We'd like to purchase a new, lightweight, and short travel trailer and like to retrofit it with a combo washer/dryer. We need this for a specific situation so please spare us the suggestions that we use the campground laundry facilities or find a laundry facility in town. That's not what our inquiry is about. We have owned several motor homes with the vented Splendide combo unit and it suits us perfectly.
First, what we were considering is finding a bunkhouse model where we could have a washer/dryer cabinet installed where the bunks might be. We'd also need to have it plumbed correctly and tied into the existing plumbing.
Second, we'd need to upgrade the electrical system to 50 amp since all small, lightweight travel trailers have 30 amp service. DH is thinking that a new panel will have to be installed with provisions made to accommodate a connection to a 50 amp power cord.
Third, we'd probably want a 10 gallon water heater instead of the standard six gallon ones found in most travel trailers. This is not that important as washing in lukewarm water is fine with me.
Again, we prefer a lightweight --substantially under 9,000 GVWR and short --under 30 feet, preferably with no slide but one slide may be okay if the weight can still come under the 9,000 pound GVWR.
Is there any manufacturer who might customize a certain model for this configuration at the factory before delivery? My thought would be no, but might there be an obscure manufacturer out there who may accommodate our wishes? We considered having the trailer custom made by one of the custom manufacturers but we'd also like to keep the price point below $30k and preferably in the $20k range.
Or we could buy a bunkhouse model with a floor plan that is acceptable and have an aftermarket RV remodeling outfit do the work after we purchase it. Can anybody give us a good guess as to what this would cost? Naturally, it would be better to have the manufacturer do it but we are not sure if any of them would do something like this.
This is one that could work as it already has a cabinet that could be expanded for the washer/dryer. It meets our weight, size, and price requirements. Are there others out there that any of you might know of?
Amanda, I have given some thought to the same idea. My thoughts have gone to the most lightweight bunkhouse available and then find the smallest most lightweight apartment size stackable washer-dryer combo avalable. From everything I have heard the RV combo waherdryer(Splendide) is that it is better than nothing but that the stackable route is a better way to go....more efficient at both washing and drying. I'm thinking the wiring and plumbing is the very least of the hurdles. Please let us all know what solution you end up with.
A Splendide needs one 15A circuit (it draws around 12A when drying) so, if you could get by without using the A/C and microwave while washing, you could get by with the 30A service. and option to replacing the entire panel would be to add a branch panel to feed 30A to the existing panel and 15A to the combo.
If you are thinking about the wardrobe on the back wall of the TT for installing the combo, be aware that half of the dinette in the back will be unusable. The combo will be deeper than the wardrobe and may even interfere with the bathroom door. I would suggest actually seeing the TT and taking measurements, not depending on floor plans (which are notoriously inaccurate and rarely drawn to scale).
The biggest concern probably will be weight. A combo adds a lot of weight being cantilevered out past the axles. Lightweights don't have the strongest frames. Stabilizer jacks can take on the weight while parked but are no help when bouncing down the road. That weight in the back will also lever a lot of weight off the tongue which most likely will cause grief when towing.
LTC Larry-- Yes, definitely the stackable is the way to go. However, as mentioned, we've had combo units before and currently have on in our motorhome. It is ideal for our needs as it takes up less space, is lighter, and we will be using the one we have planned for the travel trailer in the desert southwest where the climate is so arid that having a separate dryer is not that big of an inconvenience as things dry so fast that all I usually have to do is hang stuff for a few hours --if even thaat-- and they are dry as a bone. They way I use the combo unit is to let things dry a bit in the cycle and then take things out when still damp and then let them air dry. With a vented combo unit, one can still leave the clothes and sheets in the dry cycle to get them dry but one has to watch the wrinkling that happens in such conditions. At any rate, all we want in this lightweight travel trailer is a vented combo. Yes, we will keep you informed of our progress. Thanks for your response!
