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08-23-2016, 03:43 PM
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#11
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: New Braunfels, Texas
Posts: 919
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I've owned 2 TM's over the last 15 years. I'm generally pretty optimistic on most things.. But I don't see a positive here with the TM ownership righting the ship and providing a consistent new inventory or parts supply business. It's a shame that it's come to this point. There are, I guess , hundreds, thousands? of TM owners out there that will need service on TM specific parts that cannot be found but on older, salvaged, units.
I'm one of these owners with a 3124KB. At some point, I'd like to renovate what I have with replacement trim, curtains, bed arms, hold down latches, stirrup latches, exterior trim, and various other components that are TM specific. I'm aware of the standard camper components being available most places, so I'd reiterate that I'm speaking of TM specific only. Guess we are all out of luck here... If they can't answer a phone or make a reasonable effort to even return a call, then their not interested in customer service going forward. That alone suggests that it's gone, gone as a viable business. I'm sure the original family that started it all is fraught with disappointment that it's gone this way so soon.
Good luck.
__________________
rvcycleguy
TM-2002 3124KB
TV-2003 Toyota Tundra V8 4.7L. Fact. Tow Pkg, air bags
2006 Suzuki Boulevard C50c Motorcycle- crashed- parted out
1956 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Motorcycle-sold
2006 Harley Road King
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08-23-2016, 05:06 PM
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#12
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Orlando
Posts: 2,796
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Been looking for something to do. Did you know that the two biggest restoration houses for GMC motor homes are within 20 miles of my home?
https://www.facebook.com/golbymotorcorp
http://www.gmccoop.com/
__________________
Looking for a 24/17 in or near Florida.
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08-23-2016, 07:29 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SoCal
Posts: 225
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B_and_D
Just don't use the TV antenna amplifier socket to blow it up, it will blow the fuse.
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What would blow the 12v socket? I have a small rechargeable air pump that has a 12v adapter that I was hoping to use there or in the one by the queen bed. Haven't tried it yet but wouldn't want it to blow a fuse.
__________________
2006 - 2720QB
2014 Ford Flex SE
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08-23-2016, 08:25 PM
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#14
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Site Sponsor
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Santa Cruz County, CA
Posts: 2,405
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I just went out and looked at the face plate on the Winegard, it says "12V 8 amps max". I don't know how the one by your queen bed is fused. We only have the one.
We have 3 12V sockets in our Chevy truck, and one of them is a lower rated fuse than the others. I've blown that one out, too, blowing up the "floaties". What I use now is either a portable pump that runs off of 4-D batteries, or one of the truck receptacles with the bigger amp fuses, or our portable power source that is rechargeable. I don't think they make the same version of our portable, rechargeable power source any more. I have two of them and have replaced the small 12V batteries in each one. I didn't know that they made 12V batteries that small!
The 4-D battery portable pump came along with a new Lightspeed air bed that we bought for tent camping. I thought it would be really funky, but we used it a lot on our last camping trip and the batteries are still pretty charged.
__________________
'97 2720 & '01 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4
2011 & 2017 Prii, 10'x18' & 10'x9' Tents
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08-23-2016, 08:45 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Bay Village, Ohio
Posts: 200
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett
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Padgett
are you saying you are thinking of getting into the trailmanor restoration business or out of the trailmanor and into a GM
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Bob Heisser
Bay Village ohio
2017 Silverado 1500
Anderson 3324 WDH
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08-28-2016, 03:27 PM
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#16
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Guest
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Got a little off-topic in this thread, lol, but it does look like the screws are holding in the new table. BUT...we've decided to move to a Lance 1575 trailer instead. There's been much agonizing over the decision to sell our TM, but it's not working for us, especially with my mom traveling with us occasionally now. It's listed in the Trailmanors for Sale--Pacific Region section of the forum if anyone is looking for a clean 2720SD
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08-28-2016, 03:37 PM
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#17
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 489
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It seems, to me at least, a little bit interesting that when TM owners reach the end of the road with TM, many of them move over to Lance. I wonder why?
