New to Forum - Considering an M23

Hi guys. We are new to the world of travel trailers and are considering an Edge M23 to pull behind a Honda Ridgeline. I haven't seen a lot of comments on this forum about the M23. Anyone have any insight that they could share? Any comments would be appreciated.

Hi newalaskan,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share when needed.

I am not an Edge owner, but think they are a great unit. I'm sure you will get some comments soon.

Meanwhile, enjoy the forum.

Jim M

Newalaskan, I also have a Ridgeline and am impatiently waiting for my M21 to be built. I would be very leery of purchasing something that weighs more than perhaps 3500 pounds dry. The ridgeline does not tow well at the higher end of its weight rating. By the time your trailer is loaded out, it will be quite heavy. I am hoping that at perhaps 4200 to 4500 fully loaded it does ok, otherwise i'll dump the ridgeline and get a real truck. My point here i guess is that I don't have much faith in the Ridgeline to tow either of these trailers particularly well. I am fully prepared to get a different tow vehicle if necessary.

Newalaskan, Welcome!!! We have had an M-22 pulled by a Buick Enclave V6. I installed a Reese sway control WDH, a Prodigy brake controller, and an external transmission cooler. The Enclave has a towing package which provides for higher transmission shift points when towing. Loaded, it is a the top end of the towing capacity. We camp on average, for one week a month, so about five weeks a year in our climate. We mostly stay at provincial camp grounds within a 6 hour drive of our residence.
Before deciding whether the Ridgeline is appropriate, you must decide what style of camping you will be doing for the next couple of years, or however long you plan to keep the Ridgeline. If your camping will be similar to ours, then in my opinion the Ridgeline will be perfect. If you plan to do long distances, or pulling through the mountains, then a tow vehicle with a larger engine and higher weight limits would be more appropriate. We are careful in watching the weight of items that we carry in the trailer to keep the weight within capacity, but with us only camping a week at a time, this is not an issue. If you are planning a 6 week trip across the continent, you will drive yourself nuts watching your weight. In summary, shorter distances for a week or two at a time: Ridgeline is perfect. Long distances with hills for weeks at time: V8 with a higher weight limit.
Now some thoughts on the trailer. I have not seen an M-23, but it appears to be similar to our M-22 in several respects. One of the main reasons we chose the M-22 is that the dining seating area converts to a bed long enough to fit an adult, or two with a tight fit. The bunks are not large and very narrow to comfortably sleep an adult, so I think they would be appropriate for children. We use the bunks for storage. We really, really, REALLY like the slide out, as it opens up the interior immensely. I like the tub/shower in the M-23 better than the corner shower in the M-22. The corner shower is a "shower of last resort", and like the bunks, is better suited to children. We usually use the camp ground showers with lots of space and tons of hot water. In summary: Bunks are great for kids. Dinette sleeps adults. Tub/shower is better in the M-23. If you are travelling with more than two adults and two children, you are really, really, REALLY going to appreciate the slide out in the M-22. And it is only 100 lbs. heavier. Take a close look at the M-22 to see if it is more appropriate.
All that being said, we have found the quality of the Edge to be very acceptable with no major issues. Make sure that you deal with a reputable dealer. I would place the quality of the dealer as high or higher than the brand of trailer. If you have major problems, you need a good dealer far more than you need the trailer!!!
Best of luck.
Cam

Thanks for the feedback. We would just be using the Edge for weekend trips within a couple hundred miles of our house. The main point that has drawn us to the Edge in the first place is the ability to tow with our existing vehicle. I totally agree with the suggestion that if we were planning a transcontinental type of trip, we should go with a larger tow vehicle. For that matter, I would probably want a larger TT also. Seems like our initial opinion about the bunks only being good for kids or storage is shared by others...which is fine as our kids like the prospect of sleeping in the bunk "caves"...which then would keep us from having to mess around with a dinette bed every night.

Camr - I think you are right about the need for a good dealer...unfortunately I think my option is limited as I have only found one dealer in my state that sells has the Edge in stock...about 50 miles from my house.

PhotoPete - I look forward to hearing how the Ridgeline handles the M21 when you get it.

