Trailmanor suited for long-term use?

What I see on the web site looks great. Unfortunately, the nearest dealer to me is 400 miles, so I can't see one in person :-(.

The way I want to use a travel trailer is to go someplace, park a week, cruise around in my S-10 pickup truck (V-6, automatic transmission) doing stuff and providing consulting services, hitch up, and go home. Repeat at regular intervals. I have looked at the Trail Cruiser and the 23QB model looks (barely) adequate for that, but is marginal for my pickup truck (it is purportedly 2695 dry 1500 cargo for total of 4195, while my truck is rated at 5500 pounds tow weight, but it's probably closer to 4500 pounds fully wet and loaded, note that my truck has 260 ft-lbs of torque and a 123" wheelbase). The 23QB also puts the galley and bathroom and the associated water tanks on the wrong side of the rear wheels, meaning that  I'd end up having to tow it dry or else load 700 pounds of stuff under the queen bed in the front compartment in order to get enough weight on the hitch to keep it from going nuts back there :-(.

Looking for an alternative, I came across the Trailmanor. The Trailmanor 2720SL for example looks like it would have more room than the Trail Cruiser 23QB, while weighing about the same. But: Does it really have more space?

Well, certainly it does have more floor space. But when it comes to cabinet space, that's where the Trailmanor breaks down. The Cruiser has full-height cabinets. The Trailmanor of course does not, since it collapses. It seems to me that, from a space perspective as well as from a weight perspective, they're about the same.

Towing-wise, the Trailmanor should tow a lot easier and be less affected by the wind since it is shorter and lower. Okay, chalk up one to the Trailmanor.

The Trailmanor can also be more easily parked when folded than the Trail Cruser. Chalk another one up to the Trailmanor.

But: What's with that toilet?! The Trail Cruiser has a typical marine toilet with blackwater tank, instead of that weird "cassette toilet" thing on the Trailmanor. What is the ramifications of the "cassette toilet"? It seems to me that the harsh chemicals mean that it cannot be dumped into an ordinary septic system like I have at my rural farm, because the chemicals would kill the bacteria that make my septic tank work. True?

And finally, there's the price. It looks like the 2720SL would end up costing about $5,000 more than the Trail Cruiser. The Trail Cruiser with all options *LISTS* for around $13,000, and actual retail will be somewhat less. Hmm. Do I really need four more feet of floor space $5,000 more badly? Hmm...

Of course, the 3124KS is roomier still -- with a price tag to match. While a bigger Trail Cruiser would the 26QBS, but the problem is that the 26QBS is too much trailer for my truck to haul (the usual rule of thumb is 20' for 110" wheelbase, then 1' for each 4" of wheelbase afterwards... meaning 23-24' really being the limit of comfortable towing). So if I could afford more trailer, going to the Trailmanor is definitely the only option other than buying a bigger truck (not a financial option at the moment). The only question then is: Is it comfortable to live in a Trailmanor for a couple of weeks hooked to shore? And what about that toilet, anyhow? (Hmm, does it seem that I have potty fetish? I guess that's what happens when you've done your share of squatting over a cathole while wilderness camping 20 miles from the nearest road or any other signs of civilization &nbsp.

You are definitely asking the right questions.  We had a 2720SL and found it to be very comfortable for long trips hooked up to shore power.  The toilet isn't a problem since you will be hooked up to sewer and you would dump and refill as needed.  For light use we have gone a week without dumping.  It is a five minute process, pull the handle, open the valve, dump, and refill.

The beauty of the TM is that you don't need a road hog that will suck up gas and pollute the environment.  We are now towing a 3326 with our Pathfinder and getting 13.8 mpg.  

The 2720SL is very homey and we thought quite luxurious as it has a roomy living area in addition to a great bedroom.  Now that it comes with roof air, the cabinet space has been freed up and should give much more storage than before.  