Jeannie-- Thanks for the information and opinions ...good feedback. Well, the cabinet in that Slingshot TT appears by eyeballing it that it may be able to accommodate the unit if it were modified to be a little deeper. The Splendide is only a bit over 22" deep itself. We will use the bunk area only for storage so if it blocks that area a bit, it's not a huge issue. We figure that the door to the bathroom doesn't really have to be opened all the way. The weight of the unit is approximately 150 pounds so it will be like having an extra person aboard. However, we will not be towing it long distances. We plan to tow it to an RV park from a storage unit only a few blocks away. If we have to tow it longer distances, we will empty it of excess weight. Again, thanks for your response. You make some good points. As it gets closer, we may try to contact the manufacturer to see if those issues may pose a problem.
amanda wrote: LTC Larry-- Yes, definitely the stackable is the way to go. However, as mentioned, we've had combo units before and currently have on in our motorhome. It is ideal for our needs as it takes up less space, is lighter, and we will be using the one we have planned for the travel trailer in the desert southwest where the climate is so arid that having a separate dryer is not that big of an inconvenience as things dry so fast that all I usually have to do is hang stuff for a few hours --if even thaat-- and they are dry as a bone. They way I use the combo unit is to let things dry a bit in the cycle and then take things out when still damp and then let them air dry. With a vented combo unit, one can still leave the clothes and sheets in the dry cycle to get them dry but one has to watch the wrinkling that happens in such conditions. At any rate, all we want in this lightweight travel trailer is a vented combo. Yes, we will keep you informed of our progress. Thanks for your response!
Jeannie-- Thanks for the information and opinions ...good feedback. Well, the cabinet in that Slingshot TT appears by eyeballing it that it may be able to accommodate the unit if it were modified to be a little deeper. The Splendide is only a bit over 22" deep itself. We will use the bunk area only for storage so if it blocks that area a bit, it's not a huge issue. We figure that the door to the bathroom doesn't really have to be opened all the way. The weight of the unit is approximately 150 pounds so it will be like having an extra person aboard. However, we will not be towing it long distances. We plan to tow it to an RV park from a storage unit only a few blocks away. If we have to tow it longer distances, we will empty it of excess weight. Again, thanks for your response. You make some good points. As it gets closer, we may try to contact the manufacturer to see if those issues may pose a problem.
~~amanda
I also would prefer a stackables over a combo. However, they are heavier than combos.
If the unit overhangs the bathroom door space by only an inch, you won't be able to open the door at all. A kludge would be to replace the swinging door with an accordian type door, use a curtain, or just do without a door. Keep in mind the unit requires a minum of 24" of depth to make room for the power cord, water and drain hoses, and vent duct.
I would check with the manufacturer (not the salespeople or dealer; they are notorious for lying) to make sure the frame can handle the weight (and get it in writing).
Lady Fitzgerald wrote: I also would prefer a stackables over a combo. However, they are heavier than combos.
If the unit overhangs the bathroom door space by only an inch, you won't be able to open the door at all. A kludge would be to replace the swinging door with an accordian type door, use a curtain, or just do without a door. Keep in mind the unit requires a minum of 24" of depth to make room for the power cord, water and drain hoses, and vent duct.
I would check with the manufacturer (not the salespeople or dealer; they are notorious for lying) to make sure the frame can handle the weight (and get it in writing).
Methinks this entire configuration will be a kludge by having somebody retrofit the RV after it is delivered. We thought about a pocket door there but unless done at the factory, I think a mod such as that would be difficult.
We'd much rather have the entire thing done by the factory prior to delivery so I suppose the priority would be contacting the manufacturers to see which ones might be amenable to doing such a modification in their standard plan if we can find any at all.
We did think about the extra space needed to accommodate the stuff behind the washer/dryer. Thanks for the reminder. And yes, we know about not trusting salespeople or dealers. Very good point.
We also like the Crossroads TTs because they use the "Secure Stance" axles which put the axles further apart than most others. Plus, the location of that cabinet where we are interested in locating the washer/dryer is right in the middle of the trailer against the back so it is probably a better place than other locations.