Well, if you want to hear what people that have alredy towed with their Ridgeline have to say and see the pictures to prove it go here http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12327

I have also towed my Edge M18 with my Ridgeline with the trailer fully loaded, and the bed and trunk fully loaded. I'm not going to sit here and tell you the Ridge has the same capacity as a big truck, but it does the job with the lighter trailers. With an M23 you will probably need a weight distributing hitch which shouldn't present a problem if properly adjusted. Honda does warn against an "improperly adjusted" weight distributing hitch, they don't say you can't use it as some people might tell you. It's there in your manual for you to read. I don't really use one as the M18 has a much lighter tongue weight.

Your Ridge is capable of a lot more than people (and apparently some owners) give it credit for. Go for it and good luck!

My experience has been similar to what CAMR stated. Towing a Trail Lite B21 that was loaded up good. likely only clocking in at around 4000 pounds and using reese duo cam load levelers/sway control, we pulled that thing half way across the country and back last summer. If kept under or around 60 mph the truck preformed ok, a bit stressed but ok. If we jumped up to interstate speeds of 70 or better the truck had to work very hard and you could almost watch the gas gauge go down. We live in reasonable flat lands. around here it's fine. Try to hit real mountains with a loaded trailer and the truck is a dog. I have tens of thousands of miles under my belt towing big and small trailers with different tow vehicles. In my opinion, the ridgeline is not a very capable tow vehicle at its rated limit under higher speeds or mountainous terrane. It happens to be an ideal truck for most of what I do however. I just wish it would also fit the bill better for that other 10% of the time.

My alternative is to buy a bigger tow vehicle, more suited to the way we camp, but then have more rig than I need for the balance of the time. A dilemma I am sure many a camper has run into.

Since this will be my first RV purchase ever, does anybody have any suggestions of things that I should be asking the dealer? Are there some common questions that newbies should ask but don't?

Ask any question you like. Thats what the forum is for. There is not a dumb question...only one that is not asked and gets you in trouble or worse. Most people on the forum have been a "newbie" at one time or another. My only statement about dealers are....some saleman don't have a clue and some just will lie to make a sale.

Well, we have changed our mind and are going with the M22. Hard to beat the extra living space that the slide gives you. We are planning on heading up to the dealership today!

I am also planning on getting either an M23 or an M22. My Nissan frontier should tow either fine. What one did you end up getting? Also are you happy with it so far?

Hi Armeniandave,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

We went with the M22. The slideout was just hard to pass up with all the extra living space that it provides. So far we love it. Have had 2 trips for a total of 3 nights. My Honda Ridgeline tows it reasonably well, although you definitely feel it when towing over hills.

Armeniandave said:

I am also planning on getting either an M23 or an M22. My Nissan frontier should tow either fine. What one did you end up getting? Also are you happy with it so far?

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I have an M21 and it is a dream to tow with my Toyota Tundra 6 cylinder truck. I downsized from a 29', Surveyor, that was a nightmare. New unit always in repair shop and it was incredibly hard to tow, lots of sway. Everytime a truck passed I gripped the steering wheel in fear because of the sway it cause. The Edge M21 is a much better built unit.

Welcome, I am a recent used 2011 Edge M21 owner. I am VERY pleased with my purchase. I pull with a 2006 VW Touareg SUV with 4.2 L V8 and air suspension. The Edge tows nice. All I had to do was add sway control, VW does not recommend or even support equalizing hitches on their models with air suspension with auto leveling.

Here is a punch list of things I would negotiate the dealer to do so you don't have to yourself:

- pull wheel well trim and caulk the wheel wells
- ensure that entrance holes under trailer are all sealed, caulk as needed. Holes as small as a dime are mouse entrance points.
- have them make sure the water pump screen filter is clean and water pump fittings are tight
- have them pull refrigerator vent covers and clean the evap coil and blow out any spider webs to maximize the air flow. Tell them to trim up any spray foam blocking air flow thru the bottom vent.
- have them caulk the side, front and rear rubber roof seams
- grease wheel bearings

Also -
Have them show you how to open and close the awning - its so much easier to be shown than figuring it our yourself the first time.
Have them show you the how the 3 way latch on the Dometic refrigerator works
If it has sat for any amount of time go over it and get rid of all the wasp's nests. In particular, look in hitch tongue, and the AC roof top unit.
Get a wasp guard for your forced air heater, cheap way to avoid an expensive heater repair. Same for hot water heater, but not as critical.