Please Introduce Yourself!

jbug10

Hi Ren, yes, you can custom order a T@b from the factory. I ordered mine through a dealer in Tulsa. I ordered my T@b red with white trim. Since your tow vehicle only tows 2000, that will be cutting it close. Be sure and check that out.

Cyclonic

Hi Ren, welcome.

The wet baths are very small.  These are small campers after all :-D.  Try and find a dealer near you that has one and check it out.

I am going to be honest with you right out and tell you I would not recommend getting a T@B with the tow vehicle (TV) you have.  It is cutting it really, really close.  You must not only consider the weight of the T@B, but also of everything you are going to put in it and in the TV, including yourself.  I believe you would end up over weight and it would put a real strain on your car.  Add to that, a Solara is not really built for towing, it just doesn't have a frame, suspension or transmission that is built for it.  You may end up ruining your car.  If the Solara is what you must tow with, I would recommmend instead looking into a Silver Shadow or 5-wide, and forgo the wet bath.  They are also great campers!

radren

Hi again,

Thanks for all the advice. I also have a jeep wrangler. It's weight limit for towing is also around 2000 lbs. I know it seems better built to tow something but It also has lockers and I am not sure that towing would be safe. the dealer I spoke to said the electric brakes would help take any strain off of my car. He didn't see any issue with my towing with the car. The problem I think is all of the advertising (and dealers)  for the T@B imply most cars can tow them and from what you are advising, not really true. I will have to re think as buying another vehicle just to tow with may make the whole idea too expensive for the weekend trips I was hoping to use it for.

T@B wanna be

Michigan_Mike

I agree with Nate as the tow rating on vehicles and manufacturer recommendations are in place for reasons beyond the transmission or motor in vehicles.  Your safety can be compromised when towing something large and that weighs almost as much as the TV.  I worked in the utility industry for 40 years, have towed large equipment, heavy loads and have experienced some harrowing events myself while working in the electric lines end of the business.  And last year at Atwood Lake at the Ohio Little Guy rally I was somewhat shocked to see some folks pulling a T@B with a Ford mustang.  These people had driven cross country from the west coast!  Yes, obviously vehicles can and will pull loads larger than the vehicles are rated for, but a trailer as large as a T@B and weighing in excess of 1500 pounds will also push a vehicle (and can potentially create a rollover situation) when attempting to brake, in a sudden stop situation, on wet pavement/uneven terrain or if a tire blows on a vehicle or the trailer.  I have experienced this before (the push factor) while pulling large equipment and also with my prior 5-wide Little Guy.  

You really don't know what you'll encounter while traveling, whether it be a deer crossing the highway, an inconsiderate motorist cutting you off in heavy traffic, black ice on a mountain road, a fog shrouded highway, a rain slick road surface with oil, someone texting/on a cell phone, etc.  But after having seen the aftermath of someone else's misfortune and a trailer that looks like a bomb went off within it laying over on it's side along the expressway it does make you think about the consequences of towing these trailers.  And it's scary when you hit the brakes, realize there is oil on the pavement and the load pushes your vehicle until you come to a stop.  I'm thinking about all of the above while driving and try my best to adjust my travel accordingly.  

joansie

Ron-n-Joansie here.  We kind of introduced ourselves in another place but thought we should enter it here also.  First off, our pad didn't allow us to enter anything.  It just quit today when I tried putting a comment in so I'm on the laptop now.  Don't use this much.  Hope this is only temporary as it is not as convenient as the Nexus.  Anyway, for any that didn't see the other post.  We are new owners of 2007 Tab Fireball.  We have never had a pull behind travel trailer before.  We did have a pop up for one summer but disliked it a great deal.  Since then we went back to camping with a tent and then decided to try a small travel trailer.  I did sell my work truck because I retired, and bought a used Subaru Forester last summer, as we expected to be camping with our tent.  Then we found and couldn't pass up the Tab.  It is still in storage as we bought it about 8 weeks ago and the deep snow gave us no place to park it at home.  We haven't had a chance to tow it and see how the Sub will work out but we are keeping our fingers crossed.  The first towing will be about 100 plus miles home from the place we bought it with only minor hills to traverse as we get toward home.  Everything from where we life is pretty much downhill.  We live on the West Coast of Wisconsin near LaCrosse and yes it is still snowing today.  We figure we will pick it up sometime in April and plan on our first camp out to be close to home and sort of a Hudson Bay start, in that we will only be 10 to 15 miles from home.  We can then drive home for anything of value that we can't possibly do without.  That about sums up all the important stuff about Joansie and I and our PullTab.  