Lady Fitzgerald wrote: I also would prefer a stackables over a combo. However, they are heavier than combos.
If the unit overhangs the bathroom door space by only an inch, you won't be able to open the door at all. A kludge would be to replace the swinging door with an accordian type door, use a curtain, or just do without a door. Keep in mind the unit requires a minum of 24" of depth to make room for the power cord, water and drain hoses, and vent duct.
I would check with the manufacturer (not the salespeople or dealer; they are notorious for lying) to make sure the frame can handle the weight (and get it in writing).
Methinks this entire configuration will be a kludge by having somebody retrofit the RV after it is delivered. We thought about a pocket door there but unless done at the factory, I think a mod such as that would be difficult.
We'd much rather have the entire thing done by the factory prior to delivery so I suppose the priority would be contacting the manufacturers to see which ones might be amenable to doing such a modification in their standard plan if we can find any at all.
We did think about the extra space needed to accommodate the stuff behind the washer/dryer. Thanks for the reminder. And yes, we know about not trusting salespeople or dealers. Very good point.
We also like the Crossroads TTs because they use the "Secure Stance" axles which put the axles further apart than most others. Plus, the location of that cabinet where we are interested in locating the washer/dryer is right in the middle of the trailer against the back so it is probably a better place than other locations.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
~~amanda
Do you have a link for the Crossroads TTs you have in mind? A mid-trailer location would be superior to the back end (in fact, Splendide recommends it).
The Crossroads TT is the one I linked to in my opening post. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to hotlink on this forum but I'll post a couple of images along with their links and the moderator can edit if I'm not allowed to post an image from a dealer's website.
Here is the cabinet ...it actually looks from this particular photo that it may be too narrow. It definitely is not deep enough to accommodate the Splendide:
Here's an image of the "Secure Stance" showing how the axles are further apart than the normal travel trailer ...better for stability and the axles appear farther back on the trailer to lend better support to the Splendide?:
Oopsie. I even looked at the original link and missed the connection. Sorry!
If you aren't going to use the bunk area, you might be able to rip all that out (or, even better, somehow sweet talk the manufacturer into leaving it all out) and install the combo alongside the refrigerator. That would move it a bit closer to the axles. The downside might be the extra weight all on one side. You could use the rest of the space for a large wardrobe; just don't keep anything heavy in it.
The wide stance axles spreads the weight out a bit better but that may have been done to compensate for a lighter frame, in which case, nothing has been gained.
Something else I just thought of...you might have trouble getting the combo back there. The aisles look a bit narrow. Again, I strongly recommend looking at an actual trailer and taking a ton of pictures and measurements.
Lady Fitzgerald wrote: Oopsie. I even looked at the original link and missed the connection. Sorry!
If you aren't going to use the bunk area, you might be able to rip all that out (or, even better, somehow sweet talk the manufacturer into leaving it all out) and install the combo alongside the refrigerator. That would move it a bit closer to the axles. The downside might be the extra weight all on one side. You could use the rest of the space for a large wardrobe; just don't keep anything heavy in it.
The wide stance axles spreads the weight out a bit better but that may have been done to compensate for a lighter frame, in which case, nothing has been gained.
Something else I just thought of...you might have trouble getting the combo back there. The aisles look a bit narrow. Again, I strongly recommend looking at an actual trailer and taking a ton of pictures and measurements.
Oh gee, we didn't think of the narrow isle. Yeah, that may pose a problem ...though, we've seen some Splendides placed in some precarious spots and wondered how they got them in there --including the one in our present RV.
So putting it as close to the axles would be the most recommended placement? Makes sense. Again, we are not planning on towing it long distances but of course, resale has to be kept in mind too, I guess.
We're hoping that we can find a manufacturer who will do this all at the factory but if we can't, I'm sure there are aftermarket places where we can take it to in order to have it done.
Thanks so much for your excellent feedback ...it's much appreciated!
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