Chris

All the same questions I asked before making up my mind too.  My choice was a Sunline or TM.  All said & done, TM won out because I didn't want to buy a larger tow vehicle and pay for the lousy gas mileage as well.  Parking the TM in a garage was also a big factor.  We'll worry about that potty business when the business comes up, but we figured we'd live with it.  You'll find lots of comments in this forum about the toilet, and if families of 4 or more manage for days on end boondocking, my wife & I can manage in a park with full hookup too.

We are retiring next year, and although we don't plan to "full-time", I think we will be near full timing.  Plan to do things similar to you, a week here, a week there, lots of travel -- maybe home 5 to 10 days a month.  Plan to spend most of the winter in the south, so like you we'll be using the TM pretty heavily.

Price was a biggy too, but again you'll find lots of comments in this forum that TMs are more costly to build and are well-engineered.  Going back to the Sunline we were considering -- probably the finest TT I've seen (with the exception of Airstream).  We even visited the factory and this was an outstandingly crafted TT.  Cabinets that wood look great in any kitchen, and not a piece of flake board or veneer anywhere in the TT -- and the price would have been around $16K for the model we wanted.  The TM (3023) we are going to buy will be somewhere between $24 & $28K, but the ease of towing, no new tow vehicle, and garage storage won the day for the TM.

Check through this forum, and you'll find lots of information that will help your decision making -- it did mine.

A few comments.  Cassette toilets are common in pop-ups.  The Trailmanor has a recirculating toilet which is dumped much like regular RV toilets, except there is no black water holding tank.  Instead, you have about 6 usable gallons to hold waste before you dump.  We have only found this to be a concern if we don't get a full hookup site, and since I no boondocker, that doesn't happen very often.

We have used our unit for almost three weeks at a time, (with a family of four) and I would say that you can get up to 2 weeks without feeling cramped.  Three weeks is a bit much, as Ellen would surely tell you.

Yes, those are all very good questions. I will say I tow my 3023 with a 1991 Chevy Blazer with the same 4.3L v-6 engine as your s-10, along with the same tow capacity. I also tow a 16' fishing boat, and I'd have to say it tows really easy, but after taking my 3023 on the road, I couldn't tell any difference between the two, I could hardly tell it was back there. On mileage, my blazer gets about 17.3 mpg around town, more like 23 mpg on the highway. Towing the 3023, I was getting the same mileage as around town on the highway which isn't too bad at all. If ya are concerned about the weight, a weight disribution hitch will help you out considerably. (I use one btw). Roominess is also really nice as we have the one couch on the street side, and no chairs on the other side, with the front bed, it feels VERY open. If price is a concern, have you considered a used one? You will usually save a LOT of money, as TM's frequently get traded into dealers that don't know enough about them to sell them back off their lot. Hence they sit there for a long time till the right TM wise person shows up, and the dealer will give a good deal on it just to get rid of it! I for instance grabbed mine up for only $400.00, yes, it did need work, but I did it, didn't spend a WHOLE lot of time doing it, and now have a fully functional Trailmanor! The newer models might be a little pricy, but no work needed on them, and a lot nicer. But as far as towing, no, if you get the WDH, you will hardly notice it back there unless ya look in your rear view mirrors. And no, it's not one of those cassette type toilets, it's a fully functional recirculating toilet like on an airplane. I just asked my dad who has a bluebird if he uses chemicals in his, although he has a fully flushing deal with the large holding tank. He says he dumps it in his septic system all the time without any problems for years. He said the chemicals break down to quickly to really hurt the septic system. Whichever ones you use, it doesn't matter. And as FJ just said, you dump it just like a regular blackwater holding tank terlit. As for the model you're looking at, the 2720, what those numbers mean is open, it's the full equivelent of a 27' travel trailer when up and in use, and 20' while closed down. The reason they do this is when open, you're gaining all that room you'd just lose with a conventional TT by utilizing the space over the tounge, and the rear bed which sticks out the back over the rear bumper and spare tire rack. Anyway, hope all of this helps!



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