jbug10

Ren, the dealer was trying to sell you a T@b so of course he would downplay the towing capacity.  I read in a old post on the LG forum that it was better to talk to your car dealer not the T@b dealer concerning your TV's towing capacity. 

radren

Hi Jbug10 and everyone,

Took your advice and spoke to a toyota dealer. He said it could tow up to 2000 lbs, but he also said he had never seen a Solara with a hitch on it. So I am NOT going in that direction. I am past my risk taking years. I have a contact with an old, really old but low milage Astro Van. I know it had pulled a really big boat for a couple of years in its youth. I may try to get ahold of that as a tow vehicle if the engine checks out. Thank you everyone for your advice. I am going to check out a T@B in person in the next month and see about the bathroom. My brother said we could always "customize" the bathroom. He is exceptionally handy. If I get the clamshell, the only thing next to the bathroom is a bench. He suggested we take off 2 feet of the bench and widen the bathroom. Only tricky part at first glance would be the fiberglass floor with the drain. May cost a bit but my line in the sand is a self contained bathroom. Has anyone done any interior "customizing" along those lines before? 

wanna be T@B 

oldnewartguy

Hello From Maryland.

We are not totally new here. We were "Fred_n_Ethel a few months ago but could no longer get in, so I started over with a new (and more descriptive) name. Just got registered for Tearstock 2014 and can't wait. We will pick up "Lucy" in two weeks for our very first trip to try and figure out how everything works. We are really excited about some fun camping trips.

Wanderoo

Ren -- Yes, you should check out the clamshell in person (with wet bath) to see where the control panel for the Alde system is located.  My Alde panel (T@B "S" M@xx) is in the outside wall of my bathroom.  There is also the plumbing/water system to take into consideration when making modifications.  Hope it works out for you. :-/

radren

Hi Wanderoo

Thanks for the advice. I will look for that video if still around. LIke to meet a guy who has the nerve and vision to put a fireplace in a T@B. I noticed the controls on the wall but I am not sure I want the Alde system. I don't need a heater, hot flashes and always hot hot hot, the air con is the big draw for me. I am rarely going to actually use the shower, lots of money and bother for a bit of hot water. I am camping for god's sake, as my brother said. We noticed the drain pan inside the wetbath is almost like a basin, rather than a flat pan, so we would be able to keep the water in one place. The most important thing for me is the potty, a door to close and not a porta potty you have to pull out to use.  We actually tested spaces here ( totally into this now) and we can get thru 16 inches sideways and turn around and sit in a 20 inch space. I think closet is 20 inches wide. So we may be able to squeeze in the way it is but it is nice to know others have been able to make the interior space their own as well. I may skip the fireplace though! I am camping after all. However, a big screen doesn't seem excessive to my brother. Ha!

We are going to check out a T@B in person as soon as we can.

Thanks for the encouragement. 

T@B wanna be

jbug10

Ren I would love to see that video if you find it! 

scuba

Found it on YouTube.  Search under T@b Trailer Modifications.

Michigan_Mike

Here you go!   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lis10UTfXBM#t=23

sboesenberg

Hello!  My name is Sue, my husband is Kurt.  We just purchased a 2004 T@b THOR camper.  We are so excited. We are teachers and leave Florida every summer to visit our families and tour the great U.S.  I have owned many types of campers, but I think we finally have found the perfect one.  Our camper needs a little TLC on the outside.  The clear coat from the red trim is coming off and the paint is faded in spots.  It has some huge "stickers" on it that we have to scrape off and replace.  We don't have any camping trips planned until school is out in June.  Then we will travel to see family and friends in Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado and Washington.  I really want to venture into Canada.

Verna

Welcome, Sue and Kurt.  Congrats on your new T@B.  You'll be having so much fun this summer that you won't want to go back to school to your jobs!!!!

Enjoy, and keep in touch.