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Dave & Linda in Central Texas
2014 Lance 2285
2013 F150 w/5.0 V8
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08-28-2016, 04:19 PM
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#18
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TrailManor Master
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 893
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Trailmanor has been close to bankruptcy for at least a year with a number of unpaid creditors. One of the extremis measures by the current owner has been moving the factory to a large, mostly vacant building they owned in a different state from the previous factory location. This appears to have caused the company to shed all experienced fabrication workers and to attempt to train new hires. It sounds like this year there has not been a sale that actually was accepted by the dealer and the customer, and the one or two attempts we have heard of were delivered months late with obvious flaws. One recently-fabricated unit is listed on Craigslist, apparently as an extremis measure due to the souring of dealer relationships. Only one prototype of the Rise is known to exist. Elkmont had many QA issues which resulted in financially damaging returns or warranty repairs and the destruction of dealer relationships, and the market is now saturated with "light" non-folding trailer designs so there is no future for Elkmont. The persistent can still get the company to answer the phone and ship parts.
The current owners are good people who are trying to make a go of it. We all wish them well. It is, however, difficult not to be dubious about the future of the company as this continues. The Trailmanor is obviously a great idea, and some of us have speculated on the potential to continue the design, with improvements, if the company fails.
There is a corps of devoted owners and aspiring ones who would love to have your used unit if you choose to sell it. Please list it here if you do so. But I'm not sure I would recommend the ownership of any 12-year-old RV to someone who isn't a DIY mechanic. You will note that most of the correspondents here do their own maintenance.
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08-28-2016, 06:19 PM
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#19
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Guest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davlin
It seems, to me at least, a little bit interesting that when TM owners reach the end of the road with TM, many of them move over to Lance. I wonder why?
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For us, we are finding many of the things we love in TM also in the Lance 1575: lots of windows, reasonable floorspace, lightweight towing, lots of storage, full kitchen, dry bath (but no sink in it), and well-made components. We will miss the low-profile towing, but otherwise it seems like an even exchange (if not an upgrade) to us. My bad back is looking forward to a real mattress!
We also talked about that this local Lance dealer seems to have a really good service center if we need it, and the Lance uses more standard parts for maintenance down the road.
And BrucePerens, I have listed it for sale on here--in fact, we bought it off here three years ago! It hasn't really needed much done to it, so maybe we lucked out?
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09-01-2016, 12:33 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Live near Denver, CO
Posts: 55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrucePerens
Trailmanor has been close to bankruptcy for at least a year with a number of unpaid creditors. One of the extremis measures by the current owner has been moving the factory to a large, mostly vacant building they owned in a different state from the previous factory location. This appears to have caused the company to shed all experienced fabrication workers and to attempt to train new hires. It sounds like this year there has not been a sale that actually was accepted by the dealer and the customer, and the one or two attempts we have heard of were delivered months late with obvious flaws. One recently-fabricated unit is listed on Craigslist, apparently as an extremis measure due to the souring of dealer relationships. Only one prototype of the Rise is known to exist. Elkmont had many QA issues which resulted in financially damaging returns or warranty repairs and the destruction of dealer relationships, and the market is now saturated with "light" non-folding trailer designs so there is no future for Elkmont. The persistent can still get the company to answer the phone and ship parts.
The current owners are good people who are trying to make a go of it. We all wish them well. It is, however, difficult not to be dubious about the future of the company as this continues. The Trailmanor is obviously a great idea, and some of us have speculated on the potential to continue the design, with improvements, if the company fails.
There is a corps of devoted owners and aspiring ones who would love to have your used unit if you choose to sell it. Please list it here if you do so. But I'm not sure I would recommend the ownership of any 12-year-old RV to someone who isn't a DIY mechanic. You will note that most of the correspondents here do their own maintenance.
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Wanted to follow up with my post a week or so ago with regard to service. I didn't want to post an aggravation and then leave it without giving the latest "good side". Need to be fair.... They did end up reaching out to me. Since then we have been in contact almost daily. As BrucePerens says above "the current owners are good people who are trying to make a go of it". Sonya in parts has been working with me quoting the many, many parts I would need to do a restore of my 3326. Not that easy since they stopped making this model. I am getting quotes on every flap, every seal and many other broken or warn parts.
We will see if the total costs of parts in addition to many of my hours in labor will be worth it. I still have some issues that I would have needed the dealer to help on, i.e. adjusting/rebending or replacing the torsion bars. What a tough decision: fix it or push it off a cliff???
__________________
2004 3326
Reese WD hitch
2013 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Denver, CO
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