Trailmanor quality and durability

OK!  We're looking for a used Trailmanor.  So far, we've looked at a 95 2518, 96 3326 King, 97 3124 King, 99 3023, and a 2000 2720SL.  The problem is that the interior of ALL of the units we've looked at, have shown considerable wear and tear.  I am talking about curtains faded, mold around windows, dents on interior walls, velco strips missing, edge moldings cracked, fabrics faded and worn.  On the exteriors I've found rusted screws and brackets, missing trim etc.  I guess I'm surprised since these units cost so much that they haven't held together better.

Is it normal for a trailmanor unit to show MUCH greater wear and tear than a conventional trailer?  Or is it that these units haven't been cared for?

I need you owners to reply, my wife is about to make me give up the search.

Thanks,

Vic Mendoza

[BOB_STRONG]

Vic,

The things that you described are not just applicable to a Trailmanor trailer. We had a 1994 3326 King for 8 years before we traded it in on a 2002 3326 King. Bryant's RV in Dallas Pa. did not see the trailer, but I had taken pictures with me to show the owner what the trailer looked like. From the pictures, he gave us a figure for the cost of the new trailer and the trade in. I told him that it was in excellent condition, but I'm sure he heard that story before. We took the trailer down on a Saturday, and people from New Jersey came up on Sunday and bought it. They could not believe the condition of the unit. Because the furniture had a white background, we had slip covers made for the cushions. The furniture looked just like new. The rug was always shampooed so it looked  like new. The outside was washed every time we took it camping. I also used Protect All wax on it. You spray it on and then wipe it off. Sure gives a nice shine. Every 2 or 3 years, I would spray paint the tongue and the frame to keep it looking new. Every Spring, the inside got a cleaning from top to bottom. Never had any mold or mildew growing on anything.  If a screw came loose, you tightened it up so nothing else could break. It all boils down to one thing: How meticulous are you about your investment?? We paid too much for it to just let it deteriorate. Anything that you buy, you have to take care of it. I have been in many expensive motorhomes and trailers, and I could not believe my eyes. Things were broken  and filthy. So it's not just a Trailmanor.  There were many times when we were camping and people would ask about our new trailer. I would say that the new trailer was 7 or 8 years old. They just could not believe it. Like anything, you  have to put a little elbow grease into it to keep it nice. If you did nothing to your car or home, it would not take long before they looked pretty bad!!!! We are on our 3rd Trailmanor, and I have never had the problems that you described. I would not be afraid to recommend buying a Trailmanor to anyone. If you have any other questions, just let me know. Glad to answer anything.

Happy Trailmanor Owner

Bob Strong

Actually, some of these things, like the rust on the outside screws, I believe can be a problem with any unit.  I am not particularly meticulous about cleaning, but since I like my home to be clean, I take care of the unit the same way.  We clean the carpet (yes, we should have ordered the tile floor throughout-- who knew?)  daily, and scrub the floor as well.  In all honesty, I don't expect even a reasonably cared for unit to show lots of mildew and filth unless the owners maintained then that way.  If that is what you are finding now, steer clear of them until you find a good one.

Today, I am selling my Trailmanor.  I have kept it in an outside storage but covered.  Over the almost 2 1/2 years that I have had it, I have maintained it, kept it clean after every use.  Keep in mind, I'm not mechanically inclined.

On the way to San Antonio on Saturday, I was wondering what I could have done differently to keep my Trailmanor in better shape.  After steam cleaning the carpets, the usual wash and wax, I fixed the foam insulation trim around the door, replaced a broken bed track, lubricated the antenna (which stuck last week), and replaced an in-line fuse on the 12V.  

I am looking out the window and am proud to say that the new owners (who will arrive in the next few hours) will be very impressed with the TM.  It didn't take a lot of care or maintenance, just the normal stuff like at home.  Along the lines of F.J. and Ellen, you can pretty much tell how an owner lives at home by the way he lives in his RV.

It is a great product, not very common, and I guess that's what  makes us different.  It is a quality product, well-built, and will last many years if well taken care of.

Friday I drive to Houston to pick up a 3326 which was recently traded in to a dealer.  I saw the TM before it was traded in.

BTW, I sold my TM by taking a detailed video of the inside, outside, underneath and inside out ;D!!!  The buyer is coming from San Francisco to San Antonio.  The video works.

