trailmanor closed for reorginaztion

[kempert]

On one of my plant tours (I took two), I faintly remember the number 800 was given as the number of TMs made each year. This was before the Elkmont was added to the line.

"Very interesting with the website developments. Mainly that Elkmont was gone"

Now all they have to do to make the website current is remove the folding line too.

[hillbillyhotel]

I JUST READ ON A FACEBOOK POST FROM THIS PAST WED.THAT THEY ARE TAKEING CALLS AGAIN? HAS ANYONE HEARD THIS?

RANDY&VICKIE

vintage 91 tm 23
02 avalanche 8.1L,HONDA 3000I.

[BOB_STRONG]

I do not understand how TrailManor plans on surviving if they do reopen. They didn't make it when 40% of their sales were coming from the Elkmont which was a lot less expensive trailer to buy than the traditional TrailManor. Do away with this part of the sales and what do you have left ??? You have a very very expensive camper for a very small market niche. After what they have done to their dealers, they will not have any left except for Custom RV and The one in Colorado Springs. I have spoken to 3 different large dealers & they are all dropping the TrailManor line. Dealers talk, and the way this entire closing of TrailManor was handled has left a very bad taste with dealers. I wish them the best of luck even though I am out $450.00 in repairs that I had to pay for on my own. I was told to have the work done, and I would be reinbursed, but they closed up shop before I could get any money. Even if they do reopen, I don't think that the new owners will reimburse me for the repairs. My loyalty to the TrailManor brand is no longer. After owning 4 TrailManors since 1992, I can't believe that this terrible fiasco has happened. We just traded in our 2011 Elkmont 26 and bought a new 2012 32 foot Coleman camper by Dutchmen at Camping World. This 32 foot trailer with a huge 15 foot slide out cost $ 6000 less than the retail on our Elkmont. It has a lot more extras than our Elkmont. It has a huge electric awning, and an entertainement center, and an outside kitchen with refrig. When I towed it home, I got 1.5 miles less than towing the Elkmont which was 1800 lbs. lighter. It tows just as well as the Elkmont. The quality is top notch, and I didn't have a long list of repairs that needed to be fixed like on the Elkmont when we took delivery of it last year. Their concern for detail is just unbelievable in building a quality product. Maybe TrailManor's lack of concern for detail & quality plus their over priced product drove them out of business. Best of luck to the new owners if they ever do reopen. I know that they now have one less loyal customer.

[Civil_War_Buff]

Originally Posted by BOB_STRONG

I do not understand how TrailManor plans on surviving if they do reopen. They didn't make it when 40% of their sales were coming from the Elkmont which was a lot less expensive trailer to buy than the traditional TrailManor. Do away with this part of the sales and what do you have left ??? You have a very very expenive camper for a very small market niche. After what they have done to their dealers, they will not have any left except for Custom RV and The one in Colorado Springs. I have spoken to 3 different large dealers & they are all dropping the TrailManor line. Dealers talk, and the way this entire closing of TrailManor was handled has left a very bad taste with dealers. I wish them the best of luck even though I am out $450.00 in repairs that I had to pay for on my own. I was told to have the work done, and I would be reinbursed, but they closed up shop before I could get any money. Even if they do reopen, I don't think that the new owners will reimburse me for the repairs. My loyalty to the TrailManor brand is no longer. After owning 4 TrailManors since 1992, I can't believe that this terrible fiasco has happened. We just traded in our 2011 Elkmont 26 and bought a new 2012 32 foot Coleman camper by Dutchmen at Camping World. This 32 foot trailer with a huge 15 foot slide out cost $ 6000 less than the retail on our Elkmont. It has a lot more extras than our Elkmont. It has a huge electric awning, and an entertainement center, and an outside kitchen with refrig. When I towed it home, I got 1.5 miles less than towing the Elkmont which was 1800 lbs. lighter. It tows just as well as the Elkmont. The quality is top notch, and I don't have a long list of repairs that need to be fixed like on the Elkmont. Their concern for detail is just unbelievable in building a quality product. Maybe TrailManor's lack of concern for detail & quality plus their over priced product drove them out of business. Best of luck to the new owners if they ever do reopen. I know that they have now one less loyal customer who would ever buy another TrailManor.

All I can say is WOW Bob, you have been a TrailManor "fixture" for so long, I find it hard to believe (understandable, but hard) that you no longer have your TM. I hope that they (TM) can do enough damage control to survive if that is what they hope to do. It is imperative that they engage us on this and other forums if they expect embassadors from the ranks of the owners. We are the ones that they have betrayed, us and their dealers and they will have a long hard road to win much if any loyalty back. Just my $.02

Sorry for all of your grief and displeasure over the temporary or permanent loss of our beloved TM's manufacturer. Though it really hurts us out here in user land and dealer land there really is no other way for a business to do what they are doing, or did. Apparently they educated the employees as to what was going on as there are threads of over-hearing employees talk about getting unemployment, etc. That is good!
What would you expect from a company attempting to survive? A letter like this? "Dear customers and dealers. Our company is going bankrupt, our sales are down, the staff are doing shoddy work, we are paying too much for the building we use, the management and family are feuding over how to recover. So in three months, after we clear out our inventory, we will be closing the doors for a period of time, or permanently, depending on how negotiations with our creditors goes. We may remain in Tenn or move somewhere else, depending on how negotiations between Bob and the family go. But don't worry- we will be back as soon as possible as we have millions invested in this we don't want to lose, so go ahead and keep buying our products till they are gone, we can always make more, if we survive. Till we meet again, Happy Camping"
It is NOT the way things are done for survival. I hate it, but do recognize why they had to do it the way they did it. Let's try to be a bit more positive and hope they find a way to come back, under whatever leadership, with whomever they decide to keep and wherever they decide to open back up.

[mcgyver210]

The Damage is done unfortunately for TM. Once a company with a niche product looses faith of its followers it may never regain the trust & loyalty again.

If I was buying a new TT today TM wouldn't be high on the list due to what is happening now. This isn't to say my opinion will never change though. As for us we are thinking of a small Cruiser (We still have boat fever) in the future so probably will jeep TM for now.

I am not so sure that TM is down and out. The things they are doing are the smart things that companies do when they are in trouble. That is do what you are doing right, reduce your offerings to your core business, and reduce costs.

For me, why would TM continue with the Elkmont? They have plenty of competitors making equivalent products and the line got a real black eye with early problems. In fact, I never heard that TM ever fixed all the problems with the Elkmont.

Conversely, TM had been making the folding line for quite a while. They have no competitors offering a superior product. The do have competitors offering competing products because their competitors can make those products considerably cheaper.

My guess is, that if the rumored move to Nebraska is true TM must believe they can knock off a significant amount of the final unit cost. I don' t know what TN has that reduces its desireablity as a manufacturing base to TM, but it must be unfavorable for some reason.

If TM gets back online soon that will help them a lot. So far, unlike some of their competition they did not sell everything to the walls. We also do not know what warranties TM will honor. More time is needed to know if they will be back or not...

Conversely, TM had been making the folding line for quite a while. They have no competitors offering a superior product. The do have competitors offering competing products because their competitors can make those products considerably cheaper.

Are there any other folding hard-wall trailers out there (still being made, that is)?

[ThePair]

Originally Posted by Elidh11

Are there any other folding hard-wall trailers out there (still being made, that is)?

I think A-Line would fit that bill. It's not something I wanted, but it is a hard sided folding trailer. There's one or two others, I think. Not as large or functional as even the smallest TM, but cheaper and lighter, so of benefit to some.