan B

Well everyone, the 2720 just won't work out. It was a very nice trailer. It had an electric tongue jack, special and very nicely done protection for the plumbing underneath, swing hitch, extra shelves, extra cabinets, heat strip in the ac unit along with a heater, awning ... everything we were looking for. But it is just to long for our garage.

Unfortunately many of the garages in our area (especially in condos and townhomes) are only 18 feet deep. I completely cleaned out half of my garage yesterday on the side we would park the trailer. I laid out the dimensions that we took on Saturday. I tried it straight in, turned left a bit, turned right a bit, and even with the tongue down. Nothing would work short of cutting off the rear bumper. So now we have to go to plan B.

We are now looking for a 2619. They don't seem to be as widely available as the 2720, so it may take a little time. I see TrailManor no longer has the 2619 on their site. I think they have 2714 instead with a cassette toilet. Does anyone know what years they made the 2619? Just curious.

Also ... I have been looking for trailers primarily on Craigslist and rvtraders.com. Can anyone suggest another site?

Again. Thanks for all the comments.
 
It looks like your set on some kind of TM so you might want to join this forum. If you don,t at some point you will not have full access. :)
 
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