[Civil_War_Buff]

The buyer is coming from San Francisco to San Antonio. The video works.

WhooHooo another TM in the Bay Area!! Maybe I will get a chance to meet the new owners in the future. Good luck with your 3326 Chris....I am sure you will love it as much as the old one.

Larry

[Bill]

Chris -

Be sure to acquaint the buyer with this discussion board.  It is quite valuable to any newcomer, I think, and we'll hope to see them join us, and teach and learn as they go along.

Bill

[BOB_STRONG]

Chris

I hope you like your new 3326 King as much as we like ours. By the way, you did not say what year your 3326 King was. I hope it's a 2001 model or newer since Trailmanor sure made a   lot of changes to improve the unit. If it's older, I'm sure you will still like it a lot. We had our 1994 3326 King for 8 years before getting the 2002 model. Having it that many years should say something about the unit You were lucky to find a used 3326 King. They are not something you run across every day.

Happy Camping!! Hope to hear about your new unit on the forum.

Bob Strong

  We purchased our 2000, 3124 King Slideout model new in late 1999. While I would agree that the TM is overall a well designed and well made product there have been many minor problems with our unit that have me wondering if quality control is asleep at the wheel?
  I'll list the problems we have had with the understanding that they may be unique to our unit only.
 
  1. During the first week of use I broke the hand held shower head when I dropped it on the floor of the plastic  tub. I bought a replacement head at a hardware store that has held up ever since.
  2. Into the 2nd week of  service the little shelf that the tub faucet mounts to pulled away from the wall. I discovered that the 2 screws holding the  shelf to the wall had stripped from the thin aluminum they were attached to. I had to reinforce the hole for the screws with an expanding plastic plug.
  3. I noticed that the stove/oven unit was sinking down and forcing down the edges of the surrounding countertop. I found that the stove was held in place with only a couple of screws located on the front of the oven. These screws had stripped away from the oak cabinet. I removed the stove and mounted a set of wood cleats on either side of the lower cabinet for the stove to sit on.
  4. The  drawers on the cabinet beneath the wardrobe by the bed were leaning down so much that when the drawers were closed there was a large gap at the bottom of each dawer front where it met the cabinet. I found that the drawer supports which run along the bottom of each drawer and attach to the wall at the back had fallen down. The back of the support had been screwed to the thin aluminum wall and the screws had stripped out, allowing the drawer support to move down by an inch or more. This problem would not have occured if the back portion of the support, a piece of 1/4" plywood,  had been cut a few inches longer so that it rested upon the floor.
I repaired it by inserting a couple of short metal expanding anchors in the wall and screwing the plywood support to them.
  5. The TV cabinet next to the door pulled away from the wall and the drawers were drooping down the same as the other cabinet. Again the problem was the poor attachment method used by the factory. I had to remove the cabinet and insert a half dozen expanding anchors  in the wall for the cabinet to mount to.
  I purchased a large box of these anchors since this problem occured so often. The interior aluminum walls are not, in my opinion, strong enough for attaching anything with a weight of more than a few ounces.
  6. The door had never latched securely and sometimes did not latched at all. I found that the door latch and the hole in the jamb were misaligned. Enlarging the hole to meet the latch cured the problem.

  Overall, we have enjoyed our TM immensely and have recommended it to others who have inquired about it but these problems have somewhat diminished our  enthusiasm for this fine product.

Bruce

Wow, Bob.  You had lots of things go wrong.  It did remind me that on our 3225, the screws to attach the shelves to the right of the stove were never put, so I had the dealer do so once I discovered it.  We also had the hose tol the shower head break, I think because Ellen or one of the kids kept attaching the shower head to the hook before we would travel, which is probably not a good idea.  Buying a universal replacement hose took care of that problem.  

I guess no product is without some glitches and things that break.

Bob,
Most, if not all the problems you decribe would have been covered by the TM warranty and your dealer would have repaired them at no cost to you.

We too, had a few of the type problems you mentioned. I gave our dealer a list of 13 problems more than a year after we bought our new trailer, and they repaired all of them without cost to me, although I thought I'd be paying for some of the repairs.

I am handy with repairs, as you are, but I figure since the dealer was willing to support the unit beyond the legal terms of the warranty, why not let them to it. Our dealer support was superb!