TABaker

Greetings, fellow T@bbers.  I joined the LG forum but really wasn't on it much.  I'm from southern IL and this will be my 5th summer with my 2007 Dutchmen.  My husband and I are the parents of 3 grown kids plus one awesome son-in-law.  I love to attend the BRR (although can't this year) and SOTF events.  I grew up camping with my mom in her various trailers, and I've done my share of tent camping as well.  Our two oldest and our son-in-law love to camp as well.  The young one not so much. lol

I camp solo the majority of the time, although hubby comes along on the weekend outings.  I normally spend about 50 nights a year in my T@B, although this winter interfered with my camping.  In the fall our T@B morphs into a Green Bay Packer T@B and we like to tailgate.  I hope to attend Tearstock this year, but family visits may prevent that.  I am registered though

I've taken one trip so far in 2014, to Pigeon Forge, TN, for their Saddle-Up event.  I'm still working full time, and that gets in the way of my fun!

TABaker

Yes, we are  Thanks to all my Facebook friends who voted, some daily, we won the "Packers Coolest Wheels" photo contest and received tickets to the December 22 game!  The above photo was taken in October, Packers v. Browns.  Check out our view from the front window.

Michigan_Mike

Some really cool photos above and especially like that night shot with the decorative lights.  Thanks for sharing as it makes me want to get out all the quicker!

Cyclonic

HI Crystal, happy to have you aboard!

TABaker

Mike, the lights above mimic the T@B exactly.  You've probably seen them, as many T@B owners have them.  I need a new set, as mine are looking a little rough.  We keep 3 sets to go all the way around.  We had to check several stores after we bought the T@B to find them.  We ended up buying 3 sets, and we admitted how silly we were to be thrilled to hand over almost $50 for string lights. lol

Cyclonic

joansie said:

Ron-n-Joansie here.  We kind of introduced ourselves in another place but thought we should enter it here also.

Sorry, I have been working some crazy hours and was camping this weekend, so I am just catching up, but WELCOME AGAIN!

Those Fireballs are fine looking T@Bs.  I know there are a number of T@B owners that tow with a Forester, and I don't think they run into too many problems.  Like anything else, take it nice and easy and you will be fine.

Cyclonic

oldnewartguy said:

Hello From Maryland.

We are not totally new here. We were "Fred_n_Ethel a few months ago but could no longer get in, so I started over with a new (and more descriptive) name. Just got registered for Tearstock 2014 and can't wait. We will pick up "Lucy" in two weeks for our very first trip to try and figure out how everything works. We are really excited about some fun camping trips.

WELCOME Tom and Pam.  Where about in Maryland are you again?  We tend to do a good deal of camping in Maryland, it is a quick hop across the river and I am fond of the Thurmont area.

Cyclonic

sboesenberg said:

Hello!  My name is Sue, my husband is Kurt.  We just purchased a 2004 T@b THOR camper.  We are so excited.

Welcome aboard Sue!

You may not have anything planned yet, but it sounds like you have some good ideas.  Looking forward to hearing about your adventures in your new to you T@B.

jbug10

I love your yellow and white T@B! 

TABaker

Thank you!  I do, too.  Yellow is my favorite color.  In the late 70s I had a bright yellow AMC Pacer, for those of you that remember those "bubble" cars. lol  We're also Green Bay Packer fans

Wanderoo

Hi, Crystal -- I also have a Yellow Tab and I used to live in Madison, Wisconsin for 20 years.  I now live in Denver, Colorado, and I consider myself a "conflicted camper" with regard to which team to support!!!  I had a choice between a yellow tab and a blue tab, and I picked yellow.  Okay, then, I suppose I would choose the Packers over Denver -- don't shoot me Denverites!!!!!  I was at a Packers game at Thanksgiving-time where there was SO MUCH snow (1981?) that the bars in Green Bay were closed!!!  Glad to have you on the Forum. 

8-|

TABaker

Oh, goodness, Beth, I feel your pain.  Our daughter and son-in-law are living temporarily in Denver.  He's from Denver and a Bronco fan.  We let him stay with us anyway  We also have a Green Bay tent, and he slept in it! Yikes!  We didn't tell his friends

Wanderoo

Lynn Dickey was the QB -- played with no gloves in sub-zero temps.  I don't even remember who won the game, just that I wore a snowmobile suit and sipped root beer Schnapps to keep warm. 

Love your GB side tent!!!!! 

)

Wanderoo

Crystal -- Where were you guys camping?  That looks like a wonderful spot!!!

Justjudy

Hello everyone, I hope I am doing this right. I've never joined a forum before. My husband and I just ordered a new T@B Maxx S floorplan - silver with black trim. We are newly retired and hope to do a little traveling. We have a restored 1947 Kit teardrop already, but I am yearning for an inside kitchen and a bath. I look forward to reading everybody's posts and getting tips.